CHAPTER THREE

The Second Spirit

Suddenly Scrooge realized that he was awake again. He did not know what time it was, but he guessed that it was before one o'clock in the morning. Scrooge did not have any doubts that another spirit would come to find him. Quickly he pulled the curtains back from around his bed, so that he could see the bedroom. He did not want to be surprised again by another visitor, whoever he might be! Then he sat up in bed and watched the room for signs of anything strange.

Now, dear reader, you and I both know that there are many strong, brave men in the world. These men always talk about the adventures they have had, and say that they are afraid of nothing. They can fight well, they are talented, and they say that they are ready for anything to happen. Now, I cannot say that old Scrooge was very much like these men. He was an old lawyer, and he had never had any adventures. However, Scrooge had had some very strange experiences in the recent past. Meeting the ghost of old Jacob Marley, and the Ghost of Christmas Past, had prepared Scrooge for more strange things to happen. So, I can say that on that night, as Scrooge lay in his bed waiting for the second spirit, he felt ready for anything. Nothing would have surprised him very much, from a flying baby to a terrible monster.

However, although Scrooge was ready for anything, he was certainly not ready for nothing to happen. So, when the large clock outside his house struck one o'clock, and no ghost appeared, and nothing at all happened, Scrooge began to feel very nervous. Five minutes, then ten, then fifteen minutes passed, and no ghost came! "What is happening—was everything a strange dream?" thought Scrooge.

Scrooge was so busy wondering where the second Ghost was that he did not notice the bright light at first. It was shining on his bed and had lit up the whole room. When Scrooge did notice the light, he jumped out of bed and looked around the room. No one was there. All sorts of wild ideas went through Scrooge's head, but eventually he realized that the light might be coming from his sitting room. So he took a deep breath and slowly walked over to open the door. What amazing or terrible sight would he see?

The second Scrooge's hand was on the door, he heard a strange voice call him by his name. "Enter, my good man!" said the voice.

When Scrooge entered his sitting room, he could hardly believe his eyes. It was his sitting room, there was no doubt about that, but it had changed greatly. The walls were covered with beautiful dark green branches with bright red berries. The room smelled like a fresh winter forest! There was a large, warm fire in the chimney; the kind of fire that Scrooge would never have built for himself. But the most amazing thing of all was the floor of the sitting room. The floor was covered with Christmas foods of all kinds. There were chickens, ducks, turkeys, roast meats, sweet candies, ripe fruits, and many other delicious dishes. There were large bowls filled with wine and beer. Scrooge had never seen so much food in his life! These foods and drinks were piled up on the floor in a small mountain. And on top of the pile sat a giant man who held a torch in his hand. Scrooge knew immediately that this must be the second spirit.

"Come in, come in, my good man!" said the Ghost in a loud, cheerful voice. "Come in, so that you shall know me better!"

Scrooge slowly entered the room. Even though he could see that the Ghost's face was red and happy looking, and his eyes were clear and kind, he was somehow afraid to look the Ghost in the eyes. Dear reader, you must understand that Scrooge had changed a little; he was not quite the same as the angry old man we first met. But Scrooge had never had parties or happy times with friends, so he felt very strange and uncomfortable. What was he supposed to do?

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the giant man. "Look into my eyes!"

Scrooge looked at the Ghost, and he was amazed. The Ghost wore a beautiful, dark green robe with white fur. The robe was so large that Scrooge could not see the Ghost's figure underneath it. The Ghost's feet were bare, and his head was covered with long, dark brown curls. There was a crown of leaves and berries on the head. The Ghost's face was red and happy, and the eyes were large and shone like jewels! Scrooge felt that the Ghost brought light and warmth to his old, dark, and cold sitting room. He had never seen anything like this before.

"Well, have you ever met anyone like me before?" said the Ghost of Christmas Present, laughing loudly.

"No, never!" said Scrooge.

"So, you have never met any of my family? I have many older brothers, you see," said the Ghost.

"Do you, oh Ghost? How many brothers?" asked Scrooge.

"More than eighteen hundred!"

"That is an enormous family to take care of!" said Scrooge.

The Ghost stood up, and he seemed like a great king.

"Good Ghost," said Scrooge, "take me where you want. I traveled last night with another, and I learned a lesson. If you have anything to teach me tonight, I will listen!"

"Touch my robe!" said the Ghost.

Scrooge did so, and immediately the wonderful, delicious chickens, ducks, and turkeys were gone. The sitting room disappeared also. Scrooge saw that he and the Ghost of Christmas Present were standing in the middle of a street in London, and it was Christmas morning. Many people were sweeping the snow off the streets, and young boys ran around playing in the snow.

