The misunderstandings of drunken humans can never be underestimated. Nor the shenanigans of drunken Shadowlings.

It all started on the 22nd of December 1842 not with Ebenezer but with Jacob Marley. Marley, new ghost about town was celebrating his highly affluent status as a ghost, by having a massive Christmas booze up open to all shadow entities. It was going well with close to a hundred attendees to date.

Jacob had discovered that habitual skinflints, as he had been in life, would find their ghostly salary renewing itself every 29 days to whatever level it had been when they passed over. This meant that he was set for the afterlife.

Not surprisingly therefore he was happily spending money like water, putting on the grandest ‘I’ve made ghost’, cross, ‘It’s almost Christmas and an excuse to party’, party he could manage.

Penny Pincher though he may have been in life, Jacob Marley had never been against the odd festivity or the odd tipple, especially in party season. Now with a good excuse and money to spend, he was spend, spend, spending.

Grand ghost parties with an ever spend attitude often led to many denizens of the shadowed world turning up for the free booze if even a hint of invite was offered.

Three of those that turned up became drinking buddies. Lily the white witch, Wulf the werewolf and Cnut the rather ancient Vampire, who was ‘turned’ sometime in the early Saxon period.

The four of them hadn’t stopped eating and more importantly drinking since it turned dark outside and were in the happy blotto stage where wild ideas could peculate and be considered brilliant.

“Ah, if only old Ebenezer could be here and see what fun awaits him.” Marley sighed sadly “He’d glower nicely in the corner.”

Lily giggled already on her 20th large sherry of the still young evening. Lily was tall, willowy and dressed in a

billowing white kaftan. She had already declared that evening that she was a white witch because she didn’t like colour and black was all the colours. Red witches were always off in another world, blue ones were generally depressed all the time, grey witches tended to drift through life, and green witches tended to be temperamental and like large bodies of water and she didn’t like water.

“Invite him over!” Wulf boomed cheerfully. The werewolf, fat and round faced and very hairy as he was halfway through the change from wolf to human and sporting a massive brown beard, raised a large snifter of brandy in the air.

Cnut slowly shook his head and took a sip of his Bloody Mary. The blood was certainly true, but there was some question as to whether it was Mary.

“Cnut’s probably right, he’s not ready to meet you,” Marley agreed solemnly, and then gave a cry of delight, “But of course! I can go ahead and warn him that you’re coming by to visit.” He gazed triumphantly round at his friends, “Would you like to meet my friend Ebenezer?

Lily giggled girlishly, “All dark and brooding, he sounds delightful,” she commented., “when are you thinking of introducing us?” She took a wobbling sip of her latest sherry, only I have a hair appointment on the 23rd and a witches misery coven on the 25th.”

Wulf scowled at her mention of the hair appointment, werewolves could be touchy on the subject at times. “Tomorrow I’ll be entertaining my cousin who’s passing through with his family. He’s on the way to visit granny out towards Bodmin Moor. And I’ll be putting up decorations with my own family on Christmas Eve.”

“Oh” Marley said forlornly.

Cnut raised one finger and wagged it, then two fingers and wagged them and then three fingers and bowed his head briefly.

Marley sighed, “And you can only do Christmas Eve.”

Cnut bowed again.

“Well,” Lily chirped up bracingly, “We’ll just have to visit your friend on different nights.”

Marley brightened up, “Yes of course! That’s the answer.”

“Might be better,” Lily continued on blithely, “We don’t want to overwhelm him.”

“Yes! Yes, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll go over there right now and warn him you’re visiting. That should work.” There was a long pause, “I should show him all the money I have. He’ll be so envious.” Marley materialised a ludicrously large pile of gold coins and then realised there was a slight problem with it, “Oh I won’t be able to carry all that!” he complained. “They’ll just slither everywhere.”

Cnut a former wizard pointed at the gold coins and they changed shape and interlinked to form an exceedingly long gold chain.

“Much better,” Marley declared. “I can carry it like this.” He carefully coiled the long gold chain around his neck a few times and then attempted to loop the rest into a manageable bundle. “Wait until he sees all this,” he declared gleefully. He got up and began to weave across the ballroom towards the double doors, oblivious of his new friends left behind until he reached the doors. He turned, “Don’t forget now,” he yelled across the other dancing and weaving and floating party goers, “You really must meet Ebenezer.” He stumbled backwards and passed through the closed doors.

