Scratch is Summoned
(Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Disney's Ghost & Molly McGee or the film, It's A Wonderful Life. All figures and scenarios within the story belong to them, this is purely fan content. So, please...don't sue me)
It's a brisk and snowy day over the small suburban town of Brighton. Snowflakes are falling, cool air blows past what remains of leaves on the trees, every building appears covered in a blanket of snow. Yes, this is quite a picturesque scene; one might wonder what could help make things better?
On that note, this serene scene is suddenly broken by the loud echoes of four short yet simple words..."WINTER BREAK IS OOOON!" All across town, the children of Brighton are seen laughing and making merry amongst themselves as the start of the Holiday Break begins. Two weeks of no school, no homework and above all, the sweet arrival of the holidays are but three of the things these children anxiously prepare for.
But let us not get ahead of ourselves, we'll come back to Brighton in due time. For now, let us bring our story in a...different direction.
(Line Break)
Far beyond Brighton, beyond even the barriers of the mortal plain, our story brings us to a place known simply as the Ghost World. This place between the two plains of the afterlife acts as a sort of...nexus point where all manner of spirits congregate and commingle with one another. It is within this place that we meet with a group known as the Ghost Council.
These four presumably ancient spirits act as a bureaucratic and governing body within this typically chaotic place. Long ago, they (along with a being known simply as the Chairman) would send their fellow ghosts out into the living world. There, they would be tasked to scare humans as much as they could; thereby creating misery among the masses.
But then, all of that changed when Scratch (considered to be the worst of the worst among ghost-kind) brought an end to the Chairman's rule. Well...he can't quite take all of the credit for that feat, truth be told. In reality, it wasn't Scratch who dealt the ending blow to the Chairman...but a young human girl.
That is where our story brings us now, my friends. On this brisk wintery day, the Ghost Council is about to receive a most unusual and unexpected visitor.
(Line Break)
In the farthest reaches of the Ghost World, situated atop a massive floating rock, we find the Ghost Council gathered at their usual spot at their dais; working on a collection of business-related paperwork. On normal circumstances, such a situation would seem like an ideal moment of "bliss" for these four spirits. But in this new, Post-Old Chairman era of their realm; such work seemed to feel rather...tedious at times.
"Hoo-hum! Another day of ancient scroll reading and alphabetizing paperwork" sighed Sir Alister, leader of the Council, "it feels like I've just done all of this two weeks ago!" Upon hearing this; Lucretia, one of the two sole female members of the Council, proclaimed, that her colleague's paperwork was the same as it was from weeks ago. The only difference was the fact that instead of finishing it all back then, Alister became bored and brushed it off; deciding to spend the day at the Haughty Haunts Club instead.
"Could you blame me, Lu" grumbled the old specter, "it was All-You-Can-Eat Poinsonberry Pie Day at the Club and it's my favorite!" Lucretia could only sigh dejectedly before going back to her work, when suddenly a portal opened and a certain spirit came falling out through it. With a loud yelp, Scratch (once the Ghost World's most reviled resident and now, newly inducted Chairman) landed with a "squish" upon the rocky floor.
Upon recovering, Scratch shook his head and glared up at the Council in annoyance. "You know, as Chairman; I should be the one who summons ghosts from wherever" he grumbled, "not you guys!" The Council simply glowered softly at Scratch, preferring to keep their usual feelings towards him under wraps. Afterwards, Bartholomew collected one of the papers from his pile and informed Scratch on the reason for his summoning.
"It seems we are to receive a visitor today" he stated, "one that is...not of our world." Upon hearing this, Scratch suddenly found himself feeling...just a bit nervous. If the supposed visitor wasn't a resident of the Ghost World, it meant one of three possible scenarios. First, Scratch suspected that Molly or Darryl may have found a new way to follow him.
Of course, if a human were to try and enter through a ghost portal, it would only result in them becoming a Wraith; leaving their body momentarily as an emotionless husk. Of course, Mol had already done that before when she followed him to save him from the now destroyed Flow of Failed Phantoms. After that, she made a note to never attempt that again...unless she was bored.
Then, there was Idea No. 2; which involved a certain family of Ghost Hunters across the street (the Chens.) "Maybe they came up with some kooky gadget that opens up man-made portals into the Ghost World" thought Scratch, "kinda like in that cartoon Darryl made me watch!"
The instant this thought went through his mind, Scratch suddenly realized just how ridiculous it all was. Not only were the Chens totally inept in making working ghost hunting tech but the idea of anybody making a working portal between worlds was utterly absurd (as well as dangerous.) This left only the third option on who the visitor might be. Maybe...Maybe some poor sap up in the Human World had bitten the dust and they were making their way into the Ghost World; possibly due to having unfinished business.
