Chapter two: Marley's ghost.
Bob went home to see his family; Scrooge went back to his emptyhouse. The house was cold and dark. For some people the darkness was scary, but Scrooge liked it. It was cheap.
That night when he got home, however, the house seemed strange. Maybe it was because it was Marley's house and he had died exactly seven years ago this very day.
Maybe it was just because the heavy fog made it darker than normal. It seemed like there was someone or something else in the house.
Scrooge lit a candle and looked around the room.
“Bah, humbug,” he said, “No one is here. ” still, he carefully locked the door and then made a little fire in the fireplace.
As the fire started to burn, Scrooge thought he heard something in the house. He looked around again, but it was just the ticking of the clock.
In the quiet, Scrooge could hear something else. It was far away, but it was coming closer.
It sounded like chains being dragged across the floor above.
Scrooge nervously shook his head. “This can't be happening. I must be dreaming,” he thought to himself.
Just then the doorbell began to ring loudly. Scrooge wasn't dreaming. Slowly, something came into the room. It wore Marley's old clothes, while its whole body was wrapped in a chain. Many familiar things were attached to the chain, the account books, heavy cashboxes, keys and locks. But the most familiar thing of all was the face.
The face! He recognized it right away as Marley's.
“Who are you? ” asked Scrooge.
“Ask not who I am, ask who I was. ”
“Who were you? ” Scrooge cried out. “What do you want from me? ”
“You know who I am. I can see it in your eyes. ”
“It can't be you. That's impossible,” Scrooge said.
“No! Scrooge, you know it is I, Jacob Marley, your old business partner! ” The ghost shouted in anger.
The sudden loud noise scared Scrooge. He didn't want to believe it, but looking into those cold eyes frightened him. He didn't know how or why, but he knew it was Marley. Scrooge began to be very afraid.
“Yes, I know it is you, Jacob. Why are you here? What do you want? ” Scrooge's voice trembled as he spoke. His heart grew cold with fear.
“If a man stays away from other people while he is alive, that man becomes like me,” the ghost answered, shaking its chain sadly.
“Though I am dead, I must walk through the world of the living. I can see people laugh, but I cannot laugh with them. Happiness, sadness, joy. I can see them all, but none of them are for me. ”
“But why are you here, before me? ” Scrooge's voice shook as he spoke. “And why are you wearing that chain? ”
“This chain, this heavy chain of sorrow and pain? You have one just like it, Ebenezer Scrooge. Only yours is far longer and far heavier,” the ghost said. “This is the chain I made during my lifetime. Every time I refused to help those in need, the chain became a little longer. When I died, our chains were about the same, Scrooge, but now, after seven years, yours is so much longer than mine. ”
“But what can I do, Jacob? Please, tell me what I can do,” Scrooge was now begging for help.
“I cannot stay, Scrooge. I must be going, with no rest, no peace,” the ghost said as he began to float away.
“But wait, please! Tell me what I must do. ”
“Before I go, I will tell you one thing. That is why I came tonight, Scrooge,” the ghost said. “You will be visited by three ghosts. The first will come tonight at one o'clock. The second will visit tomorrow night at the same time. And the third will come the night after that. ”
The ghost began floating out the window. “But wait, will I see you again? Can't you tell me more? ” Scrooge cried as he ran toward the window.
“No, Scrooge, you won't see me again. Remember what I have told you, about the three other ghosts and about not helping others, or you will soon see your own heavy chain. ” with that the ghost disappeared into the dark night.
As Scrooge came to the window to see where Marley had gone, he suddenly heard some crying down below. Again Scrooge's heart froze. The voices came not from people, but from ghosts. All of them were crying from pain and loneliness. They were following people and trying to help them, but nothing they did could help the living.
He quickly closed the window. “Bah,” he thought. “This couldn't have happened. I will go to sleep, and tomorrow everything will be fine. ”
He checked twice to see if the door was locked and then fell into a troubled sleep