MANUALE DI LETTURA ESPRESSIVA (La Rondine Edizioni)

MANUALE DI LETTURA ESPRESSIVA (La Rondine Edizioni)
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GUIDA PRATICA ALLA GESTIONE DELLA CLASSE (Essere Felici Edizioni)

GUIDA PRATICA ALLA GESTIONE DELLA CLASSE (Essere Felici Edizioni)

LEZIONI DI METRICA LATINA (Principato)

LEZIONI DI METRICA LATINA (Principato)
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domenica 24 giugno 2018

Gruppo New Fluency, settimana 45 (25 giugno-1 luglio)



La proposta della settimana per la lettura ad alta voce in inglese (30 minuti al giorno): Don Quixote.
 Chapter one
 A Gentleman from La Mancha
 In the Spanish village of La Mancha, there lived a gentleman who loved to read. His favorite stories were of knights and their code of chivalry: full of dragons, magic swords, enchanted forests, and damsels in distress.
 This gentleman was not a wealthy man, but rather a hidalgo. A hidalgo was a landowner who was richer than a peasant, but poorer than a nobleman. His name was Senor Quixano.
 Senor Quixano lived modestly with his housekeeper and his young niece. He was a tall, thin man in his fifties. He was a strong and healthy man, who went hunting every morning.
 However, he started to read adventure stories all the time. His best friends, the local priest and the village barber, were worried. Their friend suddenly began spending night and day in his chair, reading adventure books through crazed, bloodshot eyes.
 Soon he started thinking these stories were true. Finally he went completely crazy.
 Waking up in his reading chair one morning, Senor Quixano announced, "I'm going to become a knight-errant!"
 "A what?" asked his concerned niece.
 "A knight-errant is a righter of wrongs, a friend to the unfortunate, a rescuer of fair maidens, and a killer of dragons!"
 "But Uncle," she cried, "there are no dragons in Spain! And who are these maidens who need rescuing?"
 The old man went to the attic of his house and found a rusty old suit of armor. He put the suit on and felt ready for action.
 In a bold voice, he announced, "Now, to my faithful steed.
 This "steed" was really a worn-out nag. But to his delusional eyes, it was a valiant war horse.
 "I name you Rocinante, Queen of the hacks! And I will call myself.
 He took a moment to think of the perfect name. "Don Quixote!"
 "Now I must dedicate my life to a lady!'
 "Do you know a lady?" sobbed the man's niece, frightened by his insane ramblings.
 "All knights know a lady," the man replied. "When I conquer a giant or capture a villain, I'll parade them in front of her to prove my love and loyalty."
 Then he remembered stories he had heard of a beautiful peasant girl from the nearby village of El Toboso. Having lost his grip on reality, he decided that she was a lonely princess.
 "What's her name?" demanded his niece, hoping to bring him to his senses.
 Quickly, he invented a name. "All of the sweetest ladies are named Dulcinea. Her name is Dulcinea del Toboso, and to her I dedicate my life! Don't try to stop me. I must go!"
 Then he picked up his sword, a cracked old lance, and a leather shield and marched out to the stable. A few minutes later, he rode out in search of his first knightly adventure. Don Quixote soon realized that he had not been knighted. "I must find a lord or lady to dub me a knight," he said. "I don't want to be called a fraud!"
 All day Don Quixote rode the scorching plain searching for adventure, but nothing happened. By sunset, he and Rocinante were hungry and tired. In the fading light, the armored man saw an inn and rode toward it. "Perhaps we'll find shelter at that castle," he said to his horse.
 The inn was of the common shabby type found along the highways of Spain. In front of the inn were two dirty-faced peasant girls, who watched in shock as this man in rusty armor approached them.
 "Good evening, fair maidens," he said. "I am the knight, Don Quixote de La Mancha. Please summon a trumpeter to announce my arrival."
 In his eyes, this old inn was a great castle with tall silver towers. Don Quixote became annoyed when the girls just giggled.
 But at this moment, a pig-handler stepped out of the inn and blew his horn to round up his grunting animals for the night. Don Quixote mistook the sound of the horn for a chorus of pipes and trumpets.
 Then the innkeeper came to the knight. "If you're looking for a bed for the night, I'm sorry to tell you that we're all full."
 "Sire, are you the master of this castle?" asked Don Quixote politely.
 Looking at this man in his rusty armor, the innkeeper realized that he was obviously crazy. The innkeeper decided to have some fun with this loon.
 "All of the royal apartments in my castle are full."
 "That's okay," replied Don Quixote. "A good knight has no need for comfort. I'll be happy to sleep on the ground with a rock for a pillow."
 "You're a knight, aren't you?" the innkeeper asked mischievously.
 "I am an apprentice knight," replied Don Quixote. "I seek a kind lord who will dub me a knight with his sword."
 "I see," said the innkeeper, "but I'm busy now caring for my other guests. I'll be back to you when I get a chance." "Thank you, my lord," replied Don Quixote.
 After some rest, Don Quixote grew impatient and sent for the innkeeper. When the innkeeper stumbled out, Don Quixote said, "Lord, I can wait no longer. Please tell me what good deed I must do to earn my knighthood."
 The innkeeper said, "If you want me to knight you, stay here and guard my courtyard tonight."
 With that, he turned and stomped off to the kitchen.
 Don Quixote picked up his weapons and walked to the middle of the courtyard, next to a water trough. Inside, the innkeeper told his guests about the madman who thought he was a knight in the courtyard.
 A few hours later, a muleteer approached the trough with his animals.
 "Stand back, foolish knight!" shouted Don Quixote. "I will defend this magic well to the death!"
 "But my mules need water," cried the peasant as he pushed past Don Quixote.
 Swinging his lance, Don Quixote hit the man on the head and knocked him out.
 "I have done my first good deed!" exclaimed Don Quixote. "When this man awakes, I must send him to my lady Dulcinea to pay his respects."
 Alarmed by the noise, the other muleteers rushed out of the inn and attacked Don Quixote.
 "A swarm of evil knights attacks me!" cried Don Quixote as he blocked their flying stones with his shield.
 The innkeeper realized that he needed to get rid of this dangerous screwball.
 "Dear knight," he said to Don Quixote, "forgive these evil knights and put down your weapons. You have proved your courage. I will dub you a knight without delay. Kneel down."
 Obediently, Don Quixote knelt amid the straw and dung of the yard.
 "I hereby appoint you to the order of righteous knights," cried the innkeeper, smacking Don Quixote across the back with his own sword.
 Don Quixote jumped to his feet excitedly, "My lord, I owe you everything!"
 "Yes, yes," replied the innkeeper. "Now you must go off on your good-deed doing and wrong-righting."
 "At once!" cried Don Quixote, who hurried to the stable, mounted Rocinante, and rode out into the dawn of La Mancha.
 Shortly after, Don Quixote spotted a group of silk merchants coming toward him on the road.
 "Here is an opportunity for gallantry."
 Riding in front of the group, he blocked the road. "Halt, cretins! None shall be allowed to pass without proclaiming that my lady, Dulcinea del Toboso, is the most beautiful maiden in the world!"
 The traders stopped and looked at each other. It was obvious to them that they were in the presence of a madman.
 "I want to see her first before I can proclaim her beauty. How do we know that she's not just some old sloppy chops?" said the joker of the group.
 "Sloppy chops?" screamed Don Quixote. "Prepare to do battle, you impudent knave!" Don Quixote raised his lance and charged the group. But Rocinante was not accustomed to speed and stumbled. Don Quixote was thrown through the air and landed in a ditch with a crash. The merchants went away, laughing loudly.
 Hours later, a passing farmer heard a whimper. He found Don Quixote in the ditch, covered in mud. The farmer recognized him as Senor Qixano from the village. He hurriedly picked up Don Quixote and carried him home. There the knight was tucked safely into his own bed.
 Chapter two
 Knight & Squire
 For two weeks Don Quixote rested in his house, making everyone think he had regained his sanity.
 But he had secretly sold some of his land to finance his next adventure. He was also looking for a squire to accompany him.
 The only man Don Quixote found who would work for him was a fat little farmer named Sancho Panza. He was a total dunce.
 "This squire job sounds like hard work," said Sancho. "I'd rather be at home with my family, munching on a big plate of pork."
 Sancho Panza loved wine, food, and afternoon naps more than anything else.
 "But squires always receive great prizes of gold and land from the knights they serve," promised Don Quixote. "If you serve me, you'll surely end up as the governor of some rich island."
 "My own island!" Sancho repeated, licking his lips. "Okay, I'll grab my bags and saddle up my donkey."
 Then the two left in the middle of the night without telling anyone.
 By dawn, the two men were in the middle of a wide plain. Squinting in the glare of the brilliant sun, Don Quixote saw thirty or forty windmills in the fields before them. "Sancho, fortune is smiling upon us!" he called. "Does that mean it's time for breakfast?" replied Sancho.
 "This is no time for eating, you pig. Look at those giants over there. I'll kill every one of them. Our great service will be remembered for centuries!"
 "What giants?" cried Sancho Panza.
 "Over there! The ones with the long arms!"
 "But Master, those are windmills."
 "Don't contradict me," scolded Don Quixote. "I know an army of giants when I see them!"
 Don Quixote spurred Rocinante into a gallop and raised his lance.
 "Giants! Prepare to fight!" he shouted.
 Charging into the nearest tower, he thrust the shaft of his lance into a sweeping sail. The weapon shattered, and the knight was picked up off his horse and tossed into the air.
 He landed with a great "BOOM!" fifty meters away in a large puff of white dust.
 Trotting over on his donkey, Sancho Panza said, "I told you they were windmills."
 "You fool!" said Don Quixote. "When I charged those giants, an evil wizard flew by on an invisible horse and cast a spell that changed them into windmills! To rob me of my glory!"
 "I see," said Sancho, believing every word as he helped his master to his feet.
 "Don't worry, my squire. I'll find this wizard and destroy him!"
 The next morning, they began traveling again with-out breakfast, to Sancho's dismay. An hour later, they saw a large cloud of dust in the distance.
