An Anime Christmas Carol

(Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, Gundam Wing, Tenchi Muyo!, or Final Fantasy 7. I also don't own A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, if I did, I would be a world renowned author with several successful books.)

( Author's Note: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Several various anime characters will be acting out A Christmas Carol part by part. ------ means scene change. Enjoy and Season's Greetings. Please no flames, and do not copy this story with out my permission.)

Cast:

Scrooge: Cid Highwind

Bob Cratchit: Tenchi Misaki

Mrs. Chratchit: Ayeka/ Ryoko

Chratchit Children: Sasami, Marline, and Quatre

Tiny Tim: Goten

Fred: Future Trunks

Fred's wife: Kiyone

Charity Men: Reno and Rude

Jacob Marley: Radditz

Ghost of Christmas Past: Tsunami

Bell: Tiffa Lockhart

Fan: Aeris Gainsbrough

Chibi Scrooge: Chibi Trunks

Young Scrooge: Cloud Strife

Fezzie Wigg: Ox King

Ghost of Christmas Present: Goku

Ghost of Christmas Future: Duo Maxwell

Narrator: Vincent Valentine

Assistant Director/Set designer: Washu

Director: Cyber Hyena

And Brolly as….The dry cleaning guy!!

It was Christmas Eve and the local theater in Tokyo was packed, every one had come to watch Cyber Hyena's production of A Christmas Carol. The theatre was decked out in Christmas apparel, streamers of red and green, wreathes and a large Christmas tree in the far right corner. The author/director in question was peeking out from behind the large velvet curtain, wringing his hands. The cast he choose was not the most reliable cast there was, considering a good portion of them were mental furballs. It had taken a month and half of practicing, designing the sets and going through four bottles of aspirin, but they had gotten it down pat, hopefully. He walked over to Washu.

"Hey Littl' Washu, is every thing set?" he asked nervously. "Yep the props are ready, the sets are beautiful, the actors, well, they at least know what story they are portraying." She said, checking off the list on the clip board and handed it to CH. "Did you hide the f-o-o-d?" he spelled out a word that would drive a certain sayian nuts. "Yeah, it's in the s-a-f-e." Washu used the same inconspicuous tone of voice and spelling, just in case Goku was in ear shot. "Well, everyone's here…wait, where the hell are Radditz and Goten?!" Everyone looked about and shrugged. "Radditz is looking for his costume." Ayeka piped up. Just then Radditz came strutting out…in the wrong costume!! He was wearing a hockey mask and caring a chain saw! "Radditz, that's Jason, your supposed to be Jacob Marley, not a chain saw toting maniac!!!" Cyber Hyena berated the long haired sayian. "Okay okay, I'll look for the right one. Tight ass." He added under his breath. "What was that?" "Oh nothing." "Radditz, I'm high strung, nervous, and giddy, DON'T MESS WITH ME!!!!!" Ridditz eeped and ran off to get the right outfit. "I'm doomed." Muttered CH as he checked everyone else that maybe a problem.

"Now Goku," he lectured the not- too- bright sayian, "You read your part right?" Goku stared blankly for a moment, picked up his copy of the script and flipped to Stave III glanced it over and nodded. "*sigh* Okay, now I know you'll be tempted by the food that will be piled before you…." "Food!!! Where??!!!" Goku glanced around wildly at the mere mention of editable items. "GOKU!!!! You only eat, A LITTLE!!!!!! Got it?" Goku gave Cyber Hyena A classic Son Grin™. "It's gonna be a looooooooong night. And where the hell is Goten?!!" Suddenly Chi Chi ran in with snow piled on her shoulders and head, brushing herself off she walked over to CH after grabbing a fresh cup of coffee. "I'm sorry *brrrr!* Goten was sparing with Vegeta earlier and well, Goten's in traction for a while." As she finished she began to greedily suck down the good strong coffee. Cyber Hyena absorbed this information, and pulled out a tape recorder. "Note to self, torture Vegeta in my next fic, mercilessly!!!" he ended it and then Radditz came up to him again.

