A/N: Surprise, everyone! Yet another chapter done within a week, if not sooner! I wanted to get the second part of the Christmas Carol chapters out as soon as possible, so that the chapter could be in time for Christmas or at the very least before the end of December.
I really will be taking a break after this one though, at the very least for 2 weeks and possibly more depending on how much time I need to prevent burnout.
ICA Agent 47: Sorry about the name mix-up. Never heard about the Hitman game series though. And if I do touch on Help Wanted 2, it'll only be for a few chapters at most. It certainly won't be a multilength story arc like the OG Help Wanted.
AlchemyWriter: Ehh…they just might want to keep some things to themselves, especially Liz. Evan is her brother, after all, and he's been a bit of a secretive guy ever since he became Shadow Freddy. Evan probably spends most of his time chilling in Heaven, he's not bound to Earth like the ghost kids.
Jack0Lanterns: Lol I have no idea how you never managed to hear about the Ghosts of Christmas in the context of A Christmas Carol before now, to be honest.
ThePencilDude: I have a…tentative idea for Mrs. Afton in the brainstorming works. She won't show up in this Christmas chapter though.
Chapter 200 – A Christmas Carol Part 2
The Schmidt and Marshall children watched as the Ghost of Christmas Present transported the room he and Scrooge were in across the city of London, giving both Scrooge and the kids a full viewing of London on Christmas Day. Even Scrooge couldn't help but smile and comment at how beautiful the scene was, showing that even now, he was still capable of showing wonder and joy at the sights of Christmas underneath his cold heart.
"So you can do things like that, right?" Alex asked as the Ghost of Christmas Present thrust his torch out forward, directing them through the skies of London as though they were on a spaceship. "You can fly through the air like this?"
"Yep!" Cassidy replied cheerfully. "We flew through the Grand Canyon, New York City, Chicago, and Las Vegas because we can fly!"
"I'm so jealous," Meghan muttered a bit enviously. "That sounds so cool. Makes me wish I was a ghost like you guys!"
"Consider all the shit that we went through to get to this point, trust me when I say that you really, REALLY don't," Fritz countered with uncharacteristic seriousness.
The ride through the air stopped at a bakery, where Scrooge asked the Ghost of Christmas Present about why he sought to close bakeries and other places that the poor depended on for their food on Sundays. The question visibly angered the spirit, who shook the entire room with his fury, and the giant coldly answered that there were some on Earth who did corrupt and selfish actions claiming that they were in the name of Christmas. The Ghost made it clear on no uncertain terms that those wicked priests were completely unknown to him, and that their actions should be brought solely upon their heads rather than brought against Christmas as a whole.
"That honestly really is a good point," Charlie acknowledged. "Evil deeds committed in the name of good causes are still evil. I know there's a bit more nuance sometimes, but nobody with a functioning moral compass is gonna claim that mass murdering innocent people in the name of God is anything other than evil."
"Bit of an extreme example, but you're not wrong," Gabe agreed. "If whoever these evil and selfish people really cared what God thought, they'd be doing good deeds as much as possible and caring for the poor instead of blocking them away from getting food."
"Also kind of hypocritical for Scrooge to be making that kind of claim considering how much of a selfish jerk he is," Alex point out as the Ghost resumed the ride through the skies. "But at least the message got through his thick skull."
Eventually, the Ghost stopped at one specific house, sprinkling some golden dust on it so they could see inside. The inside of the house was a humble wooden abode with only the most basic of furnishings. Scrooge and the Ghost could see several children and an older woman preparing a Christmas meal. Despite their impoverished surroundings, the family seemed to be good in spirits as they prepared their Christmas celebration. The Ghost of Christmas Present laughed joyously at seeing the festive scene…and then whacked Scrooge on the head with his torch when all the old miser did was roll his eyes at the sight and scowl.
Everyone winced at the sight. "Ouch," Susie mumbled. "That looked like it hurt."
"A whack on the head with a golden horn from a guy that big? Would not want to be on the receiving end of a thwack that strong," Jeremy agreed, though he was trying not to chuckle at the admittedly funny sight.
The front door of the house suddenly swung open, revealing none other than Bob Cratchit and a younger boy holding a walking stick riding upon his shoulders, who everyone immediately recognized as Tiny Tim. Bob lowered Tiny Tim down onto the ground and got to work greeting his wife and family as they got ready to share their Christmas dinner together.
The joyful moment was briefly marred when Bob and his wife talked about Tiny Tim, however. When Bob claimed that Tim was getting stronger every day, he was clearly struggling not to cry…as though he knew what he was saying was a lie, and was struggling not to acknowledge that reality.
"Poor kid…" Liz murmured sympathetically. "He might be fine for now, but how long will that last?"