 "It must be two bloodthirsty armies in battle!" exclaimed Don Quixote. Then he quickly described both of the armies, including the names of their generals and fiercest knights which he made up.
 "How do we know that this isn't just a trick by those evil wizards?"
 "Can't you hear thousands of marching feet?" yelled Don Quixote, who raised his broken lance and charged them.
 "They're not soldiers," cried Sancho, "It's just a large flock of sheep!"
 The knight began skewering the poor sheep on the end of his lance. As soon as the shepherds saw him killing their animals, they began pelting him with stones. A rock smashed the side of Don Quixote's face and knocked him off Rocinante.
 "Those evil wizards!" cried Don Quixote, spitting out a mouthful of blood and the chips of broken teeth. "They've done it again!"
 In a nearby meadow, the knight and the squire found a place to rest for the night.
 "I'll have dinner ready in a minute," said Sancho.
 "Oh, Squire, how can you think of eating in the moment of my greatest despair?"
 "There's nothing more important to me than eating," Sancho said, devouring raw onion and salami. "What are you so sad about anyway?"
 Holding his throbbing head, the knight answered, "The loss of half my ear and four teeth saddens me."
 "I'm not surprised. There will be nothing left of you in a week or two. I've never seen a man more miserable. We should call you the Knight of the Long Face. Your chin is almost scraping the ground."
 "Yes, my squire, that's an excellent name for such an unhappy knight as myself.
 The two realized that they were thirsty. An hour later, they located a stream in the forest. As the sun began to set, they heard a terrible sound coming from within the depths of the forest.
 "This is an enchanted forest ruled by a terrible ogre. I will find and destroy him with my lightning lance. If I'm not back in three days, go to my lady Dulcinea and tell her I died valiantly in her honor."
 Sancho Panza was afraid to be left alone, so he slipped off his donkey and sneaked under Rocinante's hind legs. There he tied a loop of rope to hold her still.
 When Don Quixote tried to spur the nag on, she could not move.
 "What magic is this?" boomed Don Quixote. "My steed is held still."
 "Oh, it must be that evil wizard again," lied Sancho. "Perhaps it would be better to destroy the ogre in the morning."
 "Yes, I will break this spell in the morning," agreed Don Quixote.
 The two men spent the rest of the night trembling in the forest for fear of the terrible noise coming from down the river.
 At dawn, Sancho slipped the rope from Rocinante's hind legs. When Don Quixote mounted her, she could walk.
 "I'm free!" exclaimed the knight happily. Then they set off to search for the ogre.
 But when they found the source of the terrible crashing sound, it wasn't an ogre but an old water machine, clanking away under the power of a water- fail.
 Sancho Panza began laughing at Don Quixote's newest folly. "We just spent the night trembling in fear of this!" he laughed.
 The Knight of the Long Face was even more miserable after this failed adventure. But late that afternoon, he saw something that lifted his spirits.
 "Look, Sancho, do you see that knight riding toward us?"
 "I see a man on a donkey," replied Sancho.
 "That knight is Horatio the Brave, and his helmet is the most valuable on Earth."
 "I think that's a barber's wash basin on his head."
 "No, it's a solid gold battle helmet. I will challenge him and win it!"
 Don Quixote shouted, "Surrender your helmet, Horatio, or I'll spear you with my lance!"
 "I have no helmet," cried the man. "I'm just a barber. This brass basin is for my work. I put it on my head because it was raining."
 "Do you expect me to believe that?" scoffed Don Quixote, drawing his sword.
 Don Quixote snatched the basin from the man and placed it on his head. "The visor is missing, and someone has tried to melt the gold off. But I shall wear it with pride."
 Sancho tried not to giggle at the sight of Don Quixote with the wash basin on his head.
 Later they came to a line of a dozen men with heavy chains around their necks and hands. Four soldiers herded them, cursing and lashing them with whips.
 "Prisoners," said Sancho, "off to row the king's boat."
 "I don't believe it," said Don Quixote. "These unfortunate men are being held against their will. It is my duty to rescue them."
 "Master," said Sancho with alarm, "these men are terrible criminals. They must pay for their crimes!"
 "Move aside!" commanded one of the soldiers.
 "These men are vulnerable and needy," said Don Quixote. "As a knight-errant, I offer them protection!"
 "This crazy old fool is out of his mind," laughed the sergeant. "He's got a wash basin on his head!"
 As the other soldiers laughed, Don Quixote smashed the sergeant over the head with his lance and knocked him unconscious. The other soldiers attacked him, but the convicts attacked them faster. One of the convicts stole the keys from the sergeant's pocket and unlocked the other criminals. The convicts overtook the soldiers easily.
 "My friends," cried Don Quixote, "I have given you freedom. All I ask in return is that you go to the village of El Toboso and testify of my courage to my mistress."
 "He's as crazy as a coconut!" yelled one of the convicts. "Grab him!"
 The convicts attacked Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and beat them. They robbed their saddlebags and cracked Don Quixote's basin on a rock before running away.
 Sancho Panza cried, "Now we're going to be in big trouble. We'll be wanted men. The Holy Brotherhood Police will be after us!"
 CHAPTER THREE
 The Giant Killer
 To escape from the Holy Brotherhood, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza fled into the mountains. They traveled high up to desolate lonely country of the Sierra Moreno range.
 "All great men go through a period of despair when they question everything they believe in," Don Quixote said. He turned to his hungry squire, "I am sending you to El Toboso, with a message of my love for Dulcinea. She must tell me whether she can return my love or not. I will stay here and whip myself until you return."
 All Sancho could think about was the feast he was going to eat as soon as he got back to a village.
 "Ride quickly, Sancho Panza," commanded Don Quixote as he took off his armor. Then he smashed himself in the chest with a large rock and began to beat himself on the back with a tree branch. Riding away from the strange scene. Sancho called to his master, "Don't overdo it, or there'll be nothing left of you before I can return."
 Halfway to the village, Sancho stopped at an inn for the feast he had been waiting for. As he approached the door after his big meal, he came face to face with Don Quixote's old friends, the priest and the barber.
 "Hey, you work for our troubled friend, Senor Quixano, don't you?" the priest said to Sancho.
 "It's true. I am his squire."
 "How can you believe his nonsense? Don't you realize he has lost his mind?"
 "There have been some strange things happening," replied Sancho.
 "Where is he now?" demanded the barber.
 "He's in the mountains, waiting for me to return with an answer from his mistress, the lady Dulcinea del Toboso."
 "Her answer to what?" asked the priest.
 "Something about love," answered Sancho.
 "Take us to him. We have to bring him back to the village with us," said the priest.
 "I will, but I warn you he'll never come back with you."
 "Hmm," said the barber, "I have a plan. I'll be back in a minute."
 Shortly after, the barber came back with two dresses from the innkeeper's wife.
 The three traveled back to the mountains. That night, they camped and discussed the details of their plan. In the morning, Sancho went off to find Don Quixote and tell him about the ladies in need of help. Meanwhile, the priest and the barber put on the dresses and began cooking bacon over the fire for their breakfast. As they ate and talked, they saw a beautiful woman passing by.
 "We must show ourselves at once,'" said the priest. They stepped out to meet her.
 The girl screamed when she saw them, and tried to run away.
 "Do not fear us," shouted the priest, "I am a man of God!"
 "If you're a priest, why are you wearing that dress?" she questioned.
 "It's a long story," he replied.
 "By the way, why are you wandering these hills?" asked the barber.
 The beautiful young girl then told her sad story. "My name is Dorotea. I am the daughter of a wealthy farmer. I was to be married to the Duke's son, Ferdinando. But he left me for another woman. I was so broken-hearted that I came here to cry away the rest of my days."
 Then the priest had an idea. "Perhaps a truly beautiful lady such as yourself could convince Don Quixote to come back to our village, rather than an old priest and barber dressed like women."
 Dorotea agreed to their plan and put on one of the dresses.
 When Sancho returned, he led them to Don Quixote, who was still lashing himself with the branch of an old olive tree.
 Immediately, Dorotea fell to her knees. "Please, brave knight, a terrible giant is attacking my father's kingdom. You must help us!"
 "Of course I will help you! Sancho, prepare my horse. We leave at once. I cannot refuse a princess in distress."
 Later the group arrived at the inn where Sancho had first met the barber and the priest. The innkeeper ran out to greet them and was met by the priest. The priest handed him ten gold pieces and said, "My friend in the iron suit is mad. He thinks he's a knight and this is a castle. I ask you only to play along for the night and let us stay until morning."
 "Yes, my wife heard something about a lunatic roaming the valley," said the innkeeper. "I heard the Holy Brotherhood is searching for him. You may stay, but your crazy friend will have to stay in the hayloft where I keep my wine, so he won't bother anyone."
 The priest and barber agreed.
 Long past midnight, after everyone had gone to bed, the priest awoke to the loud sound of gushing liquid, as if a river had burst into the inn. Suddenly, Sancho Panza stumbled into the room, covered in blood. "My master is fighting a giant upstairs! It's a bloodbath up there!"
 The priest helped him up and tasted some of the redness on his fingers. "Sancho, this isn't blood, you simpleton. It's wine!"
 Sprinting up the stairs, the priest shuddered when he saw what had happened. There was Don Quixote, swinging his sword and stabbing the huge pigskin sacks full of wine hung from the ceiling.
 "Ah ha!" cried Don Quixote as the wine splashed out over him, blinding his eyes. "Another fatal wound. Soon there will be no more blood left in your body. Victory will be mine!"
 The innkeeper raced upstairs screaming, "Oh no, you're a madman. My best wine is all gone. My wife has sent for the Holy Brotherhood. You'll pay for all of this damage!"
 As the officers of the Holy Brotherhood arrived to arrest Don Quixote, the priest came and took one of the officers aside for a moment. He explained that Don Quixote was crazy and needed to be taken home for medical attention. The priest also told the officer to have his men put some chalk on their faces.
 Soon after, Dorotea came to Don Quixote. "Brave knight, you have slain the giant and saved my father's kingdom. I thank you."
