Act 4

Marlon was wondering the empty streets trying to find the Spirit that was with him, but he was nowhere to be found, and to make things worse it's started to get really cold, even more so than usual. The streets actually started to look more darker than it needs to be, along with a sea of fog. Marlon was shivering, he pulled his bath robe up to his face to warm both the face and neck up. Looking at his surroundings, he noticed that the sky was a dark blue while the snow was a light blue, and feels cold and completely alone.

As he was spacing out..."OOF!" He bumped into something solid. "Wha-?..." He looked at whatever he bumped into and instantly became pale as a sheet...he fell over onto his rear while not breaking contact with the object...no...a woman wearing a long, ragged, black hooded cape with golden lining, a long black color slit dress with golden belts, black thigh high boots, fish nets for leggings, and golden chokers. The most notable trait found among her appearance is her short green hair with bangs and a white mask with one eye and red markings. Despite being only a foot or two shorter than him, he was scared out of his mind by her sudden appearance.

"...Who...A-a-are you...the G-G-Ghost of Christmas yet to come?" Marlon asked fearfully, the woman in front of him didn't say a thing, but she had nodded in response. Though he fears the woman, Marlon must know what she wants him to see, he stood up. "...Tell me Spirit...what do you want me to see?" He asks, again the no response, but instead she motioned her hand to follow her, he noticed that she's wearing fish nets for detached sleeves, black finger-less gloves, and golden bracelets, she also has long red nails. She walks down the cold and dark streets with him close behind, while following her, he noticed that the sun has started to rise over head. As they walked, Marlon could've sworn he heard voices of the people, they turned the corner to find a busy street, people were trading things and so on. Marlon hears talking nearby, he looks overhead and sees a group of men talking and laughing.

"So that's what happened?" One man asks.

"Oh yes, that poor fool, one of our own men, has died in his own home." Another man speaks. "I must say the way he runs things, funeral's bound to be cheap."

"Of course." The third one speaks. "But I'm only planning on going there if lunch is provided." They only laugh at the response. Marlon was quite confused by this, he looked at the Spirit who only silently observes, she started to move to another group, Marlon looked over to a few more men, his eyes widen when he realizes something about them.

"Those men...their one of my collaborators."

"So I heard those men talking about our partner." He started.

"Who?" Another one asked.

"I don't know."

"No I mean our partner."

"Oh...honestly I don't remember."

"Me either." They both laugh about that as well, they don't really seem to care who died.

"Hmmmm, these people seemed to be talking about someone." Marlon stated. "But who?" He asks the Spirit, no reply once again. "Well then." He sits down on a barrel. "I saw myself in the past, I'm pretty sure I'll see myself here as well...I usually meet them here from the corner of that drug store so I should be showing up soon." So he watched that one corner to see if his future self arrives...and so he waited...and waited...and waited...but he never came, instead coming out of the corner was someone else he doesn't recognize, and Marlon's partners went to greet him. "Huh...I guess I must've changed himself, huh?" He says to the Spirit, but a another wave a terror has taken him, as the Spirit was looking at him...this time with a sneer. She then took him by his shoulder and drags him off. "HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!" He exclaimed in surprise. They walked into a very run down and disgusting looking neighborhood, full of miserable looking people.

"Hey...I know this area, this place is full of criminals and harlots, but why did you bring me?" Marlon asks, still met with silence. She stopped in front of a old dirty house and let go of Marlon's arm, she gestures him to go inside. Not wanting to be pushed or pulled, he stuck his hand on the door and it went through like it wasn't there. He enters the place alongside the Spirit only to find an old man there in front of a fireplace trying to get warm.

"Oi! Joe!" A old woman who was followed by two more of her crones called out, to which got the old man's attention, that must be Joe. "I brought in more bundles!"

"Let me guess: You stole something from that old greedy and cruel wanker's house?" The old man who is revealed to be Joe asks.

"Oh come off it, there's nothing wrong with taking things without permission." The old woman bragged. "Besides, no one's even gonna miss him or his belongings anyways." Joe thought about what she said, before shrugging.

