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Chapter 2 The Ghost of Past Christmases

When Scrooge opened his eyes again, it was dark. He looked from his bed, but he couldn't see the window. It was as dark as the walls of the room. He listened. Then he heard the church clock. It was twelve o'clock.

But it was after two when he went to bed. Was the clock wrong? Perhaps the hands of the clock couldn't move because of the snow. Twelve! Twelve ?

' It isn't possible!' said Scrooge. 'What happened to a day and most of a night? It's not possible. Can this be twelve midday?'

He got out of bed and went to the window. He looked out. He could only see fog. It was very cold outside. There were no sounds of people in the streets. Was it really midday?

Scrooge went to bed again. He thought about Jacob Marley's ghost.Was he asleep at that time?Then he heard the clock.

'A quarter past twelve,' thought Scrooge. Later he heard the clock again. 'Half past twelve,'thought Scrooge.

Again. 'A quarter to one,' thought Scrooge. 'A quarter to one!' And he remembered the words of Marley's ghost. A visit at one o'clock! The first ghost at one o'clock.

He heard the clock. 'One o'clock,' thought Scrooge. 'And ... and nothing.'

But then a light came into the room. He sat up — and there, at the end of his bed, was a ghost.

The ghost was a child — but also not a child. It was an old man — an old man not bigger than a child. Its long hair was white, old man's hair, but the face was young.

The ghost's clothes were white. It had some Christmas holly in its hand, but there were summer flowers on the clothes. The strangest thing was a white light. It came from the top of the ghost's head. And the ghost had a hat under its arm. Perhaps it put the hat over the light, when it wanted to put out the light.

' Marley said, " Three ghosts will come to you." Are you the first ghost ?' asked Scrooge. ' I am,' said the ghost, quietly. ' Who are you and what are you ?' asked Scrooge. 'I am the Ghost of Past Christmases.' ' Which past Christmases ?' asked Scrooge. 'Yours.'

'Please put on your hat,' said Scrooge.

Scrooge wanted to see the ghost in its hat. But why? He didn't really know the answer to that.

' What ?' said the ghost.' Do you want to put out my light ? I am giving this light to you. Your bad past life made this hat. Your bad past life put out the light ... Come, walk with me!'

The ghost took Scrooge's arm with a strong hand. They went to the window and Scrooge looked down.

' Ghost!' said Scrooge.' No, I'll fall!'

' No,' the ghost said, 'you won't fall. I am with you.'

They went through the wall of Scrooge's room and stood on an open country road. It was green everywhere. The city was not i here now. The dark and the fog were not there. It was a lovely cold winter day with snow on the ground.

Scrooge looked round with wide eyes.

'I . ..' he said,'I was born here. I was a boy here.'

' Do you remember the way ?' asked the ghost.

' Remember it ?' cried Scrooge.' I can close my eyes and walk there!'

' Then why did you forget it for so many years ?' said the ghost.



' Let's go.'

They walked down the road. Scrooge knew every tree. Then they saw a little town with its bridge, its church and the river.

Scrooge saw some boys on horses.They called to other boys. They all shouted happily. People laughed when they heard them.

'These are ghosts from the past,' said the Ghost of Past Christmases.'They can't see us.'

But Scrooge and the ghost were happy to see the children. And Scrooge knew every ghost. These people said ' Merry Christmas' to their friends. Then they said' Goodbye' and went home.

' They were at school,' said the ghost. 'And there is one child at the school now, when the other children are at home — a child without any friends.'

Yes,' said Scrooge.' I know! I know!' And he began to cry.

They walked again — Scrooge knew the street well. Then they stopped when they came to a large red house. There was nobody there. A rich man built the house but then he lost all his money. There weren't any doors or windows in the house now.

Scrooge and the ghost went into the house. They saw a long,

ugly room with desks in it. A boy sat at one of the desks and read.

Scrooge sat down next to the boy — it was young Scrooge. He smiled when he saw his past.

The boy read and Scrooge watched. He knew the book well.

' Oh, it's Ali Baba!' he cried.' Dear old Ali Baba! Yes, I remember.'

One Christmas time, when his mother and father weren't at home, Ali Baba came to him in his story book. Ah, yes, and other people from stories: Robinson Crusoe ran by the sea with Man Friday ...

' Sad, sad boy!' said Scrooge.' I want to give . . . Oh! But it's too late now.'

' What do you mean ?' asked the ghost.

' Nothing,' said Scrooge,' nothing ... There was a boy at my door last night. He sang a Christmas carol for me. But I didn't give him any money, and I can't do it now.'

The ghost smiled.' Let's see another Christmas,' it said.

I he school-room was darker now. There was young Scrooge at his desk, when the other boys were on holiday. Then he stopped reading and started walking sadly up and down the room.

The door opened, and a little girl came in. She was younger than the boy. She put her arms round him. Then she said,' Dear, dear brother. I am here because you can come home now.'

' Home, little Fan ?' said the boy.

'Yes,' said the child, happily, 'home for always. Father is kinder now. He spoke kindly to me one night before I went to bed. Then I was not afraid. I asked him again, "Can Ebenezer come home?"'

'What did he say?' asked the boy — young Scrooge.' What did Father say ?'

' He said " Yes ".And he sent me and I'm bringing you home! We'll be a family this Christmas and we'll have the happiest time in the world.'

