The Christmas season was something that brought various activities that often celebrated various activities that went beyond simply singing carols and the other various activities. This often included various things like theater and movie productions, as at times it was well known that just about everyone had ideas on for Christmas, and this went back generations. Hollywood periodically made Christmas movies, many of which were often sent to theaters in December. Charles Dickens in the 1800s wrote "A Christmas Carol" for that same purpose, and Animalia got into the same spirit with a theatrical production that was essentially adapted from Dickens' work.
The production had done well with various Animalians, both from Lyre and Animalia playing their part. And on one afternoon, as Marcy went about helping with some chores around the house of the White family home, many of which became bigger with Polly now living with them full time, she soon overheard one of the Christmas episodes of Animalia Ambassadoria being played over a set of speakers. It peaked her curiosity to find Chilly seated in the family's computer room and watching it.
"Watching the review on the Christmas play again?" Marcy asked, as she could hear Abby, Sophie, Sarah, Malice, and Jessica give their thoughts on the Christmas play.
"I can only watch so much football," Chilly answered, referring to the College Football bowl season, which was now beginning to wind down as their title game got closer, "and everyone seemed to think I did well."
"Of course you did well," Marcy answered to lead down and hug Chilly, "You're the jolliest bear I know."
Chilly managed a small smile. Of course, Marcy's review might be a bit biased in the sense that they were bond-mates and that naturally she'd love the things he did, but that didn't mean he didn't like the reinforcement. The biggest thing Chilly liked with the reviews that had been made on the Animalian Christmas pageant was that the good reviews came those outside the White family and even from a couple of reviewers outside of Lyre, if what the Animalia Ambassadoria episode he'd been watching again indicated. And as he thought back on the Christmas pageant a part of him actually wondered what a career as an actor might be like...
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The Animalian adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" was put on in the Great Hall with a large portion of it being set aside for a raised stage while specialized folding chairs were set up for viewers to sit and watch the play. The main lights were all turned off with a few portable spotlights set up on the second floor's walkways providing the lights for that raised stage. And the set up worked out fairly well. The only thing that really was a "problem" was that similarly to the special Thanksgiving Day dinner, a large number of Humans had come from Lyre to watch the play. This made sense as Christmas productions were popular around Christmas time, but it also meant that with the areas set aside for the stage that they didn't have enough room to sit everyone and some that had come to see the play had to stand.
The play opened with the fairly standard impression with an Opossum Animalian playing the role of "Scrooge" with the fairly typical action of being a greedy miser who saw little value in anything more than "robbing the widows and swindling the poor." Though there were a few alterations that were made to the script, more to make the play come off as though it was more modern than Victorian London when "A Christmas Carol" was written. This was reflected with Scrooge praising the recent tax bill under the line, "and it's good the rich don't have to pay taxes any more. That's the way it should always be. For if the poor are taxed, they'll then work harder rather than being he deliberate leaches that they are." Though of course it was also shown that Scrooge didn't really do much more than count money and word any and all loans in such a way that there would be no way anyone but Scrooge could advance.
This then lead into the obvious plot points of "A Christmas Carol" as Scrooge grumbled on the holiday and to a degree being predatory on it, as to reflect the overly commercialized way that Christmas had become. This included the obvious issues and conflicts with both his workers and family and progressing into the dream sequence in which he was haunted by first the ghost of his former business partner with the warning that his business practices were NOT going to reward him in the afterlife and then by the three spirits. And it was when the play got to the "ghost of Christmas Present" that Chilly made his entrance.
Chilly was dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a red and green sweatshirt with the word "joy" written across the front. He entered while also carrying a large cooked Turkey leg that he chewed on as he entered. And Scrooge watched from his "bed" as Chilly entered.
"My, Ebenezer, you are in bed early," Chilly spoke, "Don't you know it's Christmas?"
"It's the season, but I've done all I can for it," Scrooge answered, "and made plenty of money for it."
"Ah, but there is more to Christmas than money," Chilly replied, "It is a festive season! People come together. They party with presents, fine wine, good food, and above all comradery."
The lights flickered for a moment and when they resumed Chilly and Scrooge were standing to see a large group of well dressed Animalians dancing and giving out great laughs of joy. Many of them were also passing presents between each other, and included commentary on how the gifts were well thought out and fit each person. They gave the obvious signs of enjoyment that reflected a upper class Christmas party.
"Many of these people I work with... I do business with..." Scrooge said slowly.
