Author Notes - A Christmas story that will inevitably be finished some time mid-January? Well, you all accepted a Valentine's Day story in the middle of March, so this won't be so bad. At least this time, it'll be in the same season. Call me Little Miss Late cos I'm celebrating Christmas one month late. ... I'm hoping at least one of you gets that joke.

Like I said in the summary, this story was partially inspired watchfullkittycat32's own parody of the classic story. I'm hoping mine will stand out by being less book accurate. Their story was surprisingly accurate to the original book from what I've seen. This is also partially inspired by the Muppets' Christmas Carol, which you NEED to watch.

The image for this story was drawn by yours truly, and can be found on my DeviantArt account. And that's the last you'll hear from me until this story ends. I'm handing it over to another narrator. Take it away, Mr Grouper!

CHAPTER ONE - A WARNING

Well, good morning everyone! And merry Christmas! I'm Mr Grouper, and I'll be your humble narrator for this classical tale. We all know 'A Christmas Carol'. A story of how people can change for the better, and a tale of beloved holiday cheer. Three ghosts, a sickly child, a mean old miser who proves that there is good in even the most grouchy of people…

And here I am, reading the story to you. It will certainly not be the first time you've heard this story. In fact, I doubt it's even your tenth. You may have read and watched dozens of adaptations and parodies before. So, what makes my version so different? It contains a friend very dear to me, and the greatest school of children I have ever met.

So, sit down by the fireplace and grab a nice cup of hot chocolate. Or, if you live where Christmas is in the summer, lay under your cooling fan and treat yourself to an ice-cold glass of juice. We might be here a while!

This tale begins on Christmas Eve. The town of Bubbletucky was covered in snow, and its residents were bustling all over the place. Families were all wrapped up in sweaters and scarfs to stave off the bitter cold in the wintry air. Their merry chatter and the sweet smell of baked Christmas goods filled the street. Lights were hung up through town, lighting it up a dozen colours even as the sun set beyond the horizon. There was no denying it - it was Christmas! Well, Christmas Eve, but it was close enough.

'Merry Christmas!' Princess Demanda said to all her loyal subjects.

'Happy holidays, dude!' Arctic Dan said as he waved back.

Yes, everyone was getting ready for Christmas Day. Well, not quite everyone. Someone swam through the streets with a scowl on his face, drifting between the merry people like a storm cloud flying across a bright sunny sky. And everyone he passed gave him a scowl of their own.

'Oh no…' Miss Pinkytoe muttered. 'Here comes Mr Grumpfish.'

Mr Grumpfish was not like everyone else in Bubbletucky. He did not like Christmas. He hated the lights, the carolling, the fruitcake… well, that last one is understandable. Of course, not everyone in the world liked Christmas. There are plenty of people out there who don't. But Mr Grumpfish didn't have any good reason to hate it. He simply hated it because.

'I don't like this town,' He said to himself. 'Why did my workplace have to be so close to it?'

He grumbled quite often at Christmas. Well, actually, he grumbled all the time. But especially at Christmas. No wonder everyone had a frown on their face when he swam by them. After some more grumbling, he finally arrived back at his workplace. It was an old building, somewhat dilapidated and made entirely of brick. It stood out among the colourful and rounded buildings in Bubbletucky.

When he glanced up at a wooden sign hanging above the door, he grinned. It wasn't a friendly grin, though. It was more - what's the word? - mean. The kind of grin that my students would fine rather unnerving. The sign spelled out two names - GRUMPFISH & WITCH.

'Ah, Miss Witch,' He said to the sign. 'You were the one thing that made this holiday worth it. We'll never beat that Christmas ten years ago, when you defunded the orphanage!'

Ouch. Mr Grumpfish, as you can tell, was far from the most generous person in the world. In fact, he was perhaps the least. And if you think that's bad, wait until you see what was inside the workplace. Let's follow him inside and see what we'll find.

Do you feel a cold breeze in the air? Mr Grumpfish's workplace was possibly even colder than it was outside. But he was so bundled up that he didn't notice or care. Someone in the room did, however. His only employee. And her name was Molly. Molly Cratchit.

'H-H-Hello, M-Mr G-G-Grumpfish…' She said as he swam through the door.

She sat at a desk, finishing her work writing through Mr Grumpfish's bills and loans. Bills and loans that he gave to other people. It was so cold in the shop that the ink she was writing with was beginning to freeze, and she couldn't afford to bundle up like he could.

'Still working, I see,' Mr Grumpfish said. 'Good. You should be.'