Marley blinked, and shrugged, he’d been drinking Eggnog before the party had started at around four and didn’t care about much. He zigzagged along the large entrance hall and slipped outside into the cold early winter evening. A large bundle of ragged clothes lay in a below ground entranceway, “Oh,” he greeted the still form happily, “You must be Mary.” He staggered on, his movement becoming more alive as he stumbled through the snow and dirty slush towards the Ebenezer mansion.

Two thirds of the way there he was waylaid by a strident voice “Well if it ain’t Jacob Marley the skinflint.”

Marley peered blearily at the wide hipped, scruffily dressed woman that bobbed in a darkened alleyway. “Rosa?”

“Yeah. So you made rich ghost, did ye.”

Marley chuckled, “Told you I’d be a success,” he declared proudly, totally missing the less than happy look she was giving him.

Her eyes narrowed, “So ow about some of that gold,” she suggested.

He looked down at the forgotten mass of gold chain carefully coiled in his hands. “Well, a link or two I suppose,” he said doubtfully and tried to juggle it into a better position to find the end. The chain began to slide and rattle against itself, and a loop dropped over the side of his arms and began to descend groundward. Trying not to jiggle the rest of the pile he attempted to hastily retrieve the loop and get it back with the rest. After a minute of frustrating grabbing and cursing he managed to get the loop and the coiled pile under control. He also found an end to the chain. He stared at it and tried to pull the links apart to give her a few.

“Uh, I can’t get them to break,” he confessed blearily. “I’ll have to give you some another time.”

She wafted closer, “You’ll give me some now,” she corrected darkly.

“It won’t break!” he protested desperately and then suddenly giggled nervously, sounding suspiciously like Lily.

The pile of chain began to teeter as it once again imitated a slithering snake. Rosa lunged forward to grab the end and pull. Marley’s grip tightened possessively on the chain, “I said I’d give you some!”

“I don’t trust you, Jacob Marley.”

Marley tugged and the pile of chain started heading towards the ground in multiple loops. In the tug of war between the two ghosts Marley stepped between two loops then staggered as they tightened and got his other foot caught in another loop. He then released one hand from the contested bit of chain to use the whole arm to scoop up the body of the once neat loops that was now a rapidly unravelling pile. He tried to one handily loop some more around his neck, while holding on to the end that Rosa was gathering up. They tugged back and forth and eventually Marley became so tied up in his chain that he lost his balance. Being a ghost and shocked by his fall backwards, and still fixated on Ebenezer in the back of his mind Marley began to de-materialise in what was known as a ghost jump. This ability had an unexpected reaction to the Vampire magic and the gold chain began to turn iron grey.

Startled by the change and not sure of her safety, Rosa shrieked and let go of the chain completely and Marley still new to ghost hood jumped to the home of Ebenezer Ebenezer.

He landed by the attic door at the top of the house. Unfortunately for Marley, he was still bound up in the chain and there were stairs. He tumbled down them, in a loud clatter. In the long moment of silence that followed there was a faint ‘Hello? Who is there?’ from somewhere far below and he didn’t even notice.

After a minute or two to recover from his shock and the un-planned jump Marley gave a low moan. He may be a ghost but it was difficult to de-materialise, or float, when caught by surprise, and some surfaces reacted differently to his ghostly form than others. Stairs hurt. Already drunk and now a touch disorientated as well, he very slowly clambered to his feet in a rattle of chain that was now iron grey.

“Blasted vampire magic,” he grumbled, “How am I going to convince Ebenezer this is gold with it looking like this?” He sighed wearily and tried to cheer himself up, “At least it won’t stay grey.” At the end of the night it would revert back to its normal colour.

He waded downwards accompanied by a clanking and jangling of cascading chain that slithered with a soft scraping sound on the woodwork. He came to a landing and groaned at the sight of the next much longer set of stairs. He stumbled heavily down the first few steps the chain still slithering behind creating its own thumping sounds. He groaned again at the racket he was making.

“Is somebody there?”