Meghan sighed. "Given what we know about the story…it's not gonna look pretty in the future," she pointed out what they all knew to be the truth.
The joyful atmosphere returned slightly as Tiny Tim returned onto the scene, but it was clear that Scrooge had been visibly shaken by the sight of the young, crippled boy. When he asked the Ghost of Christmas Present if Tiny Tim was going to live, the giant coldly and seriously gave an answer but all confirmed that Tiny Time would die if nothing changed.
"The scene in the future is really going to suck, isn't it?" Cassidy asked grimly.
"The bad future in A Christmas Carol always sucks no matter what version of it you read or watch," Alex replied with a knowing frown.
Charlie sighed. "I guess all we can do is enjoy the happy moments while they last…"
They watched as the Cratchit family brought the goose in and Bob Cratchit raised his glass, making a toast to Scrooge. His wife scoffed at the notion, expressing her contempt for Scrooge and his greed. The old man in question tried to look away from the scene, only for the Ghost of Christmas Present to grab him, lift him in the air, and shake him violently to force him to look. Cratchit's wife reluctantly consented to give a toast, and the Cratchits raised their glasses together with Tiny Tim being the last to raise his glass and bless everyone in the room. Scrooge, meanwhile, was looking upon the Cratchit family with newfound sympathy, and even expressed visible anguish and horror when the Ghost of Christmas Present made it very clear that Tiny Tim would die if the future was unchanged.
"He's finally starting to get it," Susie pointed out the obvious. "He's actually learning to give a crap about other people for the first time in who knows how long."
"Better late than never," Gabe added. "He was such a jerk before, especially with what he said earlier about people dying to get rid of the surplus population."
The Ghost apparently agreed with the former Freddy inhabitant, for he parroted these very words back at Scrooge with his own face and voice to really twist the knife in. Scrooge visibly flinched in horror at the evidence of his own cruelty and callousness, but before he could say anything the giant swirled his horn in the air and transported them in a tempest of golden sparks to a completely different location. The ghost kids had never seen the location itself before, but they immediately recognized Scrooge's nephew Fred in the scene.
"Is this…?" Cassidy asked.
"This is that party at Scrooge's nephew's house that he invited Scrooge to earlier," Meghan clarified.
"I guess that the party is already in full swing," Jeremy remarked.
The guests were in the middle of what looked to be a Twenty Questions game, a game that the ghosts had played enough times when they were bored to at the very least understand the fundamental rules. Everyone burst into laughter as the guests asked about a grumbling, growling ass who lives in London…and the answer turned out to be Ebenezer Scrooge himself.
"Okay," Liz snickered as Scrooge gave the Ghost of Christmas Present a WTF face and the giant merely shrugged with a look that practically screamed "Are they wrong?" "That was pretty hilarious."
"Serves him right for shitting on Christmas like that," Fritz added.
After the guests had finished laughing, one of them commented angrily how they had no patience for Scrooge. Fred, however, proceeded to disagree, giving a little speech about how he felt sorry for his Uncle more than anything else. Despite everything, he expressed sympathy for his Uncle, stating that the old man was only hurting himself with his selfishness and callousness. Fred then proceeded to offer a toast to Scrooge's health, willingly giving his best regards to his Uncle despite him not caring for Christmas in the slightest.
"Aww, Scrooge's nephew really is a nice guy," Cassidy commented kindly.
"Yeah, nicer than a jerk like Scrooge deserves," Alex agreed.
Both the scene and the golden room suddenly faded away, leaving a room that was almost completely consumed with darkness in which only the floor could be seen. It was quite an unnerving transformation from the brilliant golden room they had been in previously, the change in atmosphere not helped in the slightest by the Ghost of Christmas Present's declaration that his life was exceedingly brief, and would end with the end of Christmas Day.
"I know logically a spirit of Christmas Present's existence ends with the end of Christmas," Gabe muttered as the silhouette of a giant mechanical clock tower slowly appeared in the background, "but hearing him say it out loud is something else."
"Why did everything get so dark and gloomy?" Liz asked nervously.
"I dunno, but I don't think we're gonna like the answer," Charlie mumbled.
As if in response to the former Marionette's words, ominous and creepy music began to play as Scrooge pointed out a claw-like hand underneath the Ghost of Christmas Present's robes. The ghost unfurled his robes, revealing two hideous, starving children – one boy and one girl, the former of which snarled at the sight of Scrooge. The old miser initially tried to look away…but his gaze was forced back upon the two children at the Ghost's insistence. The giant introduced the two as Ignorance and Want, embodiments of humanity's vices. The giant clock tower's bell suddenly rang loudly, and the Ghost let out a gasp of agony and clutched his chest, as though he had suddenly been struck with a heart attack. As the bells kept tolling, the giant fells to his knees. He started to laugh again like he had before, but this time the laughter sounded deranged rather than joyful in the context of the scene. As the giant fell backward with a groan of agony, Ignorance and Want transformed into adult versions of themselves, throwing Scrooge's own callous and cruel words about prisons and workhouses back at him. Ignorance viciously swung a knife at Scrooge only to be locked in an iron cage, while Want approached Scrooge in a seductive manner and ended up wrapped in a straightjacket and dragged away into the darkness. Scrooge could only watch in horror and disbelief as the Ghost of Christmas Present continued to laugh his demented laugh, aging rapidly into a skeleton whose bones dissolved into nothingness and blown away by a strong wind, leaving Scrooge completely alone in the darkness.
