Part 3
Suddenly Quaxo and Munk came up to me with a wagon. I blink in confusion but climbs up on it, it's pulled by a big horse and how Munk can control it with the reins I have no idea. Munk takes me and Quaxo to a dark, cold and spooky area of the city. The houses are dark, the streets are dark and there is not a sound to be heard.
"Scrooge lived in chambers which had once belonged to his old business-partners Jerrie and Teazer Marley", Munk explains as we come to a halt outside the darkest and coldest house of them all.
"Have some bread", Quaxo asks him and annoyed Munk turns to him.
"Not while I'm working! Whoa whoa." The last was aimed at the horses.
"Okay suit yourself", Quaxo says.
"The building was a dismal heap of bricks on a dark street", Munk tells me. "Now once again I must ask you to remember that the Marleys were dead and decaying in their graves."
Quaxo stares at him looking disgusted.
"Yush!" he utters.
"That one thing you must remember", Munk whispers to me, totally ignoring Quaxo. "Or nothing that follows would seem wondrous."
I notice how Bustopher walks up to the door and I suck on my lip waiting for what's going to happen.
"Why are you whispering", Quaxo asks Munk.
"It's for dramatic effuses", Munk answers and we watch Bustopher. I climb off the carriage to get a better look.
"Oh", I hear Quaxo say in fascination.
"Ssh", Munk hisses and we watch Bustopher walk up to his door, fumbling a little with his keys. When he is about to open the door I see him slowly straighten up while he looks at that thing you knock on doors with. I crane my neck a bit to see. In shock I see it transform into the face of a calico tom. Bustopher backs away in shock and terror. He recognizes the face and asks:
"Jerrie Marley?"
The face screams, Bustopher jumps back and the horse of the wagon rears up. That causes Munk and Quaxo to fall off the wagon. Quaxo seems alright but Munk lies motionless in the snow.
"Hey you okay", Quaxo asks him. I look to them worriedly but notice how Bustopher walks up to his house. He checks that thing that turned into a face and when he sees nothing out of the ordinary he says:
"Humbug." And enters his home.
I turn my attention back to Munk and Quaxo. Quaxo is listening to Munk's heart.
"Oh Munkus speak to me", he says worriedly. "I-I mean Mister Dickens! Charlie are you hurt?"
At that Munk sits up and I sigh of relief.
"To say that Scrooge was not startled would be untrue", Munk said as if nothing had happened. "Still the moment had passed and the world was as it should be."
"He ain't hurt", Quaxo tells me. "It didn't even break his concentration."
"Hm?" Munk asked.
"Nothing", Quaxo says and they and I watch the house. The door was still open and Munk hurried towards it.
"Come on Quaxo we'll follow him in", he calls to the kitten that is for some reason digging through the snow.
"Hold on a minute I had a little bag of jellybeans over here", he says and continues to dig.
"Would you just get over here", Munk calls in annoyance and I fight to keep back my laughter.
"Alright", Quaxo grumbles and they hurry towards the door… only to have it slam shut in front of them… right onto Munk's nose.
"Uh oh", Quaxo says and lets Munk lean on him. Munk turns to me with a swollen nose. "Steady… steady…"
"Scrooge made his way up the staircase", Munk said. "Caring not a but for the darkness. Darkness was cheap and Scrooge liked it."
I could imagine him walk up that staircase.
"But the incident at the door had made Scrooge wary", Munk goes on after he recovered. "Before he shuts himself in for the night he searched his rooms." I noticed Quaxo look annoyed.
"Okay that does it", he says.
"Pardon", Munk asks confused.
"How do you know what Scrooge is doing", Quaxo ask pointing at the silver tabby. "We're down here and he's up there!" He points at a window above them.
Munk smirks.
"I keep telling you storytellers are omniscient, I know everything", he says.
Quaxo snorts. "Hoity toity Mister God-like smarty-pants."
Munkustrap ignored him and turned to me again.
"To take an enough and proper search", he said. "Scrooge was forced to light the lamps." Just as Munk said that the lights on the second floor was lit. My eyes widened and Quaxo turned to me.
"How does he do that", he asks me and I just shrug. Since I was much taller than the building itself I sunk down on my knees and peeked in through the window. I could see a scared Scrooge attack his gown. When he realized that he backed off in shock.
"Oh it's my best dressing gown", he said and gently picked it up. He checked it for injuries. "No harm done." Geez caring more about his clothing than cats around him? Geez!
After a while Bustopher was seated in a big chair, but as he sat there eating hid bread and cheese one of the bells on the wall started to ring and Bustopher looked around confused. He shrugged and I guess he thought nothing of it. But then the very same bell went crazy! It rang and rang and rang and Bustopher looked mighty scared. When the bell finally fell silent the fire in the fireplace died out and everything turned dark and cold. But then… I could… I could see lights coming from the staircase! Bustopher noticed it too and looked that way frightened. I forced back a squeak when two pale figures in chains and torn clothes appeared at the top of the stairs. They were both floating in the air and looked like brother and sister. They were both calico cats and they were laughing, while Bustopher watched. The queen laughed.
"'Ey look oit's Bustophah Scrooge!" she said and they both laughed. Bustopher on the other hand… *Quaxo glares at me* Oh excuse me, Bustopher on the other paw *Qauxo turns back to the show* tries to hide in his chair.
"Looking oldah an' more woicked than evah", the tom says.