Scrooge looked around him, and saw that they were not in his neighborhood. On this street, the houses were small and black. They looked even darker because of the beautiful white snow all around. It was difficult for Scrooge to walk, because there was mud and icy water everywhere. The sky was grey, and mist and fog hung in the streets. There was nothing very cheerful or pretty about this neighborhood; it was very poor. But it seemed to Scrooge that happiness was in the air. The people who were sweeping the snow off the streets were laughing and talking together. Sometimes they would even throw snowballs at each other, like small children. The small shops were open, and Scrooge could see the meats and fruits for sale. For some reason, the fruits and vegetables looked especially bright and delicious. There were many kinds of nuts, large and brown. Someone was roasting the nuts, and their delicious smell filled the air. There were beautiful purple onions, and shiny red and green pears and apples. They looked fat and juicy, and the oranges and lemons shone like orange and yellow jewels! The meat shops had wonderful chickens, turkeys, and sausages for sale. There were even fish, fat and silver. Looking at all this beautiful food, Scrooge was beginning to feel extremely hungry. This was strange, because Scrooge had always eaten the same boring thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He thought that the only nice thing about food was that it kept him alive. But he suddenly wanted to eat a juicy apple or pear, and have a feast with the meats.

But there were even more wonderful things for sale in other shops. Scrooge and the Ghost slowly walked the little streets, and everywhere Scrooge saw delicious sweets for sale. There were beautiful spices, and fresh sweet figs and plums. There were Christmas cakes with dried fruit, and large sweet almonds. The scents of tea and coffee filled the air. Everywhere people were busy buying things. They were in a terrible hurry, but Scrooge noticed how cheerful all the shoppers were, as they bumped into each other, dropped their things, and filled their baskets until they could not carry anymore. Everyone was in a very good mood.

Soon Scrooge heard the sound of church bells ringing, which meant that it was time for everyone to go to church. Men, women and children came out of their homes. They wore their best clothing, and sang Christmas songs as they walked through the cold, snowy streets to the church. At the same time, Scrooge saw that there were many poor people in the streets. They were carrying their dinners to the baker's to be cooked, because they had no ovens or stoves. The Ghost of Christmas Present seemed especially interested in these poor people. The Ghost told Scrooge to follow him over to the street corner. A group of poorly dressed men in thin coats were walking down the street, each carrying a plate of food. Sometimes one of them would accidentally bump into the other, and there were some angry words. The Ghost took out a small bag which contained a sparkling powder inside, and as these men passed, he sprinkled some of this powder on their dinners. Immediately, everyone became cheerful again. "Well, it's a shame to argue on Christmas day, isn't it? Merry Christmas to you, my good man!" one of the men said to the other.

Soon the church bells stopped ringing and the streets grew quiet. Lights shone inside in the small, warm houses. Scrooge could see the smoke coming out of the chimneys. He imagined all the good things that were cooking inside the homes.

"Ghost, what was that strange powder you sprinkled onto those poor men's dinners? They stopped arguing and became cheerful again. Is the powder magical?" asked Scrooge.

"Yes, it is my magic," said the Ghost.

"Would the powder work to make any person happy on this day?" asked Scrooge.

"Yes, but on a poor person most," answered the Ghost.

"Why?" asked Scrooge.

"Because the poor need my magic the most," said the Ghost.

Scrooge thought about this for a moment. "Ghost, I am surprised at you. I did not think that you, of all the beings in the world, would want to take these people's chances for simple fun!"

"Me!" cried the Ghost.

"Well, you have taken away their way of dining on this day, the only day that these poor people can dine like others. You have closed the baker's shops, haven't you?" asked Scrooge.

"Me!" cried the Ghost again. "You think I do this?"

Scrooge was a little worried, because he had not meant to upset the Ghost. "Forgive me if I am wrong, good Ghost of Christmas Present," he said. "Things like this have been done by your family before."

The Ghost looked at Scrooge and said firmly, "There are some on this earth of yours who think they know us, and who have done their deeds of anger, hatred, greed, and crime while using our name! They are as strange to us as if they had never lived. They are not in my family. Remember that, and blame them for those terrible acts, not me!"

Scrooge promised to remember, and so they traveled on to the outside of the city. Scrooge noticed something interesting about the Ghost's appearance. Although he was extremely large and tall, like a giant, he was comfortable in any place, no matter how small. It seemed that he could change his size when he wanted to. He could stand underneath a low ceiling in a very small room and become quite small, or he could fill a whole room.

Perhaps it was the good Ghost's kind, cheerful nature, or the pleasure he felt in helping all those people who were poor, that made him take Scrooge to the house of Bob Crachit, Scrooge's clerk. Dear reader, you remember Bob Crachit, the quiet little man sitting in the little room in Scrooge's office, trying to write with only a candle for light, and so cold he was almost frozen? Well, now Scrooge was seeing, for the first time, the house where his clerk lived, and learning something about his life.

