MARLEYS GHOST SCROOGE. Seven years, Jacob? It s taken you seven years to bring me this hope? Why so long, old friend? What has it cost you?

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1 1 MARLEYS GHOST Expect the second on the next night at the same hour. The third, upon the next night when the last stroke of twelve has ceased to vibrate. Look to see me no more; and look, for your own sake, you remember what has passed between us! On the last line MARLEYS GHOST faces directly for the first time, reaches out to and moves towards him. But the chains are tugged and MARLEYS GHOST staggers back. Seven years, Jacob? It s taken you seven years to bring me this hope? Why so long, old friend? What has it cost you? Much. MARLEYS GHOST Light grows in the fireplace: a fiery, hellish light. As it grows, the tugging becomes a pull. The chains bind both ankles and waist so that he s pulled off his feet. MARLEYS GHOST is dragged, feet first and screaming, into the hellish fire of the fireplace. backs away from MARLEYS GHOST towards the bed. With a scream, MARLEYS GHOST is gone, the fire vanishes. In the silence, stands transfixed, then collapses. Blackout.

2 2 In the darkness is heard the ticking of a clock. Faint light up on the bedroom. pokes his head out of the curtains of the bed. He rises, crosses to the door and checks to be sure it is locked. Then he crosses over to the fireplace and inspects it from a few feet away. A distant bell strikes one. Lights come up on the bedchamber and we see GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST standing where the floor lamp was. She is dressed in a simple white gown; her hair s red, bound on top of her head and appears to have many small lights within it. Hanging from her belt, is a silver extinguisher. Fan? Are you the spirit whose coming was foretold to me? I am. Who, and what, are you? I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. Long past?

3 3 No; your past. And what is it you wear; your bonnet? As if you did not know, having made it yourself and having made me wear it low upon my brow so often. I? How could I have done such a thing? I ve never seen you before this moment. That s not completely true. But you ve let your memory become hard over the years. You ve seen me more than you remember. And just because you haven t seen me does not mean that you haven t affected me. You ve shaped me with every passing Christmas with every passing action you have or haven t taken. You say I m responsible for the way you appear before me? That your shape and form are my doing? Yours and no others. For it s your past that I m the spirit of.

4 4 Then I must say I ve not done badly. For you re a very pleasing spirit indeed. Not as frightening and unappealing as some others I can think of. SPIRIT laughs good-naturedly. You are indeed a foolish man, if you think I am a well-formed spirit. But you are so, you are indeed. I can honestly say that a more pleasing spirit I have never seen. That I believe, but you must admit that you re not a young man. No I am not, nor do I claim to be. What of it? There are many of my sisters who were of my stature while their makers were still learning to form their letters. I myself had reached this height when you were still in school. I ve grown very little since you ve gained your maturity. Oh, I see.

5 5 There are many of my brethren who ve achieved such a stature that you might mistake them for one of the Titans of ancient Greece, or possibly one of the ancient Greek gods themselves, so vast and boundless is their spirit. Yes, yes, I see. Then is that your bonnet? For a man of your age and experience, it would have been possible that I could have been so overwhelming to your senses that my face alone would have been all you may have been able to comprehend. I see, I see; then, is that your bonnet? But as you say, you have not done badly. I am a very pleasing spirit indeed. Perhaps I was mistaken. Yes. That is my bonnet. Would you so soon put out the little light I do give?

6 6 No. What brings you here, Spirit? Your welfare. I would think that would be better served by a full nights sleep. Your reclamation, then. Take heed! Rise, and walk with me. In truth, the night is cold: below freezing. I am mortal and am but clad lightly. Bear but the touch of my hand there and you shall be upheld in more than this. touches his heart. They walk forward to the edge of the stage. looks out in wonder. Do you know this place?

7 7 Know it; good heavens, I was bred in this place. I was a boy here. Do you recollect the way? Remember it! I could walk it blindfolded. It's strange that you have forgotten it for so many years. Lead on. That's the Barry's' farm over there. And here's the fence we use to climb to steal apples. And just over this ridge are the river, the church, and the bridge. And there are the ponies that the Donovan's brought over from the Shetland Islands. They were going to breed them. I loved those ponies. They were as big as war-horses to a small boy. Did they not breed the ponies?

8 8 It was on a Christmas Eve that Chieftain broke his foreleg stepping in a wagon's rut and had to be put down. The next Christmas, Squires' Lady died A-foaling. But the foals lived and the farm thrived. But my ponies were dead. There's the deserted school. The school is not quite deserted. A solitary child, neglected by friends, is left there still. But he s not completely alone, is he? Yes, quite alone, as always on Christmas. But not this Christmas, I think. No. Not this particular one. It was a Christmas of Ali Baba, and Valentine and his wild brother Orson. And Robinson Crusoe.

9 9 A Christmas of adventure and discovery. A Christmas of solitude and loneliness. A Christmas where my only friends were imaginary ones out of the dusty pages of books as abandoned as I. Let us see another Christmas. Lights up. A bare schoolroom YOUNG paces slowly. Matching his pacing, and GHOST walk to side of stage. FAN enters, crosses over to, and hugs YOUNG. FAN Dear, dear brother. I have come to bring you home. To bring you home, home, home. YOUNG Fan! Home? Little Fan? FAN Yes. Home: for good and all. Home, forever and ever. Father is ever so much kinder than he use to be.