"Oi knew 'e wouldn' disappoin' us", the queen said and they laughed happily. Then they were both quiet and them and Bustopher looked at each other for a moment. I was starting to wonder what the heck was going on… but then… Bustopher spoke…
"Who are you", he asked.
"Oin loife we were your partnahs", the tom said. "Mungojerrie-"
"An' Rumpleteazer Marley", the queen finished and I look at Munk and asks him:
"The ones that were dead and decaying in their graves?"
"Yup", he answers.
"Oh but pardon me aren't dead people supposed to be… you know… dead? As in lying-around-eyes-closed-not-moving-breathing-and-absolutely-NOT-talking-dead?"
"She's got a point", Quaxo says.
"Shut up you're ruining the story", Munk says and we turn back to the house.
"You might be a bit of undigested beef", I heard Bustopher said and wondered what I'd missed. Probably him… uh why is he talking backwards? Why is the dead guy doing it… why is Bustopher walking backwards?
"Because you, you idiot missed what was going on because you had to interrupt the story", Munk said. "Now let's move on from where you lost track!"
I just roll my eyes and watch.
"Oin loife we were your partnahs", the tom said. "Mungojerrie-"
"An' Rumpleteazer Marley", the queen finished.
"It looks like you", Bustopher said coming out from his hiding place to glare at them. "But I don't believe it!"
"Whoi do ya doub' your senses", Mungojerrie asked.
"Because a little thing can affect them", Bustopher said getting up, putting his food aside. "A slight disturbance of the stomach could make them cheat. You might be a bit of undigested beef… a blob of mustard." The two ghosts giggled. "A crumb of cheese… yes", he points at them. "There's more of a gravy than a grave about you!"
The two ghosts starts to laugh.
"More of gravy than a grave", Rumpleteazer says merrily.
"Whot a terrible pun", Mungojerrie said. "Where do you get those jokes?"
Rumpleteazer says something but I can't really say what it is because of her accent. But whatever she says seems to be funny because her brother and she start laughing. Bustopher looks… pleadingly at them.
"Please Jerrie, Teazer don't criticize me", he said and then looks angry again and wags his finger at them. "You always criticized me!"
Wait… where does that music come from?
"We were alwois 'eckling you", Teazer said.
"Oit's good tah be 'eckling agoin", Jerrie said.
"Oit's good tah be doin' anythoing agoin!" They laugh again.
"Why do you come to me", Bustopher asks sound suspicious and the ghosts starts to sing:
We're Marley and Marley
Averious and greed
Jerrie: We took advantage of the poor
Just ignored the needy
Both: We specialized in causing pain
Spreading fear and doubt
Teazer:And if you could not pay the rent
We simply threw you out
They laughed again.
"Tha' was tha year we evicted tha entoire orphanage", Teazer said merrily.
"Oh Oi remembah the loittle tykes all standoing oin tha snowbanks!" her brother filled in with glee.
"Whoit there loittle frostbitten teddy bears!" They laughed again but then shuddered and looked scared.
Both: We're Marley and Marley
Our hearts were painted black
Jerrie: We should have known our evil deeds
Would put us both in shackles
Both: Captive
Bound
We're double-ironed
Exhausted by the weight
Jerrie: As freedom comes from giving love
Teazer: So, prison comes with hate
Both:We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo
We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo
"But my friends you were not unfeeling towards your fellow cats", Bustopher said trying to smoother things.
"True there wos somethoing abou' othah cats that we loiked", Teazer said grabbing the bars that their chains had created in front of them.
"Oi thoink oit was there money", Jerrie supplied and grabbed the bars too. Then they laughed and Bustopher was ensnared in their chains and they went up to his face.
Both: Doomed, Scrooge!
You're doomed for all time
Teazer: Your future is a horror story
Written by your crime
Both: Your chains are forged
By what you say and do – I stare as their chains grow even bigger and saving chests of all kind appeared and started singing. I looked at Munk with a "Oh come on look" on my face but he just ignored me.
Boxes: So, have your fun
When life is done
A nightmare waits for you – Bustopher threw the chains off looking horrified.
"What are these terrible chains", he asked.
The chains had now ensnared Jerrie and Teazer so they could Barley move.
"Tha chains", Teazer cried in agony.
"We forge' these chains oin loife by our act of greed", Jerrie cried.
"You were such a chain yourself", Teazer cried.
"Humbug", Bustopher said, but he had pleading in his voice. "Speak comfort to me friends!"
"Comfort", Jerrie asked.
"GAH!" he and Teazer both cried.
"You woill be 'aunted by three spiroits!" Teazer cried and the music disappeared and I looked at Munk with a raised eyebrow.
"For dramatic effect", he said and I watched on.
"Haunted", Bustopher squeaked. "I have already had enough of that!"
"Without these 'auntings you cannot 'ope tah avoid tha path we did!" Jerrie cried.
"Expect tha foirst ghost tonoight when tha bell tolls one!" Teazer cried.
"Can't I meet them all at once and get it over with", Bustopher asked in a timid voice.
"As tha bell tolls one!" Jerrie called and they were dragged out of the room and down the stairs by their chains. All the way they and those boxes sang:
We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo
We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo
We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo
We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo
We're Marley and Marley
Whoooooo – By now they sounded desperate but then they sang/almost screamed:
CHANGE!
TBC I still don't own anything!