Everyone, living and dead alike, stared silently as they tried to process the nightmarish scene that they had just witnessed. "What in the FUCK did I just watch?" Fritz exclaimed, being the first to finally break the silence once he had gotten over his shock. "I'm sorry, is this supposed to be a Christmas movie or a fucking horror film?"
"There's no way this was in the original book, is there?" Susie demanded, clearly just as creeped out as her brother. "Especially with those creepy kids, those guys make us with our creepy faces look downright normal!"
"They actually do show up in the story," Alex answered. At the sheer looks of disbelief on their faces, he clarified. "Ignorance and Want to do show up. They don't turn into adults and go batshit insane like that, but they do technically show up in the original book. And the Ghost of Christmas Present does rapidly age, but he doesn't die laughing in a crazy way like that and dissolve into a skeleton."
Even Meghan looked visibly surprised at her brother's knowledge. "What the hell?" she exclaimed. "You paid attention enough to know all that? I thought you didn't give a crap about reading at all!"
"I don't give a crap about reading boring textbooks and school stuff," Alex clarified with a smirk, clearly pleased that he had taken her by surprise. "But stories like this? I'll happily read those!"
"I think I can see why most versions of the movie take those creepy kids out," Charlie mumbled as Scrooge slowly uncovered his ears. He barely had time to process what happened before his shadow suddenly elongated unnaturally, transforming into the shape of a hooded figure wearing a black cloak with skeletal hands coming out of his robes. Although the film might've manifested him as a literal shadow rather than a physical figure, it was clear to everyone present that the Ghost of Christmas Future, the most intimidating and darkest of the spirits, had arrived.
Scrooge seemed to recognize and fear this specter more than any other, for he bent down to his knees and clasped his hands together, almost as if in prayer. The old miser, clearly struggling against his own dread, nevertheless greeted the specter respectfully. By now, he had grown enough as a person to recognize that the Ghost of Christmas Future did have his best interest at heart, even if he had a terrifying presence.
"I don't blame Scrooge for being scared," Cassidy admitted with a shudder. "This guy scares the crap out of me too."
"We all know the future is gonna be bad if Scrooge doesn't change his ways," Liz muttered. "The only question is exactly how bad."
The Ghost didn't make any move or give any response to Scrooge's questions. Only when Scrooge insisted that the Ghost lead him forward did the Ghost suddenly lunge out of floor towards him, knocking him backward down a flight of steps that suddenly manifested out of nowhere. As Scrooge fell to the bottom of the stairs in a heap, the scene brightened to reveal a scene in daytime London, showcasing three gentlemen. The three men were discussing how an unknown man had died last night, clearly not caring in the slightest about the deceased man. One of them commented how the funeral was going to be a cheap one since there would be nobody in the city who would care about the man, while another one jokingly remarked that he wouldn't mind going if a lunch was provided. As the conversation ended, the scene shifted to nighttime, and Scrooge's shadow transformed back into the Ghost of Christmas Future.
"They're talking about Scrooge, aren't they?" Jeremy guessed. "A guy who nobody cares about dying…nobody would give a crap about Scrooge if he stayed a greedy jerk, and nobody else makes any sense."
"You're right," Meghan confirmed with a frown, "but clearly, Scrooge doesn't know that yet."
The Ghost pointed towards a distant street, where a horse-drawn carriage drawn by two horses walked into view. Both the carriage and the horses were pitch-black and seemed to blend into the shadows themselves, similar to the Ghost of Christmas Future himself. One of the horses seemed to raise its head out of the shadows, revealing that it had blood-red, demonic eyes.
"Uhhhh…why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Susie mumbled.
Her question was answered a second later as the Ghost suddenly pointed his finger straight at Scrooge, and the carriage suddenly leapt out of the shadows and into reality, barreling straight towards him. Scrooge barely had time to start running to avoid being immediately trampled, and he took off running right into the dark streets of London. Even as he ran with all of his strength and speed, he could only barely outpace the supernatural carriage that was chasing him. Every so often, the mysterious driver on the carriage would swing his whip and unleash a shower of magical sparks, unleashing a wave of energy that seemed to shrink Scrooge and make him seem even more helpless. It didn't help that every so often, shadowy figures rose out of the streets on either side of Scrooge, mocking him as he fled from the carriage that was only a few steps away from completely trampling him.
