A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Copyright 2007
By Mason Emerson
Adapted from The Novel By Charles Dickens
illustration by John Leech
Ebenezer Scrooge was old and definitely a miser. As always
he was at work in a cold room with his clerk Bob Cratchit the
day before Christmas exactly seven years after his business
partner Jacob Marley died. Suddenly his nephew Fred came
to visit and said, “Merry Christmas, uncle Scrooge! You can
come to our house for Christmas dinner tomorrow!”
Scrooge frowned, “Bah! Humbug! Oh, now get out of here,
Fred! It’s just a stupid day and I don’t want any part of it.
People need to be working.” Later two other men, who were a
bit portly, came. “Sir, we are collecting donations to help poor
people. Would you like to make a charitable donation, sir?”
Scrooge's face colored red. “Bah! Humbug! There are laws
and workhouses that already help those poor people! Don't
you two know that!” The men stared at each and sighed,
“Well, sir, some of the poor would prefer death before they
received such help from the law and the government, although
they will take it in good cheer from friendly people even as we
all should be.”
Scrooge shook his head, “If they want to die, then let them!
That’s their own problem! That’ll lower the population to
help the rest of us!”
The men left and Scrooge spoke to his clerk. “Cratchit.
Christmas is stupid, but I know I must let you go home for it.
So be going, then, but I warn you that the day after Christmas
you must work even harder!”
Scrooge returned to his townhouse. It was large but he lived in
only a small, cold and dark part of the building. The rest of it
was for renters. He began to unlock the door. “Now, what's
this! This door knocker looks like the face of my dead business
partner, Marley!!” Other strange things also happened after
he went to bed. A ghost horse galloped up the staircase. He
could hear doors slam. He heard some bells and then suddenly
the ghost of Marley appeared.
“What! Is that you, Marley?” The ghost’s face nodded. “Yes,
Scrooge. I have come back. You will notice that there are
boxes of money, keys and other things connected to me. They
are symbols of what I thought was important when I was alive.
Now I must walk upon the earth sorry that I was so greedy.
When you die you will wear even more burdens unless you
change.”
Scrooge shook his head. “No, you’re not real, Marley. I just
need to sleep again. I will feel better later.” He went to sleep.
Soon it was one o’clock. He heard a sound and woke up again.
There was a ghost which resembled a child, and it had a bright
head. “Scrooge, Scrooge! I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. I
will show you some of the happiest and saddest times in your
past. Look closely and you can see yourself when you were a
boy. Your father did not love you, Scrooge. You stayed at
boarding school even during Christmas. You loved the woman
named Belle but you lost her because you spent too much time
working. You also lost your sister, the only human who ever
showed love to you.”
Scrooge’s face distorted. “Out! Get out of here!” With some
difficulty he finally slept, but it became one o’clock again,
he heard a sound and woke up. He stood and walked, looking
for the source of the noise. “Who, who is it making this
noise?”
“Here I am, the Ghost of Christmas Present." This ghost was
large and it wore a green robe. "Look, Scrooge, and you will
also see Bob Cratchit with his family. They love their son Tiny
Tim, but he will soon die unless you help their family. Also,
look at your nephew, Fred, who invited you to Christmas
dinner. He believes you can change. And look under these
robes. See the two children who are ignorant and in need of
loving homes. Ignorance causes so much harm, Scrooge.”
Woodcut by John Leech 1817-1864
“I, I... I really must return to my room and sleep!” The clock
returned to twelve o’clock. Again, he heard a sound. A scary
figure came which was dressed in black. He could not see the
face, only its hand which was pointing, “I am the Ghost of
Christmas Yet To Come! Here you see the Cratchits crying
because Tiny Tim is dead. Also you can see people talking
about the death of a rich man who died alone without any
friends. Let us look at his tombstone. Can you read the
name!"
"Yes! It is my own name."
You never changed from this second to the day you died.
Nobody said a good word about you because you were such a
greedy, unloving man. This is how you are about to die now.”
“But, but I can change!! Let me live some more! My nephew,
Fred, knew I could, and I know I can! Yes, I know I can!
That's the truth. No just go away and you will see! Everybody
will see me change! I will bring honor to Christmas from this
second forward!”
This final ghost also left. And when Ebenezar Scrooge awoke
the next day on Christmas, did he change any? Why, yes,
yes, he did. He bought a huge turkey dinner for the Cratchits,
and he attended the Christmas party at the home of his
nephew Tim. Bob Cratchit's little son Tiny Tim did not die
and he grew to a man who was Scrooge's best friend.
Yes, indeed, Ebenezar Scrooge used much of his money to end
ignorance and poverty, and when he later did die, countless
people had kind words about the man. His ability to change
was an inspiration for everyone who had ever known him, and
Christmas became all the merrier for them and the people they
knew because of how Ebenezar Scrooge lived the rest of his life
especially during Christmas, although he used to say "Bah!
Humbug! about it."
A CHRISTMAS TALE
WORDFIND
Scrooge, miser, clerk, Bob Cratchit, Fred, workhouses, stared, sighed,
ghost, Marley, nodded, burdens, boarding school, distorted, scary,
figure, tombstone, TinyTim, Christmas, poverty
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