Yes! The bedpost belonged to Ebenezer Scrooge. The bed was his own and the room was his own. Best of all, he had time to change his life. He was very happy.
"I will live with the lessons of the Past, the Present, and the Future!" Ebenezer Scrooge said. He jumped out of bed. "I thank Jacob Marley for this! I say it on my knees!"
Ebenezer Scrooge was very excited. His voice was shaking. He had cried many tears during the night. Now his face was wet, but he was smiling.
He looked at his bed-curtains. They were still there. "I am here!" Ebenezer Scrooge cried. "I can change the future. I know I can!"
He began to put on his clothes. He was so excited that he put them on the wrong way. He laughed and he cried at the same time. He looked very funny.
"I am as light as a feather!" Ebenezer Scrooge shouted. "I am as happy as an angel! I am as merry as a schoolboy! Merry Christmas to everybody! Happy New Year to the world!"
He ran into the sitting-room. He saw the bowl for his gruel (a thin, simple soup made with oats). He saw the door where the ghost of Jacob Marley entered. He saw the corner where the Spirit of Christmas Present sat.
"It is all true!" Ebenezer Scrooge laughed. "It all happened!" It was a wonderful, loud laugh. He had not laughed for many years.
"I do not know what day it is!" Ebenezer Scrooge said. "I do not know how long I was with the spirits. I feel like a baby. But I do not care!"
Suddenly, the church bells began to ring. They made a loud and glorious sound. Ebenezer Scrooge ran to the window. He opened it and looked out.
The air was fresh and cold. There was no fog now. The sunlight was bright and golden. The sky was blue. "Glorious!" Ebenezer Scrooge cried. "Glorious!"
He saw a boy in the street in fine clothes. "What is today?" Ebenezer Scrooge called down. "Eh?" the boy asked. He was very surprised.
"What is today, my fine boy?" Ebenezer Scrooge asked again. "Today?" the boy replied. "Why, it is CHRISTMAS DAY."
Ebenezer Scrooge was very happy. "It is Christmas Day!" he said to himself. "I did not miss it. The spirits did everything in one night."
"Hallo, my fine boy!" Ebenezer Scrooge called. "Do you know the poultry shop in the next street?" A poulterer (a person who sells birds like chickens and turkeys) was at the corner.
"Yes, I know it," the boy said. Ebenezer Scrooge told the boy he was a smart child. He asked if the prize turkey was still there. He wanted the very big turkey.
"The one as big as me?" the boy asked. Ebenezer Scrooge laughed. "Yes! Go and buy it," he said. "Tell them to bring it here. I will give you money."
The boy ran away very fast. Ebenezer Scrooge wanted to send the turkey to Bob Cratchit. "He will not know who sent it!" Ebenezer Scrooge whispered. He rubbed his hands and laughed.
He wrote Bob Cratchit’s address on a piece of paper. His hand was shaking, but he finished it. He went downstairs to the front door. He saw the door knocker.
"I will love this knocker forever!" Ebenezer Scrooge said. He patted it with his hand. Before, he only saw Jacob Marley's face there. Now it looked like an honest, wonderful knocker.
The man from the shop arrived with the turkey. It was a giant bird. "You cannot carry that so far," Ebenezer Scrooge said. "You must take a cab (a carriage pulled by a horse that you pay to use)."
Ebenezer Scrooge paid for the turkey. He paid for the cab and he gave money to the boy. He was so happy that he started to cry. Then he went upstairs to shave.
Shaving was difficult because his hand was shaking. But Ebenezer Scrooge did not care. He put on his best clothes and went out into the street.
The streets were full of happy people. Ebenezer Scrooge looked at everyone with a smile. Three or four men said, "Good morning, sir! Merry Christmas!" This made Ebenezer Scrooge very happy.
He saw the fat gentleman who visited his office yesterday. The man wanted money for the poor. Ebenezer Scrooge felt a little sad about yesterday, but he walked to the man.
"My dear sir," Ebenezer Scrooge said. "How are you? I hope you were successful yesterday. Merry Christmas to you, sir!" The man was surprised to see him.
"Mr. Scrooge?" the man asked. Ebenezer Scrooge said yes. Then he whispered a very large amount of money into the man's ear. He wanted to give a lot of help to the poor.
"Lord bless me!" the gentleman cried. "Are you serious, Mr. Scrooge?" Ebenezer Scrooge told him he was very serious. He asked the man to visit him soon.
Ebenezer Scrooge went to church. He walked through the streets and watched the people. He patted children on the head. He saw that everything gave him pleasure. He was very happy.
In the afternoon, he went to his nephew's house. He was a little nervous. He walked past the door twelve times. Finally, he went up and knocked.
"Is your master at home, my dear?" he asked the girl at the door. "Yes, sir," she said. She told him Fred was in the dining-room with his wife.
Ebenezer Scrooge went into the room. Fred and his wife were looking at the dinner table. "Fred!" Ebenezer Scrooge said. His niece was very surprised.
"Bless my soul!" Fred cried. "Who is that?" Ebenezer Scrooge answered, "It is your Uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in?"
Fred was very happy to see him. In five minutes, Ebenezer Scrooge felt at home. They had a wonderful party with great food and fun games. Everyone was happy.
The next morning, Ebenezer Scrooge went to his office very early. He wanted to be there first. He wanted to catch Bob Cratchit arriving late.
The clock struck nine, but Bob Cratchit was not there. At a quarter past nine, he was still not there. Bob Cratchit was eighteen minutes late.
Bob Cratchit opened the door and ran to his stool. He began to write very fast with his pen. He tried to look busy. Ebenezer Scrooge sat with his door open.
"Hallo!" Ebenezer Scrooge shouted in his old, mean voice. "Why are you here so late?" Bob Cratchit was very afraid. "I am sorry, sir," Bob Cratchit said.
"I was having fun yesterday," Bob Cratchit explained. Ebenezer Scrooge jumped from his stool. He hit Bob Cratchit lightly on the chest. "I am not going to stand this anymore!" he said.
"And so," Ebenezer Scrooge continued, "I am going to raise your salary (the money you get for your work)!" Bob Cratchit was shocked. He thought Ebenezer Scrooge was crazy.
"Merry Christmas, Bob!" Ebenezer Scrooge said. He was very serious. "I will give you more money. I will help your family. We will talk about it this afternoon!"
Ebenezer Scrooge did everything he promised. He did even more. He became a second father to Tiny Tim. And Tiny Tim did NOT die.
Ebenezer Scrooge became a good friend and a good man. Some people laughed because he changed so much. But Ebenezer Scrooge did not care. He knew he was doing the right thing.
His own heart was happy. He never saw the spirits again. He lived a good life and he always celebrated Christmas well. He was the kindest man in the city.
As Tiny Tim said, "God bless us, every one!"