Chapter 14
The spirit moved in a phantom like way, slowly, and coldly as it give Ebenezer the gloomy state he placed it in. It gave Ebenezer a dreaded presence. It had no effect on me, because I was already dead, the dreadfulness only had an effect on Ebenezer. Yet, he bravely followed him. He came to the spirit, and saw only its dismal eyes looking at both of us. Showing me a clear sign it did not like taking this form.
"Do what you must?" I warned him. It nodded showing me it was worth saving Ebenezer's soul. The spirit took Ebenezer to the very heart of London. A place where the merchants traded, I knew it well in my life. It seemed the same in future, as the business men hurried up and down wasting time to fill money in their pockets. Some made use of it, but gathering in groups and socializing with each other, looking at their watches the whole time. I wished to communicate with the spirit, but I couldn't with its voice so low. I had to trust it. While Ebenezer observed one of his favorite places. The spirit seemed to be searching for a certain group, listening to their conversion. I really wished I knew what it was looking for. I found a man talking about how his daughter-in-law is with child.
"What are you looking for?" I asked as it was able to lighten up.
"I am trying to find a group of men who are talking about?" then it went salient as another man came shocked. "Did you hear the news" the man asked. The spirit disappeared, and then I saw it come to Ebenezer in its gloomy state, pulling him towards the conversion. I could tell it was struggling as he led Ebenezer to them, he seemed to not understand. Finally it just pointed at it. Ebenezer then came over to listen to the conversion.
"No, I don't know much about it either way." the man said to the future grandfather. I missed something; again, I just had to trust the spirit. "I only know he's dead."
"When did he die?" another man asked.
"Last night, I believed" the man telling the news answered.
"Why? What was the matter with him, I though he never die" the youngest of the men said in an ignorant manner. To Ebenezer it seemed ignorant, but to me it seemed natural.
"God knows" the future grandfather answered.
"What has he done with his money?" another man asked. I knew this situation well, it is now useless to the dead man, but to living it was the number one item on the Will countdown.
"I haven't heard" the messenger answered. "Left it to his company perhaps, he hasn't left it to me. That's all I know" he said it in a comical manner, a manner that made me chuckle a bit.
"It is likely to be a cheep funeral, upon my life I don't know anybody to go to it." The younger man said. It was one thing, we dead cared somewhat about. Fred attended my funeral, even those he felt no need to, but still I was glad he was there. This man had less than I did.
"Suppose we make up a party and volunteer" the grandfather suggested.
"Well I don't mind going, if lunch is provided" the messenger shrugged. "I must be fed if I make one." This man seemed to be doing better and better. "Good bye." We
We watched as speakers and listeners went on to mingle with other groups. I followed the youngest of the men, and summoned the spirit over, to the younger man, so I can at least talk to him on normal tones. "Who are they talking about?"
"I have no idea" the spirit answered. "I am trying to make it look like it's him."
"Good" I informed the spirit. "Now see his reaction" the spirit ran over, to Ebenezer, returning to it dark self.
It was very clear that Ebenezer knew the men, as he looked towards the spirit for an explanation. I continued to search as I found two other men meeting, the spirit followed my lead. "How are you?" one said and got the same response back. "Well that old scratch has got it's at last?" I heard one of the men say. "So I'm told, seasonable for Christmas time? Good morning" the two then left without another word. Ebenezer looked at the men surprised. I could tell he was wondering why the spirit was making him listen to these conversions. I was wondering the same thing myself. He then kept looking around, trying to find himself. He then saw another man, standing in his traditional place, he had the same shocked look I had, when I saw someone else living in my home.
I called the spirit over to another person, who seemed to be quite happy. "I don't think this is working"
"Me neither" the spirit said. "I know they are talking about him."
"Any way we can make that more obvious" I asked.
"One, but it might be too harsh" the spirit replied.
"Why not show him his empty house?" I asked.
"Or better yet" the spirit then ran back to Ebenezer taking him to another part of town. It was an obscure part of the town, a part where the living always locked their doors. A part Ebenezer had never stepped foot in. I could tell, he had heard of this part of London, and its stories. It was a harsh amptophere, filled with men meeting in secrecy, and woman standing on the corners half-dressed talking with drunken men in front of trashed shops and houses. We walked through the dirt allies past to a low, poorly lighten shop with a leaky roof. That had things like iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy questionable was stacked on the shelves. On the floor was a pile of rusty keys, nails, chains, hinges, files, skills, weights, and all kinds of rusty irons. Setting among the merchandise by a charcoal stove made of bricks. Beside her was a gray haired old man that smoked his pipe happily among all this as a woman with a heavy bag came to his shop followed by another woman who came in behind her along with a man in a faded black suit. They all seemed startled by the sight of each other, as if they knew each other.
The older man laugh "Let the char woman allowed to be the first, let the laundress be the second, and the undertaker be the third. Bring it here to, Old Joe, be the chance if you all three haven't come here meaning it."
