Stave Four

The Last of the Spirits

Scrooge walked into the kitchen and filled a glass of water. He drank deeply and felt somewhat refreshed. He paused over the sink to reflect a moment before rinsing out and putting away his glass. He walked upstairs and stopped to think. Should he really bother to get ready for bed when another spirit was due soon enough? Instead of undressing, he sat down on the bed and set his phone alarm for 3 AM. He was going to be ready to face this one.

As he sat waiting for the hour to strike, his eyes fell upon his bookshelf. Up on the highest shelf, very dusty and unused, sat a Bible that Fred had given him years ago. He hesitated and then retrieved the book. He started flipping through it at random. He had never thought much of the book and its stories. Now he found himself drawn to it.

His page turning landed him in the book of John. He flipped another page and read John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Scrooge stopped reading and pondered those words as well as recalling many like them. "Well surely that's just a bit narrow-minded. I'm all for self-improvement but I don't want to go that far."

He shut the Bible and placed it back on its shelf. He sat back down on the side of the bed, put his chin on his hands, and continued to think and wait. In a very short time, his phone alarm sounded and his clock read three. Scrooge shut off the alarm and looked around the room in expectation. He hadn't been sure what this spirit would look like and thus was prepared for anything. However, he had not been prepared for nothing to appear and felt sweat breaking out on his brow.

"Hello? Are you there?" He had a prickling sensation on the back of his neck but could find no eyes to be watching him. "Is anyone there? I imagine it's time for the Spirit of Christmas Future, right?"

Still there was no answer and Scrooge began to shake. He stood up and began to timidly search the room. He looked under the bed and found nothing. He looked behind the furniture and found nothing. He flung open his closet and found still nothing. However, the corner of his eye spotted something odd about his reflection in the mirror hanging inside the closet door. He turned to look his reflection full in the face and screamed.

It was indeed himself but dressed completely in black with white hair and wrinkled skin. It wasn't just that which made Scrooge so frightened; he couldn't quite explain how, possibly the look in those awful eyes, but it was exactly as if he was gazing upon his own corpse.

"Was I right? Are you the Spirit of Christmas Future?"

The ghost said nothing but gave a small, expressionless nod.

"You're going to show me…well…the future?"

The only answer he received was the same nod.

"I confess myself afraid of what you're going to show me. However, I know you have my best interests at heart. Aren't you going to say anything to me?" The Spirit gave absolutely no response and Scrooge took a trembling step back from the mirror. "Ok, you're obviously the strong and silent type. I've come across many people like that. Spirit, I wish to change, I honestly do. If you can help me, then do so please."

The reflection in the mirror blurred and mixed before growing clear again. It was no longer a reflection of Scrooge's lamp lit bedroom. He looking into a familiar hallway outside of a courtroom he had often conducted his work in. It didn't take long for the doors to open and the people to start filing out of it. He watched in anticipation but his future self never emerged from those doors. Finally a pair of lawyers emerged and began to chat.

"Too bad about that one but I guess I can't win them all. Good job" The man smiled as he offered his hand to the other lawyer.

She accepted the handshake and said "You did well, don't be too sad Counselor."

"Thank you Counselor. I have to wonder how our old friend would have handled it."

"Oh so that's how you get back at me for winning. You're going to compare me to him?"

"Ah be careful. I know he doesn't deserve kindness but you know what they say about speaking ill and all that."

"Very true" she replied "Well I'm afraid I have to say good bye now. My day's far from over."

"The same is true of mine. See you later Counselor."

They parted and the mirror grew dark as the reflected bed room returned along with the Spirit.

"Okay that was strange. I know both of those people, they're good at their job and a little too soft in the heart for my tastes." He paused and added "My old tastes I mean. Regardless of all that, who are they talking about? It can't be me, I'm reforming myself. Also they seemed to be talking about a dead man. I'm not that old."

The Spirit's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the image transformed again. Scrooge saw the exterior of his own office coming into view. He drew close to the mirror in anger and confusion as he watched the contents being carted out by moving men. He tried to shout at them to stop but the work continued. The image slid to one side where he saw Joe Flint standing with a smirk as he talked to the head mover.

"So this is the end of it" the business rival smirked "Everything shipped off to be auctioned. I imagine it will be the same thing at the house."

"There are really no relatives, partners, or…anyone to take care of this stuff?"

"Oh he left a nephew behind but the idiot didn't do a very good job on his will and this was the result…after I did a bit of work. Just between you and me, I'm a friend of Mrs. Dilber over at the auction house and both of use will benefit from this."

The foreman looked disturbed but simply said "I don't know anything about all of that. Wait a minute, someone like him left a will like that?"