Marley froze, surprised at hearing Ebenezer’s voice calling from the hallway below. He tried to formulate an answer but his head didn’t want to co-operate. The silence stretched and then there was a faint sound that indicated Ebenezer had moved on. Marley sighed and started to make his way down the stairs again.

His excitement built at the thought of seeing his old partner, and as he reached the top of the next set of stairs he called out coaxingly, “Ebeneeezeeer. Ebeneezeer?” He started to clunk down the last set of stairs, “Ebenezer.”

“Who, who’s there?”

Marley grinned, “It’s Jacob, Ebenezer,” he called back cheerfully, “Jacob Marley. Come to see you.”

“What do you want?”

“I want to show you something. Come on out here. I won’t harm you.”

Ebenezer Ebenezer peered out of a doorway a single spluttering candle leading the way. His eyes only widening further on seeing Marley standing there, ghost pale, wrapped up in grey chain, his hair sticking up all ways, battered from tumbling down the stairs, and with residue of eggnog on one trouser leg.

Wulf had laughed at a joke and slapped Marley on his back while he’d been holding a re-filled cup and caused it to go everywhere.

“Jacob?” Ebenezer squeaked nervously.

“In….” Marley stopped in mid-sentence, irritated that he couldn’t throw his arms wide in bonhomie. He tried again with forced cheer, “Marley, in the flesh.”

“How is this possible?”

“I’m a ghost of course,” Marley explained casually.

“Why? Why are you here?”

“To show you what rewards your life is building for you.” With an awkward twist Marley finally got his arms freed and with a few very wobbly manoeuvres interspersed with drunken sniggering managed to free his legs as well, leaving long lengths of grey chain draped around his feet.”

“Look at all my wealth,” he declared waving his hands at the pooling grey chain, “I know it’s the wrong colour, but it’s gold. Real gold. All of it.”

Ebenezer perked up at the word gold but also eyed the chain dubiously.

“You don’t have any eggnog do you?” Marley asked hopefully, “I’m feeling a little dry.”

A long silence followed as Ebenezer was still contemplating the grey chain, and the shock of a ghost standing in his hallway. Marley broke it by taking a step forwards and repeating a single word, “Eggnog?”

Ebenezer jumped nervously backwards. “Oh, er, yes, egg-eggnog.” Ebenezer backed further away and scuttled toward the kitchen, the dark closing in behind him, making Marley clearer, as he followed with the rumble of heavy chain dragged over the bare wooden floorboards.

Marley stared at the boards making all the noise as they walked, “All the money you’re saving,” he said in awe, “You’ll have more chain than me when you pass over, and just look at the amount of gold I have, and this isn’t all of it. You’ll be ‘loaded’.”

Still unsteady on his feet he bumped into the kitchen doorway.

With shaking hands Ebenezer was opening and shutting kitchen cupboards. He stopped, “I don’t have any eggnog,” he admitted nervously. “I-I do have a bottle of brandy – for medicinal purposes of course, or visitors.”

“Ah yes, that brandy. Well pour some out and have some yourself.”

Ebenezer quickly poured two very large glasses; he desperately needed a pick me up. It wasn’t every day you were visited by a ghost of someone you knew, only protected by the light of a single flickering candle flame.

Ebenezer dropped into a chair at the kitchen table and with a loud clatter Marley joined him.

“I’d have preferred eggnog but you always did keep a good vintage brandy. In case you actually had visitors.”

“Humbug.”

Marley sniggered, as Ebenezer took a large gulp of the alcohol and promptly went into a coughing fit.

Marley continued to laugh cheerfully.

“You’re full of bonhomie,” Ebenezer remarked sourly once he could speak.

“I’ve been hosting a party. Eggnog all evening,” he admitted.

Ebenezer took another gulp of brandy, “Spending,” he commented critically.

“I’m a ghost now. All the money I saved in life I can spend and re-spend every month. No more worries.”

Ebenezer was barely listening, taking instead another gulp of brandy.

“What I haven’t spent this month is in this chain,” Marley went on obliviously, “Built over a lifetime of careful management. I came to tell you what you had to look forward to.”

Ebenezer took another wary look at the grey chain as Marley blithely took his own mouthful of brandy.

“You’d love my party. A real success.” Marley took another sip of the amber liquid as Ebenezer poured more into his own glass and followed him in taking a much larger mouthful. “I really ought to get back to it, as the host. Oh, I nearly forgot. Three of my friends will be visiting over the next three days to add their own encouragement.”

