A Christmas Story told and a Promise Kept

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

I offer as promised one of my own Christmas tales.  It was inspired by my youngest Son, Bezel when he posed a question about Mr. Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  He simply asked, "If Marley is forbidden to interfere in the affairs of man then how did he get to visit Scrooge?  Thereby hangs a tale...

Marley’s Appeal

By

 Aramis Thorn

Now it must be understood that being “dead to begin with” does not preclude one from thinking upon life.  It is the very act of pondering life that makes the woe of imprisonment in death, on the fact, woeful.  The dead that have failed to see all that they can do with life while they have it are forced to see and consider all that they could have done with life when they no longer have it.  The subject of our consideration did in his later oratory state that he was precluded in interfering in the affairs of the living.  Unfortunately, he did this while interfering it the affairs of the living, thus contradicting his own premise for inaction.  The following is offered to correct this contradiction and attempt to mitigate the associated guilt that all other spirits may bare were the contradiction to stand.  So, we find that the pondering over time lead to deeds and we join our subject in the inauguration of that action.

Jacob Marley had considered a particular matter for seven horror-filled years.  Wandering through the dismal abyss of death without rest, dragging his strong coil of chains, padlocks, deeds, and cash boxes, he had encountered the specters of numerous famous and infamous men.  The numbers he had been forced to consort with were made up of those, who in his similar state, were condemned to wander the earth seeing the lives that they might have touched had they gone about the earth reaching out to their fellow man.  They were not even allowed the comfort of sharing the grief of their fellow wanderers, as Providence forbade them to consort one with another.

Christmas time was the most tortuous for Marley as he saw so much joy, joy in which he could not share, spread throughout world.  He saw the least in the sight of man reach out and up all at once to express the spirit of Christmas to his fellow and thus prevent himself from the burden of failing to minister to the spirit of man.  He saw the smallest kind deed lift burdens of heart and mind.  He saw those who held a station similar to his in life use that station to lift the stature of others.  He felt in himself and saw in his fellow wandering spirits the horror at being unable to assist the living, as they should have when they were a part of that company.  It was in this state that Jacob Marley found himself on Christmas Eve morning seven years after his death.

He had pondered all the year on how he would make his appeal and knew that he must be sure to make it with true conscience and purity of motive.  He must appeal only for the sake of the renovation of his objective and not with any hope of his own.  He must thrust away all hope of doing himself any good or providing for himself any comfort and instead seek only the welfare and reclamation of his former partner.  Fixed upon this as his only part and felicity, he approached the gates of heaven. 

These gates were not the ornate portal depicted in so much ethereal literature.  Rather, the gates Marley found before him were taller than London’s tower and adamant in the metal of their forge.  One could see through them but all that was seen was a blinding and diffuse light so intense that it seemed to all at once probe his being and completely envelope him.  On either side of the gate stood a solitary figure clothed in a white robe, with golden hair, and fiery visage.  Each of them held in his hand a great flaming sword and both seemed to face every direction at once.  Despite this multi-faceted vigilance, neither of the creatures took notice of Jacob Marley, rather they remained stone faced and silent reminding the ghost of Buckingham Beefeaters.   

Frightened of what the ethereal guardians could do to an unwelcome visitor, Marley was careful not to touch the gates nor stray too near the sentries.  He bolstered his courage and reminded himself that he had been a man of considerable ability in the area of words and conversation.  He had been told by many that he should have been a barrister or gone into parliament.  He would on many occasions speak at the marketplace, pontificating on various affairs of state and offering opinions on the news of the day. 

His former partner had often remarked on the amount of time he felt that Jacob wasted in speaking about matters that neither profited their business nor led to the possibility of profiting it.  Once in a rare while though, when Jacob had used his gift for debate to procure a profitable bargain for the counting house, his partner would grudgingly that it was his tongue that had secured profit and was, therefore, somewhat profitable. It was with this careful placement of his motive and confidence that Jacob Marley began to speak through the gate towards the light that came from within.

“If it sits well with the Divine Enthroned Majesty, I would seek audience for an appeal.”

Jacob paused, being met with silence. After a moment, he continued, “Knowing that the Most High is both merciful and just, I would seek permission to warn one of His children lest that child fall under a condemnation like unto mine.”