"I've got it this time!!!!" he said gleefully. "You moron." Radditz was wearing a red and yellow striped shirt, black hat, dark pants, a gloves with metal claws, and make up that made his face look burned and mangled. "Radditz that's Freddy Kuger." Washu told him gently, CH was too choked up with anger at the sayian. He finally calmed enough to go and find a new Tiny Tim, he then saw Barret leaning up agenst the curtain controls. "Barret, old buddy, could ya do me a favor?" Ch mustered as much cheer into his voice as he could. "No way foo'!! I know what your up ta, and you can't make me!!!" Barret snapped. "You wanna bet?" sneered Cyber Hyena. He snapped his fingers and Berret was in a pink bunny suit, complete with yellow ribbon. The entire cast and crew stopped and gawked and then Cid started to laugh. "Hahahahahahahahahaha!!! That's the funniest %$#@! thing I ever seen!! Hahahahahaha!!! Hey Barret!!! Wrong holiday!! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!" Cid fell to the ground with tears of mirth in his eyes. "@#%%^^&**^$@$%^^&&$@!!" Barret snarled and he ripped off the humiliating outfit. "Awright, I'll do it." mumbled the leader of AVALNACHE, stalking off to the dressing rooms. Then Chibi Trunks slouched up, his normally purple hair was a striking shade of blond. "This sucks! I look like a pansy in these clothes, and my hair is piss colored!!!" he whined, scratching at his costume and wearing Vegeta like scowl. "Tough." Then Radditz ran up once again, and at a distance, CH could tell he didn't have it right. "Radditz, the overalls red and white stripped shirt, scars and knife are not Marley!! WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE FIND RADDITZ'S CUSTOME??!!!!!" The tall sayian slunk off to try once more.

15 minutes later everyone was getting ready to go on stage, checking costumes, combing hair, praying(Cyber Hyena),sulking(Barret, Chibi Trunks), and making last minute preparations. Cyber Hyena strolled up to Vincent and handed him the script. "Okay, Vinnie, I know your not the most emotionally person around, but when your doing the narration, try not to be so…..melancholy?" "Okay, and it is Vincent. Not Vinny, V-man(he shot Duo a glare at this), or Vince." "Yeah, yeah." The clock ticked and CH straitened his shirt and smoothed down his jeans as he walked on stage to applause, and one person booing. "Thank you ladies, gentlemen, and Vegeta. Tonight I bring to you a Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Now I ask you to please be polite, clap when scenes end, and enjoy the performance. And a word of warning to the sayian in row 25, don't think I can't hear or see you, and if you don't shut up, I'll rat you out to Prince Vegeta. Remember, Vegeta, I know who you are and I know where you live, and I've seen what you've done!! Now on with the show!!" He ran off stage and the certain short sayian slunk down in his chair and turned to Bulma. "He wouldn't……would he?" he had a nervous edge to his voice. "I don't know. He is an author after all." Bulma said thoughtfully as the lights dimmed and the stage curtain lifted to reveal a realistic Victorian street in London during December. Vincent's clear and slightly less melancholy voice was heard as the extras went about the stage.

----------------------------------------

Vincent: "Stave I: Marley's Ghost. Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner."

Vegeta: "Boring!!!! Get to the story plot!!"

At this comment, a clipboard comes flying out from back stage and conks Vegeta on the head. Vincent clears his throat and continues, putting his hand on the barrel of the Death Penalty.

Vinny: "*ahem* Where was I..ah yes! Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail."

Vegeta: "It's as dead as your voice? Can we have a new narrator, or is the author's budget so low he only afford this guy?"

At Vegeta's latest comment, a lead pipe comes from behind stage and once again The sayian princes head is the bulls eye. Vincent coughs in annoyance and slides his weapon out of it's holster an inch.

Vincent: "*Ahem* I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin as the deadest pice of ironmongery in the trade But the wisdom of our ancestors…."

Vegeta: "*SNORE*"

This time, a costume trunk collided with the sayian princes un-damageable hair and Vincent starts to transform into Chaos but is quickly calmed down by the rest of the cast. He flips a few pages and clears his throat again.

Vinny: "Okay forget the intro! * Ahem* Scrooge never painted out Old Marely's name. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marely.

At this point Cid in his Scrooge costume shuffles out, complaining under his breath about how itchy it was. He slowly makes his way to the warehouse door which has a spot light on the sign that states "Marely and Scrooge."

Vincent: " The firm was known as Scrooge and Marely. Sometimes people new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge, and sometimes Marely, but he answered to both names: It was all the same to him.

Vegeta opens his mouth to make a comment but sees Chi Chi, who is sitting behind him with Gohan and Goten(he has a cast over one arm and neck brace), pull out her frying pan and level it at him, he slinks down in his chair and grabs his lower jaw and pulls it back up and clenches it.

Vincent: "Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his check, stiffed his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his gating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and on his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about him.."

As Cid/Scrooge walks toward his counting house, he slips on a patch of ice. The entire room fills with laughter, until Cid burns a hole in the air. Cid picks himself up and continues to trudge to the counting house.

Vincent: "… he iced his office in the dog days; and didn't thaw it one bit at Christmas."

Vegeta: "Ah, a character after my own heart!"

Gohan: "What heart?"