"Uhm…this didn't happen in the book, did it?" Fritz asked skeptically.
Meghan shook her head. "No way," he replied. "It definitely didn't happen in the book. Hell, this doesn't even happen in most movie adaptations. This movie threw in a chase scene with that carriage because why the hell not, I guess."
"Doesn't this seem kinda counterintuitive for the Ghost of Christmas Future to run Scrooge down the streets and risk trampling him with that carriage, if the whole point is for him to redeem Scrooge to begin with?" Gabe wondered as Scrooge dived into a pipe after being shrunk again by the carriage driver's whip, only barely managing to avoid being run down.
"You're not wrong," Alex replied as Scrooge crawled down the small pipe and climbed out into the street on the opposite side of the building. "Most of the movie is honestly pretty faithful to the original book…except for this part. Have no clue why they threw it in, maybe because they felt there wasn't enough action?"
"Do you guys think Scrooge lost the carriage?" Liz asked.
Her question was answered seconds later as the carriage burst out onto the street from around the corner, causing Scrooge to visibly scowl and grumble, "Oh, come now," in an admittedly humorous moment that caused the kids to snicker. Even as he started running again, he seemed more annoyed than anything else.
The humorous moment was quickly cut short as the Ghost of Christmas Future himself emerged in the driver's seat, replacing its previous driver, like a ghost rising out of the grave. Even as the carriage closed in, the Ghost's black skeletal hand reached out towards Scrooge like the Grim Reaper himself coming to collect a final helpless soul. Scrooge was only saved at the last moment by a sewer grate blocking the Ghost's hand from snatching him up, and the old man was sent sliding uncontrollably down a pipe that inexplicably led to the rooftops of London when it finally led back out into the open city.
"Wait, how does that even work?" Cassidy exclaimed as they watched Scrooge slide uncontrollably and struggle not to fall off the rooftops. "Weren't they just in the streets? Scrooge slid down that pipe and now he's suddenly in the sky? How?"
Charlie thought for a moment. "Either part of London is on a large hill…," she hypothesized, "or it's just magic."
"Probably magic," Meghan commented. "That carriage driver literally shrunk Scrooge with his whip."
Nobody had any argument to that, and they watched as Scrooge's luck finally ran out. The old man was sent tumbling off the roof…only to be very narrowly saved by falling into a basket that the old woman was carrying.
After a few seconds of darkness and indistinct voices, Scrooge was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor on top of a large tapestry. Towering above him were two people, an old woman and an old man, both looking quite hideous in appearance. Instantly the ghosts knew that they were up to no good, an instinct that was confirmed as they talked about how the woman had stolen bedsheets and closed off of a deceased man to sell to Old Joe. What made things even worse was that Scrooge recognized the woman as Mrs. Dilbert, his own housemaid…although him yelling furiously at her that he was fired in a chipmunk voice when she clearly couldn't hear her made the scene funnier than they expected.
"What a bunch of nice people," Jeremy commented sarcastically. "Stealing clothes off a dead person. Like, I know some people are jerks, but they at the very least deserve some respect when they're dead."
"Says a lot about how nobody gives a shit about Scrooge if they're willing to let people still bedclothes and blankets off him," Fritz pointed out, which nobody could disagree with.
The conversation was interrupted as Old Joe lifted an iron poker and looked for a split second as though he had seen Scrooge and was about to crush him. What the man had actually seen was a rat next to Scrooge, but it functionally made little difference as both the rat and Scrooge desperately scrambled to avoid getting whacked and crushed by the poker. One of Joe's attacks hit a floor plank and tilted it forward, sending Scrooge flying into the air. The Ghost of Christmas Future, who had been waiting as a Shadow in the wall during the entire scene, grabbed him by the hand and threw into a completely different room, letting Scrooge fall to the floor in a disheveled heap. Scrooge struggled to get to his feet, admitting even as he grew back to his normal size that the deceased, unloved, and completely alone man could very well be himself in the future if he didn't change his ways.
"At least it's starting to get through his thick skull," Liz muttered dryly.
"Better late than never," Susie added with a frown. "But where are we anyway? This doesn't seem like anywhere in that Old Joe guy's shop."
As if to answer Susie's question, the Ghost of Christmas Future lifted his finger and pointed it towards a large single ornate bed on which a dead man lay resting, his entire body covered with a single white blanket. Scrooge let out an exclamation of shock and whimpered in fear as the Ghost slinked across the wall of the room, moving his finger so that it lifted the corner of the blanket and revealed the dead man's forehead. Ominous and haunting music played all the while, adding to the creepy atmosphere.