'S-Sir,' Molly said. 'I-I was w-wondering… m-m-maybe we could s-spare an extra p-piece of c-coal for the f-fire. Y-Y-You know, t-to warm the p-place up a l-little more.'

Mr Grumpfish, who had been on his way to his own desk, spun around and glared at her.

'An extra piece of coal?!' He shouted. 'We only have so many pieces, Miss Cratchit! We can't afford to waste any!'

Molly just nodded. 'R-Right, Mr G-Grumpfish. T-That would b-be a w-w-waste.'

(If you'll forgive my interjection, I want to make something clear. This is just a story. Mr Grumpfish, in reality, is a very close friend of mine and of my students too. He's just a bit disagreeable. But if he started this story being nice, then there would be no need for what happens later, would there?)

Mr Grumpfish grumbled and sat down at his desk. And what did he do at his desk? He counted coins. He didn't need to. It was just something he enjoyed. And he had a lot of coins to count.

'One, two, three…'

He got as far as 'eleven' before a knock at the door disrupted his concentration and made him lose count.

'Now who's that knocking at my door?!' He demanded.

The door swung open, and a young man swam into the room. This young man was Goby, Mr Grumpfish's adopted nephew and his only remaining relative. He was holding a wreath in his hand, and brought joyful energy into the cold and drab office.

'Merry Christmas, Uncle Grumpfish!' He said.

Now, you'd think that since this lad was Mr Grumpfish's nephew and - may I repeat - only living relative, Mr Grumpfish would treat him well. But this wasn't the case. At all.

'Merry?!' He yelled. 'Bah, humbug! There's nothing 'merry' about this blasted holiday. Everyone around me is singing silly songs and expecting to get the day off!'

But Goby was not deterred by his grumpy attitude. He simply hung the wreath up on the door and smiled even wider than before.

'People sing their silly songs because they're happy!' He said. 'Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year that people can't help but to sing!'

'It isn't w-worth it, Goby,' Molly said. 'J-Just leave n-now.'

Goby's smile turned to a frown. 'Are you alright, Miss Cratchit? You're shivering a lot.'

She gave him the best smile she could. 'I-I'm not that c-c-cold. I'll be f-fine.'

A sudden sneeze betrayed her lie. And it just made Mr Grumpfish even grumpier.

'You better not be catching cold on me, Miss Cratchit!' He said. 'Sickness wastes money!'

'Y-Yes, Mr G-Grumpfish,' Molly said, sniffling. 'I k-know.'

'I'm sure you can afford to heat the place up a little more, Uncle,' Goby said. 'Look at me! I'm all bundled up, and even I'm feeling a bit chilly. Surely you can throw another piece of coal on the fire and-'

'Extra coal wastes money!' Mr Grumpfish shouted.

So, as you can see, Mr Grumpfish is a very unpleasant fellow. Goby remained unfettered, and gave his uncle the biggest smile you can imagine.

'Can't you cheer up for just one day?' He asked. 'Just for Christmas?'

Mr Grumpfish lost his patience and stormed away from his desk. You know what he did next? He picked up the wreath from the door, and smacked Goby upside the head with it! Molly gasped, but stayed quiet; she didn't want to lose her only job. Now, it was just a wreath, so it didn't hurt very much, but it left Goby stunned. So stunned that he couldn't stop Mr Grumpfish from throwing the wreath over his body and tossing him outside!

'And stay out!' He shouted, slamming the door. 'It's unnatural for someone to be so cheerful, especially around this time of year.'

'Um, M-Mr Grumpf-fish…' Molly said.

'What?!'

The way he snapped made her tremble. But she wasn't going to give up now.

'S-Since tomorrow is C-Christmas Day, d-do you t-think that I-I can-?' She sneezed again. 'H-have the day off?'

You should've seen the way his face turned red.

'Take the day off?!' He shouted. 'No one's ever taken a day off in this business before!'

'P-Please!' Molly pleaded. 'I'll… I'll do a-all your l-laundry f-for the n-next month, f-free of c-charge!'

Mr Grumpfish didn't like the idea of anyone having a day off, but he did like the idea of someone doing his laundry for him. He gave it plenty of thought.

'Alright, fine,' He said. 'You can take tomorrow off. But you better be back to work the next day an hour early, with a bar of soap!'

Molly, though she was still shivering, smiled. 'T-Thank you, Sir! I-I promise, I-I'll make s-sure all your l-laundry is clean as a w-whistle!'

'You might as well take the rest of the night off while you're at it. I'll be wasting enough money already.'