 "It was my pleasure, dear princess,' said Don Quixote.
 Suddenly the knight was surrounded by eight ghostly figures with white faces.
 One of them stepped forward and said,
 "We are demons, sent by the evil wizard to take you back to your village! Get into this cage!"
 Don Quixote tried to fight, but the eight men seized him and locked him into the cage. Don Quixote struggled to break free from the cage until his strength was gone. Then he fell asleep.
 Chapter four
 New Quest
 Don Quixote stayed in bed for several weeks. His niece and housekeeper watched him closely, hoping his knightly madness was finished.
 One day, the barber and the priest visited him.
 "I'm fully recovered and ready to get back to my old life," said Don Quixote.
 "So old friend," asked the priest, "what do you think our king should do about this Turkish sultan who has threatened to attack our shores?"
 "I would hold a jousting contest to find the bravest knight in all of Spain," said Don Quixote. "Then I would send that single courageous knight to conquer the sultan's armies."
 Don Quixote sat up in bed, demonstrating the sword thrusts to destroy the sultan's forces.
 "Oh dear," said the barber to the priest, "it seems as if our friend's sanity has not returned. We may have to employ more shocking tactics to bring his mind back."
 Suddenly Sancho squeezed into the room with a grin on his face and gave the old knight some good news.
 "Last night I was at a party to welcome back young Carrasco, who has been studying at Salamanca University. Before I could say 'hello', he told me he had read about all of our adventures," said Sancho. "Somebody wrote a book called Don Quixote, and it's the biggest bestseller in all of Spain!"
 "Bring him to me, my squire. I must meet this young man," said Don Quixote.
 A few minutes later, Sancho returned, leading a young man with a chubby face and a mischievous expression into the room. Before Don Quixote could speak, the youth fell onto his knees and said, "Oh, great knight, I'm humbled to be in your excellent presence!"
 Carrasco kept talking, trying to control his giggles. "In all the history of chivalry, no one can find a braver, more extraordinary knight than Don Quixote. The book is beloved by every man and woman in every social class. The author is even talking about writing part two!"
 "Well then," cried Don Quixote, hopping out of bed, "it's time to get back in the saddle. My public needs me!"
 Seven days later, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza saddled their mounts and prepared to ride. Carrasco was there to wish them farewell.
 Suddenly the housekeeper and niece burst out of the house and cried, "What's going on here? Where's the priest? He must stop this madness!"
 Carrasco whispered to them, "Don't worry. The priest and I have a plan to bring him home. You'll see in a day or two."
 Then Don Quixote shouted farewell, and they rode off.
 "So what's our first move?" asked Sancho after they had been riding for an hour.
 "We are riding to El Toboso where you will guide me to the palace of my mistress."
 "Oh no," fretted Sancho. "I'm not sure I can remember where she lives."
 Later they found themselves riding around the dark streets of El Toboso, hopelessly lost. Sancho convinced Don Quixote that they should wait until morning to find Dulcinea. After eating breakfast at their campsite, Sancho rode off, trying to figure out what to do.
 As he was trying to think of a solution, Sancho saw three peasant girls riding across the plain on donkeys. He had an idea. He turned around and rode back to camp.
 "Master, I have great news," he cried.
 "Will she allow me to visit?" Don Quixote asked hopefully.
 "Polish your suit. She couldn't wait for your visit. She's riding here with two of her maids."
 Don Quixote ran around in a panic. Sancho helped him into his armor, and minutes later they were riding through the trees.
 "Where is she?" cried Don Quixote.
 "Over there," said Sancho, pointing to the peasant girls who were riding past.
 "All I see are three ugly girls on donkeys," said Don Quixote.
 "But sir, those are the prettiest women I have ever seen."
 Don Quixote walked up to them and asked the one in the middle, "Are you my mistress, Princess? Are you Dulcinea, the sweetest rose in Spain?"
 The girl let out a big laugh, "Sorry, Granddad, I can't waste time talking with lunatics."
 Then she kicked Sancho so hard he almost fell off his donkey. The girls rode off, leaving Don Quixote in a cloud of dust.
 "The evil wizard has changed my love into a disgusting country wench!" cried Don Quixote.
 "It's terrible," cried Sancho, clapping his hands with glee because his plan was working so well.
 "Now I am truly the Knight of the Long Face. This evil wizard has struck me in my weakest spot! I must find a way to break his spell and restore her beauty!"
 Don Quixote spent the rest of that day crying in the woods, reciting poetry about lost love. Sancho contented himself with two salamis and a leather cask of wine.
 Suddenly Don Quixote hissed, "I hear two men approaching in the forest."
 "Where?" asked Sancho.
 "On the other side of those bushes."
 Then the two sat and listened.
 "My lady, Casilda, is the most lovely woman in Spain!" said the voice. "And she has sent me, the Knight of the Forest, on my mission to destroy all knights who would disagree."
 "This knight lies," whispered Don Quixote.
 "You are mistaken!" shouted Don Quixote, stepping out of the bushes to face the knight.
 "I must tell you that my Dulcinea is the most beautiful woman on Earth."
 "Then we must do battle," the other knight replied coolly.
 "We will joust at dawn," replied Don Quixote.
 "Yes, but there is one condition. The loser must return to his village and swear to stay there and not enter any combat for one year."
 "I accept," answered Don Quixote.
 The next morning at dawn, the knights met on opposite sides of a clearing. To the left of the Knight of the Forest was his squire, a hunchback with a large purple nose.
 Without warning, the Knight of the Forest spurred his steed into a gallop and charged Don Quixote with his lance. Don Quixote immediately raised his lance. At the last moment, the Knight of the Forest's horse neighed and refused to take another step. Don Quixote charged with all his might and knocked the other knight out of his saddle. Don Quixote quickly jumped down from Rocinante, drawing his sword and holding it to the downed knight's neck.
 "Do you surrender?" Don Quixote demanded.
 "Yes," cried the Knight of the Forest, "I'm finished."
 Then Don Quixote commanded Sancho to remove the knight's helmet.
 "Well," cried Sancho, "this knight looks like that youth Carrasco!"
 "Yes, he does," agreed Don Quixote. "The power of this evil wizard to change people's faces is amazing."
 "No, I really am Carrasco," sobbed the student.
 "It would be safer to kill him now," said Sancho. Don Quixote raised his sword to strike, but the hunchback rushed over and flung off his robe. It was Don Quixote's friend, the barber. "Put your sword away," he said.
 "Amazing," said Don Quixote, "This evil wizard never stops."
 The barber dragged Carrasco away toward their campsite, cursing him for not being better in a joust.
 The next morning found Don Quixote and Sancho Panza riding through a wheat field. The victory over the Knight of the Forest left Don Quixote feeling unstoppable. He didn't suspect for a moment that it had been a plot hatched by the priest to bring him back to the village.
 Stepping onto the road, the knight and his squire came upon a royal cart. Raising his lance, Don Quixote blocked the cart and said, "Halt, or I'll slice you in two. I demand to know what you have in this cart."
 "A lion," called one of the cart drivers, "A gift to our king from an African prince."
 "Dangerous?" asked Don Quixote.
 "It's thirsty for blood. It's even more dangerous because it's hungry. So clear off, old man, before you get hurt."
 "I am Don Quixote," proclaimed the knight. "And I'm not afraid of any pussy cats!"
 Then he swung his lance below the driver's nose. "Open the cage!"
 Sancho and the driver's mate quickly ran up a nearby hill, while Don Quixote positioned himself in front of the lion's cage, and the driver prepared to pull a rope that would open it.
 "Will you reconsider?" asked the driver.
 "Don Quixote does not fear danger!" shouted the knight. "Pull!"
 The door crashed open, and a gigantic lion stuck his head into the air. His jaws were black and covered with thick drool, his teeth yellow and curved like knives. The lion's eyes blazed as if on fire.
 "I'm waiting for you, King of the jungle," Don Quixote cried fearlessly. "Are you afraid to come out?"
 The lion stared at the old knight for a moment, and then yawned and went to sleep.
 "This lion is a coward!" shouted Don Quixote. "Driver, rattle his cage. Make him roar!"
 "I will not!" replied the driver, dropping the rope that closed the lion's cage. "You are the bravest man in Spain. No one else would go up against a man-killer."
 "Will you swear to our king?" asked Don Quixote.
 "He will receive a full report of your bravery," replied the driver.
 Don Quixote signaled to Sancho and the driver's mate that it was safe to return.
 "From this day on," announced Don Quixote, "I wish to be known as the Knight of the Lions. Men will tell tales of this adventure hundreds of years to come!"
 CHAPTER FIVE
 The Final Adventures
 Sancho grumbled and sulked for three days as Don Quixote led them through the forest. Their food was almost gone, and the squire had to go to sleep hungry, under a damp blanket worrying about wolves and other predators. Don Quixote was proud of their sufferings, often reminding Sancho that "a hard life makes a brave heart."
 On the fourth day, at sunset, they came across a group of riders. Among them was a lady dressed in green velvet. She sat atop a majestic white stallion and held a falcon on her arm.
 "A huntress," gasped Don Quixote. "Perhaps even a princess. She'll certainly want to be introduced to me."
 "She probably just wants us to mind our own business," Sancho replied with a grin.
 Ignoring his squire, the knight commanded him, "Ride over there and introduce me."
 Sancho groaned and spurred his donkey in the group's direction.
 "My lady," he called. "My master, the Knight of the Lions, formerly known as the Knight of the Long Face, wishes to…
 "Wait," interrupted the lady, "Did you say the Knight of the Long Face?"
 "Yes, and I'm his squire, Sancho..."
 "Panza?" interrupted the lady again with a smile.
 "Yes," gulped Sancho. "Do you know about us?"
 "Of course," she replied. "I've read the book of your adventures. It's my husband's and my favorite book!"
 "Shall I bring him over then?" asked Sancho.
 "You must do more than that," said the lady. "You and your master must come to our nearby castle as distinguished guests of my husband, the Duke."
