{"id":1566,"date":"2022-02-06T07:08:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-06T07:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2022-02-06T07:08:46","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T07:08:46","slug":"time-of-possession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/2022\/02\/06\/time-of-possession\/","title":{"rendered":"Time of Possession"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Pre-Game Show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWelcome to ESP Network Christmas Eve haunting. I am the Ghost of Christmas Now. These are my co-hosts, Christmas Past and Christmas Future. And it’s time for the Super Haunting of all hauntings. What can you tell us about these two contestants, CP?\u201d
\u201cMerry Christmas CN And CF. We\u2019ve had some great years together. The visiting team is the Inner Demons. These guys are nasty and have a reputation for pulling out all the stops. I don\u2019t expect anything different tonight.
\u201cWhat can you say about this guy, Ebenboozer? Team after team seems to win the battle, but none of them have won the war, including ourselves.\u201d
\u201cHe drove us into retirement, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d says CN. \u201cWhat\u2019s your spin, CF?\u201d
\u201cMerry Christmas and I hope many more to come, CP and CN. The Inner Demons have taken it way beyond a traditional shaming. Their playbook is new, fresh, and scary. A big victory tonight for the Inner Demons could change the future of the game. A lot is riding on this one.\u201d
CN says to the viewing audience, \u201cOkay. Mary Frickin Christmas is down on the field with the Inner Demons.
CN touches the spiritual transceiver in his left ear. He says, \u201cMary Frickin Christmas?\u201d
She responds with, \u201cRight back at you.\u201d
CN asks, \u201cWhose the setup person this haunting?\u201d
\u201cThe Inner Demons have chosen to go without a setup person. They say they don\u2019t need one.\u201d
CP frowns, \u201cI don\u2019t like it. That\u2019s just the way it is done. It\u2019s fundamentals.\u201d
Mary Fricken Christmas holds the mike up to the invisible and asks, \u201cWhat\u2019s your strategy going into the first half, Inner Demons?\u201d
Her eyes roll up into her head, and her body shakes. In a demonic voice that is not her own, she says, \u201cIt\u2019s all about the time of possession. They who control the time of possession, control the outcome of the game.\u201d
Mary\u2019s body snaps forward like someone just gave it back. She says, \u201cI\u2019m a believer. Back to you.\u201d
CN says, \u201cLet\u2019s go over to Holly Daze reporting for the home team. Holly?\u201d
\u201cThe only Christmas in this house is on the big screen and Ebenboozer is watching the Grinch on his phone.\u201d
In the background, Ebenboozer is sliding into the semi-consciousness of first sleep on his lounge chair. The narrator is commenting on the disposition of the Grinch,
\u201cThe Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don\u2019t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn\u2019t screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all,
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holly Daze says, \u201cHe has places to go if he wants to. He just don\u2019t want to. Back to you.\u201d
CN says, \u201cWe have a great show coming your way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Half<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ebenboozer is standing on the deck of a wooden ship with its sails furled. The ice has trapped the ship. There is nothing but blowing snowdrifts for as far as the eye can see. He shouts to a muffled, barren landscape. “Is anyone out there?” No one responds.
He finds no one on the ship. He finds a room that must belong to the captain and enters. He does not recognize the reflection in the mirror on the dresser. The man in the reflection wears a torn, woolen cap and has a weathered, at sea look to him.
Ebenboozer settles for a smaller room next to it on the chance the captain returns. Besides, he figures, the smaller room will be easier to heat. He finds provisions in the crates and barrels of a lower deck. He starts a fire in an iron stove. The insulation of his room is good.
The sun dips below the horizon and then resurfaces for a brief partial appearance before disappearing again. Then there is nothing but glow below the horizon followed by darkness. Only the ship’s creaking in the ice pack and the howling winds break the monotony of the eternal night.
A month passes in the time it takes a shooting star to cross the sky. Sometimes Ebenboozer hears the voices between his ears; sometimes, he hears them in the distance. Whenever his eyes chase the hallucinations, they vanish.
The second month passes in stillness. Ebenboozer sees the captain on the deck, not remembering when he returned. He asks the captain if he has plotted a course out of their icy death trap. The captain paces himself into invisibleness and disappears. Ebenboozer sees fleeting images of the crew on the deck conversing. Whenever he walks toward them, they vanish. The hallucinations are getting worse.
The third month passes in darkness. Beautiful naked women parade on the deck, oblivious to the deadly chill. One winks at Ebenboozer and asks him, “Would you like me to warm you up?” He reaches out toward her. Her face turns the ghostly blue of death and then into a skull. The skull rushes his face with a roar opening its mouth to engulf Ebenboozer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ebenboozer wakes with a scream. He is back on his lounge chair in front of the heatless image of a fireplace on his big screen. He takes comfort in its realness. His blanket lies on the floor, and a chill runs through his body. He breathes a sigh of relief, then shouts at the ceiling, “What was the point of that? Show yourself, you cowardly ghost.” There is no response.
He says, “It must be my hyperactive amygdala, that source of fear and anxiety in the brain.” He pulls the third layer of socks over his cold feet and puts on his already too-tight shoes, covers himself with the blanket, and falls asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half-time Show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The camera cuts from the living room to the studio for the halftime report.