And that was how a very shivery (and somewhat sneezy) Miss Cratchit found herself going home that night. Mr Grumpfish grumbled for the rest of his shift, until he finally returned home. To say the least, he was dreading the next day.

But as he was approaching his door, he noticed something wrong. His doorknob was changing. The shark-face shifted to a strangely familiar one. A face that looked too much like Miss Witch. It even laughed at him with a horrible cackle!

'Oh my!' He cried.

He blinked his eyes. That unsightly face was gone. He rubbed his eyes just to make sure, but the doorknob didn't look any weirder than it usually did.

'I must be exhausted from all that work,' He murmured. 'That's it.'

That unsettling face wouldn't leave his mind, even when he entered his big yet rundown house. In fact, he could've sworn something was following him. There was an unsettling chill in the air that couldn't be explained by his usual lack of heating. The walls and floorboards creaked, and he was certain there was a creepy shadow on the wall.

The creepy feeling didn't go away when he entered his bedroom. It just got worse. His sigh of relief was short-lived when a horrible sound echoed through his whole room. The sound of old rusty chains, rattling with the force of someone desperate to escape.

Mr Grumpfish, shivering like a bowl full of jelly, struck a match against the wall and lit up his candle. The light revealed nothing. Nothing, that is, except a shadow on the wall. A shadow that was not his. Someone emerged through this shadow. At least, Mr Grumpfish was sure it did. He could see the wall right through its translucent blue skin. It raised its head with a powerful cackle! Mr Grumpfish couldn't believe his eyes.

'I-It can't be!' He said. 'Miss Witch!'

Miss Witch wasn't just one by name. One look at her, and you'd know she was a witch. Mr Grumpfish recognised her in a second. But, of course, she had been dead for years. Hence, she was a ghost. And hence, his horror.

'Oh yes it can!' She said, cackling some more. 'Never thought you'd see your old pal Witchy again, did ya!'

Once Mr Grumpfish recovered from the shock of seeing his old business partner, he noticed something else quite odd. She was covered in chains that kept her tied down to a big steel ball and a lot of heavy-looking chests.

'W-What's with the chains?' He asked.

'These old things?' Miss Witch said, grasping at the chains. 'Oh, they're nothing much. Just my punishment for all those horrible mean things I did when I was still alive! Remember that time I defunded the orphanage? Oh, it was fun, once upon a time. But I realised the error of my ways too late, and now I am forced to roam the underworld dragged down by these chains!'

She grabbed one of the chains and pulled Mr Grumpfish in like it was a lasso. He stared up at her in horror. As anyone would if they were him.

'Do you know how hard it is to live your afterlife when you're dragging chains around with you everywhere!' She said. 'It's no fun at all! But if I only changed my ways when I was still alive, I wouldn't have a chain to worry about.'

'W-Why are you here?' Mr Grumpfish asked with a shaky voice. 'W-What do you want?'

'I've come to warn you, Mr Grumpfish! If you continue on your path, you will end up just like me. Forced to carry through your afterlife the chains of your horrible and cruel actions! … And believe me. It's not much fun at all.'

Mr Grumpfish was horrified. As he should have been. I think this is a rather harsh way of getting your point across if you ask me, but we're not talking about my students here. Sometimes, someone has to be scared straight. And Mr Grumpfish was scared alright.

'What must I do to escape this fate?' He demanded.

'Three spirits will visit you tonight,' Miss Witch said. 'One after the other.'

He let out a groan. 'Why don't they just all show up at once and get it over with?'

'Because that isn't how this works! The first spirit will arrive on the stroke of one in the morning. Hope you don't need sleep tonight, cos you're not gonna get it! Heed the warnings of these spirits, Grumpfish, or it might be the biggest mistake you ever make!'

And with that, she disappeared back into the shadows, dragging her chains and chests with her. The sounds of her crackles and rattling chains echoed in the room long after she was gone, even when the chill vanished. Even when the sounds died down, Mr Grumpfish was still shaking.

'I must've eaten something bad…' He said to himself. 'It was just some bad gravy, I'm sure.'

But you and I both know that this wasn't just some bad gravy. He changed into his nightwear (because who would go to sleep in a giant coat?), and went straight to bed. After blowing out the candle, of course. As much as he tried to deny it, the very thought of these three spirits kept him up all through the night!

Eventually, though, he managed to get to sleep. But, as soon as he drifted off, the clock chimed. And it chimed just once. Do you know what that means?

It was one o'clock.