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YDS Publishing, Simplified Readers, Level A -1, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Chapter 1

The Ghost of Jacob Marley It is a cold, foggy Christmas Eve in London.

The church clock strikes three in the afternoon, but the sky is quite dark.

There are flickering candles in the windows of all the offices and shops.

He is the owner of the Scrooge and Marley Counting House.

His business partner, Jacob Marley, is dead.

But the name Scrooge and Marley is still on the door of the counting house,

seven years after his death.

Old Scrooge is a heartless, stingy businessman.

He hates Christmas.

He is shivering now because his room is very cold.

There is a very small fire in his fireplace because he doesn't like spending money on coal.

His clerk, Bob Cratchit, is writing letters in a small room at the other part of the office.

Scrooge doesn't have a door in his office, so he can see Bob Cratchit all the time.

There is very little coal in his fireplace.

He can't put more coal into it because Scrooge keeps the coal box in his own room.

He can't get any coal from it because he is afraid of Scrooge.

Suddenly, the office door opens and a young, cheerful man walks in.

Bob Cratchit looks up from his desk and smiles at him.

This young man is Scrooge's nephew, Fred.

Merry Christmas, Uncle.

Merry Christmas, Bob.

Fred says happily.

Bah humbug says Scrooge with an angry face.

Why do you call Christmas humbug, Uncle?

Do you really mean it?

Of course I do.

Christmas day is the same as all the other days.

People spend a lot of money on Christmas and they get poorer.

No one gets richer, but everyone gets a year older.

And why do you feel happy on Christmas?

You are a poor man, not rich.

Uncle, you are very rich, but you are miserable and grumpy.

Why?

To this, Scrooge has no answer.

He just says, Bah humbug.

But Fred says, Christmas is a pleasant time of the year.

We open our hearts to others.

Families and friends spend time together and have fun.

Everyone feels happy on Christmas.

Bob Cratchit listens to Fred's words about Christmas with a big smile on his face.

But Scrooge points his finger at Bob angrily and says,

Do your work, Bob, and be careful, or you will lose your job.

Don't be so angry, Uncle, says Fred to Scrooge.

And please, come and have Christmas dinner with me and my wife tomorrow.

No, I don't want to come to your house.

And I don't like Christmas dinners.

Just go now.

I am leaving, Uncle.

Have a Merry Christmas.

And Merry Christmas to you, Bob.

Fred says one more time and walks out the door.

Have a good afternoon, says Scrooge angrily.

Soon after Fred leaves, two gentlemen enter the office.

They are very polite.

They take off their hats and stand before Scrooge.

Are you Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley?

One of them asks.

Mr. Marley is dead.

I am Ebenezer Scrooge.

What can I do for you?

We are collecting money for the poor and homeless people.

We want to buy food and drinks for them and some coal.

Poor people need help.

They don't need help.

Those people are lazy.

There are many prisons and workhouses.

They can live and work in those places.

They can have food and keep warm, answers Scrooge angrily.

After this rude answer, the two men leave.

Then a young boy comes to the door and begins to sing a Christmas Carol.

Scrooge gets very angry at the boy and immediately scares him away.

It is the end of the day now.

Bob Cratchit puts on his hat and blows off the candle on his desk.

Scrooge says to him,

You are not coming to work tomorrow.

But on the day after Christmas, you must come very early and you must work very hard.

Yes sir, I promise I will.

says Bob Cratchit and walks out of the office.

After the clerk leaves, Scrooge puts up his cloak and hat.

He locks the office door and walks home in the cold and foggy night.

In the streets, people are in a hurry to go home.

They want to be together with their families.

They are saying Merry Christmas to each other.

Some people are singing Christmas Carols in groups.

Scrooge does not look at anyone and nobody speaks to him.

Everyone knows Scrooge is not a kind man and he hates Christmas.

Scrooge arrives at his house.

It is a very big house with many rooms.

But Scrooge lives alone in only one room.

The yard is very dark in the thick fog.

As he tries to put his key in the lock, he looks at the big knocker on the door.

He can't believe his eyes.

The knocker is changing its shape.

Suddenly, it becomes the face of a man.

It is a familiar face.

It is his dead partner, Marley's face.

Scrooge is in fear now.

Then the face becomes a knocker again.

Is this a ghost?

Oh, no, no, it can't be.

Scrooge says to himself, he is afraid.

He goes inside the house quickly and shuts the heavy door.

But before that, he looks behind the door in fear.

There is nothing behind the door, so he shuts it with a bang and says poo poo.

Then he lights a candle and looks around the hall very carefully.

He walks across the hall and goes up the stairs.

He quickly looks in all the rooms upstairs but sees nothing.

He goes into his bedroom and locks its door twice.

He makes a small fire in the fireplace.

Then he puts on his dressing gown, slippers, and his nightcap.

He puts a pot of soup on the fire and sits in front of it.

While he is eating his soup, he sees strange shapes in the room.

They are all like Jacob Marley's face.

Suddenly, a bell starts to ring.

Then Scrooge hears many bells ringing.

He is very frightened.

But he says, humbug, there can't be any ghosts.

Suddenly, all the bells stop ringing.

This time, Scrooge hears some noises.

They are coming from the cellar downstairs.

They are the sounds of chains hitting the floor.

Scrooge thinks someone is pulling chains across the floor.

Is there someone in the cellar?

Maybe it is a ghost.

Ghosts usually walk in chains around their body.

Now Scrooge is more frightened than before.

The noise gets louder and louder.

It is moving up the stairs towards his room.

Suddenly, the door opens and a ghost enters the room.

It is a ghost in Jacob Marley's white weight coast and boots and has a pigtail, just like Marley.

There are chains around his body and legs.

A lot of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, and heavy purses are hanging from the chains.

They are very heavy because they are made of steel.

The ghost looks very tired and in great pain.

Scrooge is shocked.

Who are you?

Shout Scrooge at the ghost.

I am your partner and best friend.

Don't you know me?

Jacob, you are dead.

Why are you here?

I want to help you.

I often come and visit you in the office.

You never see me because I am invisible and no one can see me.

I see you now.

You look miserable and very tired.

And why do you have those things and chains around your body?

This is my punishment.

It is a punishment for my greedy life on earth.

I am dead, but I must travel around as a ghost in chains.

But what are you doing in my house?

You are frightening me.

I want to help you, Ebenezer.

I don't want you to have pain after you die.

What do you mean?

Will I be a ghost and travel in chains like you?

I don't know, Ebenezer.

I don't know.

But you have a chance.

A chance for what?

Ask Scrooge.

Please, tell me more.

You can change and become a kind man.

Then your future will change too.

Three spirits will come and visit you over the next three nights.

Two of them will come at one o 'clock and the last one will come at midnight.

Why?

I don't want to see any more ghosts.

Listen to those spirits and go with them.

Your future can change with their help.

I don't understand anything and I am very scared.

I must go now, Ebenezer.

I don't have time.

The other ghosts are waiting for me.

We must continue traveling around the earth.

Oh, wait, wait.

Tell me more.

But the ghost disappears through the closed window.

Scrooge is shocked.

He opens the window and looks out.

There are many ghosts in the foggy sky.

They are all in chains and they all look miserable, like Marley's ghost.

Scrooge can hear their moans and cries.

Then they disappear in the fog and the night becomes quiet.

Now, Scrooge hears only the wind blowing.

He is still very frightened.

He closes the window quickly and checks the door.

It is still locked.

He is very tired and sleepy, so he lies down on his bed.

He tries to stay awake but goes to sleep immediately.