CN says, \u201cI\u2019m not sure I understand the strategy. Sure, the Inner Demons won on time of possession. They were on offense the whole half. But I\u2019m not sure if they scored. Will the imprint of a bad memory make the change permanent?\u201d
CP jumps in, \u201cIt\u2019s not his memory and he will know it. Change comes through shame. Shame comes from prior actions. Ebenboozer has never been to Antarctica. This strategy is a loser.\u201d
CF confirms, \u201cAnd he will never go. It is not even one of his possible futures. I\u2019m with CP.\u201d
CN responds to an incoming message on his spiritual transceiver. \u201cWhat are they saying in the locker room, Mary Frickin\u2019 Christmas.\u201d
She responds, \u201cThe Inner Demons say they will stick to the game plan. They seem to be totally happy with the results of the first half.\u201d
\u201cHolly Daze, what\u2019s going on in the home team\u2019s locker room?\u201d
\u201cNothing but snores and the silence of a roaring fire on the big screen, here. Ebenboozer seems to be sleeping off the first half.\u201d
CN says, \u201cWell, somehow the Inner Demons won the coin toss and will start off on offense in the second half, again.\u201d
CF offers, \u201cMaybe they will play for a tie.\u201d
CP responds, \u201cThat would be the lamest haunting in the history of Christmas hauntings.\u201d
With everyone scratching their Christmas heads, CN says, \u201cA game can\u2019t end in a tie. Stay tuned and let\u2019s see where this takes us. Back in a few moments for the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second Half<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ebeneezer stares at the fluorescent light on the ceiling, wondering where he is. He smells the odors of disinfectants and hears intermittent beeping in the background.
His neck hurts from a stiffness like a long night sleeping in the wrong position. When he tries to shift positions, nothing happens. He tells his head to lift. Still, nothing happens. He focuses all his mental energy on the image of his neck muscles contracting to tilt his head forward. Still, nothing. He is exhausted from the effort of not moving.
He attempts to slap his face. If his hand moves, he can’t detect it. If he slaps his cheek, he can’t feel it. In his mind, he shouts at his hand to obey his orders. When nothing happens, he panics. When he panics, nothing happens.
He feels something on his cheek. It itches. The itch consumes his cheek and then his whole face. His hyperactive amygdala is about to enter a nine alarm rage when he sees a nurse walk into the room out of the corner of his eye. He shouts, “Help me. Please, help me. I’m begging you, help me.”
She looks at a chart. She looks at Ebenboozer.
Ebenboozer shouts, “For Christ’s sake, help me. I can’t get rid of this itch. It’s driving me crazy. Just a little scratch on the cheek. I’m begging you.”
She looks at her watch. She leaves the room.
Then it hits him. His mind can process inputs but can’t facilitate outputs. He is locked in, a prisoner of his own body. He screams the scream of outer space, a terror without sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He wakes with a start. He lifts his head to see the unaromatic smell of a large screen Christmas tree. He takes comfort in its realness. He feels his legs, arms, stomach, and chest and taps his fingers on his cheeks.
Ebenboozer shouts. “Show yourself, you miserable ghost. That’s the closest I’ve come to pure terror.” He wipes a lone tear from under his eye.
He cracks his neck before reclining back into his chair. He sleeps fitfully, trying to massage out the muscles in his neck to get comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overtime<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CN says, \u201cClearly there is no winner here. Looks like they will play on into overtime to win this one.\u201d
CF confirms, \u201cYep, the slightest score will win the game. I think either way, it will be a moral victory for Ebenboozer.\u201d
CP divulges, \u201cFirst time in haunting history for overtime.\u201d
On one of the monitors, the trio watches as Holly Daze slips out of the ersatz Christmas scene on the TV into the living room of Ebenboozer. He loosens the laces of his shoes and slips a pillow behind his head to straighten his neck before merging back into the big screen.
In the background, the narrator to the Grinch finishes up his analysis.
And what happened then? Well\u2026in Whoville, they say,
That the Grinch\u2019s small heart Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn\u2019t feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebenboozer wakes with a start. He looks at his watch and smiles. \u201cIt\u2019s not too late. I can still make it out for the end of Christmas dinner.\u201d
He throws off the blanket and jumps out of his chair. He fills up a couple of Christmas boxes with wine and chocolates before running out the door.
The ghostly trio of commentators is stunned and speechless for the first time in their commentating, post-haunting careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wrap Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CN says, \u201cThoughts?\u201d without offering one of his own.
CP says, \u201cI think the winner is Holly Daze. She straightened out his head so that it was screwed on just right and she loosened his laces so that his shoes weren\u2019t too tight.\u201d
CF counters, \u201cI suspect an examination of his heart will show that it grew three sizes that play.\u201d
Holly chimes in, \u201cThis just in from the medical team. No changes to his heart size. It\u2019s the same size it has always been. But you might find this interesting, his amygdala shrank two sizes that day.\u201d
CF and CP look at each other and say in ghostly synchronicity, \u201cWhat the hell is an amygdala?\u201d
CN wraps up, \u201cWell whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes, he is out on Christmas eve, celebrating with booze.\u201d
All members of the crew and team members wave as the program fades to black.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>Pre-Game Show \u201cWelcome to ESP Network Christmas Eve haunting. I am the Ghost of Christmas Now. These are my co-hosts, Christmas Past and Christmas Future. And it’s time for the Super Haunting of all hauntings. What can you tell us about these two contestants, CP?\u201d\u201cMerry Christmas CN And CF. We\u2019ve had some great years together. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[162,120,127,126],"class_list":["post-1566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing","tag-achristmascarol","tag-christmas-2","tag-ghosts-2","tag-scrooge-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1566"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1568,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetembo.com\/clip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}