Marley was dead. There is no doubt about that. Everyone knew it: the priest, the clerk, the undertaker, and Ebenezer Scrooge, Marley’s old business partner. Scrooge signed the death papers. Marley had been dead for seven years.
Scrooge was a cold, hard man. He cared only about money. He did not smile, he did not enjoy company, and he had no friends. People avoided him in the street. He liked it that way.
It was Christmas Eve. The weather was very cold and foggy. Scrooge sat in his office, counting money. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, worked in a small, freezing room next door. Scrooge refused to give him much coal for the fire.
Scrooge’s cheerful nephew came in to wish him a merry Christmas. Scrooge said Christmas was “Humbug!”—nonsense. The nephew invited him to Christmas dinner, but Scrooge refused. The nephew left politely, still wishing Scrooge well.
Two men came in next, asking for charity for the poor. Scrooge refused and said poor people should go to prisons or workhouses. The men left, unhappy with his answer.
Later, Scrooge told Bob Cratchit he could have Christmas Day off, but must come back early the next morning. Scrooge then walked home through the foggy, dark streets.
His house was large and very quiet. It had once belonged to Marley. At the front door, Scrooge saw something strange—the door knocker looked like Marley’s face. It stared at him with ghostly eyes. Scrooge was shocked, but quickly told himself it was just his imagination.
Inside, he locked his door. He checked all the rooms, making sure everything was normal. Then he sat down to eat his supper.
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound—chains clinking, slowly coming from the basement. The noise grew louder, moving up the stairs. The door flew open and the ghost of Jacob Marley appeared! He wore the chain he had made in life—long and heavy, with locks, ledgers, and money boxes.
Scrooge was terrified. Marley told him that his spirit could find no rest because, in life, he had cared only for money. He warned Scrooge that he was making the same mistake and would wear an even heavier chain in the afterlife.
Marley said Scrooge could still escape this fate. Three spirits would visit him on three nights. Each would teach him an important lesson.
The ghost began to leave. As he floated away, he gave one final warning: “Remember what I have told you!” Then Marley disappeared into the cold night.
Scrooge went straight to bed without undressing and quickly fell asleep.
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