THE MISER AND THE ORPHAN- A Christmas Carol Story

CHAPTER 4: CHRISTMAS PAST PART I

I woke with a start when the shutters on the windows opened loudly and the cold wind blew inside along with the snow. I looked at the clock. It was now midnight, and I remembered that Jacob Marley had told me and told Scrooge that the first spirit was coming at that time.

"Wha—oh! Did the first spirit come yet?" I groggily asked as I got out of bed and stood beside Scrooge, with his trusty fire poker in hand.

"Come Spirit. Change me. Try." Scrooge growled.

I wiped my eyes from sleep, and then I heard distant ringing.

"Sir, listen—do you hear that?" I asked softly.

"Is that you, spirit? Do ghosts have bells attached to them?" Scrooge asked.

"No, look! It's a cute little white mouse with a ribbon and bell attached to it! It's on the window sill." I came forward first and petted the little thing.

"Erasmus? Erasmus, is that—is that you?" Scrooge seemed to know who that was he he took the mouse from me gently. "It is you!"

"So you know him? That's wonderful!" I grinned.

"Oh, the best Christmas present I ever had. Oh...oh, still with the...the ribbon and bell my sister put around your neck. Oh."

"He's so darling! I've always wanted a mouse." I petted Erasmus, just as Scrooge's facial features changed, and his icy demeanor came back, sending shivers up my spine.

"So you are the Spirit that I was promised," he said, "and the lesson I am meant to learn by your miraculous appearance is that even a small rodent—reviled, trapped, poisoned every other day of the year—can, on Christmas Day—with the addition of a bit of silk and gold leaf—become a precious gift for a small child, as you were for me."

I stared, unable to speak, wondering what Scrooge was thinking.

"Well, little Spirit," he snarled. "If you think my heart would melt on the warmth of your memory, you have no idea what you are up against." And to my absolute horror and rage, he threw Erasmus out into the cold street.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! VAHA ŚAITĀNA!!!" I exploded with anger, now completely awake as Scrooge went back to his seat on the fireplace and poured himself a glass of sherry wine.

"So...the grand visitation is over. Time for a celebration." Scrooge said simply, ignoring my outburst. "A rat wrapped in a ribbon is no match for reason."

"This is not over, sir. Just you wait." I snapped, going back to bed.

"You will learn, Elizabeth...as you get older, you will learn how the real world works." Scrooge replied back nonchalantly.

"I don't want to learn, thank you very much. I will not bow down to your version of reality and humbuggery." I crossed my arms and scowled. "Besides, I wasn't the one talking to a chair in your office. Now who's the crazy one?"

Scrooge tried to come up with another philosophy, but finding nothing, he just simply said, "Bah."

"Yeah, I thought so. Fancy wins this round." I said, laying down.

"Not yet, little one—you will see."

"No, I already said that fancy won. Now, what we're going through tonight, and the next night, and the next night, is not a game as your former partner said, so we have to be prepared. Your karma is coming."

"Stop it, Elizabeth. There is no such thing as karma or whatever it is you worship." Scrooge said firmly. "It is complete and utter nonsense."

"Really?! I beg to differ, sir—you were talking utter nonsense at your desk and spewing negative things about Christmas!" I snapped back.