'You are a good woman, little Fan,' said Ebenezer Scrooge. She laughed and tried to put her hand up to his face. But she was too small and she couldn't do it. So she laughed again.

'Dear little Fan!' said Scrooge, the man. 'She was very small,

and not very strong.'

' Very small,' said the ghost,' but very kind too. She died when she was a young woman. She had children, I think.'

' One child,' said Scrooge.

'Yes, one child,' said the ghost.' His name is Fred.'

'Yes,' said Scrooge, quietly.' Fan's boy, Fred.'

They left the school and walked outside again. Scrooge looked round. They were now in a busy street in the city. The ghost stopped at the door of a big office.

' Do you know this place ?' it asked.

' Know it ?' said Scrooge. 'Yes! I started work here!'

They went in. An old man sat behind a high desk.

' It's old Fezziwig, the dear old man! It's Fezziwig, and he isn't dead now!'

Old Fezziwig put down his pen and looked up at the clock. It was seven o'clock. He laughed and called merrily, 'Ho there! Ebenezer! Dick!'

Scrooge in his past life, now a young man, came in. With him was the other clerk, Dick.

' DickWilkins!' said Scrooge to the ghost. 'Yes, there he is! He was a great friend, old Dick!'

' Come, my boys,' said Fezziwig.' Stop work now! It's Christmas Eve. Let's shut the office and put the desks and chairs by the wall.

Let's have a party.'

They pushed the desks and chairs to the wall. They lit more candles and put more coal on the fire.

 

Mrs Fezziwig came in with the three lovely Miss Fezziwigs, è id behind the Miss Fezziwigs came three young men. Each man was, of course, in love with one Miss Fezziwig.Then more young men and women came in.They worked in the office.

There was music, and the dancing began.There was cake and meat and wine.

The party finished at eleven o'clock. Mr and Mrs Fezziwig stood at the door and said ' Goodbye!' to everybody. ' Merry ('hristmas!' they called.' Merry Christmas!'

Scrooge watched his past life. He remembered everything and enjoyed everything. He was very excited. The young Ebenezer Scrooge was, he thought, a very nice young man.

Now, at the end of the party, he remembered the ghost. The ghost looked at him. The light on its head shone yellow.

' The party was a small thing,' said the ghost,' but it made those unimportant people very happy'

'A small thing!' said Scrooge.' No!' ' Listen to the two young men,' the ghost said. The two young men stood outside Fezziwig's office in the dark and talked about Fezziwig.

One of them said,'He's a fine man.'

' Was Fezziwig really wonderful?' the ghost asked Scrooge. ' What do you think? The party cost a little money — not much.' 'Oh no! It was more important than that,' said Scrooge. ' Fezziwig could make us happy or unhappy. He could make our work light or heavy. He could make our lives good or bad with a word or with a look. He made us happy in small ways, and with small things — but with a lot of small things.You can't buy those small things — not with all the money in the world.You ...' The ghost looked hard at him and he stopped. 'What is it?' asked the ghost. Scrooge said nothing for a minute. And then he said, 'I want to say a word or two to Dick Wilkins.'

But Dick Wilkins said goodbye to his friend, the younger Scrooge, and went home.

Scrooge and the ghost stood outside the office in the dark.

' My time here is nearly at an end,' said the ghost.' Quickly!'

Again, Scrooge saw Ebenezer Scrooge in the past. But he was older now. He was very different. His eyes said, 'Where's the money, where's the money ?' Money was his life now.

Scrooge sat with a young girl. The girl cried and Scrooge watched her.' No,' said the girl, quietly. 'You have a new love now. I hope you will be happy "with your new love in the future.'

' What love ?' he asked her.

' The love of money. You are a different man now, because you have the love of money in your life.'

He wanted to speak but she didn't look at him. She said,' I am leaving now. I hope you and your money will be happy' And she left.

' Ghost!' cried Scrooge.' Don't show me more! Take me home!'

But the ghost said, 'You have to see in your past one more time, Ebenezer Scrooge!'

They were in another place, a small but beautiful room. Near the fire there was a lovely young girl, and opposite her sat her mother. The mother was the woman from Scrooge's past. He loved her and then lost her.

There was a great noise in the room. There were a lot of very happy, very noisy children. The mother and daughter looked happy too. Then the door opened and the father came in. He had Christmas boxes in his arms. Everybody opened a box, and shouted happily.

Later the younger children climbed up the stairs to the top of the house and went to bed. The man sat down by the fire -with Ins daughter and her mother.

The husband turned to his wife with a smile.' I saw your old friend this afternoon.' ' Which old friend ?' ' Who do you think ?'

' I don't know!' And then she asked,' Was it Ebenezer Scrooge ?' 'Yes,' he said, 'it was Mr Scrooge. I looked in his office window. I saw him by the light of a candle. Mr Marley is dying, I bear. And there Scrooge sat without a friend in the world.' ' Ghost!' cried Scrooge sadly.' Take me home!' ' These are the ghosts of your past,' said the ghost.' They are your life. What did you do with your life ?' ' Leave me! Take me home!'

Scrooge took the ghost's hat and put it on the ghost's head. The light went out. Scrooge was in his bedroom at home again. He went to bed and cried. He only stopped crying when sleep came.


Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1528


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Chapter 1 Marley's Ghost | Chapter 3 The Ghost of Christmas Now
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