Chapter 63: Bah Humbug! Part Two

I left my bag at the bottom of the stairs, only bringing the snow globe and my Easter hammer (as part of the plan). He tiptoed up the stairs, me following him. He opened the door slightly, and tiptoed inside. I peeped inside.

There was a large red mat on the floor. This room was the cleanest in the house- everything, from the small table and chair that sat in the corner, to the bells that stood on the wall to the left of me, to the oak four-poster bed that Scrooge laid in, snoring, was polished.

I looked around for the imp, and after straining my eyes slightly I saw the transparent figure of the imp. He was camouflaged! He'd cast a spell on himself so Scrooge wouldn't notice him. He gave me the thumbs up, holding up his loud speaker. I saw him reach towards the bell string, and pull on it.

The bells rung loudly, making the room vibrate, giving a cue to everyone downstairs. Scrooge bounced out of his bed, grunting. He was wearing thin black nightclothes. He stared, confused, as the bells apparently rung by themselves. He got up, and walked towards them. I had to hold back a laugh as the snow imp stuck his leg out, making Scrooge trip up.

Scrooge was beginning to panic. I saw the camouflaged figure of the snow imp run over to the window to my right, and open it. Snow flew in, and it startled Scrooge.

"Who's there?" he demanded. I saw the figure of the imp hold the loud speaker to his mouth.

"Scrooge….." he rumbled in the deepest voice he could muster. I gave the thumbs up to Osrie1, who was holding the chains. Osrie1 began dragging the chains upstairs, making a racket. "Scrooge…." The imp repeated, in the same evil, deep tone.

Scrooge was bouncing around, obviously terrified. At hearing the sound of chains being dragged upstairs, he bounced towards the door, slammed it (not knowing I was behind it), and I heard locks click. Osrie1 handed me the chains when he arrived at the top. I wrapped them around myself. They were heavy, and difficult to carry. I got my Easter carrot hammer, and smashed the door to the ground with it.

I put it away hastily. I stepped over the wreckage of the door, trying to look as eerie as possible. Scrooge's eyes bulged at the sight of me. He was cradling himself in the corner of the room.

"W-w-who are y-you-u?" he asked nervously, stuttering. The snow imp bounced towards the bells, and stopped them ringing. Scrooge stared as the bells seemingly stopped ringing by themselves (to him).

"You know who I am," the imp said in the loud speaker, in the deep, booming voice. We were supposed to fool Scrooge that I was saying that. I couldn't muster that voice in my life, but the imp could.

"No, I d-d-don't," Scrooge stuttered. I grinned. I loved teaching a miserable old man the error of his ways.

"I am Jacob Marley." the imp announced, the same deep, gruff voice. "In life, I was your work partner." Scrooge stopped shuddering, and stood up. He laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous," he chuckled. "Marley died years ago. You're a fraud, playing a trick on me." The imp roared, giving me my signal. I mustered all my strength, and raised the chains. A small enchantment from the imp made the chains levitate. The imp ran over to the window, and opened it again, still roaring. Snow poured in through the open window, again. Scrooge ran over to the window, and closed it, and fell to his knees at my feet.

"Please stop!" he cried. "I believe you! You are a ghost, come to haunt me! But…" he hesitated. "How can I be sure that you are the ghost of my deceased business partner?" The imp chuckled, and stopped the enchantment that was making the chains levitate. They fell to the round with an ear-splitting thump.

"I remember clearly. We were business partners, and we had similar ambitions. But we were equally greedy, and that was our downfall. Do you remember how dearly you loved the queen of ice? But, your greed and love of money disgusted her, and that's why she refused to marry you, and married Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus. His goodwill appealed more to her then your selfishness. Ebenezer Scrooge, allow me to take you on a trip through the past," he wheezed in his fake deep voice. Scrooge's eyes misted over, and the ice imp groaned.

"Finally," he moaned, in his usual cool, light voice, although he was still camouflaged. "I can rest my poor voice box." I shushed him.

"Scrooge is going to hear you," I hissed. The imp shook his head.

