Everyone: YAY!
Yue-chan: Beats everyone with a stick Hush all of you! Or I'll make your lives even more miserable!
Everyone: flinches
Yue-chan: Now then, lets finish this play.
Tohru: Scrooge opened his eyes and found himself to be back in his room, in his own home in London. He was filled with joy, for the time was his to make amends with his past.
Wiley: "I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future! The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Jacob Marley! Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this! I say it on my knees, old Jacob; on my knees!''
Wiley looked over at Yue-chan, Mik-chan and Aoi were grinning at him, twinling who was running the camera and giving him the thumbs-up sign, and Neko, who had a Neko-blast ready, should it be needed.
Tohru: Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his stirring, cold cold, piping for the blood to dance to. There he spotted a boy, loitering around below him. And to the boy Scrooge called:
Wiley: "What's today?"
Dekao: "Are you speaking to me, Sir?"
Wiley: "What's today, my fine fellow?"
Dekao: "To-day? Why, Christmas Day."
Wiley: "It's Christmas Day! I haven 't missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. Hallo, my fine fellow!''
Dekao: "Hallo!"
Wiley: "Do you know the Poulterer's, in the next street but one, at the corner?"
Dekao: "I should hope I do."
Wiley: "An intelligent boy! A remarkable boy! Do you know whether they've sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up there? Not the little prize Turkey; the big one?''
Dekao: "What, the one as big as me?"
Wiley: "What a delightful boy! It's a pleasure to talk to him. Yes, my buck!"
Dekao: "It's hanging there now."
Wiley: "Is it? Go and buy it."
Dekao: "Walk-er!"
Wiley: "No, no,I am in earnest. Go and buy it, and tell 'em to bring it here, that I may give them the irection where to take it. Come back with the man, and I'll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than five minutes, and I'll give you half-a-crown! I'll send it to Bob Cratchit's! He sha'n't know who sends it. It's twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob's will be!"
Tohru: The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady one, but write it he did, somehow, and went down stairs to open the street door, ready for the coming of the poulterer's man. As he stood there, waiting his arrival, the knocker caught his eye.
Wiley: "I shall love it, as long as I live! I scarcely ever looked at it before. What an honest expression it has in its face! It's a wonderful knocker! -- Here's the Turkey. Hallo! Whoop! How are you! Merry Christmas!"
Tohru: It was a Turkey! He never could have stood upon his legs, that bird. He would have snapped 'em short off in a minute, like sticks of sealing-wax.
Wiley: "Why, it's impossible to carry that to Camden Town. You must have a cab."
Tohru: The chuckle with which he said this, and the chuckle with which he paid for the Turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair again, and chuckled till he cried.
Shaving was not an easy task, for his hand continued to shake very much; and shaving requires attention, even when you don't dance while you are at it. But if he had cut the end of his nose off, he would have put a piece of sticking-plaister over it, and been quite satisfied.
He dressed himself all in his best, and at last got out into the streets. The people were by this time pouring forth, as he had seen them with the Ghost of Christmas Present; and walking with his hands behind him, Scrooge regarded every one with a delighted smile. He looked so irresistibly pleasant, in a word, that three or four good-humoured fellows said, "Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to you!" He had not gone far, when coming on towards him he beheld the portly gentleman, who had walked into his counting-house the day before, and said, Scrooge and Marley's, I believe?'' It sent a pang across his heart to think how this old gentleman would look upon him when they met; but he knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it.
Wiley: "My dear sir, How do you do? I hope you succeeded yesterday. It was very kind of you. A merry Christmas to you, sir!"
Higure: "Mr Scrooge?"
Wiley: "Yes, That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness --"
Tohru: Scooge gave the man a large purse of money.
Higure: "Lord bless me! My dear Mr Scrooge, are you serious?"
Wiley: "If you please, Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that favour?''
Higure: "My dear sir, I don't know what to say!"
Wiley: "don't say anything, please. Come and see me. Will you come and see me?"
Higure: "I will!"
Wiley: "Thank 'ee, I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!"
Tohru: He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows: and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk -- that anything -- could give him so much happiness. In the afternoon he turned his steps towards his nephew's house.
He passed the door a dozen times, before he had the courage to go up and knock. But he made a dash, and did it:
Wiley: "Is your master at home, my dear?"
Aoi: "Yes, sir."
Wiley: "Where is he, my love?"
Aoi: "He's in the dining-room, sir, along with mistress. I'll show you up-stairs, if you please."
Wiley: "Thank 'ee. He knows me, I'll go in here, my dear.''
Tohru: He turned it gently, and sidled his face in, round the door. They were looking at the table (which was spread out in great array); for these young housekeepers are always nervous on such points, and like to see that everything is right.
Wiley: "Fred!"
Tohru: Dear heart alive, how his niece by marriage started! Scrooge had forgotten, for the moment, about her sitting in the corner with the footstool, or he wouldn't have done it, on any account.
Enzan "Why bless my soul! who's that?"
Netto began to giggle again, and Yue-chan had to elbow him in the stomach to shut him up before everyone else started to laugh as well. Wiley already looked like he was ready to have a fit, and only the threat of blackmail and one of Neko's Neko-blasts were keeping him in line.
Wiley: "It's I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?"
Tohru: Let him in! It is a mercy he didn't shake his arm off. He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heartier. His niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he came. So did the plump sister when she came. So did every one when they came. Wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness!
But he was early at the office next morning. Oh, he was early there. If he could only be there first, and catch Bob Cratchit coming late! That was the thing he had set his heart upon.
And he did it; yes he did! The clock struck nine. No Bob. A quarter past. No Bob. He was full eighteen minutes and a half, behind his time. Scrooge sat with his door wide open, that he might see him come into the Tank.
His hat was off, before he opened the door; his comforter too. He was on his stool in a jiffy; driving away with his pen, as if he were trying to overtake nine o'clock.
Wiley: "Hallo! What do you mean by coming here at this time of day."
Nettp: (trying hard not to laugh) "I am very sorry, sir, I am behind my time."
Wiley: "You are? Yes. I think you are. Step this way, if you please."
Netto: "It's only once a year, sir. It shall not be repeated. I was making rather merry yesterday, sir."
Wiley: "Now, I'll tell you what, my friend, I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And therefor, and therefore I am about to raise your salary!"
Tohru: Bob trembled, and got a little nearer to the ruler. He had a momentary idea of knocking Scrooge down with it; holding him, and calling to the people in the court for help and a strait-waistcoat.
Wiley:(through clenched teeth) "A merry Christmas, Bob! A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob! Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit."
Tohru: Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.
He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!
Twinling: Aaannnddd...That's a wrap, people! Excellent work!
Netto took that as meaning he could begin laughing, and promptly began to do so, and was joined by a few others. Yue-chan took both the camera and the tape of blackmail and promptly hid them in her small dimensional pocket. That done, she snapped her fingers, and the locks on the doors and windows opened, and the turkeys returned to their pens as they had been trained.
Yue-chan: There you go folks, you're free to go. And Wiley, I shall see you next week at the E.G.A. meeting."
Wiley muttered something unintelligable and quickly left the house, and was followed by all of the other World Three members. With a laugh, both Yue-chan and Neko went to the door and called out, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!"