"And yet they have time to come together and enjoy Christmas," Chilly chided, "to be friends with each other... to be more than just business partners."
"Bah!" Scrooge replied, "they do this every year and in all honesty, many of them are no different from me. Just because they hang out and say "Merry Christmas" a lot doesn't make them better."
"Perhaps..." Chilly brought one finger up to his muzzle, "but then... at least they're celebrating the season and see it as MORE than just a season to make money."
Scrooge had no answer to that.
"And the celebrations of today go beyond just your business associates," Chilly commented, "but those of much lower standing as well."
Again the lights flickered as the scenes were changed. When they came back up, Scrooge and Chilly were standing in the background of one of his workers' home as they celebrated Christmas. This included a mother and father, two children, and all living in rather impoverished looking settings. The father, "Bob Cratchit" is seemingly cooking something while his wife is seated at a table with what looks like a mountain of bills.
"He really wouldn't give you a bonus?" Mrs. Cratchit spoke, "but you've worked the hardest for him! You've made that miser's practices come off as honorable by at least trying to give people some opportunity for a fair deal!"
"I have," Bob Cratchit nodded, "but I suppose Mr. Scrooge sees that being at a cost to him and there is nothing in my contract that says he HAS to give a bonus. That sort of thing... is merely something that comes in if he FEELS like it. If he doesn't want to... nothing says he can't."
"That's still not fair to you, and I don't know why you stay with him!" Mrs. Cratchit spoke shaking the paper, "we have bills that keep coming in and a credit is lousy because we have to keep putting off certain payments by paying in credit... And Scrooge won't pay you what you've earned because being fair isn't good for him? That's greed on his part pure and simple. You ought to go somewhere else."
"Go where?" Bob Cratchit asked back, "the over all market is tight and there aren't that many in this area that would be looking for me and I'm not qualified to do anything else. Like him or hate him... we are stuck where we are... and while it isn't great... so far we've made do. We can be thankful for that."
Mrs. Cratchit set her papers down for a moment and looked at them with a blank and almost depressed look. She then turned to Bob Cratchit and stood up to approach him. She seemed to tremble as she approached Bob Cratchit while Chilly and Scrooge watched.
"Bob... it may be a bit deeper than that," Mrs. Cratchit said slowly, "I took Tim into the doctors today..."
"His cough is that bad?" Bob Cratchit asked.
"It hasn't gotten any better," Mrs. Cratchit answered.
Scrooge and Chilly watched as a sound of heavy coughing was heard as a young Animalian came into view. He was a young Opossum Animalian who was in Polly's Elementary School class at WSA and in real life was the son of the Animalian playing Scrooge. The young Animalian came on stage wrapped in a large blanket.
"What's going on?" the young "Tim" asked before coughing again.
Mrs. Cratchit and Bob Cratchit's argument ended as Mrs. Cratchit rapidly went to lift him, blanket and all into her arms.
"It's nothing, Tim, I'm sorry we disturbed you," Mrs. Cratchit spoke and held him close. The scene then paused and shifted over to Scrooge and Chilly.
"Surely this can't be real," Scrooge commented, "Sure... I may not pay the highest wages, but Cratchit works HARD and that's how you get ahead. If you're poor, it's because you aren't working hard... or at all. If the poor only went to work they'd be rich."
"That is your view..." Chilly commented, "but fighting poverty is more than just about working hard. Particularly when the cost of goods often increases at a level disproportionate to any increase in wages. So while someone may see their hourly wage go from $8.25 per hour to $8.75 per hour, the cost of what he needs to buy has also gone up... like a loaf of bread going from $2.40 a loaf to $3.85 a loaf. Yes, the wages went up, but the cost of the goods went up by a higher margin. It's a cycle that "working harder" isn't going to solve, because that's part of the system itself. Working harder is simply an excuse."
"But the boy seems fine enough," Scrooge answered, "he has no complaints other than the argument."
"But he is ill," Chilly warned, "and with a BAD case of pneumonia."
"Pneumonia?" Scrooge gasped.
Chilly nodded, "and the Cratchit's lack the funds to really cover things. And they've held off because of the skyrocketing costs that relate to it. The only reason Tim was taken to the doctors now was that his case hadn't naturally improved... and there was no other choice... but even with that... the situation the Cratchits' are in isn't that good..."
"No good?" Scrooge asked.
"Unless greater changes in the system... or something is done that better helps the Cratchits directly... I see an empty chair where Tim once sat," Chilly warned.
"But that isn't what I want!" Scrooge blurted as the lights slowly began to dim and Chilly was seen walking backward off stage.
