A Christmas Carol
A CCS Parody
by SyaoranSword
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to CCS. CLAMP and other companies I may not know of own it all. A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens. This is a fanfic, and the story is only meant for the enjoyment of the author and any would-be readers.
Notes: So sorry for the delay! I had a little matter of exams to deal with, but now that that's over, I can finally get back to this. Since I desperately want to finish this in time, "The Testing of Li Peony" probably won't get another chapter posted until after Christmas. Chapter 5 of that is already mostly written but not completed. One last thing, some OOCness should be expected. What did you expect from a parody?
Chapter 2: Marley's Ghost
The snow fell steadily over all of London on Christmas Eve night. All of the shops had closed for tomorrow's holiday, leaving the streets lit only by residences and gas street lamps. The wind had picked up, giving rise to near blizzard conditions, and an ominous fog settled across much of the city. Through all of this, the man, whose heart was even colder than the weather, made his way to his house.
Clow reached for his keys as he traveled up the few steps to the front door. He saw this door everyday, and he was sure there was nothing particularly special about it. However, there was something different this time. Where the knocker should have been, there was a face. Clow noticed that it wasn't just any face. He recognized all too well the narrow shape of the head, the set jaw, and the glare of its eyes. "Marley?" The miser shook his head, and he saw the knocker was there as it should have been. Hastily, he opened the lock and entered the front hall.
The man sighed in relief as he closed the door. Clow would not have admitted it at the time, but he was slightly unnerved by the unusual experience. He ascended the stairs to his quarters, but not without a cautious look over his shoulder. Not a single candle or lantern was lit within the entire house. This wasn't a problem for Clow, as he liked having to pay nothing for darkness.
He reached the top of the stairs and locked every bolt and latch there was on that old door that led to his chambers. The dark-haired man then systematically checked for anything suspicious in each and every room he had. "Bah! I must have been seeing things," he said to himself reassuringly. Yet, Clow still felt the presence of something he could not identify, and this made him paranoid.
Though Clow wasn't completely at ease, he decided to take his mind off of the incident and continue a little project he had been laboring over for the past few months. He lit a small fire and went to his bedroom to change his attire. The rumors of the spectacled man dealing with black magic were truer than anyone imagined. Where a businessman went in, a sorcerer stepped out.
Barely anyone alive knew that the infamous miser moonlighted as a wizard. He had carefully hidden his powers, so as not to draw unwanted attention to himself. His nephew, Eriol, knew only because he was a relative. The only other people who were aware of this were Syaoran and his family. One of the reasons why Clow had hired him was because Syaoran too suppressed his magic. They had felt the other's power at their first meeting, and both knew the danger of exposure. In return for Syaoran's vow of silence, Clow gave him the job. Now Syaoran could have easily blackmailed his employer, but he was an honorable man, and he kept his word.
The sorcerer sat down in his large red chair by the fire. He didn't need the heat radiating from the fireplace. It merely served as a tool for the project he worked on. Sometimes he would gaze deep into the flickering flames to focus his energy. Other times, he would sit back, listen to the soothing sounds of the crackling, and contemplate. Clow did the latter this night to calm his nerves and to be inspired.
The magician turned to his right. On the nightstand next to him sat a peculiar looking red book. If one looked inside, the book would be even more peculiar, as there were no real pages. It was actually a container for a deck of magical cards. The cover was fairly simple, containing only its title and a chain with the sun in the middle. Every time Clow looked at it, he always thought there was something missing. He reached out his hand and ran it over the engraved name of the book: "The Clow."
A wicked smile played on the wizard's lips. He actually wasn't sure why he started to form this new magic, but he was glad he did, otherwise he wold been so bored on nights such as this. Some of the cards were quite amusing when used on unsuspecting passersby. His main delight was how powerful they were. The thought of becoming the greatest sorcerer in the world rivaled his desire to be the richest man in the world, and he wanted both.
Clow's dream of magical supremacy was close to fruition. His deck contained 50 cards, each with useful and sometimes darkly humorous abilities. He knew, however, that a standard deck contained 52 cards, and being the perfectionist, he needed two more to complete his set. Clow had spent the last week trying to inspire himself to no avail. No ideas came to his mind now either, and he decided to call it a night. He was about to rise from his chair, when he heard a chilling call.
"Clooooow…"
His grip on the plush armrests tightened. After several seconds, he looked all around and said, "It must have been the wind. Yes, it's just the wind."
"Clooooow…" came the cry again. This time, the rattling of chains accompanied it.
A cold sweat began to form on the sorcerer's forehead. Wherever that noise came from, it definitely was not the wind. He wanted to get up, but he couldn't budge. It was as if he was glued to his chair. The room suddenly became dark as the flames in the fireplace turned blue, and Clow sensed an unmistakable presence. "No… it couldn't be!"
"Clooooow…" A faint shape walked through the door in front of Clow. The form of a haggard man became clearer as he continued his walk. Wrapped around him were translucent chains that dragged along the ground and gave off their infernal clattering. He stopped in front of the wide-eyed magician and asked, "Do you remember who I was, Clow Read?"
The man in the chair raised a shaking hand and pointed to the ghost. "Y- you're Touya Marley!"
"Yes, in life I was your partner in finances and magic, Touya Marley."
"But… you're supposed to be dead."
"I AM DEAD!!" the ghost exclaimed with a popped vein. "Do you know what I have had to suffer since my death?"
"No, I can't say that I do," Clow said uneasily.
"Do you see these chains?" Touya said as he picked up a length from the floor. "I forged these chains during my life. Now I am forced to roam this world while carrying these chains forever!" He threw them down with a loud clank. "I have been watching you for the last seven years, Clow Read. When your time comes, your chains will be ten times heavier than mine!"
"No, Marley!" Clow fell to his knees in front of his dead partner. "My friend, this can not be!"
"You are right in saying I am your friend. That is why I have come to you tonight to warn you of this. You will be visited by three Spirits. The first will come at the stroke of one. Listen to what they have to say, and you may yet be spared from a fate worse than mine."
"Spirits? What kind of Spirits?"
"My time with you is over. I must return to the realm of the dead."
"Marley, wait!" The ghost of Touya faded from Clow's sight, and the fire returned to its normal brightness and color. Clow remained kneeling on the floor of his study. "That… couldn't have been real." He glanced at the clock on top of his mantelpiece. "12:30! I must go to sleep."
Clow extinguished the fireplace, changed into his nightclothes, and climbed into his bed. "Spirits… bah!" As he was about to drift to sleep, the clock struck one o'clock. Clow immediately sat up, remembering Marley's warning. A bright light shone around the frightened man, and he had to cover his eyes because it was so bright. The sorcerer wasn't prepared either for the melodious sound of laughter.
"Ohohohoho!!!"
To be continued…
Cast of Characters
Touya – Jacob Marley
This chapter just proved I am not just recycling Dickens with CCS character names. Try and find the Clow Cards in any of his works! I really don't mind if you criticize my choice of who fits where, since these castings are only my opinion. Feel free to comment on them. In the next chapter, Clow gets visited by the first Spirit of Christmas! (I'll be terribly disappointed if you don't know who it is. ^_~) Read and review please!
