Marley's Ghost

The Party

It just so happened that six years to the day, Marley once again found himself in that very same confessional, in that very same church. He was listening to the priest, who had aged quite a bit over the last six years, taking confession. Marley thought of that first night, so long ago, when he had cowered in the confessional booth hiding from Cratchet's father. So much had happened since. Jacob had wandered the earth alone and unable to speak to anyone. It was a terribly lonely existence which he had endured, and it had almost completely numbed his emotions. He lived mostly in judgement now, seeing sin and misery everywhere he went. In his wandering, Marley had been to the jungles of Africa, he had climbed to the top of the tallest mountains, and he had even followed a long river in the south that the locals had called the Amazon. Everywhere he went he would try to reach out, but no one ever heard him or even knew he was there. The worst part for Jacob was that when he arrived somewhere pleasant with kind people, he was never allowed to stay more than one night. His chains would begin pulling him away and the wanderlust would begin all over again. The one true blessing was that he would be compelled home every year on the anniversary of his death. This is why he found himself in the same confessional in the heart of London on Christmas Eve.

"I knew you were no good, Stephen Childers," Marley, said condemning an old man confessing his sins, "I knew you would end up cheating on that lovely bride of yours." Jacob enjoyed sitting in the confessional, listening to secrets and sins of the parishioners, until the Christmas Mass would begin. He had been doing this for the past five Christmases. It made him feel better to know that he wasn't the only bad person on earth. Marley was stunned when a very poor man came in and instead of asking for something, he kept telling the priest how grateful he was to God for giving him so much. Marley truly didn't understand. The man was penniless; he had nothing. Several people confessed that day and Marley heard them all.

"You had better be careful, Owen Hawthorn," warned Marley, "if you don't mend your ways you're going to end up like me, and then you will be sorry. You will be sorry indeed." Marley trailed off, feeling sad and downtrodden. His spirits were lifted, however, by the sound of the bells. The Mass would be starting soon and he didn't want to miss it. He hoped attending the Christmas Mass would help him figure out how to free himself from the chains of guilt. Marley scurried up to the balcony where he would usually watch the mass. This year was a bit different from the previous ones. He had decided to attend the early mass this year, because had heard it was less crowded than the later service.

He was excited to see that the two back rows were empty and was thrilled with his decision. That all changed just a few minutes later, when a large family finished climbing the stairs and began squeezing into the empty seats. Jacob glared at the children sliding into the pew and moving all the way down to the end where he was sitting. Just before being sat upon, he angrily rose into the air, clearly frustrated.

"This is no better than the later service," he complained as he floated up and over each and every one of the family members, now filling both of the back rows. Marley didn't want to sit in the rafters, where he went when the pews were too crowded, but it seemed he might not have a choice. He did feel a little hope, though, when he noticed that the very back row still had some room. Jacob took his seat and was starting to calm down as the Mass began.

"This way, Grandma," said a voice rising to the top of the stairs. Jacob turned and saw a young boy walking a very elderly lady up into the balcony.

"Oh, thank you, young man," she said preparing to sit in Marley's lap. He sprang up one more time to avoid the pain of coming in contact with the living. The boy slipped past her and sat down. Marley was furious; there was now only a tiny sliver for him in which to sit. He floated down, holding his arms in close to his torso. Jacob usually liked to rest on a solid surface - somehow he didn't sink through, and it helped to take some of the weight from the heavy ghostly chains. The Mass went on and the music began to play. Jacob kept trying to relax, but constantly keeping his arms so close to his body was growing tiresome. He looked over and noticed that the old woman was taking up more than one space. Marley tried to ignore this, but her rudeness bothered him and he decided to scare her into moving. He slowed his mind, and his energy slowed as well. He could feel his arms and legs growing more solid.