-------Backstage--------

"What the hell?!!! Washu, why is there real ice on stage?!!!" Cyber Hyena roared at Washu, who merely shrugged it off. "I thought a little realism would be a nice touch." Washu said defensively. If things weren't already worse Radditz came up wearing a kings robes, beard, and crown. "Radditz, that's Hamlet's father, where is the %$#@!##$!! Marely outfit?!!!!" CH put his face in his hands and let out an exasperated sigh. Just then Brolly came crashing trough the roof, followed by a miniature avalanche of snow. The giant sayian gave a Son Goku like grin and handed Washu a costume on a hanger and incased in a plastic bag. CH eyed the snow and let out a groan.

"Brolly's Dry-cleaning!!" he announced proudly and shook the snow off himself. "My prayer has been answered!!" Cyber Hyena fell to his knees and held his arms open wide after seeing it was indeed the Marley out fit. Washu walked off to give Radditz his costume while CH was vigorously shaking Brolly's hand. "Thank you!! What kept ya?" "Well, I had to clean the chains too." " You didn't…ah skip it."

------On Stage---------

Vincent: "External heat or cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, nor wintery weather chill him. No wins blew bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon it's purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast the advantage over him in only one respect. They often 'came down' handsomely, and Scrooge never did."

Vegeta: "What is this? The weather channel?"

Chi Chi: "Shut the hell up!!!!"

The enraged woman brought her trademark weapon down upon Vegeta's head with a resounding Clang!! Vegeta dropped like a stone and was propped up by Bulma. Chi Chi placed her frying pan back in her purse to the utter amazement of the people sitting around her. Gohan and Goten shifted nervously.

Vincent: "Thank you madam. *ahem* Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with glad-some looks, ' My dear Scrooge, how are you? when will you come to see me?' No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life had ever inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blindmen's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, 'no eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!'"

-------Backstage--------

"Please, please, please, please, please…" #18 and #17 watched with interest as Barret followed CH around, begging. "What is he trying to accomplish?" asked #17. "He's trying to get out of playing Tiny Tim." His twin sister answered, sniffing disdainfully at the sight. Maybe I could get that part, I'm practically doing nothing in this damn play. Soon the android joined Barret, pushing Cyber Hyena's patients to it's limit. " Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please…." # 18 shook her head in disgust and stalked off.

--------On Stage--------

Cid walks up to the Counting house and enters. Vegeta wakes up and rubs his sore head.

Vinny: "But what did Scrooge care? It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep it's distance, was what the knowing ones call 'nuts' to Scrooge."

Vegeta: * makes a farting sound, long and loud*

Chichi takes out her deluxe fraying pan and repeatedly bangs it down on his head. After the beating The sayian prince sways and collapses on the floor, and this time Bulma doesn't move to help him.

Vincent: " *AHEM* Once upon a time-of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve-old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house."

Cid is sitting at his desk, weighing his gold on a scale, an recording the sums in his record book. His clerk is writing at his ledgers, suddenly Tenchi slips off his seat and sheepishly climbs back up again, then he spills the ink all over and uses his sleeve to mop it up and wrings it back into the ink well. Cid tries to cover his laughter with a cough.

Vincent: " It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, an stamping their feet upon the pavement-stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already: it had not been light all day : and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighboring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and key hole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale."

"The door of Scrooge's counting-house was open that he might keep an eye on his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters."

Tenchi is hunched over his work when the quill snaps. He grabs another, but that too brakes, he goes through about ten while Cid starts to snigger uncontrollably. Finally a steel feather pen flies out from back stage and smacks Tenchi on the Forehead. Tenchi rubs the sore spot while Cid regains his composure.

Vincent: " Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk's fire so much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn't replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed."

Tenchi puts his hands near the candle, but then his fingers get caught on fire he screams and runs about the stage waving his arms and shrieking until he dips his hand in the snow out side. The audience is roaring with laughter, as Tenchi slinks back down in his chair. Cid, who had been laughing so hard he fell out of his chair, climbed up again and wiped tear from his eye.

At this time Future Trunks enters with a cheerful grin and smile at Cid, who grunts and continues his work. Tenchi gets up and shakes his hand.

Future Trunks: "A Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!!"

Cid: "Bah, Humbug!"

F. Trunks: "Christmas a humbug, uncle? I'm sure you don't mean that, do you?"

Cid: "I #$%! do! Merry #$%! Christmas! What the hell is there to be merry about?! What reason have you to be merry about? Your #$%! poor enough."

F. Trunks: "Come, then. What right do you have to be dismal? What right do you have to be morose? Your rich enough."

Cid: "Bah Humbug!"