"That has to be Scrooge," Jeremy muttered. "He's the dead man on that bed."
"You're right, but Scrooge is too scared to face the truth just yet," Alex observed.
Scrooge pleaded with the Ghost of Christmas Future to not reveal who the dead man was, admitting that he was too afraid to have this secret revealed. Surprisingly, the Ghost lowered the blanket so that it was covering the man's forehead again, showing its first singular act of mercy towards Scrooge in this entire journey through the future.
"Huh, kinda expected the Ghost to force Scrooge to look at his own dead body," Gabe remarked.
It was clear that the Ghost's mercy had very strict limits, though. Scrooge asked if the dead man's death elicited any emotion from anyone. The Ghost pointed to the wall, creating an image where a family were rejoicing over the death of the man, since it meant that they now had more time to pay off their debts.
"Not really sure what Scrooge expected," Liz pointed out. "He wanted to see people with emotion over the old man's death. He never said it couldn't be happiness at the fact that he died."
By now, Scrooge was visibly anguished and had realized his mistake in how he had worded his request. Closing his eyes, he desperately begged the Ghost of Christmas Future to see any kind of tenderness associated with death lest he be haunted by the chamber with the dead man forever.
The scene shifted to the house of the Cratchit family, but this time the atmosphere couldn't have been any more different than what it had been when Scrooge had visited it during the time of Christmas Present. Instead of merrily and cheerily scurrying about trying to prepare for a Christmas meal, the Cratchits were sitting silently and sorrowfully on the different chairs, with many of them looking like they were trying to not to cry.
Immediately, the one thing everyone noticed was the complete lack of Tiny Tim in the room…save for the empty crutch and stool that lay unused against the fireplace.
"Oh, no…" Susie gasped. "Tiny Tim…he's dead, isn't he? He died from whatever was making him sick."
"I knew this was coming," Jeremy gloomily agreed, "but that still doesn't make it any less painful to watch."
"I hate seeing Tiny Tim's death no matter what the movie," Meghan admitted with a sigh. "It's just such a sad scene."
The door to the house swung open and Bob Cratchit walked in. Although his family came to greet him, it was clear to everyone watching (both the kids and Scrooge in the film) that, like his family, Bob was also visibly saddened and trying not to give into despair. The death of the Tiny Tim had broken the family irreparably, and in the background a visibly anguished Scrooge was struggling not to cry himself, showing his own humanity in a way that he had never done before.
"Get ready, guys," Alex suddenly interjected in a voice that was dead serious, "you're about to see the saddest part in the entire movie."
"Wha…?" Cassidy replied, but before anybody could say anything further Bob Cratchit shambled towards the stairs, even as the Ghost of Christmas Future rose up like a specter behind Scrooge. Bob Cratchit slowly climbed up the stairs until he stopped right in front of Scrooge, truly showing all of the anguish and despair that he had been trying to hide from his family. The man's eyes were rimmed red with tears, and Scrooge could do nothing but stare in horror and remorse at the despair that he had indirectly caused by not treating Bob with the generosity and compassion he deserved. Scrooge sorrowfully stared into Bob's eyes with despair matching Cratchit's own, struggling to find words but unable to find a single thing to say. The moment was only broken when Bob started climbing the stairs again and a heartbroken Scrooge rolled to the side to let him pass.
Not a single kid, either living or dead, could find the words to speak. The way that scene had been created, the utter heartbreak and grief on both Cratchit's and Scrooge's faces as they unknowingly stared at each other…whatever flaws they might have found with the movie, it had been a scene that had been masterfully portrayed and brutally highlighted the tragedy that had come with Tiny Tim's death.
Scrooge could only watch in horror as Bob Cratchit shambled over to a room with a bed…and the lifeless silhouette of a dead boy resting on it. They couldn't actually see the corpse of Tiny Tim…but nobody there needed to. And all the while, the Ghost of Christmas Future pointed ruthlessly and mercilessly at the scene, holding his head behind Scrooge as if to force him to watch the horribly tragic events that he himself had caused.
When Scrooge finally found the words to speak, he couldn't bring himself to ask about Tiny Tim anymore. Instead, he asked the Ghost of Christmas Future who the dead man lying in the bed from before was. The Ghost of Christmas Future clawed away the background, blowing Scrooge away into a violent winter storm and throwing him in front of a snow-covered grave.
"Oh, shit…" Fritz muttered. "Here it comes."
"The scene where Scrooge sees his own grave?" Susie asked.
"Shit's about to get real," Alex declared.
As Scrooge struggled to get his bearings, shivering in his clothes, the Ghost of Christmas Future appeared in his own personal miniature cyclone that was almost like a tornado, even as he pointed at the gravestone. Scrooge desperately asked the spirit if the terrible events he had seen in the future were things that will or things that may be, and the only thing the Ghost did in response was to point more violently at the stone, blowing away the name to reveal, without a shadow of a doubt, that the tombstone belonged to Ebenezer Scrooge.