 The Duchess giggled when Sancho accepted her invitation. In truth, she and her husband thought the book Don Quixote was the finest comedy ever written. She and her husband were great jokers, and she figured they would be able to have some fun with the crazy knight and his dim-witted sidekick.
 The group with Don Quixote and Sancho soon crossed a drawbridge and found themselves inside a vast, opulent castle. Two trumpeters sounded the knight's arrival, and a group of maidens surrounded them, fanning jars of perfume.
 That night, the knight and his squire ate the best meal of their lives while chatting with their hosts. The Duke and Duchess listened with great interest about all of their recent adventures. But their greatest interest was in hearing news of Dulcinea.
 When they asked about Dulcinea, the knight replied sadly, "My beautiful lady has been transformed into a vulgar, donkey-riding trollop by an evil wizard."
 "How terrible!" gasped the Duchess, barely able to contain her laughter.
 The next day, the Duke and Duchess convinced Don Quixote to accompany them on a wild boar hunt in the forest. But they had made secret plans to play a big joke on the knight and his squire.
 While they were hunting, there was a sudden noise coming through the trees.
 "My men must have found a boar. It's coming toward us. Beware its tusks!" said the Duchess.
 But when the trees parted, there was no wild boar. Rather, a black stallion came prancing and kicking before them. On its back rode a man, covered in twigs, leaves, and ivy.
 "I am the forest sprite!" the strange figure wearing a green mask with horns on top of his head shouted. "The demons of the forest have sent me with a message for the knight-errant, Don Quixote de La Mancha!"
 "I am Don Quixote," replied the knight.
 "To free your lady from their spell," the sprite continued, "you must do two things. First of all, your squire must lash himself."
 "How many times?" screamed Sancho.
 "Three thousand, three hundred times."
 Sancho gasped in disbelief.
 "But first, you must ride a flying horse through the air and over the mountains. This horse waits for you at the Duke's castle. If you are brave enough to perform these two tasks, your beloved Dulcinea will be set free," said the forest sprite.
 Then the creature turned and rode away.
 "It's a miracle!" cried the Duchess, "We must return to the castle at once!"
 "Yes, but first, Sancho, fetch me a whip," shouted Don Quixote. "You can begin lashing yourself while we ride!"
 The terrified squire had already ridden away from the knight's grasp.
 Back at the castle, the servants were rushing around, shouting alarm from the towers. There was a giant wooden horse in the middle of the courtyard. The servants told the Duke it had suddenly and mysteriously dropped from the sky. Meanwhile, Don Quixote and Sancho were arguing about the lashes the squire must suffer to free Dulcinea.
 "I won't do it," cried the squire.
 "For the sake of my lady, I beg you," sobbed the knight.
 The Duchess approached them. "You two must cease your squabbling," she said, leading them into the courtyard. She was enjoying every moment of this grand practical joke she had planned with her husband.
 Don Quixote stared up at the wooden horse in amazement.
 "What a creature! It must be twenty feet tall!"
 Sancho's knees knocked together in fear. There was a rope ladder on the side which they climbed up. Seeing them mount the wooden horse, the Duke and Duchess could hardly control their laughter.
 When the two seated themselves on top of the horse, Sancho found there was nothing to hold on to. So he grabbed onto Don Quixote's trouser belt with both hands.
 "There is a carving in the wood here!" exclaimed Don Quixote. "It says we have to blindfold ourselves. Anyone who rides this magic horse without a blindfold will be struck dead!" "I've got a handkerchief!" said Sancho.
 He pulled out his handkerchief, tore it in two, and gave half to his master. The two fixed the smelly halves of handkerchief around their faces. From a balcony, the Duchess and Duke squealed with pleasure at the sight of the two fools on the horse.
 Once their eyes were covered, a servant tapped on the horse, and the servants inside lifted it three feet off the ground and rocked it from side to side.
 "We're up in the clouds, Sancho," cried Don Quixote,
 "I'm feeling airsick," moaned Sancho.
 On a balcony across from the knight and squire, four maidens were pumping a pair of bellows and dousing them with cups of water.
 "Hold on, Sancho. We're flying through a rainstorm!" called Don Quixote.
 At this point, the Duke and Duchess were laughing their socks off. But they were also beginning to feel guilty for playing such a prank on the good knight. The Duke signaled to his butler for the grand finale.
 A servant lit the horse's tail on fire. There was a "POP" and a "FIZZ" as hundreds of fireworks hidden inside the tail exploded. Sancho wrapped his arms around the knight and howled, "Save me, Master. I promise I'll suffer the lashing!"
 "All of them?" asked Don Quixote.
 "Every one!" cried Sancho.
 Then Don Quixote beat the top of the horse with his fist. But this only made the men inside rock it harder. Finally, they tilted it too far, and the wooden horse crashed to the ground. Sancho and the knight were thrown to safety, landing on the soft grass of the castle lawn. Quickly the servants carried the horse away.
 By the time Don Quixote and Sancho tore the rags from their eyes, they were facing the Duchess who leaned over them, acting concerned.
 "Welcome back," she said softly, "You've been gone for hours. We were so worried. How was the ride?"
 Sancho and Don Quixote rested for a few days. Then the knight announced it was time for them to leave.
 "But what about Sancho's lashing?" asked the Duchess, who didn't want to miss out on the spectacle.
 "He'll have to carry out the lashes while we travel. Life at court is softening my sword arm. It is time for us to go. I thank you for your hospitality."
 Don Quixote and Sancho Panza rode away toward the sea and the city of Barcelona.
 The next morning, Don Quixote told Sancho, "I want to see you do some whipping right now."
 "Don't rush me," cried Sancho, jumping to his feet. "And I prefer to perform my lashing in private."
 "I don't care how you do it, but I want to hear each lash so I know you're not shirking."
 "Fine," snapped Sancho, "I'll get started."
 He grabbed the whip and stomped off into the trees. Then he unbuttoned his shirt and cracked the whip against the trunk of the tree.
 "Ow!" he yelled. "That one almost drew blood!"
 A few days later, when Don Quixote and Sancho rode into Barcelona, word had already spread of their arrival. The streets were filled with citizens trying to get a glimpse of the crazy yet noble knight. People threw flowers and cheered. The leader of their escort allowed Don Quixote and Sancho to stay in his luxurious villa in the middle of the city.
 For two weeks they lived like kings. They were paid daily visits by generals, admirals, and high-ranking public officials.
 Each morning, Don Quixote would take Rocinante for a trot along the beach. Then one day, as he was on his morning jaunt, he saw a figure approaching him from down the beach. The figure was a knight, wearing a full suit of armor with his visor lowered. When Don Quixote neared the knight, he could see a white crescent emblem on his chest.
 "Halt, the Knight of the Lions!" called the Knight of the White Moon. "I have a challenge for you."
 "Don Quixote is always ready for a challenge," the old hidalgo answered bravely.
 "Then we will joust," said the strange knight, raising a shiny new lance.
 "Name your terms," called Don Quixote.
 "If you win, this fine horse and my new lance are yours. If I am the victor, you must retire from your career as a knight-errant."
 "Retire?" cried Don Quixote. "But that is impossible."
 "We young knights are tired of you getting all of the public's attention. We want you to return to your village for a year and live a peaceful life."
 "I accept your terms!" snapped Don Quixote.
 Then both knights turned away from each other and checked their weapons. When they turned, the Knight of the White Moon spurred his horse into a gallop and thrust his lance toward Don Quixote.
 He held his lance with such precision that the elderly knight didn't have a chance and was thrown from his saddle. He landed in the shallow water and sand of the beach. In a flash, the Knight of the White Moon dismounted and pressed his sword to Don Quixote's neck.
 "You are vanquished. Do you concede?" demanded the Knight of the White Moon.
 "But it means the end of my life," sobbed Don Quixote. "Without chivalry, I am nothing." "You gave your word," snarled the victor. "I will retire," coughed Don Quixote, "as I promised."
 The knight's tears of defeat mixed with the salt water of the waves. "This is the darkest day of all my adventures," he moaned.
 But the Knight of the White Moon showed no mercy and rode off on his stallion. The broken hidalgo sat, sobbing in the surf.
 Later, Don Quixote hobbled back to town. He never realized that the Knight of the White Moon was actually the youth, Carrasco. In the months since he had been defeated as the Knight of the Forest, he had studied jousting and horsemanship. He was determined to have his revenge on Don Quixote and to return the crazy hidalgo to his friends in the village.
 When Sancho heard of Don Quixote's defeat and retirement, he sobbed.
 "You can't quit, Sire. Old dogs don't learn new tricks."
 "I promised. Now help me take off my armor. I no longer need it."
 As the two began their three-day journey home, they lamented their fate.
 One night, the two men made camp by a stream. Sancho had been trying to lift the broken-hearted knight's spirits all day.
 "Can I do anything to make you feel better?" he asked.
 "If I knew my lady was safe," said Don Quixote, "I might be able to smile again."
 So Sancho wandered off into the nearby woods and lashed a tree letting out blood-chilling cries with each crack of the whip. When Sancho had lashed all the bark off the tree, Don Quixote told him he had finished a thousand lashes and he stopped for the day.
 "I am proud of you," Don Quixote told him warmly. "If you can manage a thousand per night, Dulcinea will be free by the time we reach our village."
 They rode hard each day, passing by many sights of past adventures. Each night, Sancho found a suitable tree to whip and rack up another thousand lashes. On the fourth morning, he completed the final two hundred and forty-eight lashes. Don Quixote shook his hand and promised to double his salary if they ever went questing again.
 When Don Quixote rode into the courtyard of his home, the housekeeper dropped her basket of laundry in the dust.
 "Master, you're back in one piece," she cried.
 "I am weak," whispered Don Quixote, "Sancho, help me to my room."
 Back in his bed, the old hidalgo slipped into a sleep that lasted for six days. The fever he had gotten grew stronger each day. He cried and moaned in his sleep, as if being haunted by nightmares. Meanwhile, his friends waited patiently by his bedside. After a week, he opened his eyes to see the priest and the barber sitting at the end of his bed.
 "I am back," muttered the old knight.
 "Don Quixote!" they shouted, rushing to his side.