The Ghost smiled as they reached the door to Bob Crachit's house. He took out his large torch, and his little bag of magic powder, and blessed the house. Although he didn't understand why, Scrooge felt glad that the Ghost had done this. Bob Crachit only received fifteen small coins for a week of work. It seemed that his little house, which had only four rooms, needed the Ghost's blessing.

Scrooge and the Ghost entered the house. As always, they were like shadows, and none of the family could see them.

First they saw Mrs Crachit. She was wearing an old dress that had been repaired in many places. This was because she never had any money to make a new dress. However, this dress had many ribbons on it. Ribbons are very cheap, and they can make an old dress look a little prettier. Mrs Crachit and one of her daughters, Belinda, put a cloth on the table. Belinda was wearing the same kind of dress as her mother. Meanwhile, Peter Crachit, the oldest boy, stuck a fork into a pan of potatoes that were cooking on the stove. Now and then, when he thought no one was looking, he tasted a little bite of potato. Peter was wearing his father's best shirt in honor of Christmas day. He felt very proud of himself, and wished that he could show his clothing to his friends in the park!

Now the two smaller Crachits, a boy and a girl, came running into the house. They were noisy and happy. "Mamma, we were playing in the snow outside the baker's shop, and we smelled a goose! That's our goose, isn't it Mamma?" the girl cried out. The children were thinking happily of the delicious goose, with herbs and onion, and danced around the table. They made their older brother, Peter, dance with them, so that he almost forgot the potatoes on the stove! Soon the potatoes were cooked and jumping around in the water ready to be peeled.

"Where can your dear father be?" Mrs Crachit asked the children. "And your brother Tiny Tim, and your sister Martha? They weren't nearly as late last Christmas Day!"

Suddenly the door opened and Martha Crachit came in. "Here I am, Mother!" she said.

"Hurrah! It's Martha!" cried the younger children, running to their sister. "Martha, we're going to eat a big goose! And it smells so good!"

"Why, my dear, how late you are!" said Mrs Crachit, kissing Martha many times. She took off Martha's coat and scarf quickly.

"Well, Mother, we had a lot of work to finish last night," said Martha, "and then we had to clean up this morning!"

"Well, that's all right, dear, as long as you are here with us!" said her mother. "Now, come and sit in front of the fire and get warm!"

"Wait! Wait! I hear Father coming!" cried one of the little children. "Hide, Martha, so you can surprise him!"

So Martha went and hid, and in came Bob Crachit. His long scarf was full of holes, and his clothes were old and worn; but his wife had made them look nicer for Christmas. Bob Crachit had a little boy sitting on his shoulder. This was Tiny Tim. Scrooge, watching the whole scene with the Ghost, was surprised to see that this poor little boy was lame and crippled; he could not walk very well. He had a crutch with him, and his thin legs were supported with an iron frame!

"Where is Martha?" asked Bob, looking around the house.

"She isn't coming, Father!" said one of the little children.

"Not coming? Not coming home on Christmas day? But this is terrible!" cried Bob. He had almost run home from church with Tiny Tim, because he was so excited about seeing his oldest child.

Martha, who was hiding in the closet, did not want to see her father so disappointed, so she ran into the room crying, "but here I am, Father!" and hugged him. The two younger children took Tiny Tim in to wash his hands for dinner, and tell him about the goose.

"How did little Tim behave at church? Was he good?" asked Mrs Crachit.

"He was as good as gold," said Bob. "Even better than that! You know, Tim has always been a thoughtful little boy, because he's alone so much. He has some of the strangest and most wonderful ideas I have ever heard. When we were coming back from church, he told me that he hoped that everyone saw him in church, because he was a cripple. Tim thought it might be nice for the people to remember on Christmas Day, that our lord Jesus made blind men see and lame old beggars walk!"

Bob's voice was trembling with emotion as he spoke to his wife, and Mrs Crachit shook her head in amazement at their little son. Bob's voice trembled even more, with happiness, when he said that Tiny Tim seemed to be growing a little stronger.

Scrooge could hear Tiny Tim's little crutch moving on the floor, and his brother and sister helped him move over to his little chair by the fire. Bob began to make a special Christmas drink, that was made with gin, lemons, juices, and spices. Then he put it on the fire to heat up. Peter and the two younger Crachit children went to pick up the goose from the baker's. Soon they returned with it, carrying it as if it were a little baby! You might have thought that a goose was the rarest and most delicious of all birds, and truthfully, the Crachits, being a poor family, thought that nothing could be better!

