Use this to inspire you today, whether it be through a vignette or short story... maybe even just your thoughts. Leave your offerings in the comment section below. Hope you all have Happy Holidays!Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.**
Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.
ReplyDelete...Very Much Alive...
What better way to understand something that you couldn’t comprehend than by reading a children’s story. There were ghosts too in ‘Fiddler’, at least ‘The Papa’ said so. And that changed everything in ‘The Mama’s’ eyes. The arranged marriage was broken. So maybe there were Christmas ghosts too. So Josh thought. But he could never bring himself to check out “A Christmas Carol’ by Dickens. So on Wednesdays between Public School and Hebrew School he would stop in at the library for about forty-five minutes and try to read through another chapter.
Josh would place his bookmark between the pages. And hide the book behind Einstein's
biography. He would have to wait two weeks now for the next instalment since public School was closed for winter break. At least this year Chaunkah fell close enough to Christmas so he could celebrate without feeling too awkward. While his school tried to cover all the bases - the assemblies still had sing a longs to carols on the last day of school.
Josh had several Christian friends. Abba and Ima said that was OK. We are all brothers and sisters. And holidays are meant to be shared by the living. Milt celebrated Kwanzaa. And Emma had explained the good luck surrounding the Dragon year for Chinese New Year. Living in the city was a good thing wasn’t it? There were lots of different people in the city and it never slept - it was always alive. Ghosts only appeared to be alive. But, “Marley...was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. When you opened a book, words lived. So then Marley was very much alive...
© JP/davh
LIFE AFTER DEATH
ReplyDelete“It is required of every man,” the ghost returned, “that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and, if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”
- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Marley’s ghost haunts still. It was His will to offer me absolution and contrition, but Marley’s mission seems to go beyond that. He has become somewhat of a practical joker. Never mind the poorhouse, Marley had better go to the nuthouse and reduce the surplus population of whatever plane he is assigned to remain upon.
I praise high heavens for the transformation I was afforded. Nephew Fred has embraced the opportunity to take this old fool back into the familial fold.
Cratchett is a devoted partner and friend; more friend than Marley ever was, I’d say without a doubt. But if it was without young Tim, I’d never had gotten him to branch out and become the clark I expected.
Tim. He walks amongst us as if his deformity was not at all normality. I assure him it was we who were crippled in our minds to find him less alive in his malady.
I work less; I walk more. More involved as a human being than being a businessman. And all the better for it, I might add.
The true spirits visit as well, but in celebration of the man I have become. Even the Future Spirit smiles more; at least he does not waggle his boney finger in my direction as much. For that I am most grateful. A fool and his money are happily separated when it is used to fete humanity. To Hades with vanity, Scrooge will be as good a man as this world has seen lo these many Christmases. God bless us, I have tried.