Saving Mr. Scrooge
Page 10
“Jacob,” his brother said with excitement, “look! Your chains!” Marley looked down and his chain loosened and the cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel melted away leaving Marley’s body free. He mimicked Scrooge’s dance for moment and then walked a few steps. He gave a loud laugh - a real laugh - and glided up off the ground naturally and looked at Robert.
“Robert… your skin,” but before he could finish he saw Robert point at Marley‘s hand.
“And yours,” his older brother said. He looked down and saw that although he was still a little transparent, he saw that his skin had a color and was no longer gray.
“You look like you used to look,” Marley said looking at his brother. “Young, when we were happy.”
“You as well,” Robert said turning to Marley and then to the front window of his old home. There the two brothers saw themselves in the glass and two men in their twenties smiled back at them. A strange feeling that Marley didn’t really understand overtook him. This must be the joy that Fezziwig talked about, he thought.
“Thank you,” he said to Robert as he saw his brother blush the way he used to when they were kids. Robert just touched his arm and smiled.
And then they found themselves in a different place.
A new place where there was no more moaning of lonely spirits but there was sunlight, laughter, and joy. And the warmth of other people who loved and could show Marley and his brother how to love. They smiled when they looked at them floating by. No more anger. And Marley found his thoughts were on other things and most importantly on other people. He felt he could help anyone now and that maybe it was his new calling.
“Jacob, we must get back to the cemetery,” Robert said. “That is where they will meet us.”
“Who are we meeting?” Marley asked but followed Robert. He was, after all, his older brother. But Robert didn’t answer and Marley didn’t care because he was too busy thinking good thoughts. In a moment they stood back at their graves, but now the cemetery was green and lush and they saw others who were walking into the light.
After a moment a package appeared in front of Marley on the ground. The first, he opened gingerly, it was two cups of his favorite Christmas spice tea that his mother used to make during Christmas. He handed a cup to Robert and, for the first time since he could remember, he actually tasted something. And it was wondrous! Cloves and cinnamon tickled his nose while the tea made him feel warm and happy.
“There’s a note,” Robert pointed out. The note had a picture of their family home on it decorated for Christmas and he saw his family standing on the porch holding each other.
“It says thank you from CP. Christmas Past,” Marley said sipping his tea slowly.
“It’s like a Christmas card,” Robert said examining the note.
“Could be a thing,” Marley answered.
After a little while longer a tiny man appeared who resembled some sort of elf. He approached and handed Marley a small package, tipped his hat, and before departing, smiled and said “Merry Christmas!”
Marley opened the package that was wrapped in wonderful ribbons of red and green angel string and a tiny fresh fig fell out. He and Robert heard the gregarious voices of what sounded like many Christmas Presents shout “You have touched us greatly, Marley brothers!” Marley bit into the fig and it was delicious.
“Best fig I’ve ever eaten,” Marley said leveling his empty tea cup on top of his gravestone. “I guess this is it, then?”
“I think there might be something more,” Robert said anxiously looking around. And then a man appeared next to Marley dressed in a suit and tie making Marley jump a little. He didn’t say a word but just swished his arm in front of him and then a wall of light opened and out of it stepped Marley’s parents, smiling. “We’ve been waiting,” their father said. Marley turned and looked at Robert and then to his father who gave a tiny nod to him and let him know it was okay as Death removed his hat and ushered them into the light. When he was almost home, he could hear the faint echo of Scrooge’s laughter and knew that he would one day see his friend again and that made him happy.
And if you’re lucky enough to find Jacob Marley’s gravestone today, you might notice that it had one final update to the front of it:
For His anger is fleeting,
but His favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may stay the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
* * *
—Psalm 30:5
The end.
Merry Christmas!!
If you liked this story (I’m so happy!!), please take a few minutes to leave a review now! Indie Authors really appreciate this and it helps us get more readers (and adds more to my small, small business). Thank you so much and God bless you!
Writer Aine Dyer (pronounced "awn-yah") takes you on a wonderful inspirational ride with her first book Saving Mr. Scrooge and her upcoming books in Christian Women's Fiction.
She is a former freelance writer and marketing graphic designer for large tech companies like Panasonic and Bell Labs writing articles and creating cool designs for their amazing technologies. Her friends always tell her she tells a great story so she finally decided to put pen-to-computer and wrote her first Christmas novella. She writes Inspirational and Christian Women’s Fiction set on the east coast especially on the Jersey Shore. She lives in Jersey with her firefighter husband raising kids, cats, and one weird french bulldog. She loves new tech, hiking, Christmas, cooking and on an odd occasion you might find her in front of her TV watching Harry Potter or Narnia movies.
Find her on Facebook, Twitter and http://www.ainedyer.com.
Follow her on Amazon to receive updates on new releases.
Sign up at her website to receive her very-interesting newsletter where you’ll get free stuff, learn more about the Jersey Shore locations that are in the books, exclusive bonus content, and news of fresh releases and fun sales.
Copyright
Saving Mr. Scrooge
How one Ghost Got Three Christmas Spirits to Change a Life
By Aine Dyer
Copyright © 2020 by LAD Books LLC doing business as Aine Dyer. All rights reserved.
* * *
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of an author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
* * *
Scriptures provided courtesy of
The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, BSB
Copyright ©2016, 2018 by Bible Hub
Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
* * *
In various places throughout this novella, actual parts of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, have been included.
Ghost of Christmas Present: Public Domain John Leech
God Bless Us Everyone illustration: Public Domain Fred Barnard
Fezziwigs Dancing and Ghosts Flying by a Window Illustrations: Public Domain Arthur Rackman
* * *
Cover designed by LAD Books LLC
Interior designed with Scrivener/Vellum by LAD Books LLC
-ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share