"I'm surprised he had a will at all. The silly screwball was secretly very afraid of death but it found him in the end. He had liver troubles and no surprise with how he took care of himself. Who knows, he might have lived a lot longer with a bit of self-love and hard work. Still it's all good business for me."

"Right" the foreman said slowly "I still can't understand it though. Fear of death or not, surely someone as smart as him would have a better will."

"Well" Joe leaned in and lowered his voice "I did mention that I did a bit of work, didn't I? I'm rather good at wills."

"I think I'll just get back to work now, if it's all the same to you sir. I think the less I hear of this, the better."

"Fair enough, sir. Everyone gets what he earns and I'll let you go earn your living while I earn mine."

"I'll destroy you, Flint!" Scrooge shouted at the reflection "I'll get you for this!" The corpse like Spirit faded back into view and Scrooge came to a realization. "So that's how it going to end. No wonder Fran expressed an interest in my drinking. Fred's like that as well."

He backed away from the mirror and sat down on the edge of his bed. He touched his face with one hand and took a deep breath. "I wonder what year that vision came from. Flint didn't look that much older, that's a sobering thought." He realized the accidental pun before sighing. "Is that all my life is? Is that all it will result in; auctions and theft? Let that go on long enough and it might be like I never lived at all."

He fell into a thoughtful silence, trying to make sense of it all. All he ever cared about was material possessions and money. This was how such things ended up and apparently his end was even worse. However, wasn't he trying to change? Wasn't even now resolving to live a better life?

He glanced at the mirror and saw his deathly doppelganger sitting on the reflected bed and staring back at him. "Still here, are you? Tell me this please, these things you're showing me are the future of the man I am now, correct? The man who will go on with the lessons of the first two visitors?"

The Spirit gave another tiny nod and Scrooge stood back up. His reflection matched his movements but remained expressionless. "Then why is my future looking so bleak? Just two glimpses and I already get a bad picture. I thought the whole point was for me to change."

The Spirit finally made a major movement as it pointed at the Bible up high on its shelf. Scrooge glanced at it and remembered the verse from earlier. He shivered involuntarily and turned back to the mirror looking for a distraction. "Here's a sign that I'm already lightening up as a person. I'm curious to know what's going to happen with Bob and Tim. Am I allowed to ask that?"

The mirror shifted to reflect Bob. He looked much older than Scrooge had known him but it was hard to tell if that was the years or just life that had aged him. He was sitting in a bar nursing a glass of something brown and his eyes looked glazed. Scrooge's heart was beating very fast and he actually put his hands on wood of the closet door so he could lean in and pay full attention.

"Can I have another, Henry?"

"Don't you think you've had enough Mr. Cratchit?"

"Henry, I'll let you know when I've had enough. Don't you think I deserve to get good and drunk after the life I've had? I think I especially deserve it tonight after what I heard about Tim."

"Tim? Isn't he still living with his mom?"

"That…woman…doesn't deserve to be called a mom. She and her husband won their little custody battle and became parents of the year alright. That's sarcasm, by the way Henry. Soon enough Tim didn't even call anymore and he didn't sound too good when I did manage to get him on the phone. Depression can be a killer, let me tell you."

"Killer? Bob what happened?"

"I got the call that a certain Cratchit teen decided that fitting in would be just the medicine he needed, he decided that a little joyride would make him…*hic*…one of the boys. Timmy was…*belch*…just a touch too young for drivers ed and now he's lying in a stinking coma fighting for his life. And those quacks at the hospital just say 'it doesn't look good'. Oh, God in Heaven" Bob dropped his glass and started to sob "help my boy. Please help my boy."

"Enough Spirit enough! I can't stand it." Scrooge had tears pouring down his own face although his reflection was just as dry eyed as before "This can't be allowed. That horrible future can't be allowed. What can I do to help, Spirit? What can I do?" The Spirit simply looked at him and Scrooge swore and turned from the mirror. He rushed to the bathroom and slashed cold water all over his face. He dried it and caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Oh, how nice, you followed me." He took a very deep, calming breath and asked "There is really nothing I can do for myself is there? Old habits die very hard and all the good intentions in the world won't help, will they? I can't do any good on my own, can I?"

The reflection above the sink displayed a gravestone marked "Edward Scrooge." Scrooge looked at the date of death and knew that the Spirit was answering in the negative. It wasn't so much that he was going to die sooner than he expected; that headstone symbolized so much more than that. Scrooge looked directly at the stone and the dead eyes of the Spirit just barely visible behind it. "I asked a question and you answered. Thank you."

Scrooge turned off the bathroom light and walked slowly back to his bedroom. He shut the closet door and tried not to look at any reflective surfaces. He stared up at the Bible for a moment before taking it back down. He adjusted his lamp, settled into bed still fully dressed, and began to read. "God, I need help. I don't really understand but I'm ready. Please save me from myself."