"You couldn't have met in a better place" Old Joe smiled. "Come in the parlor"
The first woman went up to him through her bundle on the floor. She then sat down on the stool with her elbow on her knees she shot anger look to the other two. "What odds, dept, what odds, Mrs. Delbo, every person has arrive to take care of themselves." The man mumbled then mumbled. "He always did. Who's the worse for the lost of a few things like these? Not a dead man I suppose." He then looked at her. "If he wanted to keep them after he was dead, wicked old screw, why wasn't he natural in his lifetime, if he had been, he would have had someone to look after him in his death. Instead of lying there gasping his last alone by himself." Mrs. Doublers give him a strange look. "Open up that bundle, and let me know if there is a value of it."
Yet, her friends would not allow her to do this, the man in faded back cut in front of her to show his findings. It was not much, some kind of seal; a hand carved pencil case, a pair of sleeve buttons, and a brooch that at one time belong to Fan. None of it should any great value at all. Old Joe examined each piece carefully, wrote down the sums of each piece, and then added them up. He then gives him the money, and moved on to Mrs. Delbo. She only had a few things, some sheets, and some towels, a worn out panel, and two old teaspoons that was made of silver or something that caused old Joe to smile. She then pulled out a few sugar tongs and a pair of boots. Old Joe, again, wrote down the worth of each item and played her.
Joe finally came to the last woman; he undid her bundle and to his great surprise found a large and heavy role of some dark stuff. "What do you call these?" he then gives the woman a shocked look. "Bed curtains, you don't mean to say you took them down, rings and all with him lying their" Joe stuttered looking towards the woman for an explanation.
"Don't drop the oil on these blankets" the woman then said.
"These blankets" Old Joe questioned.
"Who else's do you think?" the woman asked. "He wasn't likely to take cold without them, I dear say."
"I hope he didn't die of anything catching" Old Joe dropped the blanket scared.
"Don't be afraid" The woman explained. "I wasn't so fawned of his company; I would lie about it, even if I did."
Old Joe then pulled out a shirt. "You may look through that shirt till your eyes ask, but you won't find a hole in it, not a thread bear place, it's the best he had, and a fine one too. They would have waited it if it hadn't been for me."
"Which you call wasting it?" Old Joe asked, not really caring.
"Putting it on him, to be buried" The woman explained. That would have been a waste. "Somebody was fool enough to do it. But I took it off, again."
I looked back to see Ebenezer's face as he listen to this dialoged in horror as Old Joe wrote down the price of everything and played the woman. He looked disgusted, as Old Joe placed them in his store window.
"Maybe you shouldn't be so settle." I suggested to the ghost, as it nodded in agreeing with me.
We came to a bare, cold, bed. It was his room, yet Ebenezer didn't recognize it because of its emptiness. The ghost pointed to a bare incurrent bed that had an own body beneath his ragged sheets. That had what use to be him covered up. This was too much for him; Ebenezer only felt it, since it was too dark to see his own covered face. I could tell he was anxious to know who it was; I couldn't bear for him to have the helpless feeling of looking at his own self. Not when he was really alive. "This is too much" I told the ghost.
The ghost shined a light on it. I was glad to see Ebenezer's future body was covered; all he saw was what use to be a person. A person who's leaving was not cared for, and not mourned for. Showing absolutely no signs that there was once a life in it covered in a thick white sheet. I was hoping he would look under it, and I was hoping he would not. The spirit pointed at it. Hopefully seeing himself might bring some light. Ebenezer just glared at it, the spirit kept pointing. Ebenezer touched its head, noticing the cover was carelessly displaced and the earth was already calming it, despite being on a bed. Ebenezer noticing this, refused to touch it. He just looked at the spirit as the sound of a stray cat that broke into the house, along with rats who already moved into the available house. Making it quite clear they cared less than the living humans did.
"Spirit" Ebenezer looked up at him. "I understand you, and I would do it if I could, but" he took a deep breath. "I have not the power, spirit."
"Remember the boy, you stood beside when he was with the ghost of Christmas Present" I asked. The spirit nodded.
"Show him his future" I ordered. The spirit agreed with me, taking him to Bob Crochets home.
"Spirit, I begged" Ebenezer called him over again. "If there is any person in this town, who feels emotion caused by this man's death, showed that person to me, spirit."
The spirit opens its robe, to a woman pacing the floor. She then opens the door to her husband, both her and Bob looked depressed, as if all innocents had drained from their face. They smiled at each other, in a joyless manner, trying to put on a show for each other. They moved on to the others in a serious struggle for delight.
"Is it good or bad" the woman asked.
"Bad" the man answered
"We are quite ruined then" the woman closed her eyes.
"No, there is hope, yet, Caroline." The man then smiled.
"If he relents there is, nothing is short of a medical is happening "Caroline was taking deep breaths.
"He is passed relenting" the man spoke out. "He's dead."
The remained mild and patient, Caroline seemed relived, somehow, even thankful. She was actually joyful of his death. She seemed a bit sorry when Caroline asked. "To whom, would our dept be Trans forward too."
"To who would are dept be transferred?" Caroline asked giving the true emotion of her heart.