But before Scratch could present any of these options to the Council, they quickly stopped him; as if sensing what he was thinking. "Whatever you've got in your head, Scratch; kindly do away with it" muttered Grimbella, "the visitor we're expecting comes to us from...up there." The instant she said these words, every member of the Council eased their hands upwards; as if pointing towards the non-existent ceiling.
"Um...I'm still having trouble following you guys" Scratch grumbled, "just where is this guy supposed to be coming from?" Just as the Council was about to make a reply, the skies suddenly shone brightly with beautiful sunlight. At the same time, all the ghosts present could hear what sounded like a choir of angels singing from out of nowhere.
Then, everyone watched in awe as a bridge of light slowly shined down upon the rock where the ghosts stood. Finally, they cast their eyes skywards to see something descending along the bridgeway from above. The whole time this was happening, millions upon millions of thoughts were surging through Scratch's head...and none of them involved tacos.
"Bright lights, gorgeous singing, a strange thing coming down from the sky" he whispered, "that must mean we're getting a visit from...upper management." After swallowing down a nervous lump in his throat, Scratch waited as patiently as he could for the arrival of this strange visitor. What he heard next was a sound that neither he nor the Ghost Council would've expected in this situation.
Halfway down the light bridge, the ghosts could suddenly hear what seemed like the sounds of a car engine revving up. Then, the thing that was descending towards them started picking up speed. Finally, the ghostly group leapt away for safety; as what looked like a car came speeding past them.
"What the hoo-ha" exclaimed Scratch, "since when did ghosts or angels ever drive cars?!" The Ghost Council felt just as curious about their visitor but none of them knew exactly who they might be or why they were here. They could only watch in silence, as the driver rode their vehicle around the rock for several laps before it finally came to a stop.
Once it landed safely before the Council, the car door opened wide, and the driver slowly but surely climbed out to greet everyone. The figure was a rather chunky-looking human with a shabby suit, a torn up English bowler cap and his shoes appeared to be worn out (as evident by the massive hole on the right foot.) "Ugh! Upstairs must be fallin' on some bad times" Scratch said coyly, "because this guy don't look like no angel."
Understandably, the Council quickly shushed their colleague/boss as respectfully as they could. But they still felt rather bothered by Scratch's usual crass behavior, regardless of his rank. "Be on your best behavior, Scratch" Alister chided softly, "the last thing we want is for any sort of angel to be cross with us!
At first, Scratch came close to making some sort of snappy comeback like before. But after taking a moment to think, he realized that the stuffy ghost was right. As strong as the Chairman was, making "The Man Upstairs" angry by insulting one of his angels was an even bigger risk.
But much to their overall surprise, the strange "angel" simply gave a laugh and assured them he took no offense to Scratch's comments. "I know I don't quite look like much, folks" he stated, "but that's 'cause I don't got my wings just yet...can't be an official angel without 'em."
(Line Break)
For what felt like ages, neither side had spoken another word since the strange man made his revelation. Said revelation had created a mixed reaction from the ghostly bunch, to say the least. The Ghost Council stared slack-jawed at the shabby-looking fellow, wondering if he was making some sort of a joke.
Scratch, on the other hand chose to be more...verbal with his shock by getting way up in his grill (as Molly or Libby would say.) "YOU GOT US ALL WORKED UP OVER NOTHING" he screamed, "if you ain't no angel...why did you bother calling me here?!" Rather than be offended by Scratch's behavior; the non-angel simply reached into the pocket of his suit jacket, brought out a business card and handed it over to the ghost.
The first thing Scratch noticed was the fact the card had its bottom left end torn off. It also looked as though it was coated in mud, as if it fell into a puddle. These two signs gave Scratch the idea that this guy must've had the card on him when he died. Yet in spite of it looking rather soggy and worn out, he was still able to make out the words that were written on it.
The first one was a company name, Brighton Shiny Rentals; which must've been the company the angel-to-be may have worked with. Underneath that was the name "Clarence Salsbury" written in what looked like bold black lettering...but it was hard to tell due to the stains. "'Brighton Shiney Rental...'I know I've heard that name from somewhere" murmured Scratch, "but I can't figure out where."
The non-angel simply chuckled at these words and proclaimed his business went belly-up after the eighties. Apparently, his employer didn't quite keep his vehicles up to code; thus contradicting their "Bright n' Shiny" moniker. "I ended up dying after taking one of those junk heaps out for a test drive, to show off to a potential customer" he murmured, "not one of my best days."
After taking a moment to shake off that tiny bit of bleakness off his shoulders, the angel introduced himself properly by his nickname; Clarence Sales. "Many of my coworkers used to call me that" he chuckled, "said I was one of the more honest ones in the bunch." Scratch simply rolled his eyes at all this, tossed Clarence's card away and gave a prodigious yawn of boredom.
