"A Christmas Carol Reimagined" by Gratiana Lovelace, 2016

Ch. 04: The Ghost of Christmas Future

"A Christmas Carol Reimagined", Ch. 04: The Ghost of Christmas Future, December 21, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1018) 

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story characters with: Richard Armitage as Ben Scrooge, Danielle Denby-Ashe as Peggy Cratchit, Aidan Turner as Ben's nephew Frankilin Durin, Ken Stott as the late Jacob Marley, Cate Blanchett as the Ghost of Christmas Past, James Nesbitt as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Meridith Baxter as Clara Lady Trenton, and Tom Conti as Lord Edward Trenton, and others as noted.]

Authors Introduction Note / Wattpad Description: My fan fic "A Christmas Carol Reimagined" ) [(1) story cover logo left] is the tale of a miserly middle aged man—a friend to no one–who is scared into realizing the folly of his ways when he is visited by three ghosts (past, present, and future). He then vows to be compassionate toward his fellow man and through his good deeds, he redeems himself—and he comes to know the meaning of love.

And as an homage to Dickens classic tale "A Christmas Carol" you will recognize some of the basic plot premises and a quote here and there. But there is a twist in that my story is a new telling, blending in British actor Richard Armitage's character friends in "North & South" and "The Hobbit" trilogy of films. So anything can happen.

Author's Recap from the previous chapter: Ben Scrooge received a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past who showed him some of the people who were are are now his closest friends and family—yet he remains distant from them—his Administrative Assistant Peggy Cratchit who seemingly inexplicably has a tendre for him, his nephew Frankilin who wants to reconnect with his uncle as his only living blood relative, and of his past love who found happiness with her husband and children, yet she fondly named her youngest son Ben for Benjamin in honor of her lost love Ben Scrooge. Now Ben Scrooge awaits ... the future.

"A Christmas Carol Reimagined", Ch. 04: The Ghost of Christmas Future

Ben Scrooge looks up and rather than finding himself sitting next to his cozy hearth, he is standing in a grove of trees and flowering shrubs surrounded by hillsides. Considering Ben is a city boy born and bred, such verdant landscapes are personally unknown to him. He notices some yellow roses on a wall of hedges and he plucks one, bringing it to his nose to sniff its delicate fragrance [(2) below].

Ben realizes that he knows this scent, but he cannot quite place it. Had it been his late mother's fragrance? No, no, he does not think so. And her death was so long ago, he cannot even remember the type of scent that she favored. But the yellow rose is definitely a lady's scent. Yet he does not remember his late sister Fanny wearing it either. And those are the only two women of any significance in his life that he knows. He thinks again, then solemnly remembers. No, it was not Clara's scent—her favorite scent was lavender. So whose favorite scent could it be?

Then his reverie is interrupted as Ben sees an old man with a strange pointy hat walking toward him from a far distance [(3) below]. The man's garment is unusual in that it seems to be a long robe, grey in color, and rather sack like, whilst he carries a long stick of some sort—not at all the beautiful garment of the Ghost of Christmas Past. And Ben realizes that the future—or more likely, the Ghost of Christmas Future is coming to meet him. And when Ben blinks , he feels that this ghost reached him more quickly than any man could.

And somehow, the notion of the future—well, the Ghost of the Future—walking toward him seems essentially backwards, in time. So Ben begins to walk forward toward the grey man until they stop in the middle of a clearing in the grove of trees.

Ghost of Christmas Future: "Eager, are you? To meet your future?" My old eyes narrow at this young upstart of a man before me. This task of instilling a conscience and sense of morality and ethics in those whom had none—or those whom had become disacquainted with their humanity—is tedious business.