Future Trunks: "Don't be cross uncle!"

The audience is getting more and more offended ever minute Cid speaks. ChiChi has her hands clamped over Goten's ears, Bulma is on the brink of fainting, and Vegeta; who had woken up at Cid's first line, was impressed.

Cid: "What the hell else can I be, when I live in a world full of jackasses?! Merry #$%! Christmas!! What's Christmas time but a time for paying bills with out money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not a #$%! hour richer! If it where up to me, every moron who goes about with a 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled in his own #$%! pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!"

When Cid is finished speaking one of Scrooge's famous lines, Vegeta stands up and begins to clap enthusiastically.

Vegeta: "Bravo! Bravo!! BRAVO!!!!!"

Clang!!

ChiChi once again silences the sayian prince.

F. Trunks: "Uncle!"

Cid: "Nephew! Keep Christmas in your way and I'll keep it in mine."

F. Trunks: "Keep it! You don't keep it!"

Cid: "Let me leave it alone then. It won't do you #$%!ing good!!"

F. Trunks: "There are many things that I see as good that I haven't profited by, Christmas among the rest. But I'm sure I've always thought of Christmas time as a good time when people open up their shut up hearts and treat each other justly, so even though it has never put any money in my pocket, I say God bless it!!"

Tenchi begins to applaud but at glare from Cid, stops and engrosses himself in his work.

Cid: " Cratichit!! Just who's #$%! side are you on?!!! Keep that up and you'll be keeping Christmas, un-employed! Your quite the powerful speaker sir, you should run for Parliament."

Future Trunks: "Don't be angry, Uncle Scrooge. Come! Dine with us tomorrow."

Cid: " Like hell."

F. Trunks: "But why?"

Cid: "Why did you get married?"

F. Trunks: "Because I fell in love!"

Cid: (mockingly) "Because you fell in love! Good Afternoon!!"

F. Trunks: "But uncle, you never come to see me before that! Why give it as your reason now?"

Cid: "Good Afternoon!"

Future Trunks: "I don't want anything form you, can't we just be friends?"

Cid: "Good Afternoon!!"

F. Trunks: " I'm sorry that you feel that way, uncle. But I'll keep my humor and wish a very Merry Christmas to you!!"

Cid: "Good Afternoon, damnit!!"

F. Trunks: "And a Happy New Year!"

Cid: "Good #$%! Afternoon!!"

Trunks leaves stage and wishes Tenchi A Merry Christmas, which he returns and leaves. Then Reno and Rude come shuffling in. Only they were hiccupping and slurring, arm and arm and stumbling along the stage. The nearly empty vodka bottles in their hands told the whole story.

Reno(slurred): "Scrooge *hic* and Marley's, I believe. *hic* Have I the *hic* pleasure of *hic* addressing Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley? *hic*"

-------Backstage------

"Alright, who's the genus who got those two plastered?!!" CH snarled at the cast, everyone shrugged. Cyber Hyena sighed and pulled out a large pice of tag board and a marker. "What are you doing?" asked Washu. "Making an apology before I get a frying pan embedded in my skull." Ch muttered as he finished writing in two languages and walked out on stage.

-------On Stage------

CH comes walking out on stage with a sign that reads " I sincerely apologize to any of you in the audience were offended by the actors. It will be dealt with, and I'm truly sorry."

He glares at the two drunken Turks as he disappears backstage.

Cid: "Uh…..Mr. Marley has been dead these seven years."

Rude(slurred): " I'm sorry to hear that. *hic* To get right *hic* down to business, we *hic* at this festive season of the *hic* year people feel *hic* *hic* *hic* *hic* ah hell, will ya give donation to the somethin' or other Charity foundation?"

Cid: "Are there no prisons, no workhouses?"

Reno: " Plenty sir *hic*"

Cid: "Oh good, I was afraid they had been stopped."

Rude: "Well *hic* that's what this charity is for. We *hic* wanna get them some food and *hic* drink, 'specially the drink! How *hic* much *hic* can I put ya down for?"

Cid: "Not a damn penny!!"

Reno: "Aw common! *hic* "

Cid: "I support the work houses, those who are badly off can go there."

Rude: " But *hic* many can't go there and many *hic* would *hic* rather die. *HIC*"

Cid: "Then they had better do so and decrease the surplus population. Now, Good Afternoon 'gentlemen'."

Reno and Rude shrug and amble off stage, Reno pouring the rest of the liquor on his head and they both start singing "How Dry I am." Time passes and Then Tenchi blows out the candle and grabs his hat and scarf. Cid walks and pulls on his coat, hat, cane, and comforter.