“Encouragement” Ebenezer repeated a little blankly. He hadn’t exactly had time to eat anything since he’d got home, and despite being unused to drinking heavily he’d consumed half a bottle of brandy already and it was beginning to hit him.

“Marley leaned forward, “Remember now, my three friends will be visiting, one each night.”

“One each night,” Ebenezer repeated.

Marley grinned, “That’s right.” Marley peered blearily at his empty brandy glass, “I definitely prefer eggnog and I need to get back to my party. Keep saving and you’ll have a chain like mine to spend when you pass.” Abruptly he faded away leaving Ebenezer alone. Shocked and not thinking clearly, he reached for the bottle and slowly finished it off. With all the alcohol inside him he forgot to eat altogether and instead, staggered to bed.

When he woke the following morning with a raging headache his memory was patchy. He remembered Marley’s arrival due to the terror and being told that he too would end up with a massive chain. He also remembered something about a visit over the next three days. Terrified over the thought of another supernatural visit in his empty house, he uncharacteristically bought three more bottles of brandy.

The day passed as usual for the time of year with Cratchit his usual meek and wasteful self. That night though after a meal of beef slices and dripping between slices of bread, prepared by Mrs Dilber, his charwoman, he drank a glass or two of brandy to fortify his nerves and went to bed.

Lily the witch liked Marley, and wanted to give a thank you for his magnificent party, so she wanted to show Marley’s friend where sweetness and good deeds had got him, which of course had been nowhere.

She had dressed in her best white kaftan and finished it off with her best witch’s hat, in white of course, for the occasion and arrived promptly at the witching hour.

There are problems with being a white witch. The ‘white’ part leans towards, well, goodness and the witch part to darker thoughts. She was also still enjoying Marley’s ongoing party earlier in the evening. When she turned up Ebenezer had fallen asleep propped up in bed clutching the bedclothes with sleep lax hands, his head dropped backwards and jaw dropped open against his stacked pillows. A fur dressing gown was snugly wrapped around his shoulders.

Taking advantage of his stillness she cast a spell deciding to show him Christmases from his youth before he learnt to save to show how useless they’d been.

The spell took hold and Ebenezer jerked awake.

It was only then that it entered Lily’s alcohol fogged mind that she wouldn’t be able to explain what she was doing to Mr Scrooge, as the spell once cast stopped her from speaking while it held.

Ebenezer gasped as he spotted her standing tall and silent and ghostly white in the near dark at the end of his bed. He rested a hand against his aching head, “Hello,” he said tentatively. “Are you Marley’s friend?”

She nodded solemnly and beckoned him out of bed. With reluctance he eased his skinny legs over the edge and sat up and slipped on a substantial pair of fur slippers and wrapped the long fur lined dressing gown further around his thin frame.

Lily took off her hat and shrank it and magically hooked the point to the tip of her wand where it dangled. Then she held out a hand and he walked forward to grasp it. She closed her eyes and he copied her. The spell led her to his past. First their minds circled above London and then descended towards an old building.

The feel of the descent caused Ebenezer to open his eyes, “I know this place,” he declared after a minute and then cried out as they passed though the wall and settled to the floor.

He peered groggily around the small room and had to stare long and hard before he realised that the young boy in the room was himself. It was the book title that made him recognise the silent room and the quality of that silence.

“Boarding school,” he identified sourly, “Left behind” he added, “All on my own as usual.”

Lily patted him on the shoulder, in commiseration.

Ebenezer continued, “Abandoned.”

Seeing nothing of importance or action in the moment she caught him up and nudged the spell into action again.

The world swirled around them and settled on a pretty girl dragging Ebenezer out of the boarding school, nattering away with enthusiasm that their father had changed and she had persuaded him to invite Ebenezer home.

Ebenezer grunted, “After years of neglect,” he commented.

Lily didn’t like the happiness of the girl and tried to quickly move them on again. Jacob’s spirit, tied to the spell, resisted.

“My sister,” he identified softly with love in his voice, “She was a delight. He married her off without a care. Just made sure she was close to look after him in his old age.”