"Ah you're right, bring it over lass, bring it over!" Joe told her enthusiastically as they went to a table, they seem to have no respect for anyone who they steal from, even those who are dead. "So what's what did you bring in this time?"

"I found a few small nick knacks in his room." The old woman took out a couple of pens and clocks. Joe looks through them before shaking his head.

"Too bad, these aren't really worth much." He gives him only one coin, much to her displeasure. "NEXT!" Another woman came up.

"I got some silver and a couple of fine fabrics." She said, but was then pushed aside by the third woman.

"I got some bed curtains and blankets, I unwrapped it from his corpse." The Third woman said, surprising Marlon and even the old ladies and Joe. "What? It would have been wasted by wrapping him in it." Marlon was appalled by what he heard.

"This is disgusting, get me out of here." Marlon said squeamishly, the Spirit then claps her hands twice, changing the atmosphere. He's now in a empty room dimly lit by candle, and in front of both Marlon and the Spirit was a bed with white sheets, but there was also a lump underneath the sheets that seems to shape like a man, it was a corpse, Marlon jumped in surprise when he saw the body. The Spirit points at his head, motioning him to remove the sheets. "You want me to...?" He asks quietly, the Spirit only nods. Marlon raised his hand to grab it...but quickly pulled it back, the Spirit only looked at him. "I can't do it, Spirit." He said in a sad tone. "After all the horrible things I did that leads me to be rich, the last thing I want is to disrespect someone's corpse upon dying alone...even if this person was cruel." The Spirit only stood there silently, this made Marlon feel a little awkward. "I can see what kind of lesson you're trying to teach me...so...we should leave." The Spirit only stared at him, this is getting really uncomfortable...perhaps they weren't done yet.

"Ok...how about this then, take me to one person who is sadden by the death of this man." Marlon proclaimed, trying to put on a brave face. The Spirit nodded and clapped her hands twice, they we're transported into a unknown home. "Hm? Where are we?" His attention was turned to the sound of the door opening, it was a depressed looking man, but Marlon quickly recognizes him. "Hey, that's one of my clients." He said as the man sat down at the kitchen table, his wife arrives.

"What's wrong dear? Did something happen?" The wife asks, sitting down next to him.

"...I just received news that the man we were in-debt to has passed away." He said. "But there is some hope."

"I see...well I don't wish to sound cruel but thank goodness, this man was a greedy miser."

"True, and we don't know who will take over our debt, but it's very unlikely that he should be such an incredible miser as the last." The man said, starting to become brighter, Marlon can only watch in surprised by how they behaved.

"...This is not what I had in mind." Marlon said, "How about something more tender, something to make me forget the horrible image of that man who died alone in that house." The Spirit nodded and clapped her hands twice again, they were taken to another home that Marlon can quickly recognize. "Say...this is Keel's home." He looks around to find the family in the living area...except something about them is...off. They were silent and depressed. Shaw was sitting by himself by the dining table while Yukina was sitting by the window, Mikina was sewing something, but had to stop because her eyes were getting tired.

"Excuse me Spirit, but I don't see Keel or Tiny Aile." Marlon said. "Where is one of them?" Hearing that question, the Spirit pointed at one corner of the room near the oven. He looked over and saw something that looked familiar...it was Aile's crutch. "...Her...crutch?...Wait...she's not dead, is she?" Upon seeing that, Marlon's stomach dropped when he began to realized what happen. "...Oh my god...she's dead!...Aile's dead!" Marlon covered his face. "It's all my fault! I didn't want this to happen!" He cried out in a desperate matter, but she was still silent, as Marlon was becoming hysterical from this horrific discovery, one of the children asked:

"Father's been coming home more later than usual." It was Yukina. "I mean he's been walking more slower each day."

"I think that because Aile's no longer around." Shaw said, looking back. "He used to run quicker because she was on his shoulders." At that moment, Keel enters, wrapped in his blanket. He looked very depressed...even more so that usual.