Still more silence, the gnawing kind that tells you someone is there but has feigned not to answer. With no little chagrin, Jacob recalled that he had used this same practice in his counting house to terrify someone who was standing before his desk waiting to be heard on a matter of financial clemency.   Al too often the petitioner had given in to impatience and insisted that Jacob look up from his books and hear the petition, thus offending Jacob and closing the case before it was opened.  This both angered and terrified Jacob, as he realized that he could worsen his situation by offending the Warden of Heaven, but he also knew that he must prevail in order to save Ebenezer.

“Perhaps I have begun poorly,” he started in.

A voice that could shake all of creation interrupted his speech.  In fact, had Marley not been so terrified by the sudden response out of the silence, he may have committed the error of being offended at the interruption. 

“Who darkens my door with a heart to counsel the Almighty?”  boomed the voice.

Stuttering, as he never had in life, Marley replied, “If, if..err…um.. Providence be pleased Your Worship, It is only I, Jacob Marley, dead and condemned these past seven years.” 

“Ah, the greedy miserly Jacob Marley, already loathsome of his earned estate I’ll warrant.  Has your self-forged chain already become too much for you to bear?  Do you tire so quickly of the solitude from the welfare of others and alienation from my person that you so eagerly coveted in life?  Why do you trouble the throne Jacob?  You had little enough use for Our affairs in life and We, as good accountants, have settled your balance honestly and with more mercy than you deserve.  You have been delivered that which you purchased from Us.  Our business is concluded for now.”

“I seek nothing for myself,” replied Jacob.  “Rather, I seek to gain release from my invisible and ineffectual state for a short time so that I may visit and affect a warning upon my still living partner, Ebenezer Scrooge.”

“Ebenezer Scrooge!”  Boomed the voice with an anger so livid that Jacob thought to immediately find himself cast into the very heart of perdition’s flame by one of the sentries he stood between.  Casting a brief glance to his left and then his right he noted that the heavenly gatekeepers neither moved nor changed the expression on their faces. 

The voice from within the gate boomed again, “That poor excuse for a man, Ebenezer Scrooge has been given every wherewithal to recommend himself to great generosity and kindness.  He who possesses a bounty many times that with which you were blessed has squandered it on miserly malcontented mischief.  He has used his providential blessings to wall himself away from the needs of his fellow men.  Even as we speak he delights in pondering the eviction of a poor family with a relish that rivals perdition’s own delight in troubling others.  He celebrates the gift of our Son by ignoring Us and visiting misery on his fellow man.  Why should Providence spare another thought towards such an ill-conceived, greed encrusted, loathing, and covetous soul as that of Ebenezer Scrooge?”

Now Jacob had pondered long on this question, knowing that it must arise due to Scrooge’s total lack of loving kindness towards others.  He knew that the Almighty must be convinced that giving anything further than that which had already been so bountifully given to the principle in question would be an act of overt grace and must promise some healthy return.  It could be well assumed that a man of business shrewd enough to wager the life his own Son on the itinerant faith of men, would surely know exactly what He wanted in return for such a seemingly foolish venture.  Then again, it occurred to Marley that it was the practice of Providence to ponder just such a foolish venture in the lives of men, with great return both expected and realized in many an instance.  With the full weight of this need and knowledge in mind, Marley began to verbalize his appeal.

“Were the powers that be to allow this warning, it would bring several benefits to that power and magnify its generosity greatly.  On the first thought, one must imagine the wonder that it would be to all, were Ebenezer Scrooge won from the other side.  Such a victory, and such a loss to the opposition, would surely enhance the position of good in the ever-widening struggle for mankind.  One must also consider the benefit to all those who would receive the blessings of a reformed and repentant miser like the party under consideration.  It is hard for the worldly mind to grasp a man so burdened with wealth he could hardly spend it were he to pursue only that occupation, and it vigorously, for the rest of his days.

A further issue, though not of my own priority, would be that there would be firm evidence that I had, in some small measure, repented and assisted in reforming one who had forged chains similar to mine own.  Although I deserve no release from the burden I carry, it would, in spirit, release some of that burden to know that I had eased it for another, especially my own dear friend and partner Ebenezer.”