10 10 YOUNG Is he, Fan? FAN Home is like heaven. He spoke so gently to me one dear night when I was going to bed that I was not afraid to ask him once more if you could come home. YOUNG You ask him? And he said yes? FAN Yes. And he sent me in a coach to fetch you home. You are to be a man and never to come back here. But first we are to be together all Christmas long, and have the merriest time in all the world. YOUNG You are quite the little woman, Fan. Laughing, FAN and YOUNG exit. Lights out on the scene. Always a delicate creature whom a breath might have withered. But she had a large heart.

11 11 So she had. You're right. I will not gainsay it, Spirit. God forbid. She died a woman and had, as I remember, children. One child. Just the one? True. Your nephew Fred. Yes. Lights up on a FEZZIWIGS Warehouse. YOUNG, DICK & FEZZIWIG. Do you know this place? Know it! Fezziwigs'. I was apprenticed here. It's old Fezziwig, alive and well.

12 12 FEZZIWIG Yo ho there, Dick, Ebenezer. Dick Wilkins, to be sure. Bless me, yes. There he is. He was very much attached to me, he was. To be sure. FEZZIWIG No more work tonight, boys. Christmas eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer. Let's have the shutters up before a man can say Jack Robinson. In a flurry of activity YOUNG and DICK clear the area and sweep, while others enter with food tables. A fiddler with a stool enters along with couples. A dance ensues. This becomes a medley and as the dance progresses, so does Time, so that, by the end of the song, it is the end of the evening and everyone is happy, but exhausted. FEZZIWIG waves them all off. Finally, just the Fezziwigs and DICK and YOUNG remain and they exit. A small matter to make these silly folks so full of gratitude. (CONT) Small? It isn't that, Spirit. Fezziwig had the power to render us happy or unhappy, to make our service light or burdensome, a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks;

13 13 (MORE) in things so slight and insignificant that it s impossible to add them and count them up. But what of it? The happiness he gave was quite as great as if it had cost a fortune. My time grows short. FEZZIWIGS, but empty. Enter DICK and YOUNG. Is she coming? YOUNG DICK Yes. But look, you haven't been around a lot. YOUNG I've been busy working. I've explained that. DICK I know that, but Belle isn't the kind of girl who likes to be kept waiting. YOUNG You think I don't know that? Why do you think I've been working so hard? What do you think of this?

14 14 YOUNG pulls out a gold ring. DICK Is that gold? YOUNG It is. DICK Is that what I think it is? YOUNG Now do you see why I've been working so hard? Yes, but- DICK Here she comes. YOUNG Enter BELLE. Hello Dick. BELLE

15 15 YOUNG Hello Belle. BELLE Oh, you remember my name. It's been so long; I thought you had forgotten that too. YOUNG I have forgotten nothing. But I have learned much. BELLE I have learned to. I have learned that another idol has displaced me in your heart. If it can cheer you and comfort you, then I have no just cause to grieve. YOUNG What idol has displaced you? A golden one. BELLE YOUNG There is the even-handed dealing of the world. There is nothing so terrible and unforgiving in the world as poverty and yet there is nothing the world condemns with such severity as the pursuit of wealth.

16 16 BELLE Tell me, in all honesty, that your neglect of me has not been in the pursuit of gold. YOUNG There you have me, for indeed I have been pursuing gold, but such gold as- BELLE Even in admitting this, you still praise the virtues of gold. It would be bad enough if you neglected me for another girl. At least there I could hope her beauty would fade after time. But the beauty of gold will never fade. YOUNG There you are correct. BELLE Even now, to my face, you admit such a thing. How could I have been so wrong and so blind? Come Dick, take me from here. Let us leave Master Scrooge to his gold. Yes, my love. DICK What? YOUNG

17 17 BELLE and DICK leave YOUNG standing there clutching the ring. Lights fade. They face the audience again. No, cruel spirit. How can you subject me to this? Why do you make me relive this pain? Do you enjoy showing me the follies of my life? Is this the lesson you wish me to learn here? For I have learned my lesson. I learned it well and I have learned it years ago. I do not need Spirits to show me the truths of the past. Every wound of my life that has drawn blood, every scar that I bear upon my soul has come to me during these most happy days of the year when people make merry. I can count on the fingers of one hand the Christmases that have passed without having my heart ripped from me. That girl, Belle, was the only woman I ever loved. You did not love her, you only thought you did. If you would look past the pain you might see that this might have been the best thing she could have done for you. I tell you I loved her. She was the only one I ever loved. That I know is not true. steps back from as he sees the scene unfold before him. But behind him, it is GHOST OF

18 18 CHRISTMAS PAST whom we hear and who acts out the scene. Brother, you have come. Fan? Have I changed so? I know that I have put on weight. I've decided that he is going to be a boy and I shall name him Frederick after grandfather. Do you approve? Oh, Fan. Now don't look at me so. You are just like the doctor. Of course I look a little peaked. You try carrying this extra weight around for six months and having to eat for the two of you when you can't hold down a meal and I dare say you would look a little drawn too. Fan, I miss you.

19 19 I want your promise that you will look after Frederick should anything happen. Not that anything will. It's just the fussing of a new mother; a mother to be. Promise me. Fan, how could you? Of course, you realize that this is the only gift you'll be getting from me this Christmas. I'm not really in any shape to go out shopping. turns away. No! Why; why; why? I can bear this no longer. I will not live this again. I will end this now. grabs the cap from GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST' belt and forces it upon her head. As he does so, the lights fade. If this can be done with GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST sinking into a trap while her outer dress piles up onstage like so much candle wax; so much the better. We hear sobbing in the darkness as we go to black. End Act One