 "My name is Alonso Quixano," said the man in the bed. "I was mad, but now my mind is restored."
 "Is it true? Are all your thoughts of chivalry and wizards really gone from your head?" asked the priest.
 "They are all gone," he replied softly. "I am sane enough to know that I am dying."
 The news that the hidalgo was on his deathbed raced around the village. Sancho came running in from the fields where he had been at work. He was shown into the room and knelt down at his former master's side.
 "Perhaps you were a little crazy," Sancho sobbed, "but if you were still a knight, you would not die."
 "Your friend who was a knight," replied the hidalgo, "is no longer here. You must forget him."
 "I cannot," sobbed the squire.
 Sancho tried to convince his old friend not to give up the ghost. But the old hidalgo was overcome with fever. Sancho waited at his bedside for three days until finally, the old knight slipped away.
 This was the end of the brave knight, Don Quixote de La Mancha. In his madness, he accomplished feats that ordinary men can only dream of. The stories of his amazing adventures have been told for more than four hundred years.
 Rest in peace, noble Don Quixote. May the questing be grand and the adventures bring you glory...
 - THE END -
 Hope you have enjoyed the reading!
 Come back to http://english-e-books.net/ to find more fascinating and exciting stories!

domenica 17 giugno 2018

Gruppo New Fluency, settimana 44 (18-24 giugno)



Leggere ad alta voce trenta minuti al giorno.


La proposta della settimana: A Christmas Carol.
CHAPTER ONE
Scrooge
Marley was dead. That was certain because there were people at his funeral. Scrooge was there too. He and Marley were business partners, and he was Marley's only friend. But Scrooge looked very happy at the funeral because on that day he made some money. Scrooge was a clever businessman.
Yes, old Marley was certainly dead. But years later his name was still there above the office door. Scrooge and Marley. That was the company's name. Sometimes people called Scrooge 'Scrooge' and sometimes 'Marley'. He always answered. It was all the same to him.
Oh, but he was a mean man, Scrooge! He never spent any money and he never gave any away. He was an old miser. And he was a cold and solitary man. The cold was inside him. You could see it in his red eyes and on his blue nose and thin, white lips. You could hear it in his hard voice, and it made his office cold, especially at Christmas. Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, 'My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come and see me?' Children never spoke to him, and even dogs ran away from him. But Scrooge didn't care. He liked it. That was what he wanted.
One Christmas Eve Scrooge was sitting in his office. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon but it was already dark. The weather was very cold and there was a lot of fog. It came into the office through the windows and doors. Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's clerk, was copying letters in a dark little room, and the old man watched him carefully. Bob had a very very small fire in his room. It was even smaller than Scrooge's, and he tried to warm his hands at the candle but he couldn't do it.
'A merry Christmas, uncle!' said a happy voice. And Scrooge's nephew Fred came in.
'Bah!' answered Scrooge. 'Humbug!'
His nephew looked warm. His face was red and his eyes were bright.
'Christmas a humbug, uncle?' he cried, surprised. 'You don't mean that, I'm sure.'
'Yes, I do,' said Scrooge. 'Merry Christmas! Why are you merry? You're a poor man, aren't you?'
'Well, why are you so unhappy? You're rich.'
'Bah! Humbug!'
'Don't be angry, uncle,' said Fred.
'Why not? There are too many fools in this world. You say "Merry Christmas" when you're a year older and poorer. That's stupid!'
'Uncle - please!'
'Nephew! You have your own Christmas and I'll have mine. Leave me alone.'
'But you don't celebrate Christmas, uncle.'
'Because I never make any money at Christmas. I don't like it. Leave me alone.'
'But Christmas is a good time,' said the nephew. 'It's the only time in the year when people open their hearts and help each other. They become kind and generous. I like Christmas and I say God bless it!'
The clerk in his little room clapped his hands happily and said, 'Yes, that's right!'
'Another word from you and you'll lose your job,' Scrooge said to him.
'Don't be angry, uncle. Come and eat with us tomorrow,' said his nephew.
'No! Go away! I'm busy.'
'But why won't you come?'
'Why did you get married?' Scrooge asked.
'Because I fell in love.'
'Because you fell in love! Bah! That's more stupid than a merry Christmas. Good afternoon.'
'But why don't you ever come to see me, uncle?'
'Good afternoon,' said Scrooge.
'Can't we be friends?'
'Good afternoon,' said Scrooge.
'Well. I'm very sorry about this, but I wish you a merry Christmas with all my heart, uncle.'
'Good afternoon,' said Scrooge.
'And a happy new Year!'
'Good afternoon!' said Scrooge.
So his nephew went to the door and opened it. But before he left, he said 'Merry Christmas!' to the clerk, who answered with a warm ' Happy Christmas!'
'Are you stupid too?' Scrooge said.
At that moment two fat gentlemen came in.
'Excuse me, is this Scrooge and Marley's?' said one of them. 'May I ask if you are Mr Scrooge or Mr Marley?'
'Mr Marley is dead. He died on Christmas Eve seven years ago.'
'At this festive time of the year, Mr Scrooge,' said the man, taking a pen from his pocket, 'we ask people to give some money to help the poor. There are thousands of people with nothing to eat at Christmas.'
'Aren't there any prisons?' asked Scrooge.
'Yes, lots of them.'
'And what about the workhouses? Aren't there still lots of them?'
'Unfortunately, yes.'
'Good. I'm happy to hear it.'
'We don't think the people in the workhouses or prisons are happy about it. They don't have much to eat or drink, and they're always cold. How much can you give us, sir?'
'Nothing!' Scrooge replied. 'Leave me alone. I don't celebrate Christmas and I don't give money to lazy people. I help to pay for the workhouses and prisons. That's enough.'
'But many people can't go there and they'll die in this cold weather.'
'Well, there are too many people in the world already, so that's a good thing. Good afternoon, gentlemen!'
So the two men went out and Scrooge continued his work. It became colder and foggier and darker. When a boy came to sing a Christmas carol outside Scrooge's door, he stood up and shouted angrily, 'Go away!' The boy was frightened and ran away very quickly.
Finally, it was time to close the office and go home. Scrooge stopped his work and put down his pen. The clerk put on his hat to go.
'You want all day tomorrow, do you?' said Scrooge.
'If it's all right, sir - yes.'
'It's not all right,' Scrooge answered. 'I must pay you for a day's holiday.'
'It's only once a year, sir.'
'Bah! Every December 25th you get money for nothing! Well, arrive here extra early on the 26th - do you hear me?'
'Yes, sir,' said the clerk.
And when he left the office, he ran and danced all the way home because it was Christmas Eve.
CHAPTER TWO
Marley's Ghost
Scrooge walked home to the rooms where he lived. Years ago his partner Marley lived there. They were very old and dark and silent. The knocker on the door was large but it was like hundreds of other door knockers. Scrooge never looked at it. And he wasn't thinking about Marley when he put his key in the door. So how did he see Marley's face in the knocker? Yes, Marley's face! There was a strange light around it. It looked at Scrooge with its glasses up in its hair, like Marley when he was alive. The hair was moving slowly, the eyes were wide open, and the face was very white. Scrooge looked at it for a moment, and then it was a knocker again. He was surprised, but he went in and lit his candle. Then he looked at the knocker again.
'Pooh, pooh!' he said, and closed the door.
The sound echoed around the house, but Scrooge wasn't frightened of echoes and he went slowly up the dark stairs. He liked darkness; it was cheap. He looked around his room: nobody under the table, nobody under the sofa, nobody under the bed, nobody in the cupboards. He locked the door and put on his dressing-gown, slippers and nightcap. Then he sat in front of an old fireplace with a very small fire in it. For a moment he thought he saw Marley's face in the fire.
'Humbug!' he said.
Then he looked at the old bell above him on the wall. He was very surprised when this bell began to move. At first it moved slowly and quietly, but soon it made a very loud sound and all the bells in the house began to ring too. Suddenly they stopped. Scrooge heard a strange noise far away in the house - a noise of metal, like chains. It was coming up the stairs. Something was coming towards his door.
'It's humbug!' he said. 'I don't believe it.'
But the thing came into the room and stopped in front of him.
He couldn't believe his eyes! The same face: Marley's face! Scrooge recognised his dead partner's clothes and boots, and he saw a long chain round his transparent body. The chain had heavy cash-boxes, keys, locks, and account books on it. Marley was looking at him with cold, dead eyes. There was a handkerchief round his head and chin.
'Well?' Scrooge said. 'What do you want with me?'
'Much!' It was certainly Marley's voice.
'Who are you?'
'Ask me who I was?'
'Who were you then?'
'In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley.'
'Sit down - if you can.'
The Ghost sat in a chair on the other side of the fireplace.
'You don't believe in me, do you?' it said.
'No, I don't.'
'Why not?'
'Because perhaps I ate a piece of meat or cheese and my stomach didn't digest it, so you are only the consequence of a bad stomach.'
Scrooge said this because he didn't want to show his terror. But the Ghost's cold eyes frightened him very much.
'If I eat this candle,' Scrooge continued, 'I'll see hundreds of ghosts like you, but they'll only be in my head.'
Then the Spirit gave a terrible cry, and it shook its chain with a tremendous noise. Scrooge trembled. And then he fell out of his chair with horror when the Ghost took off the handkerchief and its chin dropped on its chest.
'Help!' he cried with his hands on his face. 'Oh, why are you here, terrible Spirit?'
'Do you believe in me or not?'
'Yes, I do - I must!' Scrooge replied. 'But why do you come to me?'
'If a man's spirit stays away from other people while he is alive, it must walk through the world after he is dead, but it cannot share the happiness of living people.' And again the Ghost shook its chain with a sad cry.
'Why are you wearing that chain?' Scrooge asked, trembling.
'Because I made it when I was alive. I stayed away from other people. I didn't try to help them. I never loved anybody; I loved only money. So I made this chain for myself and now I must wear it. I lived like you, Scrooge! Seven years ago your chain was long and heavy. Now it is very long and very heavy!'