But in spite of all of this, Clarence still kept himself as pleasantly as he did when he (literally) drove in on the scene. "Okay, bro; this is a cool story and everything" Scratch muttered impatiently, "but what does this have to do with me?" The instant this inquiry was presented, Clarence's pleasant demeanor dampened slightly; causing his expression to shift into a look that was far more scathing than Abe Lincoln's own.
But after a short while, that look faded into a much...softer yet slightly distressed expression. It was the sort of look a grandparent had when they had some heavy thoughts on their mind. "I'm afraid what I'm about to say is of dire importance, Mr. Scratch" he stated, "and it concerns someone you hold quite dear." Now, this particular statement not only shook Scratch himself but also the Council. In life or death, there were very few people (or ghosts) Scratch had ever known that he truly care about.
First, there was Adya, Scratch's first friend from when he was human. Although Scratch couldn't quite remember too much of his human life; one thing was certain, Adya made him happy. But then, she and her family moved away from Brighton and he was alone in his house ever since.
Then there was Geoff (with a G,) a rather...shall we say, dimwitted spirit who would always start a conversation with introducing himself. Of course, he would do this by spelling his own name first and then, spell out the other version of Jeff (spelled J-E-F-F.) He and Scratch had what some might call...an on again/off again sort of friendship.
On occasion, he and Geoff would only be seen together unless it was to his own benefit. But after seeing him be callously thrown into the Flow of Failed Phantoms, Scratch started making more of an effort to hang out and bond with him. Finally, there was Molly McGee...Scratch's first human friend in ages.
When they first met, all the ghost wanted to do was scare her and her family out of his house. But then, he made the...poorly thought-out decision to curse Molly; vowing to follow her wherever she went, whenever possible. But after almost watching the girl's family move away, the aforementioned moment where they almost being imprisoned within the Flow together and defeating the Chairman; Scratch couldn't imagine his afterlife without her in it.
That must've been it...something was going on with Molly back at the house and he needed to try and stop it. "If something's happened to Molly, just send me right on down" Scratch said while puffing out his tiny chest, "I'll spook the creeps right out of their shorts!" Although they were...mildly impressed with his surprise show of initiative, the Ghost Council informed Scratch that he wasn't going anywhere; Clarence was.
This reveal immediately took the bravado right out of Scratch, both figuratively and literally; as his chest immediately deflated after hearing the news. "Well...what gives" he grumbled, "if the newbie's goin' instead of me, why am I even here?!" With a soft frown upon his face, Clarence revealed that the usual bright and peppy Molly was about to experience a rather rare moment in her life...pure discouragement.
In addition to this, the non-angel revealed that events from earlier that week were about to result in Molly making perhaps the dumbest decision in a human's life; taking it away. "WHAT?! Molly would never do something so stupid" shrieked Scratch, "what could possibly...oh." Before the ghost could finish his train of thought, he was suddenly struck by a memory; one that actually left him feeling sick to his stomach (which was rare, even for him.)
Meanwhile, the Ghost Council felt curious as to what Scratch could've done that would lead to such a grim fate for the human. In the past, he had been known for causing trouble; whether or not he was on Scaring Duty. But to break the spirit of one's friend so deeply that it would drive them to take their own life...that was too low even for Scratch.
"Tell us, Mr. Sales" inquired Bartholomew, "what exactly happened during the time in question?" Clarence smiled softly at the ghost, snapped his fingers and soon, a TV-like screen suddenly appeared. Afterwards, he proclaimed that they were going to take a few moments to watch a...clip show of sorts, a series of flashback moments that would lead up to the big one to come.
"I would offer to get us some popcorn" Scratch murmured, "but...I suddenly don't feel hungry right now." With these words, Scratch poofed himself up to the dais and sat himself sadly behind the massive podium. Afterwards, Clarence summoned a golden remote in his hand and turned on the viewing screen."
"Be ready, my ghostly friends" he stated, "because you're about to see something that will send chills down your non-existent spines."
(First AN: And here we go, folks! What sort of things will Clarence be showing the ghosts, what exactly is Molly planning on...and what reason would Clarence be down in the Ghost World at all? Tune in next time for answers to these questions and more)
(Second AN: To clarify, this story takes place after the events of Molly McGee Vs. The Ghost World; specifically up to the current point in the series. But instead of the recent episode we got on Disney Channel, let's count this as the Christmas episode of Season 2; even if it is non-canon)
(Third AN: Clarence Salsbury's nickname is meant to be a light nod to the Clarence character from the Beetlejuice episode, It's A Wonderful Afterlife. I can assure you, while this story is meant to serve as a parody of the famous Christmas film; this will play out a lot differently than the way Beetlejuice's adventure did)
(Final AN: While not outright mentioned in this chapter, the next one will have some brief mentions of suicide. If such themes seem triggering to you, I humbly apologize; such feelings are no joke under any circumstances)