Again, Marley was met with haunting and abject silence.  He began to be sure that his audience had ended and that he was not even given the consideration of a dismissal.  So sure was Marley that he had failed, he was pondering whether to risk the attempt of further appeal or to simply turn and make his way back to his loathsome ineffectual wandering.  Just as Jacob made up his mind to further his case before the bar, and in so doing, risk providential wrath for insolence, the silence was again shattered.

“Marley, your proposition intrigues Us but We do not see the value of letting the dead interfere with the living.  We have seen little return from Our own journey from death for the sake of all men.  They pass by the warnings already posted as if they were an old war memorial suitable only as a pigeon perch.  They use Our sacrifice as if it were meant only as a springboard for children’s tales and philosophical debate.  There is little value to be gained in changing what is already in place, especially for the likes of Ebenezer Scrooge.”

The only thing that rescued Marley from this rebuttal was his skill as an orator, that and the fact that Providence was already predisposed to his side in the matter and Marley knew it not. In, fact, were it known to Jacob he might feel great joy in that Providence knew his appeal and was anxious to grant it, but also delighted in hearing the heartfelt words of one man seeking mercy for another.

Jacob took a deep breath.  This is not to say that the dead need to breathe, but rather that this was his custom before he began a lengthy oration.  This custom had often won him many points in the market with his opponents, as they knew that if they agreed to terms quickly they could spare themselves the assault of Marley’s prolonged and clearly preponderated remarks.  It was true; therefore, that many bargains were reached, closed, and sealed just at the moment when Marley took this breath.  It was not to be in this case, so Marley began.

“I would begin by elaborating on the three key qualities of the Divine that would most benefit from the application of the aforementioned, as your good graces put it, ‘interference’.  Primarily, that which would be seen is the mercy with which the Divine mitigates himself towards man.  Secondly, Providence would show that its love for one so far fallen as Ebenezer Scrooge must be a love that can encompass all of mankind.  Third, and mind you, not least important in these questioning times, is that the extra effort afforded the miserly, worldly minded Scrooge, if it were rejected, would still benefit the position of the Divine.  It would serve to support the obvious justice of the Divine’s condemnation and punishment of the said offender.”

At this point, Marley paused.  Having delivered his thesis, he was inclined to think that the omniscient mind that he opposed would clearly see the obvious value of his intended points and, therefore, concede the debate.  This had often been Marley’s experience in both the market and the counting house and it seemed logical that the course would run true here.  His pause, instead, received only silence, so Marley continued.

“Let us then dwell for a moment on the primary point of mercy.  Divine mercy leads us to acknowledge that man needs redemption to begin with.  Were not Providence constantly convicting the heart of man to the truths of sin, righteousness, and judgment, man would be ignorant of the detriment he faces.  It is just this quality of mercy that kept Providence from turning his back on Adam after the failure in the garden.  This same quality evidenced itself when Noah received his divinely drawn plans and new career as both shipwright and zoo keeper.  It would have been easy enough in each case to shun the current creation for a newer, better, and more obedient design.  Mercy must even be at play in the continuation of this audience, or it would have already terminated.  If there were no mercy left for Ebenezer Scrooge, then Providence would not now bend his ear toward one so far fallen as Jacob Marley.”

Pausing again, Jacob allowed himself a moment of pride at that last point.  He then realized that he meant what he said and found in that the pride inappropriate for the moment.  Thus he ran the full gamut of pride, conviction, repentance, and humility in an instant while still realizing that he was truly motivated by compassion and concern for his endangered friend.  Thinking upon his spectral feet, Jacob Marley continued.

“In addition to the obvious benefit of mercy to Ebenezer, it must be considered how much more that mercy would be meted out to those who were the recipients of our subject’s changed heart and disposition.  Were London to host a wealthy and merciful Scrooge, London itself might well be transformed.  The possibility of miser turned philanthropist is one that must surely promise a severe return on so small an investment.”