"Welcome home dear." Mikina said as she stood up to hug her husband, he hugs her back. Yukina and Shaw followed the same suit.

"Thank you so much, everyone." Keel started, sounding shaky. "I've visited the place where Aile's going to be buried...it was a beautiful site, so green and pure. I promised her I would walk there...every...Sunday." Just as he finished, he began to break down, he placed his face on Mikina's lap and began to cry into it. Mikina, holding back her sobs, comforts her mourning husband. Shaw only hangs his head in sorrow and wiping his tears as Yukina was covering her mouth, preventing her from breaking down as well. As for Marlon, he fell onto knees in grief, he indirectly harmed his own employee by taking away one of his loved ones. The Spirit can only watch in silence as Marlon sits their in complete guilt. The Spirit watches Keel as he goes upstairs to the room where Aile has been laid down on a bed, surrounded by flowers, even holding a bouquet in her cold hands, she looked like she can still be asleep. He composes himself, kisses her little face, then goes downstairs again.

"That reminds me." Keel said, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "I actually ran into Ayn earlier, y'know Marlon's Nephew? He wanted to give his sincere condolences, and gave us his love to us and gave me his address so we came be in touch...in case we needed anything." He sat next to Mikina on the couch. "I think I might also get Shaw a job as well."

"Shaw will soon leave us and set up with a family of his own." Yukina said, the boy nodded.

"That this may be so, but we will never forget this time together, and their first loss, of Tiny Aile, and how very good she was."

The Spirit began to move Marlon's shoulder, Marlon looked up and saw that she was motioning him that's time to leave, he complies and follows her out. Outside of the Cratchit home, the broken miser was sitting on a old carriage, overcome with guilt and sorrow. The Spirit, surprisingly enough hands him a handkerchief, probably to calm him down, he uses it to blow his nose before handing it back, she get's rid of it.

"Spirit..." He said quietly, getting her attention. "...Please...take me to that dead man's grave...I want to know who he is." The Spirit silently nods and begins to walk back into the city. They both walked through the streets in silence until they reached his counting house, but they seem to be passing through it. "Spirit...am I in there?...Can I see myself inside my counting house?". She shook her head, and points in another direction. "...I understand." He continues to walk with the Spirit quietly. Soon enough, they reached the iron gate of a churchyard, a wretched, lifeless place. The Spirit opens the gates, once they're wide open, she gestures him inside, now it is clear that she is directing Marlon to one grave in particular.

"Please Spirit...the places that you showed me...the grave robbing and tiny Aile...tell me these events can yet be changed?" He asked her with desperation in his voice. "Or will they still happen no matter what I do?" Still met with silence, but the way she's walking seems to be more determined, it's as if she wanted to show him the man's grave since the beginning. Soon she stopped, Marlon bumped into her by accident. "Sorry." He looked over, and in front of them was a lonely, neglected grave covered in vines and grass. He took two steps before stopping, he looked back at the Spirit, she quietly nods, egging him to go on. Marlon walked to the grave before kneeling down. When he pulled the vines and pulled the grass, he let out a huge gasp in shock and terror when he saw the name most familiar to him:

~Ebenezer Marlon~

The man who has died, lying under the sheets on a bed, and was robbed and mocked was him, he was that man.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marlon, taking hold of his own head, let out a scream of horror from this revelation, knowing that he was that man, and that he will die alone and unloved...doomed to spend eternity in hell suffering for his Greed like his late partner. Once he stopped, he sat there in horror, panting. The Spirit stood behind him, Marlon turned around and grabbed her dress. "Please Spirit! I don't want to end up like this! I don't wanna die alone! I learned my lessons! I want to live life to the fullest! I want to treat others with kindness! I want to enjoy and honor Christmas with my relatives! I want to save Cratchit's daughter! I want to change myself! I'll change! I'll change! I'll change! I'll change! I'll change! I'll change! I'll change! I'll change!-" As he was repeating that phrase, the Spirit calmly grabs his hands and begins to float down to the ground with him still holding onto her.

"I'll chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!"

End of Act 4