![]() I Want to Repent... PleaseA Story by Greg Gorman![]() If I am violating a copyright, please let me know. There is a version of "A Christmas Carol" starring Albert Finney that shows Scrooge in chains.![]() Ebenezer
Scrooge awoke in his room to find he had been given a second chance. He was
elated to find he was indeed alive and the shadows he had been shown were just
that: shadows of a life that could happen if he didn’t change his ways. He
did change his ways and he was happy to do it. He recounted the times he could
have helped his fellow people and didn’t. He thought of the maltreatment his
clerk, Bob Cratchit had endured under his heavy hand. He thought of the people
he passed every day and refused to help. All of that would change. As Jacob
Marley said, mankind was his business. First
thing was first, Scrooge remembered the large turkey hanging in the butcher
shop. Bob Cratchit will have that. His family will have that. It will be a
splendid feast for the family. He thought of the two gentlemen who had been in
his office the day before. Scrooge reminded himself to be in his office early
and to be on the lookout for them. A generous surprise would be theirs if he
had the pleasure of seeing them. So
much to do and so little time. Scrooge washed and dressed. Fred was having a
dinner and Scrooge hoped he was still invited. He stepped outside in his best
clothes when the festive air was shattered by the sound of a gunshot, and
people who stopped and stared at Ebenezer Scrooge and wondered what had made
such a man smile pleasantly, as if the Spirit of Christmas had visited him in
his lonely home overnight, continued on with their travels and duties of the
day. Ebenezer Scrooge was dead. Humbug. The
people in the street turned just in time to see Ebenezer Scrooge tumble down
the steps. A few bothered to step toward the body out of curiosity before
continuing on their way. No one noticed Peter Cratchit running back home,
tossing a pistol aside as he hurried down a side street to rejoin his family as
they prepared Christmas dinner. As he entered the shack, he apologized to his
father and mother for leaving but he had wanted to see a friend who was having
some trouble on this joyous day and he wanted to see if the Holiday had somehow
comforted him any. Peter, of course, made no mention of the pistol, a purchase
from a local pawn shop, or his target. Scrooge
opened his eyes and found he was no longer in front of his home. He was puzzled
as he looked around. He had never seen this room before. It was large with
white walls and no doors. There was no furniture in the room. The floors were
spotless and looked as if they had just been polished. “Hello,
Ebenezer.” Scrooge
turned around and saw his friend Jacob Marley. “Marley,”
Scrooge said in a tone barely over a whisper. He was surprised to see his dead
friend again but he had none of the fear as the previous night when Marley
walked through Scrooge’s door. “Marley,”
Scrooge repeated. “What happ- What is this? I was-“ Marley
shook his head. “A pity. We all saw you. The transformation that was going to
take place inside you. The change-“ “But
I have changed, Marley,” Scrooge said
in a voice that recaptured his excitement of the morning when he awoke.
“Marley, I am a changed man! Your visit was not in vain, I assure you. The work
you and your spirits have accomplished have done wondrous things for me. I am
prepared to be a kinder man to all of my fellow creatures. The spirit of
Christmas in inside of me, I assure you.” Marley
stood there with the same lifeless stare he had when he visited his partner in
life. “It’s too late, Ebenezer. It’s too late. We are nothing but cautionary
tales for the living on Earth.” “The
living? The living on Ear- What do you mean to tell me?” Scrooge’s voice
trembled. His legs shook. “Where am I?” Marley
continued his lifeless stare. His voice showed no emotion. “You had intentions,
Ebenezer, but that is not the same as acting on those intentions.” Scrooge
braced himself against a wall. “Marley, please, I beg you, whoever your master
may be now. Whoever sent you to me, please. Intercede on my behalf. Take me to
him and let me plead my case. Please, one more chance.” “Your
chance came and went, Ebenezer,” Marley said. Scrooge
could hear a clanging from beyond the room. It was a faint sound that grew
louder. “That
noise,” Scrooge said. “What is that noise?” “Some
people, when they enter this ghostly realm, are given tasks. These tasks are
theirs for eternity. There are some people who are sent to the smithy where
they work non-stop, forging the chains that we must wear as punishment for our
sins.” “We?!” Scrooge asked. “Our sins?!” “The
blacksmiths work below us,” Marley continued. “They don’t wear any chains but
that doesn’t mean their fate is any less harsh than ours.” Tears
of sorrow ran down Scrooge’s face as he held his stomach. “The
blacksmiths are down there for eternity,” Marley explained. “They receive no
rest, no refreshment. They, like all of us are on their feet. They don’t sit.
