Author's Note #1:

I advise you start this chapter off by playing "Setting Sail" by the Chieftains from the 1990 "Treasure Island," then, when you get to where Scrooge meets and falls in love with Belle, play the song "Constant as the Stars Above" from "Barbie as Rapunzel."

Just as before, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past flew up to the sky past the clouds, then back down.

This time, they were at a bustling city, where the Ghost of Christmas Past asked. "But you did love again, didn't you, Scrooge?"

"You...you don't mean...Belle?" asked Scrooge.

"Who else? You met her at Fezziwig's. Remember?"

"Fezziwi..."

Scrooge looked up to see a sign hanging outside a nearby tavern.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Of course I remember! He ran the finest tavern in town.

"And that's him over there!" Scrooge went on, pointing at...

"Good ol' Fezziwig, alive and well again."

While bolting the door open, the hearty and plump Fezziwig smiled at his arriving guests.

"So glad you could come to our Christmas Eve shindig." he said.

"Oh, we wouldn't miss it for the world, Fezzie." said Mr. Stiers*.

"You always throw the best parties, Mr. Fezziwig." added Mrs. Lansbury*.

"Mr. Fezziwig sure likes parties, huh, Mr. Peabody?" asked Sherman.

"Indeed, he does." said Mr. Peabody as he and Sherman entered the tavern. "Especially since his tavern is big enough to house a gathering like this one. So you could say Fezziwig was the original party animal."

Once everyone was inside, they were drawn towards the dance floor by the fiddler and his band.

While listening to the music, Scrooge couldn't help but dance along, but upon seeing a sly smile on the Ghost's face, he stopped himself and watched when he heard Fezziwig say. "Don't you just love Christmas parties, Marley?"

Scrooge turned to see his old boss clapping along to the music while the living Jacob Marley just sneered and said. "Bah, humbug."

Upon hearing that, the Ghost of Christmas Past said to Scrooge. "Guess that's where you got that phrase from, huh?"

Scrooge looked at her, annoyed, but then, he spotted...Belle...dancing to the rhythm of the music.

"She's quite a looker, isn't she?" Fezziwig asked Young Scrooge, who, now a few years older, replied. "Yeah, she sure is."

Upon seeing the dreamy look on his young apprentice's face, Fezziwig smiled and said. "Why don't you go dance wih her."

Upon hearing that, Young Scrooge snapped back to reality and shook his head, saying. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly."

Fezziwig chortled heartily. "Ho, ho, don't be so modest, Eb. Get out there."

With a quick shove, Young Scrooge found himself bumping into Belle, whom he caught before she fell.

As he stared at her lovely face, Young Scrooge nervously asked. "Are you...part gypsy or something? Because your dancing was...spellbinding."

Belle chuckled. "Well, if I was a gypsy, it would help keep food on the table."

As he watched them talk, Fezziwig gave the band a nod to set the mood of the music.

At the sound of a piccolo playing, Young Scrooge looked at Belle and asked. "Would...you like to..."

Before he could finish, Belle linked her arm with his, smiled and said. "I'd love to."

As he watched them walk to the dance floor, Scrooge said to the Ghost of Christmas Past. "I may have forgotten how beautiful Belle was, but I remember how much I was in love with her."

He, then, watched, along with everyone else in the tavern, including Mr. Peabody and Sherman, as his younger self danced with Belle while hearing Fan's beautiful singing.

Fan: Constant as the stars above
Always know that you are loved
And my love shining in you
Will help you make your dreams come true
Will help your dreams come true

Scrooge saw the scene unfold into another memory, where he saw his younger self and Belle enjoying a carriage ride, following by a romantic dinner inside Fezziwig's tavern, where they were talking, laughing...and burping.

Fan: The lamb lies down and rests it's head
On its mother's downy bed
Dolphin plays in the moonlight's glow
And butterfly dreams of a violet rose
Dreams of a violet rose

The next memory showed Belle skating gracefully on the ice while Young Scrooge struggled to keep up. Luckily, Belle helped him learn in the style of dancing.

Fan: I'll cradle you in my arms tonight
As sun embraces the moonlight
The clouds will carry us off tonight
Our dreams will run deep like the sea (2x)

The next memory showed another Christmas Eve party at Fezziwig's tavern, where everyone, including Young Scrooge and Belle danced to the music and Fan's lovely singing.

Fan: Constant as the stars above
Always know that you are loved
And my love shining in you
Will help you make your dreams come true
Will help your dreams come true

Scrooge watched as his younger self and Belle danced out of the tavern.

While seeing them kiss, he sighed happily. "Meeting Belle and working at Fezziwig's were the happiest moments of my life."

"But like all moments," said the Ghost of Christmas Past. "Nothing stays happy forever."

Confused, Scrooge looked back...and was shocked to see Fezziwig's tavern boarded up!

Sherman was shocked to see it closed as well.

"What happened, Mr. Peabody?" he asked.

"Well, in six years time•, Sherman, things took a dramatic turn for the worst." said Mr. Peabody. "Not only did Fan die, leaving behind Fred, but, with his health starting to decline, Mr. Fezziwig was unable to run his beloved tavern, leaving him no choice but to close it all up."

"But what about Scrooge?"

At the sound of a cracking whip, Mr. Peabody and Sherman noticed a coach riding past them.

"It stings at first, I know." Marley said to a sad Young Scrooge inside. "But, someday, you'll thank me for it. Besides, I know, for a fact, that there was no future working for that foolhearted man."

As Marley went on talking, Young Scrooge turned back and waved goodbye to Belle and Fezziwig, who waved back at him.

Once the coach has driven out of sight, Belle started to sob as Fezziwig comforted her.

"It just isn't fair!" she wept.

"I know it isn't, dear." said Fezziwig, giving her a soft pat. "I know."

That last moment was too much for Scrooge to take.

"Spirit, I can't bear to look at another memory like this!" he pleaded. "Take me back home, please."

"As you wish." said the Ghost of Christmas Past. "But, remember, Scrooge. These are only shadows of things that have been...because you fashioned them into they are yourself."

Author's Note #2:

*Like Ed Wynn and Jerry Colonna, Mr. Stiers and Mrs. Lansbury are references to the late David Ogden Stiers and Angela Lansbury, who respectively voiced Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts in the 1991 Disney film, "Beauty and the Beast."

•Shortly after the year 2020 started, things have taken a dramatic turn for the worst. First, I lost my first dog, Roxie on January 18th. Then, ten days later, I was informed that Chatime, where I worked as a kitchen manager, had to close up for good, just when it was close to celebrate six years at the Edgewater Plaza in Foster City. Then, the coronavirus struck, forcing everyone and everything out of business, while I have to go work at Lucky, a grocery store which is located in the same plaza as Chatime. And that's what led me to make this update to the second stop of Scrooge's past.