"He's hallucinating," the imp explained. "I'm showing him visions of his murky past. He can't hear us at all. After a minute, when his eyes return to normal, that means he's back here."

I waited for a minute as Scrooge twitched and wailed on the floor. His eyes returned to their normal colour, and he stood up to face me sourly.

"I understand that you're Jacob Marley, and that you've come back, but why? Plus, what are those chains you wear around you?" he demanded. The imp cleared his throat, and spoke again in his ghost voice.

"These chains, I forged in life," he growled. "Link by link, I made it. Every sin you commit makes one link. Yours was the same size as mine when I died. Now, it is a magnificent size! Plus, this awful act of treachery, kidnap, and theft has almost DOUBLED it in size! Truly, it is one HELL of a chain!" the imp guffawed. Scrooge shuddered.

"How can I stop it?" he demanded. "There must be some way of stopping my chain from growing!" The imp grinned.

"That is why I'm here," he growled in his deep, throaty voice. "I'm here to offer you a way of changing. Allow me to show you the Christmas present."

Suddenly, I was blown off my feet by a chilly wind. This must be the imp's magic. The wind carried me into a white light, and I felt like, yet again, I was flying through a snowy abyss. I saw the figure of Scrooge and the transparent figure of the imp flying nearby.

We were back at the feast, but this time we were floating above, surveying. People were sitting grimly at the table, staring at where the food would be. The ice queen sat at one end in a throne made from solid ice, and she seemed pretty miserable. Sir Amik Varze, who'd decided to stay behind to watch the feast, was staring blankly into space, and looking very sad. After a minute, we reappeared back in Scrooge's bedroom. The imp cleared his throat.

"You see how much misery you've caused?" the imp asked in the same deep voice. Scrooge chuckled.

"Seriously, after a lifetime being me, you become hardened to that sort of stuff," Scrooge guffawed. "You've shown me Christmas past and present. Neither shift any emotion or remorse inside me. I was in love with the ice queen. Not any more. Why would I want to marry a stupid cow who runs off with the first fat old man she comes across? As for Christmas present, you've just shown me the righteousness of my actions! All those rich snobs….serves them right!" he commented, not realising how much of a hypocrite he was.

The imp seemed to be stuck for ideas as to what to say. Scrooge snorted.

"Nothing to say?" he snickered silently. "Good. As for you, good old Marley, I think it's time for you to shift." he pulled his wand out of his night robes, and shot a black, sinister-looking spell at me.

I had to think instantaneously. The imp was stuck for ideas, but wouldn't Christmas Future be sinister and silent? So, thinking quickly, I wished the emote I received in the stronghold, where the massive shield would appear for a split second, then disappear, would come. I thought about it with all my might, letting all other thoughts evaporate. Suddenly, the massive red and yellow shield came from nowhere.

The spell hit the shield, and was deflected. It hit the chair, making it burst into flames and collapse. The shield disappeared. Scrooge fell back, gasping with shock.

"How did you do that?" he choked. I shook my fist angrily at him. The ice imp went to say something, but I put my finger to my mouth, signalling for him to shut up and let me take over. I used the trick emote, and bats poured from my body. Scrooge yelped with fright, and ran towards the window to open it, so the bats could fly out. I pulled my arm into my sleeve, out of Scrooge's sight, and shook the snow globe. Snow fluttered around the globe merrily, but a hole opened up, and snow poured out, giving the impression that my body was overflowing with snow to Scrooge.

Literally screaming, he fell to my knees.

"Mercy!" he sobbed. "Please! You've proved your power, so I shan't attempt to destroy you. You've given me news of Christmas past and present, I presume you'll show me a Christmas yet to come?" he enquired. I nodded eerily.

I didn't know what to do. I'd done my part in frightening Scrooge, and now I was stuck. While scrooge stared at me, confused, I thought. What would a miserly old miser have as his future? I thought, and decided he would die a lonely death. That gave me an idea. But how could I convey it to the imp without revealing everything? It clicked. I shook the snow globe and used the trick emote at exactly the same time. Scrooge was barraged with bats and snow. I ran up to the imp, and whispered my idea into his ear quickly. He nodded, and at the exact moment the snow and bats cleared, he summoned a (fake) grave. It fell from seemingly nowhere, and landed at Scrooge's feet. It was covered with snow. I pointed dramatically at it, and snow swirled around my feet. Scrooge wiped the snow off it curiously, and fell back, startled, at what it read.