Lily tried to move the spell on again and they slipped into another sickly bright moment. A Christmas party full of good cheer. The party was of interest. Lily did like a good party and this Fizzwig put on a good party with his riches and generosity.

She briefly forgot about her companion until she felt a dark twist and the spell shifted them on again.

It was another party. A young adult Ebenezer was there, as was another pretty woman.

“I don’t want to be here,” Ebenezer stated abruptly.

Lily found that interesting.

“Take me away,” he demanded.

The young woman led his younger self into a side room. There she quietly broke off their engagement, stating he was too interested in acquiring money.

“I only wanted to make enough so we could be comfortable and I could give her everything she could want.” He defended, “Party’s and frocks and such. Like Fizzwig. He gave me a start but he wouldn’t leave me any money to keep going.” He sniffed and straightened, “Never mind,” he dismissed, and added with satisfaction, “I’ve proved I could have supported her. She should have stayed with me.”

His thoughts pulled on the spell again and surprised her when it brought them part way back to the present. There was his ex-fiancé on a door step, bright and gushing and happy, hanging adoringly on the arm of a man in a plain middle-class suit outside of a simple house. Younger Ebenezer was across the road.

“Enough,” Ebenezer snapped, “I don’t need to see this.” He looked away, “Why are you showing me these events?” he whined, “I want to go home.”

She broke the spell and able to speak and feeling insulted she said stiffly, “These are the shadows of things that have been. They are what they are. Don’t blame me.”

The world swirled and they were back in Ebenezer’s bedroom.

Ebenezer lashed out at her and caught the hat still dangling from the wand. It came loose and re-grew to its full size. He grabbed it and shoved in on her head, “Be gone madam, begone.”

Lily wasn’t going to stay where she wasn’t wanted. She’d much rather be at Marley’s party anyway and she’d done her part as a friend. With satisfaction she took her leave.

Wulf the werewolf liked Christmas. He’d played with his children earlier in the day and much of his very long fur had been dyed green for Christmas, his neck ruff bleached. He wore a smart green waistcoat over his dyed fur and a pair of fine brown trousers and solid boots against the snow. He also wore a sleeveless green over robe He’d popped into Marley’s ongoing party where he’d gained a holly crown sparkling with drops of melt-less ice care of Lily’s magic.

He made his way to Ebenezer’s house and due to his side trip to the party was running late. He arrived around midnight and slipped in, again with the help of Lily’s magic and made his way with a special torch to Ebenezer’s room.

Ebenezer was buried under his fur dressing gown and his down comforter as though he was trying to avoid the non-existent light. A half bottle of brandy sat beside the bed as well as a glass of dissolved salts, a box of undissolved ones nearby.

Wulf laughed loudly, “Celebrating already,” he boomed with delight.

With a shriek, Ebenezer jerked awake and upright. Then he clutched at his bedclothes with one hand while the other clutched at his head and then he reached out and flailed around for the glass of salts while his eyes darted around the room.

Unlike Lily, Wulf blended in with the dark, apart from his special torch which glared into Ebenezer’s bloodshot eyes.

“This won’t do,” Wulf declared loudly and walking forwards he lit a candle beside the bed with his torch.

Ebenezer moaned at the bright light and then in terror at the large looming presence beside his bed. Wulf was six feet tall and had an impressive girth especially when his fur had grown long and full, as in mid-change.

Wulf laughed at the frightened mouse reaction, “Come and know me better man,” he demanded reasonably, “No need to fear without cause.”

Ebenezer winced and shrank down, at the loud voice, “Come on, up, up.”

Ebenezer struggled up and tumbled out of bed. He clambered to his feet and Wulf handed him the salts.

Without a thought Ebenezer grabbed the glass from him and drank it straight down despite the salt’s bitter taste. As soon as it was all gone Wulf caught hold of him, “Let’s enjoy the night,” he declared. He stopped to pull a large meat pie from a hidden pocket. He took a bite and offered one to Ebenezer. Ebenezer was nauseated by the sight of the food and refused with a desperate shake of the head.

Wulf shrugged, “Lily gave me a travelling spell for the evening. Let’s go explore.”

The werewolf took a massive bite of his pie, taking a third of it in one go, and then a moment later they had left the bedroom and were drifting along past well-lit windows frosted with ice and glowing warmly from within. Wulf twitched his horn shaped torch and warmth rolled out keeping Ebenezer comfortable in the freezing night.

