It was Christmas Eve.Ebenezer Scrooge was in his office, the office of Scrooge and Marley. His clerk, poor Bob Cratchit, was working. Suddenly, Scrooges young nephew came into the office.`Hello uncle. Merry Christmas!’ he said happily. ‘Do
you want to come and have Christmas dinner with us tomorrow?’ ‘Christmas?’ Scrooge replied. `Bah! Humbug!’ Scrooge hated Christmas and he refused his nephew’s invitation for dinner on Christmas Day. His nephew went away. Later two men came to the office, asking for money for the poor. `Bah! Are there no prisons for these people?’ Scrooge refused to give even a penny.
Then, when it was time to close the office, Bııh Cratchit asked for the day off, because it was Christmas.
`All right,’ Scrooge said, `but he here early the next morning!’
That evening Scrooge was sitting in front of his fire at lıoıne when, suddenly, lie saw a ghost in front of lıinı. ‘Who are YOU?’ Scrooge asked nervously.
`In life, I was Jacob Marley, your partner. I am wearing these chains and I can never be in peace, because when I lived, I only thought about money. But I am here to help you. You have a chance to escape my terrible destiny. Tonight three ghosts will visit you.’ Then the ghost of Marle}• disappeared.
Scrooge went to bed and fell asleep. But in the night lie woke tip. The figure of a strange old man appeared near his bed.
`I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. Of your past,’ it told Scrooge. The ghost took Scrooge to scenes of
Christmases from the past. In one scene Scrooge saw himself as a boy at school. l ie was reading a book. All the other boys had gone home for Christmas. In another scene Scrooge saw himself as a young man.
He was talking to his girlfriend, who he didn’t marry because she didn’t have any money. Scrooge began to feel sadder and sadder. ‘Stop! Show me no more!’ he cried. Finally the ghost brought him home and Scrooge fell asleep again. Later that night, Scrooge woke up again. `I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. LAx)k at me!’ said the second ghost, laughing. He was a large man with a beard, wearing a green robe. He took Scrooge to the house of Bob Cratchit and his fiunily. It was cold in the house and &ıh and his family were sitting around a very small Christmas pudding.
`What a wonderful pudding. Merry Christmas everyone!’ cried Bob.
Scrooge felt sad, because he could see how poor the Cratchits »•ere: Bob’s smallest child, Tiny Tim, was weak and ill. The ghost finally took Scrooge to a very poor area of London. There were two poor children out in the street.
`Can’t »•e do something to help these children?’ he asked the ghost, who repeated what Scrooge had said before.
`Are there no prisons.'’ The ghost laughed and disappeared.
Then, the third ghost appeared. He was dressed in black and looked …
`Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?’ Scrooge asked nervously. .
The ghost did not answer. It took Scrooge and showed lıiı» scenes of the future. In one, people were talking ahuııt Scrooge,.-, death, bur not one person was unhappy about it. The ghost also took him to the Cratchit family. The family was very sad. The little boy, Tiny Tıııı, had died.
The next morning, Scrooge opened his window and asked, What day is it today!
`Why sir, it’s Christmas Day,’ replied a Young boy in the street.
Scrooge was very happy. He gave money to the boy to buy an enormous turkey for the Cratchit family. Then he went out into the street.
`Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!’ He wished everybody he saw Merry Christmas. He met the man who had asked for money for the poor and gave him a large sum of money. Scrooge then went and visited his nephew and had the best Christmas dinner in his life. The next day he went to his office early. He waited for Bob Cratchit.
‘You are late!’ said Scrooge in an angry voice.
`Yes, I’m very sorry …’ replied poor Bob.
`In that case, I’m afraid I’m going to … increase your salary! Merry Christmas, Bob!’
From that day, Scrooge was the happiest man in the world. He gave money to the poor. He helped &ıh Cratchit’s family.
And people always said of him: ‘He knew how to celebrate Christmas.’
Charles Dickens