R.I.P Ebenezer Scrooge

"PLEASE!" he screeched, falling to his knees, yet again. "This can't be my fate! Please! There must be some way I can change it!"

"Scrooge, unless you change your ways, this shall be your fate," the imp boomed. "If you do not start showing the joy that is locked up inside you, then, sorry to say, you will meet a fate worse then mine. You must reverse the greedy acts you've committed!" Scrooge shivered, and thought for a second.

"OK," he said. "I'll teleport the food back to the feast, and I'll give you the key to Santa's cage! Just please spare me!" He handed me a rusty metal key. I swung it in between my fingers proudly.

In a puff of smoke, Scrooge was dressed in his warm black clothes. For the first time in the time I'd known him, he was grinning. Even the imp looked shocked as he looked up at the grinning old man. In another puff of smoke, he was gone.

"You let Santa out, I'll check if the food is back," the imp said. He was no longer transparent-the camouflage spell had worn off. In a puff of cold steam, he was gone.

I walked down the stairs, giving everyone the thumbs-up. I went towards Santa's cage, and unlocked it. In a fashion similar to pulling a cork from a bottle, Santa popped out of the open cage, and nearly fell on top of me. He swept the dust off his robes, and flourished a red and white wipe, wiping the grime off his face. He smiled widely at me.

"I am in your infinite dept," he said, bowing low to me. "Thank you very much, and a Merry Christmas to you." I took off my robes, sighing with relief as the heavy chains tumbled to the floor. I gathered them up, and put them back in my bag. The imp reappeared, smiling.

"The food's back!" he yelled joyfully. He teleported us all back there.

He wasn't lying- all types of food filled the vacant table. Huge, succulent turkeys, soft bread, fluffy roast potatoes, delicious mulled wine, and warm, soft pies filled the table, along with a selection of sweets, cakes, trifles, drinks, and even fruit. The guests were eating heartily, still muttering with relief about the almost-disaster of a feast. We all ran forward to feast, but a mysterious force picked us up and carried us towards the tent. We fell inside.

Inside was Santa, who was resting in a red throne decorated with holly. The ice queen sat in a throne made from ice next to him. She hadn't aged since I last saw her-she was still beautiful in a very cold sort of way. Scrooge stood in a corner, a grin plastered on his face. In another corner, the familiar figure of Jack Frost sulked. A cold aura came from him. Icicles still hung from his hair, and he looked miserable at the happiness floating in the air.

"First, I would like to apologise for my behaviour," Scrooge explained sadly to us. "I was a miserly old man because of several things that happened and were still happening. Christmas related to bad experiences to me, so I wanted to stop others feeling the joy I was lacking. But now, one thing or another has made me realise the evil surrounding my actions, now, I want your forgiveness, and I'm willing to do anything for this." The ice queen, smiled, looking touched.

"Your words and actions tell me enough," she replied cordially. "You are forgiven, as long as your attitude stays like this." he smiled widely at hearing this. The only person in the room who wasn't smiling was Jack Frost. I watched him carefully. His eyes darted from his mum, to the feast, to the cupboard. He raised his hands in the air, as if he'd made a decision.

He waved his hands, and everyone froze. All the people in the feast, everyone in the tent, all the imps, everyone except Jack himself were frozen. He laughed.

"One way or another, this feast will be ruined!" he cackled evilly. "Even if Scrooge has gone all soft and sentimental, I'll carry on with the deed. I'll go into RuneScape, destroy all cupboards, and turn it into IceScape, while everyone here remains frozen for eternity!"

Pain filled my body. I was all frozen. Every molecule, every pore, every part of my body was screaming in protest as I was frozen from the inside out. Cold crept through all my insides, reducing them to ice cubes. Jack Frost bounced up, and ran towards the cupboard.