Then the activity really began. Mrs Crachit made a sauce for the goose; Peter Crachit mashed the potatoes and added a little salt and butter, which the family had saved especially for this day. Miss Belinda added sugar to the applesauce, and Martha held the dinner plates in front of the fire so that they would be nice and warm. Bob took Tiny Tim to sit next to him at a corner of the table, and the two young children put chairs around the table for everyone. They didn't forget themselves, of course! Then the children sat down and put their hands over their mouths, so that they wouldn't cry out for the goose, before it was their turn to have some! At last Martha came and put the plates on the table, and the whole family sat down to say the blessing for the food.

Mrs Crachit brought the goose to the table. The whole family waited excitedly as she cut the goose with the knife. How wonderful it smelled! They could not stop talking about it. Even Tiny Tim banged his fork on the table, and weakly cried out, "Hurray!" with the other children.

There never was such a delicious bird! Bob said he thought it was the best goose in the world. The tenderness and flavor of the meat, and the crisp skin, and how big it was! And it didn't cost very much money! With the applesauce and the mashed potatoes, it was enough food for the Crachits and their six children. When Mrs Crachit saw one small bone left on the plate, she laughed and said that she was glad the family hadn't eaten all the goose, for once! The youngest children were so full and happy that they couldn't even speak.

After Martha and Belinda had cleared away the dinner plates, Mrs Crachit went to bring out the Christmas pudding. This pudding was like a delicious cake, with fruits and spices. She did not want anyone to watch her while she took the pudding off the stove, and put it onto a plate. Suppose it was not cooked enough? Suppose it broke while she was taking it out of the pot? What if someone had climbed over the fence into the yard behind the house, while they were busy eating the goose, and stolen the pudding? At this thought, the two youngest children became angry! All sorts of terrible things were imagined.

But hello, what was this? A great cloud of steam rose, that was filled with the spices and oranges and fruits and cake all mixed together. Mrs Crachit placed a piece of holly plant on the pudding for decoration, and then poured some liquor over the pudding. She lit a match, and set the pudding on fire. The fire was a blue color because of the alcohol in the liquor, and burned brightly. Then she took the pudding inside the house to her family. She was smiling proudly. What a beautiful pudding it was! The blue flame shone brightly.

After they blew out the fire on the pudding, each person in the family got a piece. How delicious it was! How sweet and spicy! Bob said that he had never eaten one like it in his life. It was the greatest thing Mrs Crachit had achieved since their marriage! Mrs Crachit said that she was relieved; because she was worried there had not been enough flour in the pudding. Each person in the family had something to say about the pudding, but no one said that it was a very small pudding for such a large family. That would have been a terrible thing to say! None of the Crachit children would ever have said that to their mother.

At last the Christmas dinner was finished, and the plates cleared away from the table, and the floor swept. Bob put a little more wood on the fire. Bob tasted the Christmas drink he had made, with the gin and lemons, and said it was perfect. There were some apples and oranges to eat, and some nuts. The nuts were put in the coals of the fire to roast inside their shells. Then the whole family gathered around the fire. Bob poured the drink into some little cups and passed them around.

"A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears!" he said, holding up his cup. "God bless us!"

The whole family repeated his words, and Tiny Tim said last of all, "Yes, God bless us, every one!"

As they sat together next to the fire, Bob held his little son's thin hand tightly in his, as if he were afraid little Tim was a ghost, and might disappear or be taken away from him.

Scrooge looked at poor, small Tiny Tim, and felt an emotion he had never felt before. "Ghost," he said, "tell me if Tiny Tim will live."

"In the future, I see an empty little chair by the fireplace, and a little crutch that has no owner lying next to that chair," said the Ghost. "The future says that the child will die."

"Oh, no, no, good spirit!" cried Scrooge. "Please tell me that Tiny Tim will live!"

"If the future is not changed in some way, Tiny Tim will die," said the Ghost, a little sadly. "But what of it? If he is going to die, he should hurry up and do it. He is weak and sick. As you said yourself, the population is too large. A few more deaths won't hurt!"

Scrooge hung his head. He remembered what he had said to the gentlemen in his office, the men who had asked him to give money to the poor. How terribly he had acted! Scrooge's heart was filled with shame and sadness.

The Ghost of Christmas Present looked deep into Scrooge's eyes. "Ebenezer Scrooge," he said, "if you are a man, and not a statue made of cold stone, do not say things like that again, until you discover what the truth really is. Can you decide who should live, and who should die? Have you never thought that perhaps, in the eyes of God in Heaven, men like you are more worthless, and deserve to live less than millions of others, like this poor man's sick child? It is as if you are a rich man on top of a mountain, saying there is 'too much life on the planet,' when your hungry brothers are sitting below you in the dirt!"

Scrooge turned his face away and bent his head even lower at the Ghost's words. He looked at the ground, feeling terrible. The Ghost was right. But he raised his head up when he heard his name.

"Well, a toast to Mr Scrooge!" Bob Crachit was saying. "Mr Scrooge is the buyer of this feast."

