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Yan locked the door to the Commerce Guild and headed up Main Street towards his home. Snow fell gently around him in the quiet evening, the winter solstice almost upon them. He stuck his hand in his pocket to jingle the gols inside, the clinking of the coins soothing his soul.
Entering his lavish house, he walked past the myriad expensive gewgaws and relics stuffing every corner, satisfaction at his horde thrumming through him. He was a far cry from the middle class boy he used to be.
He crossed the loft to his bed, pulling out and unlocking the box hidden beneath. A grin slid across his face as he emptied his pockets into the box.
Those stupid newbie builders were simply raking in the gols. Mason had never produced like this. In just six months he'd skimmed more from their commissions than he had in Mason's entire decades long tenure. He wondered if they would notice him taking another percent? He'd have to consider that further.
Not tonight, though. He was quite tired. Matilda had insisted he do some actual building today and that kind of work was hard, which is why he avoided it whenever possible.
Snuggling down into his comfortable bed, his silky pajamas cradling his aching muscles, he breathed a contented sigh. He'd need to get another lockbox, the haul this week had filled his up.
With that happy thought, he drifted into sleep.
"Yaaaan."
Yan grumbled and rolled over.
"Yaaaaaaan."
Yan grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head.
"YAAAAAAAAAAN!"
Yan opened his eyes and sat up bolt upright, his heart pounding as the sound of his name shouted in the silence rang in his ears. He blinked in the darkness, then reached over and flicked on the table lamp. Gazing around the empty room, he tried to quell his panic. It must have been a dream. He glanced at the clock. Midnight. He'd only been asleep for an hour.
He laid back down and closed his eyes. He'd keep the lamp on, just in case.
Cold air wafted across his face, freezing his nose and chilling his skin. He cracked one eye.
"Boo!"
Yan released a bloodcurdling scream and bolted out of the bed, passing through the person that hovered mere millimeters from his face. He darted across the loft and rushed down the stairs, slipping on the loose carpeting he couldn't be bothered to repair, and sliding down the last five steps on his skinny ass, his tailbone complaining loudly as he scrambled to his feet and headed toward the door.
A transparent figure loomed in front of him, laughing heartily, and Yan pivoted, his sweaty feet squeaking loudly on the wooden floor as he dashed toward the kitchen and grabbed the first thing he saw: a large gold serving platter hanging on the wall.
Holding the serving platter in front of him like a shield, he scrunched his scrawny frame down as tightly as he could, hiding as much of himself behind the platter as possible. Peeking around the edge of the makeshift shield, he eyed the figure still floating (floating?!) in front of his only escape route.
"Who…who are you?" He cleared his throat and continued, trying his best to sound intimidating. "I don't have anything of value, so just go rob someone else."
The person (ghost?) raised a skeptical eyebrow and gazed around them at Yan's prized possessions, then turned back to Yan with a mischievous expression.
"Yan! You have been chosen to be visited by three ghosts in an attempt to mend your wicked ways before it is too late. I," the ghost paused and swept a courtly bow, "am the Ghost of Solstice Past, and the first to visit."
Yan eyed the ghost skeptically. "You aren't here to hurt me? More importantly, you aren't here to rob me?"
"Rob you?!" The ghost laughed at the notion. "No, I'm here to give you a priceless gift."
Yan's ears perked up at this and he lowered the platter a bit, standing straight but keeping it in front of his body, just in case. "Priceless?"
He contemplated the figure before him. It appeared to be a man. Not young and not old, he seemed to flicker between the two. The man's clothing was both regal and tattered, at once appearing somehow expensive and cheap. He didn't look like he came bearing priceless gifts.
"Yes, priceless. I am offering you the gift of… perspective."
Yan barked out a laugh. "Perspective? What can I buy with that? Doesn't sound priceless to me! Keep it and leave. Don't touch anything on your way out."
Yan turned to hang the platter back on the wall, dismissing the ghost. He yelped as the ghost appeared directly before him, and gripped his arm firmly. How could a ghost grab his arm?!
"Time to go!"
The cheerful voice of the ghost and the clanging of the platter hitting the floor the last thing Yan registered before the world around him disappeared.
They materialized sitting in the rafters of a large room packed with people. Yan clamped his legs around the wood beam he perched upon, his hand gripping and digging into he wood beneath him, and glared at the ghost floating beside him.
"Rude."
The ghost ignored him. "Gaze upon your past and learn. Look, there you are now! What a handsome young man you were, clear of the ravages of avarice and scheming. And what a lovely, kind young lady at your side."