Again Scrooge trembled in terror. 'Tell me more, old Jacob Marley. Help me!'
'I cannot help you, Ebenezer Scrooge,' answered the Ghost. 'I cannot rest, I cannot stay here. When I was alive, my spirit never walked out of our office. It was locked in there while I made all my money. So now I must travel and never stop.'
'Have you travelled all this time - for seven years?'
'Yes. No rest. No peace. Always travelling.'
'Do you travel fast?'
'Very fast. Like the wind.'
'Well, in seven years you have been to a lot of places then.'
'Oh but I am a prisoner!' cried the phantom, and it shook the chain again, a terrible sound in the silence of the night. 'I was also a prisoner in my life because I didn't try to help others.'
'But you were a good man of business, Jacob.' Scrooge was thinking of himself too.
'Business! What was my business? My business was people, my business was charity, my business was love, my business was goodness! But I didn't do anything good. I lived with my eyes closed. I didn't see the poor and hungry people in the streets. But now I must go. Listen!'
'I'm listening, Jacob,' Scrooge said.
'I am here tonight to tell you something. There is still hope for you, Ebenezer. You still have a chance.'
'You were always a good friend, Jacob. Thank you.'
'You will see three Ghosts.'
Scrooge looked frightened. 'Are they the hope and the chance you spoke about, Jacob?'
'Yes.'
'Well - I don't want to see them...'
'You must! If you don't want to be like me, you must! The first Spirit will come at one o'clock tomorrow morning.'
'Can't they all come at one o'clock and finish it quickly, Jacob?'
'The second will come on the next night at the same time. The third will come on the night after that when the church bell strikes twelve midnight. You will not see me again. Remember my words!'
Then the Ghost put the handkerchief round its head and began to walk towards the window. It asked Scrooge to follow. But when the window opened, Scrooge stopped. He was very frightened because he could hear a great noise of crying outside. The air was full of ghosts. They were moving quickly here and there, and they all wore chains like Marley's Ghost. Their cries were very sad. There was one old ghost with a big metal box of money on a chain. It was unhappy because it couldn't help a poor woman and her baby out in the cold, foggy night without a home.
Marley's Ghost went out into the night. In a moment it was with the other ghosts, and all of them disappeared. Scrooge closed the window and went to the door. It was locked. Did Marley's Ghost really come through a locked door?
'Bah!' he said. And he began to say 'Humbug!' but stopped. He didn't want to say it now.
It was late and he was tired. So he went to bed and fell asleep immediately.
CHAPTER THREE
The First Spirit
When Scrooge woke up, it was very dark. The church clock struck twelve.
'Twelve!' said Scrooge, surprised. 'But it was after two o'clock when I went to bed. It's impossible! That clock is wrong.'
He got out of bed and went to the window, but he couldn't see much. It was dark, foggy and very cold. He went back to bed and began to think.
'Was it all a dream? Was Marley's Ghost really here?' he said to himself.
Suddenly he remembered the Ghost's words: 'The first Spirit will come at one o'clock tomorrow morning.' So he decided to wait and see. After a long time he heard the church clock.
'It's one o'clock!' said Scrooge. 'And there's nobody here!'
At that moment there was a great light in the room and the curtains of his bod opened. Yes, a hand opened the curtain in front of his face! He sat up and saw a strange person. It was small, like a child, but it was also like an old man. Its long hair was white but its face looked young. It was wearing white clothes with summer flowers on them. There was a piece of green holly in its hand.
'Are you the first Spirit?' asked Scrooge.
'Yes, I am,' the visitor replied in a quiet voice.
'Who and what are you?'
I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.'
'Whose past?'
'Your past.'
'Why are you here?'
'To help you.'
'I thank you,' Scrooge said. 'If you want to help me, let me sleep.'
'Get up and walk with me,' said the Spirit, and it took his arm.
Scrooge wanted to say that it was late, the weather was very cold, and his bed was warm. But the Spirit took him to the window.
'No, I'll fall!' Scrooge said.
The Spirit put its hand on his heart. 'If I touch you here, you won't fall,' it said.
Then they went through the wall, and suddenly they were standing on a road in the country. There was snow in the fields.
'Good Heavens!' Scrooge cried. This is where I was born! I was a boy here!' And he remembered all his old feelings about the place.
'Your lips is trembling,' said the Ghost. Are you crying?'
'No... no...' answered Scrooge. But a tear fell from his eye.
They walked along the road towards a little town with a bridge, a church and a river. Some boys came out of a school. They were laughing and singing because it was a holiday. They shouted 'Merry Christmas!' to each other.
'They are all in the past,' the Ghost said. 'They are only shadows.'
Scrooge knew all of them and he felt suddenly happy. Why did his cold eyes and heart become warm with joy? What did merry Christmas mean to him? He didn't like Christmas!
The school is not empty.' said the Spirit. 'One child is still there. He hasn't got any friends.'
'I know, I know,' Scrooge said. And there were big tears in his eyes.
They went into the school, a big, old, dark place. Inside there was a long classroom. It looked sad and empty, with only a few desks and chairs in it. A little boy was sitting at one of the desks. He was reading a book by a small fire. Scrooge sat down on a chair and cried because he knew that the little boy was himself many years ago.
That's me,' he said. 'I was left here one Christmas. Poor boy! Oh, I would like to... but it's too late now!'
'What is it?' asked the Spirit.
'Nothing. You see, there was a poor boy outside my office last night. He was singing a Christmas carol. But I didn't give him anything and I told him to go away.'
The Spirit smiled. 'Let's see another Christmas!'
Then everything changed. The boy was bigger, and the room looked older and darker. Scrooge saw himself again. He was walking sadly up and down. Then the door opened and a little girl ran in. She was younger than the boy.
'Dear, dear brother!' she said happily. And she put her arms round his neck and kissed him. 'I've come to bring you home - home, home!'
'Home, Fanny?' the boy asked.
'Yes! Home for ever and ever!" the girl laughed. 'Father is kinder now and he wants you to come home. He sent me in a coach to fetch you. Oh, you'll never come back to this horrible school! And we'll be together for Christmas! I'm so happy!'
She began to pull him towards the door.
'Bring Master Scrooge's luggage to the coach!' somebody shouted in a terrible voice.
It was the teacher, and when he came in, the boy was very frightened.
'Goodbye, Master Scrooge!' said the teacher in his terrible voice.
'Goodbye, sir,' the boy answered, trembling.
But when he got into the coach with his sister, he felt happy.
'Your sister had a very good heart,' said the Ghost. 'When she died, she left one child - your nephew.'
'Yes.' Scrooge remembered the conversation with his nephew in his office the afternoon before, and he felt bad about it.
Suddenly they were standing at the door of an office in the city. It was Christmas again.
'I know this place very well! And there's old Mr Fezziwig - alive again! Oh, dear old Fezziwig!'
Mr Fezziwig was a fat, happy man with a red face. He was working at a desk.
'Hey! Ebenezer! Dick!' he shouted. 'Stop your work!'
Scrooge, now a young man, came in with his friend Dick.
'It's Christmas Eve, boys! We must celebrate!' said Fezziwig. 'Let's stop work and close the office.'
So they put away all the books and papers and made a big fire. Then a man came in and started to play the violin. Mrs Fezziwig and the three Miss Fezziwigs arrived, and then a lot of young people came, and everybody began to dance to the music. Then there were games and more dances; cake and hot wine and more dances. And there was lots of roast beef and beer, and mince pies too. It was a wonderful party. At eleven o'clock everybody said 'Merry Christmas!' and the party finished. While Scrooge was watching all this, he laughed and sang and wanted to dance. He remembered it all and enjoyed it very much.
'You and Dick and everybody loved Mr Fezziwig,' the Ghost said to him. 'But why? That party was a very small thing. It cost only three or four pounds. So why did you all love him so much?'
'A small thing!' answered Scrooge. 'No! Fezziwig was our manager, so he could make us happy or unhappy. He could make our work easy or hard. He gave us a lot of happiness - and that was like a fortune in money!'
Then Scrooge looked sadly at the Ghost.
'What are you thinking about?' it asked.
'I... was thinking that I would like to speak to my clerk now...'
'Come, there isn't much time,' said the Ghost. 'We must be quick.'
At that moment the scene vanished and they were standing in the open air. Scrooge saw a man of about forty. It was himself again, and his face showed the first signs of the problems of business and a passion for money. He was sitting next to a young girl dressed in black. It was his fiancee Belle. She was crying quietly.
'You love something more than me, Ebenezer,' she said.
'Oh? What?'
'Money. You are afraid of life, you are afraid of the world, and so you do only one thing: make money. Then you feel more secure. Money is your passion now.'
'No,' he said angrily. 'My feelings for you haven't changed, Belle!'
'But you have changed. When you promised to marry me, you were a different person.'
'I was a boy,' he said.
'And so my love is nothing to you now. You aren't happy with me and you don't want to marry me.'
'I've never said that.'
'Not in words, no - but I know it's true. I haven't got any money so you don't want me. Well, you're free to go. I hope you will be happy.' And Belle went sadly away.
'Spirit!' Scrooge cried. 'Don't show me anymore! Take me home!'
'There's one more scene.'
'No! No more! I don't want to see it!'
But suddenly they were in a room where a beautiful young girl was sitting near a big fire. Next to her sat her mother. This was Belle, now older. The room was full of children and there was a lot of noise. But Belle and her daughter liked it, and the daughter began to play with the children. Then the father came in with a lot of Christmas presents. He gave them to the children and they laughed and shouted happily. Finally, they went to bed and the house was quiet. The father sat by the fire with his wife and daughter. Scrooge looked at them and thought: 'How sad that don't have a wife and daughter!'
'Belle,' said the husband to his wife. 'I saw your old friend this afternoon.'
'Who was it? Mr Scrooge?'
'Yes. I passed his office window and he was there. He hasn't got a friend in the world. His old partner Marley is dying.'
'Spirit, take me away!' said Scrooge.
'These things happened,' the Ghost answered, 'and they cannot be changed.'
'Please take me back! I can't watch this anymore!'