They don’t lie down.” Marley began to chuckle. “But then again, why would a
ghost want these comforts?” Scrooge
looked up at his friend. How could someone laugh at a time like this? He had no
idea he would be doing the same in a hundred years from now. When you roam the
Earth constantly with no companion, no rest, no chance to enjoy someone’s
company, you find ways to amuse yourself. It’s a futile attempt to cheer up
one’s self and break the monotony of walking the same Earth over and over again
but when there is no other way, Scrooge would soon learn that it is the best
way. “No
rest?” Scrooge asked. “I
shouldn’t say no rest,” Marley
corrected himself. Scrooge saw a line of smiths coming for him. They were
carrying a heavy line of chain on their shoulders. “No…
NO!” Scrooge cried as he saw what was
intended for him and how long the chains were. The smiths were tall strong men
with broad chests and muscular arms. Despite this, there was a look of pain and
struggle as they paraded toward him with his eternal punishment. Marley’s
smile disappeared and his tone turned somber. “You see, our friends do get a
small respite every now and then when we have a newcomer. Then they get to
leave their forge for a moment so they can fit our new friend with the chain he
forged during his life.” Scrooge
howled as the brutes dressed him in his new attire. The newly-forged chains
were still hot and they burned through his nightshirt and burned his flesh and
yet, his nightshirt remained on him as if it were untouched by the hot irons. “Oh,”
Scrooge lamented. The weight; I can’t bear it. The metal is still hot and the
heat…” “The
heat,” Marley repeated. “That’s not something you are used to, is it,
Ebenezer?” He started to chuckle. “All this heat about you and think of it,”
His laughter grew. “You didn’t waste one shilling on coal!” Marley
erupted into a wicked laugh that nearly echoed. The smiths continued to wrap
the chains around him. Scrooge could barely stand it between the weight and the
excruciating heat of the metal. He looked about his punishment and saw items
dangling from certain links: cash boxes, a bucket for coal but filled with
heavy pieces of gold and silver. Scrooge tried to empty the bucket of its
contents but the items refused to leave no matter how hard he shook it. “Come,
come,” Marley said to him. “You’re only going to make yourself tired.” Scrooge
dropped the bucket and continued to look down at his chains. He saw everything
held together by one small ring. “This
ring,” Scrooged wondered. “I’m sure I have seen it before.” “Of
course you have,” Marley reassured him. “How could you forget what was given to
and returned by your Isabel.” “Isabel’s
ring? Isabel! ISABEL!” Marley
laughed louder. “Come, come, man! Isabel is not here. She is with the mortals
and it’s no use calling for her. She can’t hear you. I’m not sure she’d want to
hear you.” Marley continued to laugh. Scrooge
buried his head into his hands. “No! I can’t believe this. I still have a
chance.” “You
had a chance, Ebenezer reminded him.
No one, living or dead, could have foreseen your demise on that joyful morning.
No one knows how much time is allotted them. That is why we are all told to
make the most of the time we have. The American, Benjamin Franklin said time is
the stuff life is made of.’” Scrooge
hung his head in shame and closed his eyes. “EBENEZER
SCROOGE!” “I
know that voice,” Scrooge whispered to himself. “Yes,
Ebenezer. It is I, Bacchus.” “The
Roman god?” Scrooge inquired. “NO!”
Bacchus laughed heartily. “Although I am named after the deity, you know me
better as the ghost of Christmas Present.
I should say I have done my namesake rather proud!” The spirit raised
his cup to Scrooge’s health, as if that would do Ebenezer any good. “What
is this?” Scrooge asked? “This,”
Bacchus gestured to the table and people around it, “is man’s eternal reward.
This is the most succulent feast one could ever hope to be invited to and all
who are my brothers are most certainly invited.” “No
want or ignorance here,” Scrooge observed. The
spirit shook his head. “The children are still with me. I was to leave this
hall for a mission much like the one that sent me to you. Along my way I saw
the two children, wealthy while they were human but spoiled rotten. They turned
their noses up at those less fortunate who hoped that maybe they or their
family could part with a coin or two, or some table scraps. I know not if it
was their upbringing or their nature that made them so but I could not imagine
children being born ignorant and unfeeling for those who need help. I took them
and hid them before they could be subjected to that terrible fate after life
but could not save them from want. Here,” the spirit rose and opened his robe,
showing the boy and girl, “is the closest they will get to this bountiful
feast.” Scrooge
looked around the endless table and saw men and women conversing and laughing.
Servants cheerfully brought platters of food and bottles of drink to them. The
table was full of cooked turkeys, roast chickens, puddings, bowls of fresh
fruit that looked like it had been picked not long ago. Guests spoke like old
friends and long-lost relatives as they took turns filling cups and each cup
brought a new toast. Scrooge’s mouth watered as he could smell the cooked beef,
potatoes and even a chocolate cake among other things. He saw an empty chair
next to Bacchus and hoped the seat was for him as a reward for a lesson
well-learned. “Spiri-
er- Bacchus, I pray you, might that seat next to you be for a weary soul who
has learned his lesson.” Bacchus
placed his cup on the table.” My table is for those who remember their brothers
and sisters while on their mortal coil.” His voice was grave. “This seat is for
a special boy who has yet to make his appearance.” “A
boy?” Scrooge asked. “Yes,”
Bacchus nodded. “Tim Cratchit will soon be my guest.” “No!”
Scrooge pleaded. “Not Tiny Tim!” “It
is not for me to decide who appears,” Bacchus reflected. “It is only for me to
welcome them properly to this table.” “Come,
Ebenezer. We don’t belong here,” Marley said. “Wait,”
Scrooge pleaded. “Just one drink. Just one sip. I am so thirsty.” “Come,
Ebeneezer. Our place of dwelling awaits.” Ebenezer
Scrooge cried and begged his old friend, Jacob Marley but the cries were in
vain. He was led back to the oppressively hot room he would inhabit forever. © 2020 Greg GormanFeatured Review
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6 Reviews Added on August 9, 2020 Last Updated on August 9, 2020 Tags: Forgiveness, Hell, Literature, Repentance Author![]() Greg GormanStoughton, MAAboutI'm from Massachusetts. I've been writing all my life. I currently run a parenting website (brave-daddy.com) telling about my adventures as a parent and all of the responsibilities and challenges that.. more..Writing
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