"The buyer of this feast?" cried Mrs Crachit angrily. Her face turned red. "I wish that man was here right now. I would—"

"My dear," said Bob, "think of the children—it's Christmas Day!" He did not want the children to see their mother so angry.

"Only on Christmas day could a person drink to the health of such a terrible, greedy, hard, unkind old man as Mr Scrooge," said Mrs Crachit. "Oh, Robert, you know how he is!"

But Bob only said gently, "My dear, it's Christmas Day."

"Well, I'll drink to Mr Scrooge's health for your sake, and for Christmas Day," said Mrs Crachit, "but not for his. So, a long life for Mr Scrooge! A merry Christmas and a happy New Year! But I doubt he will have either."

The children also drank to Mr Scrooge's health, but no one was very happy about it. Tiny Tim drank last of all, and looked especially sad. You see, dear reader, Scrooge was something like a terrible monster to the Crachit children, a monster who made their father work too hard for almost no money. The mention of Scrooge's name made everyone quiet for a few minutes. But then the unhappiness went away, as if it had never happened. Bob told his family that he had found a job for Peter. He would earn a whole five and sixpence in a week! The two young children laughed loudly at the thought of their brother Peter being a "man of business." Peter himself stared at the fire, and looked as if he was thinking very hard about what he should do with all that money!

Martha, who worked at a miller's, told her family all about the sort of work she had to do, and how many hours she worked at one time. She intended to lie in bed tomorrow morning, resting, because tomorrow was a holiday for her, and she would stay at home. She told them how a few days ago, when she was out, she had seen a great lord and lady of London. "The lord was about as tall as Peter!" she said, and the whole family laughed, because Peter was not very tall. "I've never seen such clothes in my life! They were so beautiful, I can't imagine how much money they cost!" she said, and her mother sighed. There was almost never enough money for the family to have new clothes.

While everyone was talking, they passed around the roasted nuts, and drank many glasses of the Christmas drink, which warmed their bodies. After a while they sang a song, about a lost child traveling in the snow. Tiny Tim sang this song especially well, and he had a sweet voice.

There was nothing very beautiful or fancy about this family, their house, or what they were doing. The people in the family were not beautiful, they were not well dressed, and their shoes did not keep out the snow or rain. Their clothes were very poor. I am sure that young Peter Crachit knew what the inside of a pawnbroker's store, where people go to sell their possessions for money, looked like. But this family was loving and kind, and they were happy and grateful for what little they had. They were happy that it was Christmas, and they could all be together. As Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present left the house, the Crachit family's faces shone in the light of their fire and the light of the Ghost's torch. Scrooge kept his eyes on all of them, but especially Tiny Tim, until he could not see them any more.

Scrooge and the Ghost walked the cold city streets once again. It was snowing heavily, and it was getting dark. Scrooge and the Ghost passed many houses, and Scrooge saw the brightness of the fires in the kitchens and sitting rooms. There were large, beautiful houses, and small, poor ones. In one house, the firelight showed people preparing a warm dinner, and in another some beautiful red curtains were being closed, to shut out the dark and cold. At one house, Scrooge watched as all the little children ran out into the snow to be the first to greet their older relatives who had come to dinner. Sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, the whole family! There were shadows on the window of guests eating and drinking, and in the street Scrooge saw a group of young ladies walking down the street to a party at their neighbor's house. They had red cheeks, blue eyes, and curly hair. They were all talking at once. They were quite pretty and they knew it. I suppose they were wondering about the young men they would meet at the party!

It seemed to Scrooge that there were so many people on their way to Christmas parties and dinners, that there might not be anyone home to greet them when they got there! But there were just as many people expecting company, and every house had a bright, warm fire all ready for their guests. How happy the Ghost of Christmas Present was! Wherever the Ghost walked, he spread his beautiful green robe, and brought laughter and happiness to all the people nearby, even though they could not see him. He waved his torch around, and laughed and danced. When the Ghost passed a boy who was lighting the street lamps, the boy laughed aloud, although he didn't know why. Perhaps he laughed just because it was a beautiful Christmas evening.

Then, all of a sudden, the whole scene changed without a word of warning from the Ghost. Scrooge realized that they were standing on a wide, flat field outside the city. It was dark and cold, but the red sun shone its last light on some large stones on the flat ground. The stones were large and tall. There was a stream, with frozen water in it. Everywhere there was dead grass. It was a terrible, lonely, frightening place.

"What is this place, Ghost?" asked Scrooge.

"This is a place where miners live," answered the Ghost. "They work under the ground, digging for stone and coal. Their life is hard and terrible, more terrible than you can imagine! But they know me—you'll see!"

