A Christmas Play: Act 2 Part 1 - A Christmas Carol

Act 2 Part 1 - A Christmas Carol

Scrooge appears with his savings, keeping it close to him for comfort.

The Christmas Carol is a lovely story of how one man overcomes his selfish and lonesome nature to turn over a new leaf and truly embodies the spirit of Christmas, of sharing ones joy with those less fortunate and to remember to do good. Abeniser Scrooge is the embodiment of selfishness and misery, ones who only cares about himself and believes in nothing but saving each and every penny without an inkling of human compassion for others, a literal embodiment of the very word. His character has always been used as a model for whom not to be yet also as a symbol of hope that anybody can change for the better once they see the light. Here is the narration for the second Act - A Christmas Carol which will be presented in two parts.

Scrooge laments on life and how other people are frivolously throwing away their wealth by celebrating the holidays.

Scrooge enters from the back of the audience, taking each and every step in a calculative and cold demeanour. He forever laments to all he meets that they should be more like him, less of a spendrift and saving all they have and not on frivolous things. His workers at this firm, he calls lazy and decadent as they wanted the day off to spend Christmas with their family. He cries out loud 'humbug', that he needed no one, only himself and his wealth. His existance is a lonely and deprived state yet he does not realise it, living alone in his huge mansion, with the lighting turned down and heating turned off to save on cost.

Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old friend who warns him to change unless he was to be visited by three spirits.

On this Christmas night, Scrooge was alone, his employees all returned to their homes to be loved ones. He sits in his chair and counts his coins, not missing a single one. Then late at night he fell asleep in his task and soon his life was to be changed. He awakens to the sound of rattling chains and he sought to see where they came from. Out from the darkness came a specter draped with iron chains binding his self. Scrooge stumbles and fell on his back as he saw this and begs it to go away, yet the figure approaches even closer.

Scrooge is unrepentant and bids his friend to leave and thus seals his fate.

The specter spoke in a familiar voice and instantly Scrooge recognises who it was. The realisation that in front of him stood his old associate and friend didn't move him the slightest. The specter greets Scrooge and warns him to mend his ways and not let the fate that has befallen him be shared by Scrooge. Scrooge disbelieves the ghost's warning and asks him to leave. The ghost relents but warns that the chains he bear, a link for all the guilt and wrongdoings he had commited while living will surely be Scrooges fate as well. Then he adds that before the night is over, 3 other spirits will be visiting him. Scrooge was about to retort this but the ghost was no more and Scrooge awoke back as he was, sitting in his chair with his pile of coins near him.

Scrooge's lover from his past appears to remind Scrooge of happier times.

As he waited he began to think that all that had happened was all a dream. He was about to relax when suddenly he found himself in a different place, somewhere he faintly remembers but can't really recall. Out came from the darkness, a lady. Dancing majestically she appears and danced about Scrooge. Scrooge fell to his knees when he recognises the lady, his wife whom he loved and who has passed on long ago. He was filled with joy and longing for she was the Spirit of the Past, revisiting Scrooge as the first visitation of the night. She danced in joyful delight yet Scrooge could not touch her. He recalls of better times when he was younger and he was able to give his love to this beautiful lady. Then as if a fleeting specter, she was so near yet unreachable to Scrooge. He then got angry and began to recall how sad he felt when she died, living him all alone and realised that from that point he stopped caring for the world, as if all once of emotion and care had left him along with the woman he loved. Sensing this, the lady stopped and looked at him and smiled and in a blink she was gone from his life, once again. Again Scrooge awoke and found himself as he was before he was brought back to the past and again he wanted to discount the encounter.

Little Timmy the cripple was at home when Scrooge chanced about the scene.

As time passed, Scrooge once again began to relax and went back to counting his money to calm himself. An hour passed and then once again he found himself away from his chair. He was in the street, the snow had just begun to fall and the streets were partially covered and he felt the icy chill of the wind. The street was dark but he saw that this was the poorer part of town, people in rags were sleeping on the street, hobos huddled near the fire to warm themselves. He saw that a window nearby was lighted and slowly for some curious pull was making him head towards the light, like a moth attracted to heat. He peered into the window and saw that the house inside was small by far compared to his mansion. A door opened and he saw that a little boy bearing a crutch was limping into the room. The space was sparse without much furniture and the room was barely lit by the light of a small flickering candle, no other source of heat was evident to ward of the chill of winter. Scrooge once again said humbug at that sight.

Timmy's father, one of Scrooge's employees came and greeted Timmy with a gift.

Timmy, as that was the boy's name, was excited. He limped all over the room and this puzzled Scrooge. The door once again swung open and Scrooge recognised the person entering it. It was one of his very own employees who had been working for long with Scrooge and whom he had fired because he had asked for a small raise for the Christmas season. Timmy limped as fast as he could to greet his father and his face shone with all the joy and happiness in the world and this puzzled Scrooge even more. In his hand was a wrapped gift, a small little thing yet to these two it seems that it was the most cherished item in the world. Timmy's father hugged his son and told him the gift was for him.

Scrooge fond himself no longer confined to the roadside and in an instant he was in the room yet the two were oblivious to his presence and continued doing what they were doing without pause. Timmy grabbed the present and hugged his father and said he loved him. His father smiled and hugged him back and returned the feeling. Scrooge was perplexed, he was wondering why these two were so happy even when they had nothing to their name. Timmy opened the gift and within he found a small Christmas tree with decorations. It wasn't much to Scrooge but to Timmy his eyes lit up and tears welled up and he hugged his father ever more and kept on saying how much he liked it. For he had never really had a Christmas tree before and even this little thing must had cost a lot for his father to buy. Scrooged hovered about and in his mind many conflicting thoughts came about which he did not fully comprehend.

End of Act 2 Part 1 - A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Play Act 2 Part 2 will be continued in a latter entry, feel free to come back and read about it.