"I don't know" Her husband crooked. "But before that time, we should be ready with the money."He then smiled to his wife. "We may sleep tonight, with light hearts, Caroline." Ebenezer looked around to realize the only feeling given towards this man's death was happiness. I hoped he realized, that this person's abstinence, his abstinence made the world happier. This showed how this person's life was a waste, simply because he was not missed.
"Who was that boy I saw earlier?" the spirit asked as it came into the house.
"Tim Crochet" I answered. "That will affect him; show him what you showed the Ghost of Christmas Peasant."
"Good idea, he seemed to be troubled when Present described the since." The spirit then went back to Ebenezer.
"Spirit" Ebenezer muttered realizing its presence. "Let me see some tenderness contacted with the death of that dark chamber which we left now will be forever present to me."
The spirit ignored Ebenezer's request and listen to mine, as we went to poor Bob Crochet's house. The house seemed darker, as Iren sat with her children, all setting around the fire. Iren had a painful look on her face, she seemed to have lost all her innocent, and joy that she had earlier with the Ghost of Christmas Present. They were quiet, not one seemed to have a smile.
Ebenezer observed the strange silence, as he looked into the face of each Crochet. Each sat like statues, all looked at Peter who had an open book in front of him. While Iren, Bridget, and Martha sewed, from watching they move the needle. I could tell none of them were thinking about sewing. They were all in the same room, but the way they related to each other, each was silent.
Iren then let out a sigh, breaking the silence as she laid her piece on the table. "It hurts my eyes." She rose. "It makes them weak by candle light, and I wouldn't show weak eyes to your father when he comes home." She looked at the window. "For the entire world, it must be near his time, but I think he walks a little slower than he used to these few last evenings."
Ebenezer did not seem to notice, Tim's abstinence form the picture as it went silent again. I was hoping he would fine some clues, as the Ghost waited outside. Hoping he would be brighter when Ebenezer leaves the Crochet home.
"I known him walked." Iren then paused, trying to let out his name. "I had known him walk with Tiny Tim on his shoulders, very fast indeed." Iren paused as the children looked up with painful concern. "He was light to carry, and his father loved him so. He was no trouble." She then heard a knock. "And there is your father, at the door."
Iren served Bob some tea, as he walked in the door while the other children greeted their father. Bob seemed cheerful to them, speaking pleasantly to all the family. Yet, I am sure even Ebenezer notice it was not the same, real, joyful greetings there was before.
Iren finally said. "You went today, did you, Bob" she asked in a silent motion.
"Yes, my dear" Bob answered placing his cup down. "I wish you would have gone. It would have done you good to see how green the place is." She then gives him a disappointed look. "You'll see it often" Bob explained. "I promised him, we would walk there every Sunday." Bob went silent, as both Ebenezer and I notice a tear come from the man's eyes. "My little child, my little child."
Ebenezer seemed confused, he left the them, heading upstairs. I followed Ebenezer closely to see where he was going. Ebenezer went to Bob and Iren's room, there he stared at the old crutch, carefully preserved as the ghost predicted. Ebenezer took a deep breath, knowing it was true he went back down. I could not help but listen to the conversion.
"Guess who I ran into, today." Bob then said silently.
"Who?" Martha asked not seeming to care.
"Fred Scrooge." Bob answered as my soul stopped, as Ebenezer froze at the mention of that name. "He showed is unnatural kindness, as always." He was Fan's son, nothing was unnatural about his kindness, I thought to myself. I wanted, so much to see him now, older and still on the right path.
"He notices I looked a little down." Bob went on. "He inquired what had happened to distress me. Him being the pleasant gentlemen I have heard, I told him." I wanted to hear his reaction; maybe it would be deeper at this point. I also wanted to know the reaction he had to Ebenezer's death. "'I am heartily sorry for you, Mr. Crochet, and I am heartily sorry for your good wife' he said. It was as if he known how Tiny Tim had felt with us." Bob went on. "But, however, whenever, we part form one another." Bob tired to find the words. "I am sure we will never forget, poor Tiny Tim, shall we. He was the first to be parting among us."
"Never, Father" Bridget promised.
"I know my dear" Bob said as his fingers went through her hair. "And I know my dears, when we recollect how patient, and how mild he was, those entire he was just a little child. We will not quarrel among ourselves and not forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it."
"Never, Father" Bridget agreed.
"I'm very happy." Bob said. "I am very happy."
Ebenezer's face seemed to melt at the thought of Tim's death. He had grown attached to the boy at dinner, and now it seemed Tim's death was like his own had died. Ebenezer left, I ran hoping to see the spirit light up. It didn't those. Even the death of a child he had seen grown before him did not lighten the spirit's shade. I had run out of ideas, only one thing left to save Ebenezer's soul.
"Spirit" I called as it looked at me, still shock that it did not even show grayness. "Show him the truth. I am serious; show him exactly what will happen when he reaches this point." I could tell the sprit was nodding as Ebenezer spoke.
"Specter" Ebenezer called him. I stared straight at the spirit, we were done showing him other's people's reaction to death. I was determined to see his reaction to his own death. "Something informs me that our parting moment is at hand. I know it, I know not how, tell me what man that was who we saw lying dead?" I nodded to the ghost. The time had come to let the truth unfold.