At that moment the Spirit disappeared and Scrooge was in his bedroom again. He felt very tired, so he got into bed and fell asleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Second Spirit
Scrooge woke up, opened his bed-curtain and looked around. He was ready to see anything, but when one o'clock struck, nothing happened. After a while he saw a strong light in the next room. He got out of bed and went slowly to the door.
'Scrooge!' said a voice. 'Come in, Ebenezer!'
The room was his room, but it was different. On the walls there was some green holly with red berries, and mistletoe and ivy. In the fireplace was a great fire. On the floor there was a lot of food: turkey, goose, chicken, rabbit, pork and sausages, as well as mince pies, puddings, fruit, cakes, and hot punch. And on the sofa sat a very large man - a giant - and he was holding up a torch.
'Come in!' said the Ghost.
Scrooge went and stood in front of this giant, but he didn't look at it. He was too frightened.
'I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,' said the Spirit. 'Look at me!'
So Scrooge looked. He saw that the Spirit was smiling. It had kind, gentle eyes. There was holly round its long dark hair. Its face was young and happy.
'You have never seen anybody like me before,' it said.
'Never.'
'And you have never met any of my brothers?'
'No. How many brothers have you got?'
'More than eighteen hundred. I am the youngest.'
'Spirit,' Scrooge said, 'take me where you want. I learnt a good lesson last night.'
'Touch my clothes!'
When Scrooge did this, the room disappeared and he stood in the city streets on Christmas morning. There was a lot of snow. Some people were playing and throwing snowballs. Others were buying food in the shops. It was a busy, cheerful scene, and the bells were ringing.
Then a lot of poor people came along the street with their Christmas dinners of goose or chicken. They were taking them to the baker's shops to be cooked in the oven. The spirit took Scrooge to one of these shops and touched some of the dinners with its torch.
'What are you doing?' Scrooge asked.
'I am making these dinners extra good so the people will be happier,' it replied, smiling.
After a while Scrooge followed the Ghost to the suburbs of the city. They went to the house of Bob Cratchit, his clerk. The kind Ghost touched the house with its torch. Then they went in. Mrs Cratchit and her daughter Belinda were preparing the table for Christmas dinner. Young Peter Cratchit was helping them. Suddenly two little Cratchits ran in and shouted that the goose was ready at the baker's. Then the oldest daughter Martha arrived, and after her came Bob with his little son Tiny Tim on his shoulder. The child was a cripple and he walked around on a small crutch.
Young Peter went to fetch the goose. When he came back, all the children in the family shouted 'Hurray!' because they didn't often eat goose. Belinda made some apple sauce; Mrs Cratchit prepared the potatoes and the gravy; Martha put the hot plates on the table. Finally, everything was ready. When Mrs Cratchit cut the goose, everybody cried 'Hurray!' again, and Tiny Tim hit the table with his knife. The goose was small, but they all said it was the best goose in the world and ate every bit of it. Then Mrs Cratchit brought in the Christmas pudding with brandy on it. She lit the brandy with a match, and when they were all eating, they said, 'Oh, what a wonderful pudding!' Nobody said or thought that it was a very small pudding for a big family.
After dinner the Cratchits sat round the fire. They ate apples and oranges, and hot chestnuts. Then Bob served some hot wine.
'A Merry Christmas to us all!' he said.
'A Merry Christmas!' the family shouted.
'And God bless everyone!' said Tiny Tim in his weak voice.
He sat very near his father. Bob loved his son very much and be held Tiny Tim's thin little hand.
'Will Tiny Tim live, Spirit?' Scrooge asked.
'I see an empty chair,' replied the Ghost, 'and a small crutch. But not Tiny Tim. If the future does not change, the child will die.'
'No, no!' said Scrooge. 'Say he will live, kind Spirit!'
'If the future is not changed, he will not see another Christmas. But you think that's a good thing, don't you? You said there are too many people in the world.'
Scrooge didn't answer and he didn't look in the Ghost's eyes. He felt very bad.
'Those were wicked words, Ebenezer Scrooge,' the Ghost continued. 'Do you think you can decide who will live or die? Are you better than this poor man's child, or millions like him? Perhaps you are worse in God's eyes!'
Scrooge trembled and looked at the ground. Suddenly he heard his name.
'Mr Scrooge! Let's drink to Mr Scrooge!' It was Bob Cratchit and he was holding up his glass.
'Drink to Mr Scrooge!' said Mrs Cratchit angrily. 'Drink to that hard old miser! What are you saying, Robert Cratchit?'
'My dear - the children. It's Christmas Day.'
'I know that, but I would like to tell Mr Scrooge what I think of him! You know how bad he is.'
'My dear, it's Christmas Day.'
'Well, I'll drink to him because it's Christmas. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Mr Scrooge! - But you won't be merry or happy, I know.'
The children drank to Scrooge too, but his name was like a dark shadow in the room and for a few minutes they were silent. Then they told stories and sang songs, and they felt better. The Cratchits were poor and they looked poor. Their clothes were old; there were big holes in their shoes. Bob Cratchit's salary I was very small. He never had enough money and there was never much food in the house. But the family was contented now because it was Christmas. Scrooge watched them carefully. He listened to them well. And he looked at Tiny Tim very often before the family scene vanished.
It was dark now, and snow was falling. Scrooge and the Ghost walked along the streets and saw great fires in the houses, where families and friends were enjoying Christmas together. The Ghost was happy to see the celebrations. It laughed, and where it passed, people laughed too. And then Scrooge heard a loud, happy laugh. It was his nephew's. He saw him in a bright, warm room. When his nephew laughed, the other people in the room laughed with him.
'He said that Christmas was a humbug!' the nephew laughed. 'And he believed it too!'
'He's stupid and bad, Fred,' said his wife.
'Well, he's a strange man, and he isn't very happy.'
'But he's very rich, Fred.'
'Yes, my dear, but he doesn't do anything with his money. He doesn't help others, and he lives like a poor man.'
'Nobody likes him. I don't like him. He makes me angry.'
'I'm not angry with him. I feel sorry for him because he doesn't enjoy his life. He never laughs. He didn't want to eat with us today, but I'm going to ask him every year. I'll say, "How are you, Uncle Scrooge? Come and eat with us.'"
Then they played some music and sang. After that, there were games. When they played twenty questions, Scrooge forgot that they couldn't hear him and he shouted his answers. Then his nephew thought of something and everybody asked him questions.
'Is it an animal?'
'Yes.'
'Does it live in the city?'
'Yes.'
'Is it a horse?'
'No.'
It wasn't a dog, a cat or a pigeon. It made horrible noises, sometimes it talked, and nobody liked it.
'I know what it is!' shouted Fred's wife. 'It's your Uncle Scro-o-o-o-oge!'
She was right.
'A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the old man!' said Fred.
Scrooge wanted to say this to Fred, but the scene vanished and he and the Ghost travelled again. Scrooge noticed that the Spirit looked older. Its hair was grey now.
'Is your life so short?' he asked.
'Very short. It ends tonight at midnight. It's eleven forty-five. I haven't got much time. Look - look down here!'
The Spirit opened its coat and Scrooge saw two children on the ground, a boy and a girl. They were very thin. Their clothes were old and poor, and they were trembling with cold. They looked very hungry. Their eyes were sad. They looked older than children and they were ugly, like monsters. Scrooge was shocked.
'Are they yours?' he asked.
'No. They are Man's. They belong to humanity.'
'Haven't they got a house or a family?'
'Aren't there a lot of prisons?' the Spirit replied. 'And aren't there any workhouses?'
'Oh, no - no! Those are my words!' Scrooge cried.
The church clock struck twelve. He looked around for the Ghost but it wasn't there. Then he remembered old Jacob Marley's words:
'The third Spirit will come at twelve midnight.'
CHAPTER FIVE
The Last of the Spirits
Another phantom was coming towards him. It was tall and silent. Scrooge couldn't see its face or its body because it was wearing long, black clothes and a black hood. There was something mysterious about it. When it came near him, Scrooge was very frightened. It didn't speak or move.
'Are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come?' he asked.
The Spirit didn't answer, but its long, white hand came out from the black clothes and pointed down.
'Are you going to show me things from the future?' Scrooge asked.
His legs were trembling a lot and so he couldn't follow the Ghost when it moved away. It stopped and waited for him. He couldn't see its eyes but he felt that they were looking at him. This Ghost was the most frightening of the three.
'Ghost of the Future!' he cried. 'I'm very frightened of you! But I know that you want to help me so I'll go with you. Please speak to me!'
It made no reply. Its long hand pointed ahead.
'All right, I'll come,' said Scrooge.
So the Ghost carried him to the centre of London. At a place called the Exchange he saw a lot of businessmen. Their pockets were full of money. They were walking around and talking to each other. They often jingled the money in their pockets and looked at their watches. Scrooge knew many of them. When the Ghost stopped near three men, he could hear their conversation.
'No, I don't know much,' said one very fat man. 'I only know he's dead.'
'When did he die?' another man asked.
'Last night, I think.'
'I thought he would never die. Was he very ill?'
'God knows.'
'What about his money?' asked a man with a very red face.
'I don't know,' replied the fat man. 'He hasn't left it to me.'
Everybody laughed.
'The funeral will be very cheap because only a few people will go,' the fat man continued.
'I'll go if there's a big lunch,' the red-faced man said.
Another laugh. And then the men went away. Scrooge looked at the Ghost.
'Who are they talking about?' he asked.
But the Ghost said nothing. It went into the street and showed Scrooge two men. He knew them. They were rich and important businessmen. First they said hallo. Then one of them said:
'Well, he's finally dead.'
'Yes, I've heard,' answered his companion. 'Cold, isn't it?'
'Very cold. But it's the right weather for Christmas. Would you like to come ice-skating?'
'No. thank you. I'm too busy. Good morning.'
That was the end of their conversation. Scrooge was surprised. Who were they talking about? He couldn't think of anybody. Old Marley died seven years ago and this Ghost was showing him the future. He decided to wait and see. He looked around but couldn't see himself anywhere. Wasn't he there in the future? Silent and black, the Ghost stood near him. He knew that it was watching him and he trembled.