They walked towards a very tiny wooden house sitting in the middle of the field. Inside there were many people gathered around a fire. There was an old lady and man, and their children, and their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren! They were all gathered around the fire, trying to keep warm. But although the little fire was not enough, and the small children shivered, the whole group was celebrating Christmas. The old man was singing a very old Christmas song—he had learned it when he was just a small boy, long ago! Now and then some of the other people would sing with him. Scrooge wondered how all these people were able to feed themselves, and how these poor people could take care of their children!

But the Ghost did not want to stop there. "Hold onto my robe!" he said to Scrooge. Scrooge felt a little afraid. Where was the Ghost going to take him now? Scrooge had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. He held onto the Ghost's robe and they began to fly! Where were they going? To the ocean! They were flying over the water! Scrooge shut his eyes and prayed he wouldn't fall. Then Scrooge heard the loud water crash against some rocks, and opening his eyes, he saw a little house on a beach. There were two old sailors sitting inside the house. Although they were alone, they sat at their little table, their tough old hands each holding a cup of beer, and wished each other a Merry Christmas. Then the older sailor sang a song. He looked as if he were as old and strong as the earth itself!

Then they were flying over the water again, and Scrooge saw a ship below them. There were some men on the ship who were walking around. Scrooge found that he could read the men's minds. There wasn't one man on the ship who did not hum a Christmas song, or have a Christmas thought, or remember a Christmas Day in his past, or think of some loved person. Every man on the ship had a good or kind thing to say to his friends, more on that day than any other day of the year. Each man had celebrated Christmas the best he could, on that ship, and remembered his family, and known that they also were thinking of him.

Scrooge was hanging onto the Ghost's robe as if it would save his life. He was thinking about the depths of the dark, black ocean below him. He was afraid to open his eyes and look around him. He could not imagine what secrets lay in the deep, cold water. What if he was to fall? He didn't want to think about it! So it was a very strange surprise to Scrooge to hear, as he listened to the wind, a loud laugh. He was so surprised that he opened his eyes. He wasn't flying above the ocean anymore! Instead, he was in a warm, bright, dry room, with Christmas decorations all around. Scrooge's nephew stood there. His nephew was the person who had laughed! The Ghost of Christmas Past was standing next to Scrooge, and smiling at Scrooge, and at his nephew, in a very pleased way.

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the nephew, whose name was Fred. "Ha, ha, ha!" Now, dear reader, if there is any chance that you should know a man with a louder, happier, and more wonderful laugh than that of Scrooge's nephew Fred; you should introduce that man to me! I would be very happy to meet him, and become his friend too!

I will tell you a great truth about the world, dear reader. Even though there is much unhappiness, suffering, sickness, and greed in the world, there is nothing more powerful than laughter and good humor. Laughter and joy are more powerful than the worst tragedy. When Fred laughed, he held his sides, rolled his head, and twisted his face. Fred's wife laughed in a similar way. All their friends and family, who were at their house for a Christmas party, laughed just as loudly.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" The room was filled with laughter. Scrooge wondered when his nephew would stop laughing and explain what the joke was!

"And then my uncle said that Christmas was stupid! Can you all believe that?" cried Fred. "And he believed it too!"

"Well, shame on him then, Fred!" said Fred's wife. She was still laughing, but she looked almost angry at the idea that anyone, even Scrooge, could think badly of Christmas. Fred's wife, bless her, was a very firm woman. She always said just what she thought.

She was a very pretty woman—many people would say she was beautiful. She had a pink and white face, with wide large eyes that always looked a little surprised. She had a little red mouth, the kind of mouth that was meant to be kissed. And it was kissed, and very often, too! Her eyes usually had a laughing look in them. As she sat there in the room, thinking about her husband's Uncle Ebenezer, she looked angry, but when Fred's wife was angry she was even prettier! Fred was very pleased with her, and loved her very much.

"Well, he's a funny old man," said Fred. "It's true that he isn't as nice as he could be. However, my uncle's sins have their own punishment. I have nothing bad to say about him!"

"I'm sure he's rich, Fred," said Fred's wife. "At least, that's what you always tell me!"

"What do you mean, my dear?" asked Fred. "Uncle's money is useless to him. He doesn't do anything good with it, and he doesn't make himself comfortable with his money. I mean, he doesn't buy himself nice things, or go on vacations. And, of course, he isn't giving us the money either, is he?" Fred laughed even harder at this last idea.

"Well, I'm sorry, Fred, but I have no patience with that man!" said Fred's wife. All the other ladies in the room, especially Fred's wife's sisters, said very similar things about old Scrooge.

"Oh, I have patience with him!" said Fred. He looked a little more serious. "Darling, don't you understand? I am so sorry for him. I can't be angry with him, not even if I tried. The only person who has ever suffered because of Uncle's unkindness is Uncle himself! I'm serious. He's decided not to like us, and he won't come and eat dinner with us, on Christmas Day, or any other day! And what are the results of that? He's missing an excellent dinner!"