Scrooge burst from the ice he was encased in with a blast of fire. Pure fury- a justified fury- covered his face. He blasted a ball of fire from his wand towards Jack Frost, while all the frozen guests, the imps, Santa and the ice queen watched. Jack Frost spun around, snarling. He summoned a ball of ice, and threw it at Scrooge, who dodged it. Scrooge threw a ball of fire at the ice queen, who was defrosted. She pounced at her son, snarling.

"YOU NAUGHTY LITTLE BEAST, JACK FROST!!!" she bawled, her beautiful face livid. "HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO TRY AND RUIN CHRISTMAS? YOU ARE SO GROUNDED!" I felt a bit of déjà vu at hearing that. With a blast of ice, Jack Frost was frozen to the ground, yet again.

She ran towards Scrooge, swooping down on him and kissing him twice on both cheeks. He blushed.

Santa walked forward, laughing cheerfully.

"Ho ho ho!" he laughed. "Thanks to everyone for making Christmas a success. You'll find some surprises in your presents on Christmas day. For now, let us feast!"

The rest of the day was devoted to feasting and over-indulging. We sat down, loaded our plates with food, and dug in. The food was great. Every drop of wine was sweet, every lump of potato was soft, and every scrap of turkey was juicy. After the feast, we ran towards the snowy field, and had a ferocious snowball fight. We walked towards the cupboard in the evening, full of food, and sopping wet, laughing merrily.

Before we walked through, we were stopped by the snow imp who helped us.

"I just want to thank you for your help," he explained. "For helping me, I feel obliged to gift you all with something." He sent a blue orb at each of us. Suddenly, I pointed at him, and snow surrounded me. The same happened for everyone else. He laughed.

"You can now point dramatically," he explained. "It goes well with your scary ghost outfit and chains. Mainiac97 did it at the grave in Scrooge's bedroom. Also, for Mainiac97, the great ghost, I want to give him this." he handed me the icy loud speaker. "I can make a new one for myself," he said. "It'll go well for speaking in a loud booming voice. You can use it with the costume and the emote."

"What happened to Scrooge?" I asked.

"He couldn't deal with the guilt of what he's done in the past, so he's mysteriously disappeared to somewhere so he can think things over," the imp explained. "He's destroyed the tax system with people renting his houses, and he's given away his mansion to Jack Frost. Thank you all, and goodbye." At that, he disappeared in a puff of freezing cold steam. I pitied poor old Scrooge, who was transformed from a miserable old man to a joyful soul in one night, and couldn't handle the weight of the sins he'd committed in the past. I jumped back into the cupboard.

I spent the next few days playing in the snow. One morning, I got up; put Eek in my pocket along with some bread crumbs for him to feast on, gulped down some breakfast, and went off to the white knight castle. I had a plan.

I snuck inside the castle, not wanting to attract attention. I snuck towards Cedric's office, which was like Sir Amik Varze's office, only gloomier and dustier. There was a store cupboard opposite his office door. He was sitting behind his dusty desk, writing down notes. I put on my ghost outfit, put the loud speaker on my mouth from behind my hood (nobody could see it), and went into the cupboard. I shook the chains violently, wanting to attract Cedric's attention. I saw the door open, as Cedric peered inside curiously.

I used the trick emote, and bats flew into Cedric's face. He fell back, staring at me in shock.

"Who are you?" he barked. "What are you doing here?" I shook my fist at him.

"Cedric….." I moaned creepily. "Cedric......" I pointed at him dramatically, and snow swirled around my feet. He screamed, jumped up, and ran down the corridor. I pulled down my hood, laughing.

A few days later, I woke up to a face full of snow. Osrie1 had used my snow globe against me!

"Merry Christmas!" he laughed, handing me a package wrapped in green paper. I thanked him, and then I dived to the end of my bed. There was a pile of presents there, waiting for me! Osrie1 returned to his own presents, to continue opening presents. "Oh and thanks for the beer glass with my name carved on it," he added. I smiled, and ripped open the present he gave me.