They came to a window Ebenezer recognised, “My nephew’s,” He peered in, “He’s holding a party? And I wasn’t invited!” There were young men and women laughing and drinking as older folk looked on in a room glowing and glittering with decorations.

Wulf chuckled, “Shameful. Would you have gone? Your house seemed rather dreary for the time of year.”

Ebenezer hesitated, “Probably not.”

“Fair enough. Shall we continue on then?” Wulf didn’t wait for an answer and simply dragged Ebenezer onwards. They peered into other windows, Wulf happily munching on more pies, goose legs, and mince tarts, and eventually they drifted into darker streets.

Ebenezer was too befuddled to care where he was being led and Wulf seemed too massive for anyone to unwisely accost.

They stopped at a hovel deep in the warren of poorly lit streets.

“My employee, Cratchit,” Ebenezer identified, when they looked in the cracked window. He watched the man’s interaction with his small son. With memory still fresh of his own vulnerability as a child he was moved by the lack of care. “Will the boy live?”

Wulf shrugged, “If the situation remains the same, I doubt it. One less person to feed. More for everyone else.” Wulf took a mouthful of mince pie and chewed slowly.

“That is a child!” Ebenezer hissed, “You have no idea of what that means!”

Wulf growled low, and slow, “Watch your tongue, until you know what you are talking about,” he snarled, “Or I might find you surplus to requirements.”

Ebenezer swallowed and took a step back and whimpered.

Wulf leaned forward, “I have children.” He pulled Ebenezer away from the hovel and after looking around pulled back his sleeveless green robe. Ebenezer staggered backwards in shock at the two hideous children underneath. Both were without clothes covered in long black hair. One was smaller and on two feet with long yellow claws and long yellow fingernails. She had longer hair on top of her head and long fangs. The other was a boy, hunched over, almost on all fours, with the same deformities as his ‘sister’ but with a face that was deformed and elongated.

“Beware my children, Ebenezer Scrooge. Especially my son. They are young and haven’t learnt restraint. They are innocent children too, despite their looks, and they have wants and needs just as that child in there.”

Ebenezer swallowed, “Yes, yes of course.”

Wulf grunted, “Time I took you back. It’s almost morning and time for my children to be in bed.”

“Of course.”

Wulf nodded once, dropped his coat over his children, took a bite of something and the world dissolved back to Ebenezer’s bedroom.

“Erm, thank you,” Ebenezer said, deciding it was best to be polite to someone who harboured those strange children.

Wulf laughed freely, his sharp anger gone, “You’re welcome. Think of all the parties you’ll be able to have like Marley one day.”

Ebenezer laughed nervously, “Yes, like Marley.”

Wulf nodded and vanished.

Ebenezer stumbled to his bedside table, poured and gulped down a large dose of brandy, tumbled into bed and shaking, curled up, pulled his covers over him to block out the world and passed out.

His memory was even more confused in the morning.

Cnut was a vampire. He didn’t care about a lot of anything. He was dead after all. He wanted to show Marley’s friend the wonderfully bleak future that was ahead of him as a mortal human. The gift of truth. He floated to Ebenezer’s after taking his fill of liquid. Marley would not be happy if he snacked on his friend, and Marley did put on a good shindig.

He used his powers to unlock a first-floor window and drifted in and up the stairs. This time Ebenezer was awake and nervously waiting for him. Cnut floated closer.

Ebenezer scrambled out of bed. His foot caught on the bedspread and he dropped to one knee. Cnut was amused by the fear the man exuded. He slid a hand free of his voluminous sleeve and beckoned. Ebenezer stared at the skeletal hand and hastened to his feet and stepped reluctantly closer. Cnut waved the sleeve covered other hand and they materialised by the side of three wealthy men casually sipping wine.

“I wonder if anyone will go to the funeral?” one said.

“Can’t think of many who would,” the next commented, “Too cheap in life to have any friends. Maybe his employee, that Bob Cratchit.”

“Cheap life, cheap death, cheap funeral.”

“Cheap funeral. Well I’m not going if I’m not going to be fed.”

His two companions chuckled and raised their glasses to him in agreement.