Again, Jacob Marley allowed himself a respite of self-adoration at this last bit of oratory genius.  Not because of his own ability, but due to the truth that any one individual with sound business judgment must see the logic of his appeal.  Having stoked the fires of his rhetoric with the courage of quick thinking, Jacob pressed on.  A soft clearing of his phantom throat and he proceeded to his next point.

“On the matter of our second element in this debate, I would ask the Divine to consider the depth to which love has already been bestowed on mankind.  Providence has spared nothing in providing abundance of beauty and grace in both life and afterlife for those who accept the love offered and render it again in kind to Providence  and to their fellow man. 

In so ordering the universe as to make love the key that unlocks the aforementioned heart of mercy, it seems timely that such love could be shouted, verily bellowed as complete, were it to be advanced further to attempt this redemption of one such as our wayward partner, Scrooge.  If one so solitary in selfishness were to receive love as a token for his loathsome ways, the opening of this oyster would surely produce a pearl of great price.  It surely would point to the expanse to which Providence can love anyone, no matter how low his estate.  To fill the heart coffers of one so compassionately bankrupt could only be a miraculously clever investment in the redemption of all men of such impoverishment.  Imagine the girth of the final ripple that could be caused by dropping this one pebble into the pond that is love-lost mankind.  Surely again, the potential tidal wave of benefit is worth the risk of a single stone on Scrooge’s behalf.”

Jacob felt particularly proud of this volley.  He knew that he had spoken well and should quickly move on to the next point.  He waited just long enough for the transition to seem unrehearsed. Justice would be his hardest hurdle, for in the balance of justice he and Scrooge both came up wanting.

He began more awkwardly than he intended.  “On the matter of justice, it is obvious that our subject, Mister Scrooge, and this unworthy speaker are due the harshest of Providence’s judgments.  It is hoped that the application of the aforementioned mercy and love would compel the Divine to rather mete out justice to those who would benefit from the ministries of a repentant Scrooge.  Would it not be ironic justice, like unto the quails visited upon the complaints of the wandering Hebrews, for Scrooge to spend the rest of his living days giving away money at every turn?  Justice could peek from beneath her blind to smile wryly at a man whose fortunes rose so as to drive him to give them away lest they mount too high.  Imagine a man so possessed of the spirit of giving that he seemed mad to those around but they dare not lock him away for fear of losing the benefits of his madness.  This would truly be a just ending for the master of all misers, Ebenezer Scrooge.

So it is with these reasons that we present our plea before the bar and ask that Providence allow us to intervene in the life of one so wretched.   It is hoped that our words have shown that the quality of intervention requested would promote a generous return for all considered.  We would withdraw now to let the Divine consider our request without the added burden of tolerating our presence.”  Jacob thought this last was a bit over the brim, but he was quite nervous now that he had spoken and anxious to retreat. 

Just as he turned to make his withdrawal, he got his answer.  The rapid force of the reply so shocked Jacob Marley that had he been alive, he would have died of fright on the very spot and in the very moment.

“We have considered your request and still find both you and your quarry wanting.  We see little hope that your words can unfetter the chains that are three times the weight of the coil you bear.  But we do see the value of having attempted no matter the outcome of the account.  You, at least, Jacob Marley will know that we spared no effort in the redemption of the avaricious Ebenezer Scrooge.  Proceed with your plan.  You may visit him briefly after his evening meal.  Mind that you do not tell him of our conversation and be sure to include in the warning that we will send three other spirits to visit his abode.  They will serve to support your warning in their own subtle ways.  Get on with it Jacob.  This audience is ended.”

The reality of his success had not quite set in, but Jacob knew a providential dismissal when he heard one.  So overcome was he by the abruptness of the ending that it took some time for him to realize that he had not utterly failed.  As he quickly and fearfully made his way back to his wanderings, he saw opening before him the bustle of London on a most foggy, dark, and snow-filled Christmas Eve. 

It was late afternoon and he could see Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, just leaving the counting house.  Fred’s smile broke the fugue that had controlled Jacob after the audience and he realized that he had succeeded in his interview, winning the opportunity to confront and hopefully rescue his partner.  With the first tiny tinge of joy that had crossed Marley’s heart in seven years, he made his way to Scrooge’s flat.  Marley just had enough time to prepare his oration before his former partner made his way home for the evening.