"Oh yes he is!" said Fred's wife. "He is missing a good dinner!" All the other guests agreed with her. I am sure that they were right about this, because the plates and bowls on the table were empty. The guests had eaten all the food.

"Well, I'm very happy to hear it!" said Fred, who was standing by the fireplace. "You see, I wasn't sure that our housekeepers were good cooks. What do you think, Topper?" he asked a man standing next to him.

Topper was very interested in one of Fred's wife's sisters. He smiled and said that he was a bachelor, and a bachelor was a terrible thing to be. He didn't have any right to express an opinion on the subject of housekeepers, until he was married. Fred's wife's sister turned red and couldn't stop smiling.

"Finish what you were saying, Fred!" said Fred's wife, smiling. "He never finishes what he starts to say. He's such a silly man!"

Fred began to laugh again, and everyone else in the room laughed too, except one of the sisters. She was trying to look like a lady, all for Mr Topper!

"Well, my dear," said Fred, "I was going, to say before that Uncle Ebenezer doesn't like us, and doesn't want to spend time with us. The result of that choice is that he loses many happy moments, which wouldn't hurt him. They would help him! I am sure that he can find nicer friends here in our house, than he can find in his dark, old office or his dusty house. So you see, I will ask my uncle to dine with us every year, whether he likes it or not! I am sorry for him. He can say all the bad things about Christmas he wants. But I am sure he will begin to like Christmas, if he sees me going to his office year after year, happy and cheerful, and saying, 'Hello, Uncle, how are you! Come and eat with us!' Even if I can only give my uncle the idea to give his poor clerk some extra money, I'll be happy. And do you know, friends, I think I changed his mind a little, when I saw him yesterday!"

Everyone in the room laughed at the thought of anyone changing Scrooge's mind. That would never happen! Poor Fred was a fool, if he thought mean old Ebenezer Scrooge would change. But Fred was a very good, friendly man, and he didn't really care if they laughed at him. Instead, he laughed too, and passed the bottles of wine around the room with much joy.

After this conversation, Fred and his wife served tea to their guests. Then they had some music. This was a very musical family who loved to sing and dance. Fred and his wife had very nice voices, and danced beautifully. Topper had an especially nice deep voice, and Fred's wife played the harp just like an angel! She played many tunes that evening. Scrooge, who was standing with the Ghost of Christmas Present and watching the scene, remembered one the best. It was a song that Scrooge's sister had sung when they were young! When Scrooge heard Fred's wife playing this old song, memories of his dear sister filled his mind. All the things that the Ghost of Christmas Past had shown him were also in his head. As Scrooge stood there, he thought to himself that if he could have listened to that song more often, when he was younger, he might have been a different person. Maybe he could have learned how to be happy, loving, and kind, like his sister had been. Perhaps he could have made his life better, instead of working too much like poor old Jacob Marley! Scrooge felt his heart becoming softer. Oh, if only his sister had lived!

However, the guests did not spend the whole evening playing music. After a while they played some games. Even though everyone there was an adult, it is good to play like children sometimes, and there's no better time to play than at Christmas time! They played games of cards, and then a game called "Blind Man's Bluff." In this game, you had to put a cloth over your eyes and try to find people without seeing them. It was clear that Topper was very interested in finding Fred's wife's sister. I think Topper kept opening his eyes, when no one was looking, and seeing the sister. Then he would run over to where she was hiding, and pretend he didn't know who she was. He would touch her dress, and hands, and face, and say over and over, "Who can this be?" while the sister laughed. "Mr Topper, you're terrible! This isn't fair!" she said. I am sure the sister told Topper her opinion of him, when they were hiding together behind the curtains!

The Ghost of Christmas Present thought Topper was very funny. "I see a wedding in the future!" he told Scrooge, laughing.

Fred's wife was not playing this game. Instead she sat down in a comfortable chair by the fireplace. Scrooge and the Ghost were standing just behind her, but of course she didn't know that. After the guests became tired of "Blind Man's Bluff," they played some word games. Fred's wife was very good at word games, and she always beat her sisters at these games, even though they were also very intelligent. Topper could have told you that! Scrooge felt secretly proud that Fred's wife was winning the games.

There were twenty guests at the house; young and old. Even though no one could hear his comments, Scrooge joined in the games with everyone else. He forgot that no one could hear or see him, so he sometimes spoke quite loudly. He was having so much fun that for a little while, he forgot that the Ghost of Christmas Present was standing next to him. When Scrooge finally noticed the Ghost, he was smiling at Scrooge in a pleased way. The Ghost looked happy to see that Scrooge was enjoying himself. Scrooge begged the Ghost to stay for one more game, like a small child! The Ghost said, "We cannot—our time is becoming short!"