Cnut lost interest and drifted away, pulling Ebenezer with him. The scene changed and they were in a cold stone room with a meagre pile of belongings on a wooden table next to a covered body.

Ebenezer turned away, “Don’t, don’t show me the body,” he pleaded. Cnut shrugged.

A door opened and a woman entered the cold stone room. “That’s my charlady!” he exclaimed as the woman approached the pile. “And that’s my laundress, and the local undertaker!” he continued as two more people entered. The three stared at the pile and then the undertaker began to parcel out the belongings between them. Another man eased through the door to the room and the three began bargaining for money in return for the items, totally ignoring the corpse.

“They’re stealing from a corpse to get money! Don’t they have any feeling for the dead?”

The scene changed again to a poor family celebrating with fresh bread.

“God has been kind to us,” the husband said, “We have time now to find the money to pay our debt.”

“Perhaps our new lender will have a heart,” the wife suggested, “and give us more time.”

The husband smiled “Perhaps.”

Cnut drifted away and again Ebenezer was pulled after.

“Is there no gentleness towards death in this world,” Ebenezer bewailed softly.

The world around them whirled and they were at Cratchit’s house. The family was morning his son’s passing in silence and weeping interspersed with words of praise for the boy’s kind heart.

Then world swirled again and they were in a graveyard. Cnut leisurely gestured a finger at a particular gravestone. Ebenezer looked closer and staggered back. “Mine! Mine.” He stumbled and fell to the wet ground and looked up at Cnut’s imposing form, “This is set for only a year from now. Is there no way to delay this? Can you not intercede with fate? What must I do to change it?”

Hidden inside his hood Cnut rolled his eyes. Good as the dead boy, or miserable as Ebenezer, mortals all died. Didn’t this idiot get the point he’d been showing him?

There was one answer of course to bite the man but, really, he didn’t think Ebenezer was vampire material. Time to leave. The world swirled again and they were back in Ebenezer’s bedroom. Before Ebenezer could speak Cnut floated backwards into the darker recesses of the room until he blended in and then made his way out of the house his ‘evil deed’ done.

New year’s eve and Marley floated above the rooftops accompanied by his three new friends to Ebenezer’s house for a visit and to see how he was getting on. His friends had reported that Ebenezer had been fine with meeting them individually and he thought that it would be nice for them to visit together.

He was in for a shock.

The house was lit up as though candles were going out of fashion. He eased his way down to street level, followed by his friends and peered in a window.

Ebenezer was there dressed in fine but practical clothes in sober colours. You couldn’t change a penny pincher overnight after all, and he was jiggling around on the spot giggling stupidly a snifter of brandy in one hand although he wasn't drunk. Around him were his employees laughing and drinking in their best, and mingling with Ebenezer’s nephew and family.

“What happened?!” Marley exclaimed, perplexed. “He was set to be the richest ghost ever. Maybe this is just a one off. What do you think?”

Lily sniffed, “I sense happiness and generosity in there. He is overflowing with warm,” she stopped to swallow distastefully, “fuzzy feelings. I think he’s a lost cause.”

“But how, when? He was all restraint a few days ago.”

Lily shrugged, “Don’t ask me.”

“Looks like a good party,” Wulf growled, regretfully. He was almost full werewolf now and barely human looking.

Marley glanced at Cnut. Cnut flipped a dismissive hand at the window and drifted away. The others followed while Marley hesitated to stare in the window one last time. Footsteps crunched their way to Ebenezer’s front door and curious Marley drifted closer, careful to remain invisible to them.

Ebenezer opened the door, “Mr Lakethwaite,” he greeted the large rotund man in the lead.

“Mr Ebenezer,” George Laketwaite responded pleasantly. “I hope you don’t mind, but my cousin popped by and I’ve brought him along. He was fascinated by your recent change of manner and would be interested to hear what caused it. He’s a writer you see.”

“Oh, that’s fine, the more the merrier,” Ebenezer said stepping back to let them in, “and please call me Ebenezer. Both of you.”

“That’s most cordial of you,” Mr Lakethwaite said, “and I’m being most remiss in my manners. Mr Ebenezer, my cousin, Mr Dickens.”

Mr Dickens smiled politely, “Please, call me Charles.”

By Quothe, the raven