Cid: "And I suppose, you'll be wanting the whole #$%! day off tomorrow?"

Tenchi: "Yes sir, If it's quite convienet."

Cid: "It's not #$%! Convenient, and it's not fair."

Tenchi: "But it's only once a year."

Cid: "A lame excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th of December! But I suppose I can let you have the whole day, but here the earlier the next morning!!"

They both leave, Cid locking the door and trudging off to get dinner. Vegeta once again regains consciousness.

Vincent: " Scrooge took his usual melancholy dinner at his usual melancholy tavern; read the newspapers, and went home to bed. He lived in chambers which had once belong to to his deceased partner. They were gloomy suite of rooms, in a lowering pile of building up a yard.

Cid walks up to the door of the chambers and pulls out a key.

--------Backstage--------

Cyber Hyena was on his knees and praying to God to get him through at least this part of the play. Radditz approached him, in the right outfit! CH felt like dancing, drinking, something to commerate the event. "Okay, Radittz, this is your big scene, don't blow it!!" "You can count on me, kid." Radditz then poured a sack of flour on his head on went on stage. "Foreshadowing." muttered Washu.

-------On stage--------

As Cid is un-locking the door, Radditz's face appears over the door knocker, his head as the bandage over it he looks confused for a moment, then his face lights up with realization, then torment.

Radditz: "Scroooooooge."

Cid: "AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

Cid continues to scream as he brings up his cane and beats the crap out of Radditz's face, until he sees CH waving his arms and making slashing gestures. Cid stops, and Radditz groans before disappearing.

Cid: "Jacob? Bah Humbug!"

Vegeta: " This play sucks, who care about this insipid pice of…"

A coffee pot full of scalding hot coffee comes hurling out at Vegeta, giving him a migraine and second degree burns. Mean while Cid is walking up the stairs to his room.

Vincent: " Scrooge liked darkness, it was cheap, and with Scrooge, cheap is the best way."

Cid closes a heavy door, and locks five different locks before walking about the room and off stage, appearing again in a bathrobe and slippers. He takes a small sauce pan of gruel for the hob and takes a bite, screws up his face in disgust, and troughs it into the audience, where it his Vegeta in the face. Vegeta licks some off of his face, his faces turns green, and he runs out of the theater and into the men's room.

Bells start to ring uncontrollably and Cid curls up I his chair, then after a minute they stop. Then the cellar door flew open with a bang and the sounds of chains dragging up the stairs is heard.

Cid: " It's #$%!ing Humbug still, I won't believe it!!!"

Radditz: "Scrooooge."

Radditz comes trough the door, dragging chains, a distressed look upon his face, the effect is good, except his trips on the chain he's wearing and falls flat on his face, he picks himself up.

Cid: "Who the hell are you?!!"

Radditz(over dramatically): "Ask me who I was!"

Cid: "Who were you then?"

Radditz: " In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley!!"

Cid: "Can ya, sit down?"

Radditz: "I can."

Radditz goes to sit down, but falls through the chair. After several tries he just stands. Cid leans foreword, then grunts and sits back.

Radditz: "You don't believe in me, do you?"

Cid: "Hell no! Your just some indigestion caused by a undigested bit of beef, a crumb of cheese, or underdone potato. There's more gravy then the grave about you."

Radditz: "Scrooge!!!"

Radditz, grabs him by the collar and floats up into the air.

Cid: "Dreadful apparition, why do you bother me?!"

Radditz: "Do you believe in me?!"

Cid: "I do, I do!! But why are you shackled?"

Radditz: "This the chain I forged in life, I made yard by yard, and link by link. Hell, you see the strong coil you bare yourself."

Cid: "You were always a good man of business."

Radditz: " Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business!"

Radditz drops Cid and hovers over to the door. Cid climbs back into his chair.

Radditz: "Hear me, my time grow short! I am here to help you escape my fate!"

Cid: "Thanks Jake, you where always a good friend to me!"

Radditz: "Tonight you will be visited by 3 sprits. And don't try to weasel out of it, they are your only hope of escaping my fate!"

Cid: "Couldn't I take 'em all at once and get it over with?"

Radditz: "Expect the first, at dawn! Farewell Ebenezer!! Expect the first when the bell toll one!!"

Radditz heads through the door, then slips on the steps, followed by a series of crashes clangs, yipes of pain, then one long loud crash and several groans.

Cid: "Bah, I'm going to bed, and forgetting this nightmare."

Radditz( far off): " I'm okay."

Cid climbs into bed and snuffs out the candle, as the curtain falls.

Well that's it for now! I'll probably post the rest of this fic after Christmas, until then, Seasons Greetings, and God Bless!