Gordon's Christmas Carol

Chapter 2

Night began to fall once Gordon had fallen asleep. It was dark and gloomy just the night. At least Gordon got some piece and quiet. While he tossed and turned, he thought he could hear something. Something calling his name.

"Gordon...."

"Huh? Nothing but the wind."

"GORDON!!!!"

"HUH! What was that?!"

Gordon looked in front of him to see something that turned his skin white. It was an engine he seemed to know...but he was off from the ground! The engine was painted black from boiler to tender, he was covered in chains, and had a look of anger and rage on his face. 

"W-who are you?"

"Ask me who I was!"

"Alright have it your way, who were you?"

"In life, I was your partner, Marley!"

"Hmmmm"

"You don't believe in me do you Gordon!?"

"Your just a figment of my imagination cause by bad leftover food! BA!"

"GORDON!"

The ghost of Marley was getting madder and madder as his body turned from a snow white to a blazing hot red.

"HUH! WHY DO YOU TROUBLE ME?!"

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN ME OR NOT?!"

"I believe! I BELIEVE! But why trouble me now?! You have been dead for 7 long years!"

Marley calmed down and went back to his white color.

"Uuugh, 7 years dead. You don't know how hard it is. They say death brings peace but not when carrying this chains."

Gordon didn't notice the chains hanging from Marley's body, not that he couldn't as he was too scared to look around.

"Chains? Why do you have chains?"

"I wear the chains I forged in life. I made it link by link and yard by yard. Do you feel the weight of the strong chain you carry yourself?"

Gordon wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he had the feeling Marley was seeing something in him that he himself didn't know.

"How did you get the chains anyway? You didn't pick them up somewhere on your way to the afterlife did you Marley?"

Marley didn't take kindly to Gordon's joke.

"You of all engines should know why I carry this chain. Greed. I was greedy to everyone in my life time and when we used our accounting house, I misused it and our power to make more money than I ever could, robbing the lives of all the people who needed it for themselves to survive."

"Misused? But Marley, you were always a good engine of business!

"BUSINESS?! MANKIND WAS MY BUSINESS! THEIR COMMON WELFARE WAS MY BUSINESS!"

"I don't understand! Why is this a problem?!"

"No rest no peace! Only incessant torture and remorse!"

"Well I'm sorry things aren't going well for you Marley."

"Listen to me Gordon for once! My time is nearly gone and I'm here to warn you!"

"About what?"

"You still have a hope of escaping my faith. Are you willing to hear?"

"Yes! Whatever you have to say! Please tell me what to do!"

"You will be visited by 3 more ghost tonight. You best expect the worse when the clock strikes midnight!"

"MORE GHOSTS?! I CAN BARELY HANDLE ONE?! CAN'T THEY JUST COME AT ONCE AND TEACH ME WHAT THEY WANT TO TEACH?!"

"Look to see me no more. But look here, that you may remember for your own sake what has passed between us!"

And just like that, Marley was gone. Not a sound was made. Gordon looked around to make sure nothing was different.

"Hmm, that didn't sound like my old partner Marley. He never uses that kind of language or tone. Hmph! Must be my mind playing tricks! I better good to sleep. And when I wake up in the morning, this will all be just a bad dream."

Gordon  went right to sleep. However, this would be one bad dream that he will remember for a very long time.