"No denying it now, Scrooge," Charlie declared. "You're that man on that bed who nobody gave a damn about or mourned in death. Not even your nephew. And you've only got yourself to blame."
"Dad made a bunch of tombstones for us," Cassidy pointed out. "I don't remember feeling or seeing anything nearly as bad as this!"
"It's all about the context, Cass," Gabe gently countered. "Dad making those graves for us was a gift made out of love, a positive moment for us all. This…call it what you want, but it's anything BUT positive."
Scrooge cried out in horror and despair, pleading with the Ghost that he was not the selfish and cruel man that he had been before his journey through time and asking why bother showing him all these visions if he was doomed to begin with. Seemingly uncaring for the man's pleas, the Ghost of Christmas Future pointed his finger towards the Born and Death dates, allowing the wind to blow away the snow covering them. Scrooge desperately promised that he would change the shadows of the future with a complete change in how he lived his life, even as the Ghost confirmed by blowing away the snow on the Death date that the old man would die on Christmas Day. Perhaps in a few short years…perhaps as early as the very next day.
"Why do I have a feeling Scrooge was going to die tomorrow if he didn't change?" Jeremy mumbled.
"I don't have anything to actually back that up…but I have a feeling you're right," Liz agreed ominously.
Regardless of exactly which Christmas during which he would die in, Scrooge was clearly horrified by the sight. He stumbled backwards, away from the gravestone, only to start sinking into the snow as the area right in front of the tombstone started to sink and create a pit that led deeper and deeper into the Earth. Scrooge barely had time to grab onto a loose tree root even as the snow fell away into the grave. At the very bottom of the pit, thunder rumbled as the bottom of the pit began to glow with a hellish fiery light, revealing a wooden casket that slowly opened to reveal nothing inside. It was as though the casket had a demonic life of its own…and was waiting to hungrily devour Scrooge within its depths.
"Holy shit!" Fritz exclaimed. "I didn't think I was about to see Scrooge about to literally fall into Hell!"
"I thought we were going to see him wrapped up in chains like Marley," Susie agreed, clearly freaking out a bit. "But apparently they're just going to send him straight into Hell!"
"I can't tell if being wrapped up in chains like those other ghosts we saw earlier or straight up falling into Hell is worse," Meghan admitted. "Either way, you're screwed for all eternity."
"Knowing what we know about Nightmare, probably Hell," Charlie thought grimly as Scrooge screamed at the sight of the coffin and the damnation that it entailed. Scrooge screamed at the Ghost of Christmas Future to help, and the shadowy specter slowly materialized. For the first time, a glimpse of its true face to finally be seen for the first time, revealing a skull with unnatural blue flames burning in its eye sockets. The ghosts stared in shock as they realized that the Ghost of Christmas Future, which had previously been portrayed as Scrooge's shadow, had turned out to be none other than the Grim Reaper himself.
"So the Ghost of Christmas Future was Death the whole time?" Liz exclaimed. "No wonder he was so terrifying!"
"Is it really that much of a surprise, knowing what happens to Scrooge in the future?" Alex pointed out.
"No…but suddenly it makes a whole lot more sense why this Ghost seems so powerful," Gabe remarked. "There aren't many things more powerful than Death."
Scrooge screamed again as he stared into the face of the Grim Reaper, pleading that he would honor Christmas every day and every year from that day forward. He swore that he would change his ways for the rest of his life, so that the horrible future where he would meet an early grave would not come to pass. In response, the Ghost of Christmas Future pointed his finger one last time and extended it towards Scrooge, who saw that the finger had replaced the tree branch he had been holding onto for dear life. The Ghost of Christmas Future pushed Scrooge into the pit as he disappeared into the snowstorm, his grim work now done. Scrooge fell into the grave with one last terrified scream, with nothing he could do except wait for the collision with the coffin that looked as though it sat atop the fires of Hell itself. Right as he was about to fall into the coffin, the scene suddenly transformed and brought him back to his bedroom, delivering him out of the dark future.
The ghosts breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, that was…pretty intense," Jeremy commented. "Like, REALLY intense. I thought you said this was the DISNEY version. How the hell was the Disney version this dark, no pun intended?"
To his surprise, Meghan snorted. "You think that's bad? There's an older version of the Christmas Carol with Mickey Mouse and Scrooge the Duck…and the coffin was a straight-up portal to Hell. Like, flames blazing out of it and everything. No subtlety at all."
"Yikes," Susie winced. "It really could be worse."