"Sure it is," Chilly chided, "You pay Cratchit an hourly wage for a position most others would earn a salary for... and the wage you pay is just above minimum wage today after ten years of service that Bob Cratchit has given you. You ENJOY the very thing that is at the heart of the Cratchit's family's problems, because it makes YOU more money. Don't pretend you suddenly care because you're seeing the consequences of what you've championed!"
"This isn't Christmassy!" Scrooge protested.
By this point the stage went dark with one last line from Chilly, "what do YOU care about Christmas, Ebenezer? You're asleep in bed, because you've done all you can to get money from the poor to give to the rich and there is nothing more that you can do in that regard for Christmas. You're not even celebrating the holiday with your fellow businessmen." From there the stage sat in the dark while stage hands moved sets around. The audience could also soon hear a machine running in the background.
When the lights came back up, Scrooge was on the left side of the stage, near a large grouping of extras gathered around a lone rounded gravestone near the edge of the stage that the audience could see. There was a row of gravestones that were also set up with one spot that had it missing with another two extras pretending to shovel earth a way. To hide the stage floor, a fog machine was running and had a thick layer of fog running along the floor of the stage. Some of it came down to the area right in front of the audience in the first row. At the back of the stage, there was a large three-dimensional mausoleum that was built with the Raven Animalians Rift and Jet perched on top of it in a way that were watching over the scene.
Scrooge stood there with a great deal of fear as he soon recognized he was in a cemetery. He looked on as Mrs. Cratchit came forward and touched the top of the gravestone the extras were gathered around.
"Good bye, Tim," Mrs. Cratchit said weakly, "you... you were the best little boy a mother could ask for. And... and... and know wherever you are... Mommy loves you and is very sorry... Sorry I couldn't save you. Sorry I couldn't... I couldn't... I couldn't provide for you."
And with that Mrs. Cratchit collapsed sobbing into Bob Cratchit's arms, who looked equally pained while getting some comfort from the extras. Scrooge looked on and seemed more afraid and then looked around, as if looking for the ghost.
"Spirit?" Scrooge called out, "are you there?"
"We are," Rift spoke from one post on the mausoleum.
"This is the future you see," Jet added and both hopped down, fluttering their wings and cawing as they did so.
"But why show me this?" Scrooge asked.
"Because this is the future for us all," Rift commented, "We are born and live for a little while and in the end we die."
"And at times this is where we must learn from things," Jet added, "as in death is when one's legacy truly sets in... For in that... one has reached the end."
"The end?" Scrooge asked.
"The end," Jet nodded, "The future is always in motion and you can always change things..."
"But once you die," Rift finished, "You can't change anything and your legacy will be shaped by what you've done."
Scrooge gulped as the extras and the Cratchits moved off stage. That left the two that were digging. They seemed to finish and look around. The grave diggers looked past Scrooge, Rift, and Jet as if they weren't there and followed the extras going off stage. They then sighed and shouldered their shovels.
"Well... I suppose that is all we're going to get for this one," the first grave digger commented.
"Aye, no mourners, no friends to bid him farewell," the second nodded.
"You want to get a bit to eat before we fill it in?" the first asked.
"Sure... I'm starved," the second nodded before they to went off stage. Scrooge, Rift, and Jet soon gathered around that spot. Scrooge looked down as if looking into a hole.
"Spirit... who's lonely grave... is this?" Scrooge wondered.
"Why YOURS Ebenezer," Rift spoke with a laugh and lifted up a gravestone from the floor while Jet moved around behind Scrooge.
"The richest man in the cemetery!" Jet finished before pushing Scrooge forward and he fell down through a trap door into an area beneath the stage and the scene soon went to black with the sounds of Scrooge screaming in terror and Rift and Jet laughing.
And of course the play ended in the way "A Christmas Carol" pretty much always ended. Scrooge woke up from the dream and had "learned" his lesson and became a much kinder and fairer man to those he did business with and vowing to move away from the vice of greed and so on. It lead to a great deal of cheers and applause as the play ended with the actor who played Scrooge holding his son, who played Tim, and both bowing together. And when Chilly came out for his bow he was fairly certain a female polar bear in the audience blew a happy whistle before clapping harder for him.
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"You did great, Chilly," Marcy said to him in the White family's den/computer room.
"And you wouldn't mind if I ended up an actor after going through high school and college?" Chilly wondered.
"You can be anything you want to be," Marcy nuzzled her muzzle to Chilly's.