They went into a poor part of the city where the streets were dirty and narrow. There were dark shops and houses, and the people looked ugly and miserable. A lot of them were drunk. Rubbish was everywhere, and there were bad smells. The quarter was full of dangerous criminals. Scrooge followed the Ghost into a small, dark shop. It was full of dirty, old things - bottles, clothes, keys, chains. A man of about seventy with grey hair sat near a fire and smoked his pipe. Then a woman came in with a big, heavy box in her arms. She put it on the floor and sat down.
'Open it. Old Joe,' she said, 'and give me the money.'
The man opened the box. 'What are these?' he said. 'Bed - curtains! Did you take them while he was in bed?'
'Yes. Why not? There was nobody with him. There are blankets too.'
'His blankets?'
'Of course! He won't need them where he's going. Here's a beautiful, expensive shirt too. He was wearing it for his funeral. I thought, "What a pity! This is a very fine shirt but nobody will wear it again.'' So I took it off him.'
'You did well, madam,' laughed Old Joe. 'You're a clever woman and you'll make a fortune one day.'
'I must think of myself, like him. He was a selfish old miser. I cleaned his rooms and his clothes. I worked very hard for him but he never gave me anything. I wanted to take more things but his housekeeper took them before me.'
Just then the housekeeper came in. She had a large bag full of sheets, towels, clothes, and shoes.
'Now look in my bag. Old Joe,' she said, 'and tell me how much you'll give me.'
Old Joe counted up the money for each thing in the box and the bag and wrote some numbers on the wall.
'That's how much I'll give you,' he said. 'And no more. I always give too much and so I'm poor.' Then he opened a dirty bag and put the money on the floor. 'When he was alive, he frightened people and they hated him. So we get the profits now that he's dead. Ha, ha, ha!'
Scrooge watched this in horror. 'Spirit! I see and I understand. This could happen to me. Oh God, what's this now?'
The scene changed and he was near a bed. It had no blankets or curtains. There was only an old sheet with something under it - the body of a dead man. The Ghost pointed at the head, but Scrooge couldn't pull down the sheet and look at the dead man's face. He was shaking with terror. The body was cold, rigid, and alone in that dark room. 'How terrible!' thought Scrooge. 'Not a man, woman or child to say that he was kind to them in life and to remember him with love!' Then he heard the sound of rats behind the walls. Were they waiting, were they going to jump on the bed and...?
'Spirit!' he said. 'What a horrible place! I'll always remember this scene. Can we go now?'
But the Ghost still pointed at the dead man's head.
'I understand,' Scrooge said. 'But I can't do it. I ask you to show me somebody who is sorry that this man is dead.'
The Ghost took him to Bob Cratchit's house. The mother and children were sitting round the fire. They were quiet, very quiet. The little Cratchits sat like statues in a corner. Peter was reading.
'When is Father coming?' he asked. 'He's late. But I think he walks slower now.'
'I remember when he walked very fast with - with Tiny Tim on his shoulder,' said the mother. 'But Tiny Tim was very light - and his father loved him so much. Ah there's your father at the door!'
Bob came in. He drank some tea while the two little Cratchits put their faces close to his, saying, 'Don't be sad, Father!'
So Bob tried to be cheerful; but suddenly he cried. 'My little child! My little boy!'
He went to a room upstairs. It looked as bright and happy as Christmas. He sat on a chair next to the bed. There was a little child on it. It was Tiny Tim, and he wasn't sleeping. He was dead. Bob kissed the little face; then he went downstairs.
'I met Mr Scrooge's nephew in the street.' he told the family. 'He asked me why I was so sad. When I told him, he said he was very sorry and wanted to help us. I think he's going to find a job for Peter.'
'He's a very good man,' said Mrs Cratchit.
'Yes. Children, when you all leave home in a few years, you won't forget Tiny Tim, will you?'
'Never, Father!' they all cried.
'Thank you. I feel happier now,' Bob said.
Scrooge said to the Ghost, 'Oh, please tell me who that dead man was!'
The Ghost took him near his office, but it didn't stop.
'Wait!' said Scrooge. 'My office is in that house. Let me go and see what I'll be in the future.'
The Ghost continued walking. Scrooge ran to the window of his office and looked in. He saw an office, but it wasn't his. Everything was different, including the man at the desk. He followed the Ghost again. It stopped at the gate of a cemetery.
'Am I going to learn the dead man's name now?' asked Scrooge.
The Spirit led him to a grave. He went near it, trembling.
'Before I look at the name,' he said, 'answer me one question. Is it really necessary for these things to happen or are they only possible?'
The Ghost didn't answer.
'I mean, if men change their lives and become better, will the future change too? Is this what you want to tell me?'
The Ghost was silent. Scrooge went slowly towards the grave, still trembling. He read the name on the gravestone: EBENEZER SCROOGE.
He fell on his knees. 'I was the dead man in the bed! Oh, Spirit! Oh no, no! Listen, I've changed. I won't be the same man as before. Tell me there is still hope - please! Tell me that if I change my life, the things that you have shown me will be different!'
The Spirit's hand trembled.
'I will celebrate Christmas with all my heart!' Scrooge continued. 'And I'll always try to have the Christmas spirit - every day of the year! I will live in the past, the present and the future. I will not forget the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me that I can clean the name off this stone!'
Scrooge held up his hands to the Ghost but suddenly it vanished. There was only a bed-curtain in front of his eyes.
CHAPTER SIX
'A Merry Christmas, Mr Scrooge!'
The bed was his, the room was his, and best of all, he still had time to be a better man. He jumped out of bed.
'I will live with the spirits of the past, present and future in me!' he said, on his knees and with tears in his eyes. 'Thank you. Jacob Marley! God bless Christmas!'
Then he put on his clothes.
'My clothes are here: I am here. But the future is not here yet and I can change it!' he said, laughing and crying at the same time. 'What shall I do first? Oh, I feel as light as a feather! I'm as happy as an angel! A Merry Christmas to everybody! A Happy New Year to all the world!'
He danced in the sitting-room and looked around.
'There's the door where Jacob Marley came in. There's the place where the Ghost of Christmas Present sat. There's the window where I saw the ghosts in the air. It's all right, it's all true, it all happened!'
And he laughed and laughed. Then the church bells rang - ding, dong, ding, dong! It was a glorious sound! He opened the window and put out his head. No fog. It was a bright, sunny day and the air was cold and sweet.
'What's today?' Scrooge shouted to a boy in the street.
'Eh?' The boy looked very surprised.
'What's today, my boy?'
'It's Christmas Day.'
'Christmas Day!' Scrooge said happily to himself. 'So the Spirits did everything in one night. Hey, boy! Do you know the butcher's shop in the next street?'
'Of course!'
'You're an intelligent boy! Do you know if they've sold that big turkey in the window?'
'You mean the one as big as me?'
'What a nice boy!' said Scrooge. 'Yes, that one.'
'No. It's still there.'
'Is it? Oh, good! Go and buy it for me, will you? Tell them to bring it here. If you come back in five minutes, I'll give you half-a-crown.'
The boy ran as fast as possible to the shop.
'I'll send it to Bob Cratchit,' Scrooge said. 'Ha, ha! He won't know who sent it!'
And he wrote Bob's address on a piece of paper. When the butcher's man arrived with the enormous turkey, Scrooge told him to call a cab. He paid for the turkey and the cab, and he gave the boy half-a-crown. He was laughing all the time. Then he put on his coat and walked along the street. He looked at all the people with a happy smile.
'Good morning!' people said to him. 'A Merry Christmas to you!'
And Scrooge answered in the same way.
'Ah, there are the two gentlemen who were asking for money in my office yesterday,' he said. 'How do you do my dear sirs! A Merry Christmas to you!'
'Mr Scrooge?' asked one of them.
'Yes. That's my name and perhaps you don't like me. Please excuse me for yesterday. Listen...'
Scrooge spoke quietly in the man's ear.
'Are you serious, Mr Scrooge?' The man was very surprised.
'Of course. Can you do me that favour?'
'My dear Scrooge, that's very generous! I don't know what to say to thank you.'
'Don't say anything. Come and see me tomorrow. I'll give it to you then. All right?'
Then Scrooge continued walking. He watched the people, he kissed little children, he played with some dogs, he looked at everything with love, and he felt very happy.
In the afternoon he went to his nephew's house. Everybody was in the dining-room.
'Fred!' said Scrooge at the door.
'My God! Who's that?' cried Fred.
'It's your Uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Can I come in, Fred?'
'Come in? Of course, uncle! You're very welcome.'
Everybody was happy to see Scrooge and he was happy to see them. They ate a wonderful dinner, and then they played wonderful games and had a wonderful time!
Scrooge was in his office early the next morning. He was waiting for Bob Cratchit. Of course, he knew Bob would be late. Nine o'clock and no Bob. A quarter past nine. No Bob. At nine-twenty Bob ran in. He went into his room immediately and started to work fast.
'Hallo!' Scrooge said in his old angry voice. 'You're late!'
'I'm very sorry, sir!' Bob answered.
'Are you? Come here, Cratchit.'
'It's only once a year, sir,' said poor Bob. 'It won't happen again.'
'Well, my friend, I hope not,' Scrooge said with a big smile. 'Because I'm going to give you a bigger salary!'
Bob trembled. He couldn't believe his ears.
'A merry Christmas, Bob!' said Scrooge. 'This will be your happiest Christmas! Yes, I'm going to give you a lot more money and I'm going to help your poor family. Come on make a very big fire and let's have a drink. Bob Cratchit!'
Scrooge gave Bob more money, helped his family and did much more. Tiny Tim did NOT die and Scrooge was a second father to him. He became a good friend, a good manager and a good man. A few people laughed at him, of course, but he knew that some people always laugh at anything new, strange, and good. He often laughed now and that was the most important thing to him. He didn't see the Spirits again, and he celebrated every Christmas with all his heart. And, like Tiny Tim he said, 'God bless everyone!'
- THE END -
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