The kids watched as Scrooge slowly came to the realization that he wasn't about to fall into a hellish grave and instead had been brought back to reality. Upon reaching this realization, the man suddenly burst into joyous laughter not unlike the Ghost of Christmas Present, happily dancing around his room and overjoyed to realized that he had been given another chance. He threw his head outside of his window and asked a young boy outside what day it was, and his joy only increased when he realized that it was Christmas Day and that he hadn't missed it.
Already, the ghost kids could see just how much Scrooge's journey through time with the Ghosts had transformed him for the better. He offered the young boy half a crown if he quickly bought a large Christmas Turkey within 5 minutes, danced merrily with his housemaid Mrs. Dilbert (who could only scream in terror and think he had gone mad), and even seemed to take his earlier jumpscare with Jacob Marley's face on the knocker in good humor. When the kid he had talked to earlier brought the butcher with the large turkey, Scrooge fully delivered the half a pound that he had promised, before immediately grabbing the backside of a carriage to slide down an icy road for several seconds like a child would.
"Is this even the same guy?" Fritz asked incredulously. "No way this is the same guy who stole two coins off his best friend's corpse earlier!"
"It's amazing how much one night can change a person, isn't it?" Charlie asked with good humor. The sudden shift in tone from the dismal and horrible future to the joyful and happy present had wrapped her in good spirits, and was affecting the rest of her siblings just as much.
The good times didn't end there, as Scrooge continued to walk down the street now in formal attire, happily giving Christmas greetings to others and offering a generous donation to an almsman who he had previously coldly refused. As Scrooge passed by some nearby carolers, he briefly pretended to wear the same heartless scowl that had scarred his face before his redemption…only for him to immediately break into song and finish the carol they had been singing, dropping a huge donation in the carolers' can afterwards. While none of the ghosts could see what exactly Scrooge had given them, judging by their excited faces, it was clear that the amount of money he had given them had been huge.
Susie grinned at the sight. "He seems so much happier!" She exclaimed. "He never needed all that money to be happy in the first place!"
"Being a good person is what really makes people happy," Gabe commented with a knowing smile. "That's one of the biggest lessons we can learn from this story."
The scene shifted to Christmas Night, where Scrooge had arrived at a fancy mansion that turned out to belong to his nephew. He opened the door to his nephew's living room, where he and his guests were playing the very same game that he had seen from the Ghost of Christmas Present's visions. One of Fred's guests, a plump woman, had just been about to answer that Fred was mocking Scrooge, only to fall into a stunned silence when her eyes fell upon Scrooge himself.
"I bet nobody saw THAT coming!" Jeremy remarked.
"I mean, the whole point of that scene earlier was to show Scrooge what he was missing out on," Alex pointed out.
They watched as Scrooge stood in the shadow of the door, with a pitiable and uncertain expression, meekly inquiring if he was still welcome to join in his nephew's dinner despite the cruel rejection he had given him earlier. The entire room for several seconds, just enough time to cast doubt on whether Scrooge would be invited…and then Fred excitedly and joyfully welcomed his uncle, rushing towards him and pulling him forward to introduce him to all of his friends as the entire room burst into animated and enthusiastic conversation about how the least likely person to celebrate Christmas had come to Fred's party against all expectations. The scene immediately cut to the actual dinner itself, where Fred lay a large Christmas turkey on the table for his guests, and Scrooge made a comment insisting how next time he would be the one to hold a fancy Christmas dinner, one in which he would spare no expense for his guests.
"Man, that dinner looks so good," Cassidy's mouth watered slightly at the sight. "Scrooge definitely made the right call coming."
"Fred looks so happy to see his uncle too," Liz added with a smile. "The family is finally together!"
"I like that last part they added about how Scrooge said he would host the dinner next year," Meghan commented. "It's really a nice touch that shows how much he's changed and wants to share his money with other people now instead of hoarding it all to himself."
The scene shifted from Christmas Night to the next day, where Scrooge was waiting in his office. The old man was chuckling as he looked as his watch, commenting how Bob was 16 minutes late as the man himself was frantically running in the snowy road towards his office. As Bob grew closer, Scrooge bent forward and adopted the scowl that had defined his personality for most of his life, only now being used to hide his newfound compassion.
Cratchit stumbled into Scrooge's office, completely oblivious to the transformation of character that his boss had undergone. The man tried to reach his desk, but was interrupted by Scrooge calling out to him in the familiar cold, uncaring tone. Scrooge ordered his clerk to step into his office, and the ghosts could see the dread on his face as he did just that.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think that Scrooge was gonna fire Cratchit right now," Susie admitted.
"That's why this prank is gonna work so well," Meghan smirked. "There's no way Cratchit could know what's about to happen."
The ghosts watched as Scrooge proceeded to chew Cratchit out as the man cowered away from him, fearing the absolute worst. Then, just as it seemed like he was about to fire the poor man, Scrooge instead declared that he was going to raise Bob's salary in the exact same cold tone.
