Chapter 4 – The Last of the Spirits
The dark figure moved slowly towards Scrooge. It wore a long black robe that covered its whole body, and only one hand could be seen. It did not speak.
“Are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?” Scrooge asked. The figure nodded.
Scrooge felt very afraid, but he said, “I know you will show me things that will happen in the future. I am ready to learn.”
The spirit took him to the streets of London. They stopped near some businessmen talking. Scrooge listened. They spoke about a man who had died, but they did not seem sad. They joked and said no one would go to his funeral.
Next, the spirit took him to a dirty, dark part of the city. Inside a small shop, people were selling things they had stolen from the dead man—bed curtains, clothes, even his blankets. Scrooge was shocked.
Then they visited a poor, messy room. On a bed lay a body covered with a sheet. The spirit pointed to it, but Scrooge could not bring himself to look under the cover. He was frightened to see the face.
“Spirit,” he begged, “tell me—was this man liked by anyone?”
The spirit showed him a poor family. They were happy because the dead man had been a cruel moneylender, and now they had more time to pay their debts.
Finally, the spirit took him to a quiet churchyard. They stopped by a grave. The spirit pointed to the name on the stone. Scrooge’s hands shook as he read it: EBENEZER SCROOGE.
“No, Spirit! This cannot be my future! Please tell me I can change it!” Scrooge cried, falling to his knees. “I will honour Christmas in my heart and live differently from now on!”
The spirit’s black robe began to fade, and Scrooge found himself back in his own bed.