Animal Crossing: Crossing Christmas Carol
By Hoverbike Girl
Hey, everybody, it's me, Hoverbike Girl! I finally have my first fanfic! Hooray! I meant to post this on Christmas Eve, but I never gotaround to it; sorry it's late! But anyway, this is an AC version of A Christmas Carol! Now, if you think that Tortimer isn't the right person for Scrooge, lemme say that I chose him because he's an old guy. Some might think that Tom Nook would fit the role better, and maybe they're right. But I chose him for Cratchit because he has a family. To make up for my choice, I am making Tortimer slightly OOC (out of character). Hope you enjoy it! Oh yeah, and I don't own Animal Crossing or the book A Christmas Carol; Nintendo owns AC and Charles Dickens wrote the book.
Chapter #1: Bah, Humbug!
Once upon a time, on a chilly Christmas Eve in the Animal Crossing village of Holiday, a bitter old tortoise named Tortimer sat at the desk in the town hall, counting the money he had earned managing the town. The gold Bells glimmered in the light from the room's warm fire, making the mayor chuckle with delight at his profit. His smile faded when he heard the sound of a door creaking open. His chair whirled around (it's the kind with wheels on the legs) to face the only door in the office. A raccoon bundled up in a raggedy coat and a red scarf stood there, with the doorknob in one hand and a paper bag in the other.
"Where ya think yer goin', Nook?" said Tortimer with a scowl.
Tom Nook, for that was who the mayor's clerk (secretary or accountant would be the right term) was, turned around and said to his boss pleadingly, "It's after 6, Mr. Mayor, sir, and I need to go home to fix supper for my boys."
"Can't yer wife do it? That's what women are for!"
"She's works late on Fridays, sir, so I have to fix the food."
It was a sufficient answer, and the turtle considered letting him go; that is, until he saw the stack of papers that were lying on Nook's desk. "You haven't finished yer paperwork yet!" he fumed. "I won't let ya go until you've done every single page!"
Nook was astonished. "B-but Mr. Mayor," he stammered, "it's Christmas Eve!"
"Christmas! Ya know what I say to Christmas?"
Before the two words ever came out of his boss's mouth, Tom knew what they would be. It was his answer to anything bright and happy.
"Bah, humbug!"
Nook pleaded again, "Nobody else works after 6 o' clock."
The coon's puppy eyes and tired face melted a tiny part of the bitter mayor's heart. He sighed and said, "All right, Nook, ya win. Go home." The clerk turned to walk out the door. "But you'll hafta come back tomorrow at 10:00."
Tom stopped dead in his tracks. "But, sir, tomorrow is Christmas, and I promised my family I would stay home all day!"
"Well, yer gonna hafta either break yer promise or find a new job, 'cause I'm stickin' to my guns this time! Now git out before I change my mind!" With a heavy heart Tom Nook walked out of the town hall into the cold night.
Tortimer's office hung in silence for half an hour, with the old tortoise counting his profits and looking through his papers. Then a knock came at the door, and a young turtle stepped inside.
"Hey, Uncle Tortimer! Merry Christmas!" he said cheerfully.
"Bah! Humbug!" was the response.
"Oh, you don't mean that, Uncle!"
"Trust me, sonny, I do," Tortimer said as he swung his seat around to face his nephew.
"I came to ask you if you would come to your sister's Christmas feast this year."
"Not this time, kid." The chair swung its back to the young one.
But the turtle refused to give up. "You never came to any of the dinners! You had good excuses the last three times, but why not now? Why not come and see your relatives for a lovely dinner?"
Silence, and then the answer, "Because I hate Christmas."
The nephew gave a start. "Hate Christmas! Don't tell me you've turned into a Grinch with a shell, Uncle!"
Once again the answer was "Bah, humbug!"
Seeing that nothing would change his uncle's mind, Tortimer's nephew sighed and left the office. "He's a Grinch, all right," he mumbled to himself. "But I wish he would change…"
Tortimer sat and signed papers for another half-hour before he decided to go home for the day. He put on his heavy, expensive coat and tramped outside into the cobblestone paths of Holiday. Occasionally some villagers would pass by him, and whoever dared to greet him with "Merry Christmas" got an icy glare and sometimes a nasty "Bah, humbug!" in return.
His chosen route through the wooded town led him to his lonely stone house that sat far from the other homes. He slammed the rusty iron gate behind him and walked through his lawn full of thorny weeds. He entered the mansion, hanged his coat, scarf, and hat on the nearby coat rack, and went into his bedroom to turn in for the night. After changing into his nightclothes, he sat down in his comfy red armchair and opened a book to read. However, the day had been tiring for him, and he fell asleep in his chair before reading a single sentence.
So, how was it for my first chapter in my first story? Good? Terrible? Don't hesitate to tell me! Just be nice with your flame and have a point to it. There's only one thing I hate more than pointless flames, and that's flames with cussing. Oh, yeah, and before I forget, Tortimer's nephew is mine; I just need a name for him. Send me a PM if you've got an idea. And I plan on making up Mrs. Nook; I need a name for her too. I'm open for suggestions and story ideas!