Cratchit blinked and stared dumbfounded, clearly not comprehending what he had just heard, as Scrooge suddenly burst into laughter. Scrooge proceeded to wish Cratchit a Merry Christmas, swearing that he would do everything he could to help Cratchit's family before frantically urging him to go out and buy another piece of coal, the very thing he had so harshly condemned Cratchit for using at the beginning of the movie. Bob could only blink in shock, not fully processing what he had just witnessed, as Scrooge danced merrily in his office singing Happy New Year. Once Bob's mind finally processed what he had been seeing, he turned to face the audience, a joyful smile on his face. Bob proceeded to address the audience directly, proclaiming that Scrooge had fulfilled his word and more. Scrooge not only personally oversaw the recovery of Tiny Tim, but also became a second father to him. The camera shifted to Scrooge walking down the street with Tiny Tim on his shoulder, and as they walked, the buildings behind him turned from dreary and dull into a bright and colorful cityscape with brilliant lights and wreaths hanging from the lampposts. Scrooge had turned from one of the most callous and hateful men in London to one of the most loving and generous. Scrooge kept Christmas in his heart for the rest of his life as he had promised the Ghost of Christmas Future, with the film ending with Tiny Tim proclaiming, "God bless us, everyone!" As Scrooge laughed and looked up fondly at Tiny Tim, the scene froze and cut back to the book that had appeared at the start of the film, which now closed to signal the end of the story.
"God bless us all, indeed!" Charlie declared as the movie came to an end.
"That was such a great movie!" Jeremy exclaimed. "I don't know why more people don't give it the credit that it deserves!"
Alex chuckled. "There are so many different versions of A Christmas Carol out there," he commented. "The Muppets, this one, a fairly new animated one that came out a few years ago. They might all be different in some ways, but the story they all share is such a good one to watch no matter what."
"It's such an amazing tale of redemption," Gabe remarked with a knowing smile. "Scrooge started out as a massive dick at the beginning, but he ended the story as one of the nicest guys in existence. It really is possible to turn your life around no matter how low you sink. You just gotta be willing to see it and make the effort for it."
"I guess you guys would know about that better than either of us, would you?" Meghan asked sympathetically. While the ghost kids' pasts weren't technically a taboo subject, neither Marshall sibling wanted to vocally bring up the fact that their friends had used to be rage-filled murderers unless they would absolutely need to.
Fritz quickly changed the subject. "Are you parents done making dinner yet?" he asked. "We've been watching this movie for over an hour." He licked his lips. "I can't wait to see what kind of food they're making!"
Alex shook his head. "Still blows my mind that you can actually taste food by possessing your dad," he commented.
As if his parents had heard Fritz speak, Stella's voice called up to them from downstairs. "Guys, Christmas Dinner's ready!" she shouted. "Come down!"
Meghan jumped to her feet. "Let's go, everyone! Time to eat!"
The Marshalls raced down the stairs with the ghosts following closely behind. When they got to the dining room, they saw that their parents were already waiting for them. The table had been covered in a festive tablecloth, upon which were countless different Christmas-related foods. There were bowls filled with mashed potatoes with gravy on the side, cranberry sauce, green beans, and biscuits, enough for everyone in the family and Mike to eat multiple plates without any problem. Of course, the kids had their eyes on the large Christmas ham and chicken that Stella had expertly prepared for their dinner. It was a traditional Christmas feast very similar to the one Fred had prepared in the Christmas Carol movie, and they were all for it.
"So what were you guys doing?" Ryan asked with amusement as he stared at the awestruck glances his kids were giving at the feast.
"We were watching the 2009 version of A Christmas Carol!" Alex answered with a grin. "Such a good movie and perfect for Christmas!"
Stella chuckled as her kids took their seats. "Oh yeah, that version of Christmas Carol. Such an underappreciated gem, one of my favorite Christmas movies to be honest," she remarked.
Mike raised a glass. "I'd like to make a toast!" he announced. "A toast to Christmas, and to family and friends!"
"To Christmas, family, and friends!" everyone replied.
And just like Tiny Tim had done in the movies, it was Cassidy who made the final statement before they started eating. "God bless us, everyone!" the former Golden Freddy inhabitant declared. "And to everyone, Merry Christmas!"
/
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this commentary on the 2009 version of A Christmas Carol. All commentary and jokes aside, this movie does not deserve enough credit. Outside of a few things like the random chase scene in the future segment, it really is one of the most faithful adaptations to the entire novella with a lot of the dialogue taken straight out of the original story. It actually features Ignorance and Want, for one thing.
Anyways, that's all I have for now. It's honestly a minor miracle that I was able to get this chapter done in only a few days in time for Christmas. Hope you guys all enjoyed! And as a post-reform Scrooge would say, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
