It’s Christmas eve and I sit sadly in the cold, dark basement, chained to the wall by my collar and sitting on the small simple bed. I'd angered my master, he said that I was being ungrateful and selfish when I complained and acted disobediently, all I wanted was some time without having to serve him. Was I really being that bad?

Sadness fills me as I curl up, shivering slightly as I wrap myself in the thin blanket

I slowly open my eyes as a faint light fills the room. As my eyes focus I jump slightly as I see a white glowing robe flowing in the air with a warm glowing face.

"I am the ghost of christmas past." I sit in my bed and stare frozen at the uneaethly being floating in the dark room.

"W... what do you want of me?" The ghost floats elegantly and calmly.

"I'm here to show you of Christmas' past." What does that mean? I suddenly feel the chain attached to my collar pull me back, dragging me into the cold brick wall, the bricks seeming to part into a black void. Fear fills my body as I panickingly pull on my collar as the bricks close around me leaving me in darkness.

Suddenly festive music and colourful club lights appear and I find myself standing in a club, still naked and my collar no longer chained to the wall. Feeling self-conscious of my nudity I look around confused and worriedly but no one seems to notice me. Confused I turn to the spirit floating next to me.

"Can they see me?"

"These are just images of what has happened, you will not be seen or heard by them, nor can you interact or change what is." I look around recognising the place.

"I know this place." Through the crowd I see him, my master, looking much younger, dancing up to me.

"This is the first time that you both met." I watch with a slight smile, hearing the awful chat up line he said to me.

A coloured club light suddenly shines in my eye and as I blink I find myself in a new location, my old apartment, mold growing in the corners and the drafty windows misty with condensation. On the old sofa, one whose shape is warped and well used, sits a younger me, looking down at a letter. A knock echos as I watch myself get up and open the door to my master, his face relieved to see me.

"I haven't heard from you all week. I was so worried." He looks at me with concern.

"What's wrong?" I sadly show him the eviction notice and he looks at me understandingly and wraps his arms around me.

"Don't worry, you can stay with me, I'll look after you."

"And he did, he always does." As I turn to look at the ghost the world around me warps and changes. I find myself in master's bedroom, in the bed I see myself, my face pale, my body sweating and shivering, my master sitting on the edge of the bed dabbing my forehead with a damp cloth. The sight reminding me of how much he cares about me, he got so ill looking after me that Christmas, I spent new years looking after him just the same. I also remember at first not wanting him to be near me, I remember telling him to lock me in the basement until I'm no longer infectious but he wouldn't have it and got ill himself because of it.

The room suddenly spins and I find myself in the living room, both me and master are busy decorating it, christmas music playing loudly around the room, at one point master grabs me and begins to dance around the room with me as we smile and laugh happily, enjoying our time together. I watch as master playfully adds a decorative bell ornament to my collar amd lifts me up allowing me to reach to top of the tall tree and place the star on the top of it. As I place the star down it glow bright and I find myself back in the cold and dark basement, sitting on the bed and chained to the wall, the thin blanket held over my frozen body.

Was it all just a dream? Am I going mad? I look around the pitch black room but see no one, nothing. I shake my head and lay back down onto the cold mattress and try to get some rest.

I open my eyes as I hear the basement door open and see bright sunlight beaming in. I get up, for a moment not noticing the absence of the chain attached to my collar. Maybe master has forgiven me. Suddenly a large giant figure with a large beard and a huge bulge in his trousers appears, a jolly and warm face smiling at me.

"I am the ghost of Christmas present! Come!" He holds out his hand and guides me out of the room. I suddenly find myself in an office, loud noises of phones ringing and people typing fill the air, accompanied by Christmas music playing on the radio. At one desk I see master busy, working, he's been spending a lot of time at work lately, part of me fears that he is hiding something from me.

"You really should take a break you know, you've been working yourself to hard, it's Christmas, you should relax." He smiles tiredly up at his colleague.

"I will, I just want to make sure everything is perfect for Christmas." His friend smiles.

"You got something planned for your partner then?" Master gets a mischievous look.

"Maybe." Wait? That's why he's been so busy and tired lately? Shame fills me, I've been such a brat to him lately, all while he was making himself tired to make Christmas perfect.