Yan followed the ghosts gaze to the figures walking in the door. The young man was dapper in tails and a top hat, the woman at his side radiant in a green ball gown, her red hair piled upon her head in an elaborate updo.
Yan growled as he watched the pair slowly circle the room, receiving and returning hearty, happy greetings from everyone they encountered. They were clearly beloved by all and deeply in love with each other. The couple headed toward the center of the room and enthusiastically joined the dancers assembled there.
"You were so happy and in love." The ghost turned a mournful gaze his way. "What happened?"
"That's not me," Yan snapped.
"What?"
"That's not me. That is my stupid twin brother, Wei, and his fiancee, Esmeralda." Yan pointed to the corner of the room where a figure nearly identical to the one dancing lurked. The man in the corner had slightly less clear skin, the beginnings of a mustache, and wore a suit that was too tight for his body, the better to highlight his…assets. "That's me."
As they watched, younger Yan slunk around the room, sticking as much as possible to the shadows. He paused occasionally, his hand darting out to snag the a wallet or pocket watch from the inattentive. He, too, danced with the odd woman, each time returning her to the side of the room missing something of value: a bracelet, ring, or necklace the most common.
"That was a good night. I fenced most of that stuff for a pretty hefty sum, if I recall." Yan cackled, clearly remorseless as the ghost gazed at him in horror.
"Look how happy your brother was, though. Don't you desire the same joy?"
Yan glanced dismissively at the happy couple. "That loser? Not at all. He barely had a pot to piss in. He was working for a pittance at the shop of the guy that threw this party, Fezziwig. Same as me, but I had bigger plans. Wei just wanted to build things and marry Esmeralda, the shop owners daughter. She was rich, I'll give him that. Although the way old Fezziwig blew money on useless crap like this party, she wouldn't be that way for long. I did him a solid on that front! Saved him from wasting his time, not that he appreciated it."
"Ah, yes, that's right. You did do that, didn't you."
The world faded again and they reappeared in a park, Yan and a distraught Esmerelda standing before them.
"I don't understand, Wei. You've been so different these past few days. You were always so kind and generous but you've been acting like your brother, stingy and cold. What's changed?"
"I've seen the light, that's all. Yan was right about everything. The world is a tough place. It'll chew you up and spit you out and the best thing you can do is look out for number one. Greed is good. Greed keeps you fed in the lean times."
"I'm sorry, Wei, I simply don't believe that and I can't marry anyone that does!" Esmerelda burst into tears. "I want my kind Wei back."
"Sorry, doll face, that simp is gone forever. But why don't we head over to those bushes and I'll remind you what you love most about me."
Esmerelda gasped in outrage. "Oh, you truly have changed. You're a disgusting pig and I never want to see you again! Take this back, our engagement is off!"
She tugged the engagement ring off her finger and threw it at Yan before rushing away.
Yan chuckled and pocketed the ring, whistling to himself as he headed the opposite direction.
"Where was Wei during this?" The ghost was aghast at what he'd just witnessed, disgust all over his features.
"At home with the flu. The witless wonder never could figure out why Esmerelda called off the engagement. He received a letter terminating his employment the next day and both she and Fezziwig refused to speak to him again. He assumed she kept the ring, not that he cared about it, and I sold it for a pretty gol."
"Have you no remorse at all? Have you learned nothing witnessing these actions again with the wisdom of age upon you?" Incredulity laced the ghosts words.
"Yeah, I missed a lot of good loot at that dance. As for Wei, he didn't even appreciate my efforts. He mourned that twit until the day I had him carted off and dumped in the Peripheries to die. Worthless git."
"You truly feel this way?"
"I do. We were identical twins! Think of the cons we could have pulled, the scams we could have run. But, noooo. He had to have 'morals' and 'ethics' and a 'conscience', whatever that is."
"I weep for you, Yan," the ghost said mournfully.
The world faded around them and they appeared back in Yan's bedroom.
"You will be visited by two more ghosts this night. I pray they will be more successful than I have." The ghost peered at him sadly before disappearing.
"Not likely, bub!" Yan yelled at the empty spot where the ghost had stood.
He climbed back into bed and closed his eyes. "No one changes me. I'm perfect just the way I am," he mumbled before slowly drifting off toward sleep.
Right before sleep claimed him, the events he'd witnessed flashed across his mind once more, lingering briefly on Esmerelda's distraught face and the remembered pain of his brother.
"Hee hee hee, good times," he whispered before falling into a deep, untroubled sleep.