Chapter One; Charles Lee Ray
Chatter filled the theater while everyone waited for the show to start. That's when suddenly a young woman entered onto the stage and took center spotlight. "Hello everyone, and welcome to our school production of a Christmas Carol." She began when silence suddenly fell as everyone turned to look at her. "I hope you enjoy our program, and as you may come to find out, we tell this story a little bit differently. I hope you'll still like our take on a Charles Dickens classic." She said as everyone started to applaud before she left the stage and the lights dimmed.
A few moments later the lights turned back on and a group of children started singing "The Holly and The Ivy" outside of Chucky's workplace. He quickly turned his head and stood up and rushed to the door and opened it. "Shut up!" he cried before slamming it shut again and the singing ceased to exist before he slowly walked back over to his desk and continued to work. That's when suddenly his grandson busted through the door. "Hello Grandfather, and a merry Christmas to you!" he cried. "Bah! Humbug!" he shouted.
"Surely you don't mean that Grandfather." He told him when suddenly Chucky stood up. "Of course I mean it, I mean it with every fiber of my very being. Why every asshole who goes along with merry Christmas on their lips should be pierced with a steel blade through their heart and buried with it with a bit of holly on top of it." He grouched. "I don't understand why you must be so violent Grandfather." Charlie said giving him a look of disgust.
"And I don't understand why you can be so merry when you're poor enough." Chucky told him. "And I don't understand how you can be such a jackass when you're rich enough!" he snapped back. "Good afternoon Charles." Chucky muttered under his breath before sitting back down again. "Actually Grandfather, there's something that I wish to talk to you about." He said. "Fine then! Talk and get it over with!" Chucky exclaimed. "Well you see my wife and I were hoping that you would be joining us for Christmas dinner." Charlie told him.
"Ah I see, well tell me something then Charles. Why did you get married in the first place?" Chucky asked him. "Well I got married because I fell in love Grandfather Ray." He answered. "Ha! I'm surprised at you Charles." He began. "Now get out of my office." He growled. "But you see Tim is very sick and I since I can't afford a turkey for him I know that it would mean a lot to him if you chipped in." Charlie said. "Well that case, you can forget it! Now good afternoon Charles!" he yelled angrily. "Well alright, I really wish you would come but goodbye Grandfather, and a very merry Christmas to you!" Charlie cried as Chucky quickly leapt back up to his feet and slammed his hand down on top of the desk.
"Good afternoon!" he shouted before his grandson left through the door and he sat back down again. He had barely started to get back to work when suddenly two older gentlemen entered through the door. "Are you a mister Charles Lee Ray?" one of them that had been holding onto a silver tin cup asked him as he walked in front of his desk. "That depends on who's asking." Chucky muttered as he slowly glanced up at him.
"Well, my friend and I were wondering if you could spare some of your gold for the poor." He said. "What are you a complete idiot!?" Chucky exclaimed. "I just finished throwing Baker out of here two seconds ago!" he yelled as he gestured his head towards the door. "So are you saying that you wish to remain anonymous?" the man asked him. "No I'm saying that you can go ahead and kiss my ass! Let the poor houses deal with shit like that!" he snapped. "But sir many would rather die than go there." The man told him with disbelief. "If they would rather die than they better do it and decrease the surplus population!" Chucky yelled as he quickly rose to his feet.
"Now here's the door and you may use it." He said crossly as he walked a crossed the room and opened it for them. "I'm sorry for taking up your precious time Mister Ray." The gentleman said as he heaved a heavy sad sigh and walked outside with his friend behind him. "Humbug!" Chucky shouted as he quickly slammed the door in their face and the lights went out again and everyone started to applaud while they all started to set up the next scene.
As the lights came back on Chucky was now wearing his Good Guy pajamas in the safety of his own home. He threw off his slippers before sitting down inside his comfortable chair and eating a slice of pumpkin pie. That's when suddenly the clock started to chime midnight. "Charles,.." he heard a ghostly moaning voice began after it had stopped. Chucky started to look around but simply figured that it was just his own imagination when he had heard it again. "Charles!" it moaned louder and Chucky's eyes widened with horror as he saw Eddie Caputo's face coming through his doorknob. "Eddie?" he questioned with disbelief before slowly placing his pie down on top of the coffee table behind him.
A few moments later Eddie's whole entire body walked through the door. "Eddie?" Chucky questioned him again. "Why the hell are you wearing those chains?" he asked him. "These are the chains that I bore in life." He began. "And now I am forced to carry them for all of eternity." He explained. "Yeah, well serves you right. I got shot because of you." He told him. "CHARLES!" he hollered on the top of his lungs as he started to rattle his chains. "What do you want already!?" Chucky shouted at him.
"You have no kindness in your heart." He began. "Yeah well obviously." Chucky said. "Your chain is in the process and right now it's even twice the size of mine. And I've come to warn you that's the way it's going to be if you don't change your ways." He said. "Yeah, it figures now you're coming to my rescue." Chucky said with a roll of his eyes. "There is but only one way to escape this horrible fate. You will be haunted by three ghosts. Expect the first one when the bell tolls one, the second at the stroke of two, and finally the third at the stroke of three. You have been warned." He told him before he slowly started to fade dragging his chains along on the ground behind him while Chucky just continued to stare out into space a moment after he had disappeared. "Damn, I really need to lay off the pie." He muttered.