The noise suddenly disappears and I'm back in the living room, daylight streams through the windows but the room is silent, not like it was earlier. Down by the tree master kneels holding a gift the one he must have gotten me from all his hard work, his face sad and thoughtful, the look in his eyes as I have ruined his plans he worked so hard for breaks my heart. I wish that I could talk to him, to tell him that I'm sorry, to hold him and do anything to put a smile back on his face. 

I look around as the room grows dark and I turn to the large spirit, who I'm shocked to see has turned old and grey, his jolly face now showing signs of exhaustion.

"Are you alright?" The ghost gives me a warm smile.

"Yes, you see I only exist for as long as Christmas does and now my time has come." I look at the tree with its lights turned off, the wrapped present still sitting under the tree. Is this how it ends? I turn to ask the spirit and jump in horror as before me where he stood now stands a dark cloaked figure, one almost made of shadow and mist, their hood covering their face, leaving only a black void.

"I... I take it that you are the ghost of Christmas yet to come?" I stand in fear as the figure slowly nods. As they do the room grows bright again, music plays in the background and I see my master smiling as he holds a wrapped present and holds it out. I watch as another man, one wearing my collar happily walks up to him and kisses him before taking the gift and joyfully unwrapping it. I look away in shock and sadness, unable to watch any more. Why was I not there? Who is he? Maybe master gets a second slave? Did he replace me?

"Spirit, where am I this Christmas?" The world swirls in a smokey mist and I find myself in a dark and cold room, faint music echoes above me. Hearing a rattling I turn to see a naked and shackled figure locked in a small cage, his back marked by several marks from a whip and their thin body shivering in the cold. I hear the door open as another skinny and starved slave enters carrying a dog bowl containing dog food and watch as he places it through a hole on the cage.

"Another Christmas down here, I'm starting to understand why your previous master got rid of you. Enjoy your Christmas dinner. I must be off, I don't want to leave master waiting and end up like you." They quickly turn and leave, not even looking back at the poor man locked in the cramped cage. I watch feeling sorry for the broken man as his starved body moves and lowers its head down to the bowl and begins to eat the disgusting meal hungrily.

Why am I being shown this? This isn't what I asked for. A horrible realisation flows over me, one that makes me stumble slightly in fear. I turn to the cloaked figure shaking my head but they stay motionless, only looking towards thw cage. I slowly walk over to the pathetic caged creature, part of me not wanting to know, wanting to pretend that it's not true. Reaching my destination I force myself to crouch down and look through the bars, inside I see my own face looking back at me, my eyes full of sadness and regret, a broken creature yearning for a past life he has lost forever.

I rise to my feet and turn to the ghost.

"Please tell me that this isn't my fate?" The figure just stands there quietly.

"Please answer me. I've realised my wrongs, I wish to make amends. I don't want to end up like this. I just want to be with my master, to tell him that I'm sorry, to be with him and show him how much I love him and how grateful I am. Please can you take me to him?" The horrific vision of the future fades around me, broken up into a swirling vortex of smoke, one that gets thicker and darker as it closes in on me and I move around disorientated, wrapped in the choking dark fog.

I'm suddenly back where I began that night, I reach up and feel the collar locked tightly around my neck, still chained to the wall, I feel relieved at the touch of it, I'm still his, I'm still with my master. Was it all just a dream? A nightmare? Was that really my future? Regardless of whether it was spirits or just my own imagination, I understand the message and am resolved to do better.

I sit patiently waiting, hoping that master will visit, hoping that it's not to late to change my fate. I don't want to leave him, I never did but if I don't behave and show him gratitude and love then I will lose him. I look up as the basement door opens and I see master walk slowly down the stairs towards me. Tears fill my eyes as I get off the bed and kneel down before his feet.

"I'm so sorry master. I've been so ungrateful to you after everything that you've done for me. Please forgive me. I'll do anything to make up for my mistakes." I suddenly fill a gentle hand under my chin as he lifts my face to look at him, he stares down at me lovingly and wipes the tears from my cheeks, before lifting me to my feet and wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Of course I forgive you silly." I hold him in my arms as he unlocks the chain from my collar and lovingly leads me up the stairs and into the bright sunlight to enjoy our Christmas together.