"Oh, but they're starting to play a new game!" Scrooge cried. "Let's stay for half an hour, and no more!"

This new game was called "Yes and No". Scrooge's nephew had to think of something or someone, and the other guests had to guess what or who it was. Fred could only answer "yes" or "no" to their questions. The guests began to ask their questions. It seemed that Fred was thinking of an animal, who walked the streets just like a man, and who was mean, like a bear. But he wasn't a bear! He talked sometimes, and he lived in London. He wasn't a cat, or a tiger, or a dog, or a horse. When the guests asked Fred their questions, Fred always began to laugh loudly. Finally, Fred's wife's sister, the one Topper liked, jumped up. "I know who it is, Fred!" she cried.

"Who?" asked Fred, smiling.

"It's your Uncle Scrooge!"

"That's right!" cried Fred. Everyone laughed loudly. "Well, friends, poor old Uncle Scrooge has made us laugh a lot tonight," said Fred, holding a glass of wine. "It wouldn't be nice not to drink to his health. So I say, here's to Uncle Scrooge!"

"Yes, here's to Uncle Scrooge!" everyone cried.

"A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Uncle Scrooge, wherever he is!" said Fred. "He wouldn't take my wishes for a happy holiday, but he'll have them, whether he wants them or not. Here's to Uncle Scrooge!"

While he was watching the games, Uncle Scrooge had become so happy and cheerful, that he would have thanked Fred for his kind words with a speech that no one could hear, except himself and the Ghost. But there was no time. Before Scrooge knew it, the Ghost had taken him away again.

They saw many other things that night. They watched people celebrating Christmas all over the world. They traveled far, even to strange foreign countries. They saw many men and women, mothers and fathers, old people and young people. The Ghost of Christmas Present stood next to sick people lying in their beds, and they became happy. He took Scrooge to visit poor men who were patient and hopeful for better lives. They were happy, knowing it was Christmas and they were alive and healthy. They saw churches, hospitals, and prisons, and everywhere they went the Ghost blessed the people inside.

It was a long night. It seemed to Scrooge that he had been with the Ghost for a long, long time. Was it hours, days, or years they had been together? Scrooge did not know.

Finally the Ghost turned to Scrooge and said: "Tonight at midnight, I will leave you. Listen! The time is almost here!"

Scrooge heard a clock's bell. It was fifteen minutes until midnight. He realized that they were back in London, and standing in the middle of a dark, misty street.

Scrooge looked closely at the Ghost. He had noticed something very strange.

"Ghost, please forgive me for what I am about to ask you," he said. "But I see something strange underneath your robe. Would you show me what it is?"

The Ghost opened his green robe. Scrooge cried out in surprise. There were two small children, a boy and a girl, sitting at the Ghost's feet! But these were no ordinary children. They did not look like Bob Crachit's children, who had pink cheeks and bright eyes. These children looked more like animals! Thin, hungry animals! Their skin was yellow, and their bodies were horribly thin. Their bones showed through their skin, and their hands and feet were like claws. They looked mean, angry, and ugly, but also frightened. It was terrible!

Scrooge did not know what to think. He tried to say something kind, but the words stopped in his throat. He could not lie. He had never seen anything as horrible as these children. Surely, they were not human!

"Ghost of Christmas Present! Are these strange children yours?" asked Scrooge.

"No, they are Man's children," said the Ghost quietly. "Humans have made these children the way they are. They have come to me, seeking help. The boy is named Ignorance, and the girl is Want. They suffer because of the sins of humans. You must watch out for them both. You do not want them to appear in your life! But most of all, watch out for this boy, Ignorance. Now, you have seen the suffering of these children. Do not pretend that you don't know them! You see, Ebenezer Scrooge, in this boy's eyes, I see the future. I see the death and misery of all mankind, unless the good people of the world, the people who know, decide to do something."

"But how terribly these poor children suffer! Oh, alas for all the poor, unhappy people of the world!" Scrooge cried.

He understood what the Ghost was trying to tell him. These children represented all the miserable, hungry, poor people of the world. It was just like the Ghost of Christmas Past had told him. Somehow, these thin, horrible-looking children were the people sitting in the dirt, while Scrooge was the rich man on top of the mountain!

"Won't someone help them?" he cried loudly.

There was no answer. Scrooge looked around quickly. The Ghost and the strange children were gone. The dark streets were silent, and the cold fog filled the air.

The clock's bell struck twelve. It was midnight.

Suddenly Scrooge remembered the words of old Jacob Marley. "The third Spirit will arrive on the third night, at midnight." When the sound of the clock stopped, he looked up and saw a tall, dark figure, with a black robe and a hood, coming towards him.

(end of section)