It was a box of Christmas gingerbread men, and attached to the box was some coupons to shops such as Irish's steel shop, the general store, and the local Falador bakery. I smiled gratefully towards him.

The next present was from Haru Axe-man, Sin, Elite, Ballbags32, and Haldir6, who'd chipped together to get mine. It was long and thin, and wrapped in silver paper. When I opened it up, a brand new steel sword with my name engraved on it and a diamond on the end fell into my lap. I stared at it in awe. I grabbed my weapon belt, took out my old steel sword, put the old one in my bag, and put the new one in there.

Eek stirred from his spot on my pillow. "Merry Christmas!" I said to him. He jumped onto my shoulder. "Here's a present from me," I said, offering him a tiny package. He thanked me, and ripped it open with his tiny fangs. Inside, I'd made him a tiny steel plate body, with eight holes for his legs. I put it on him. He thanked me. I put one of the gingerbread men osrie1 gave me in my pocket, and he jumped in to demolish it slowly, crumb by crumb.

I grabbed the next parcel. It was wrapped untidily in brown paper. The label read To Mainiac97, I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me, from Ebenezer Scrooge. I ripped it open, and sleek, new black ice skates fell into my lap. I stared at them in awe, admiring the strong metal which was designed to skate through the toughest ice. Osrie1 was holding a pair too- Scrooge must have sent everyone a pair.

The next package was from Amy11 and Slinky, who'd chipped together to give me their present, which was wrapped in shiny pink paper. Inside, there was a ruby ring to wear with my other rings. I slipped it on.

There was another package from Madrey1, Phantom and Rogue. This one seemed to be shuddering, and was wrapped in greasy cheap brown paper. Instead of risking opening it, I threw it out the window. I'm glad I did, because I heard a scream from outside.

Aubury sent me a supply of runes, Sir Amik Varze sent me an armour-polishing kit (which I used straight away to make my steel nice and shiny), and Cedric sent me a single chocolate piece wrapped up in so much paper it looked like something big. Capablanca sent me some arrows, and Mark sent me a steel axe. There was a gift from Duke Horacio, which was 700gp, and a gift from Farmer Fred, which were some home-grown fruit and vegetables. There were two packages left, one was large, and the other was small and thin. The large one was decorated with paper with pictures of Santa on it, and the other one was wrapped in black paper. I opened the large one first.

Inside was a cardboard box. I opened it, and there were another two boxes, and a note. The note read:

Merry Christmas! Inside we have a selection of Christmas treats and another little reward for you to enjoy!

Signed,

Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus)

Lumi, Queen of snow and ice

Prince Jack Frost

One box was full of gingerbread men, mince pies, candy canes, humbugs….a large assortment of Christmas sweets and treats. I put that aside for late on tonight. The other box contained a stick, made from the finest wood. It was shaped like a candy cane. The note that came with it read 'this candy cane stick can be used as a weapon, a toy, a decoration, and even a magic wand!' I twirled it in between my fingers.

The other package came with no name, but a card which read; enjoy a gift from the unknown. On the card, there was a picture of a mouse wearing a black highwayman's mask. I opened it curiously. Inside, all I found was a rusty key, along with a small box of chocolates.

I examined the key curiously. What could it be for? Who sent it? I tasted a chocolate-they were fine, perfectly delicious. This was yet another mystery that needed solving in the world of RuneScape.

So far, my gifts were an assortment of sweets from different sources, some coupons, a new steel sword, some ice skates, a ruby ring, some runes, an armour-polishing kit, some arrows, a steel axe, some money, some fruit and vegetables, the candy cane stick, and the mysterious rusty key. I examined them all fondly. Obviously, I'd sent gifts to everyone too. I wasn't that greedy.

I gathered my gifts, and left the room, intent on enjoying Christmas.

I hope you enjoyed that!

Who sent the rusty key? What's it for? Tune in to find out!

I do not own a Christmas carol (including Scrooge, Marley, etc), Charles Dickens, RuneScape, or Jagex. (Insert more legal stuff here)

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Until next time, toodles!