Spirit Present

The air shifts in the office with the scrape of Jacob Marley’s chains sliding across the wood floor behind us. The gold box thumps down with a thud, landing at his feet as he wrestles the papers in hand.

“Mister Dickens sent the orders down.” Mister Marley said.

We don’t break our daily routine. Studying the files spread wide atop the table. The who’s who and what we are to do.

Jacob Marley tosses the file on top the pile. One quick glance, his name, an icy shiver slides down my spine. I slide it to the side holding my attention to my next person of interest.

“I’m not touching that one.” I mumbled to Marley.

“Mister Dickens orders, Spirit Present.” Marley barks out at me.

“Let Spirit Past or Spirit Future do it, I’m not risking getting fired over that one.” I said pulling another file from the table.

Spirit Past pulls the file over to see. In a quick hurry, pushed it back over to Spirit Future. A linger longer could have caused a burn.

Spirit Past grumbles out, “I got his neighbor next door. Ebeneezer is a mean son of a gun, I’m not touching that. I know too much, lost the hope with that one. He will get me fired.”

Spirit Future, while sliding Mister Scrooge’s to the bottom of the pile, says, “I got Cratchit’s file. I’m not looking to get fired either.”

Jacob Marley drops another money box to the floor. The thud vibrates our feet, yet we three sit undeterred.

“He’s a hopeless, hateful soul, I’d rather get fired than convince a man with a narrowed greedy mind such as his.” I muttered back to Mister Marley.

“That was my fault, I let the Spirit Greed take hold him. But I can’t undo what’s been done.” Spirit Past, muttering mostly to self than to us while tapping his finger to the stack of files.

“We can draw straws like we did that old man John, fixing his choice being a spend thrift. Making his son, Charles, sell all those books and getting at that rat-infested job blacking shoes. Spirit Past you did a good number on that one, keeping that son of John’s of his right mind. What a great author he became. Oliver Twist and that Christmas Carol, his best stuff.” Spirit Future says, leaning back in the chair folding arms across the chest.

I look up and catch Mister Marley, frozen ice solid, the ghosted white expression. Lost in deciding at what we are to do, he’s paying zero mind to our refusals.

“Mister Dickens insists.” Marley kicking at the box on the floor.

“Mister Dickens won’t mind it much in how. As long as you don’t go telling anyone how we do it Jacob Marley. But you are the boss,” I grumbled my words and my pointed finger at his face.

“Instead of drawing straws with this one,” Mister Marley starts rubbing the idea across his chin with his chained-up hand. “What if, a wild idea - nah, better not. It wouldn’t be safe.”

The chain clanking across the floor as he drops his idea rubbing hand down to his side.

“What’s the thought Mister Marley?” Spirit Past shifts in the chair, looking curious and more interested at the boss.

The three of us, at once, synchronize our backs to the seats waiting for Mister Marley’s idea to return, rubbing back at his chin. The scrapes of the chains as he paces the floor. Spirit Past, thumbing at the table while we watch and wait.

“We’ve only done it once before with Prince Albert, it’s a risky thought. Riskier with this Ebeneezer and that quick temper of his.” Mister Marley, voice trailing side to side as he crosses the room.

“Risky? Ha. I’m not losing my job over a hot headed, narrow minded, Mister Scrooge. I’m already down for two strikes. Mister Dickens would be sure to fire me if I mess up again, like I did with that Tiny Tim. I had to do a lot of damage control, almost took it out of me.” Spirit Future grumbles out, pounding a tight fist atop the stack of files.

“It didn’t help that I got the wrong kid from the neighborhood before you got there. We need better way to read these addresses.” Spirit Past, the regret voiced passed the lips.

Mister Marley, tugging at the chain wrapped tight around the ankle says, “I knew I couldn’t ask you to do it. All of you. Taking a risk. Not like that. We could, but we can’t.”

“Risk is how you ended up this way Mister Marley. Chained to your gold that made you forget about me, your Spirit Present. I can see what I can do with that Mister Scrooge, try again.” I added in.

Mister Marley starts back his pacing the floor a tad bit quicker, “Risk and greed is how I got here, I won’t lie to admit that truth. I can’t ask you all to do this. I’ll send back the file to Mister Dickens. I’ll take that risk of getting fired. The Old Lady Queen Victoria, her closets are nice to walk in.”

Spirit Future shifts in the chair, spinning to face me, fear splashing across the face replacing the glimmer of hope I normally admire. “I’m not training a new boss Spirit Present. That’s riskier than giving him a listen. Remember Spirit Joy, what a mess.”

Training a new boss, the thoughts made my spine prick and poked hot right at my mind. That dreaded one, Spirit Joy, overly contagious and none of us doing our assigned work. Spirit Future reminding me, rethinking the moment. Mister Dickens threats not to repeat the future or else each one of us get the internal “You’re Fired” memo. The compromise, fire the new boss. A better outcome, to lose one - not all of us. Spirit Joy’s glitter clean-up, months of distraction and missed opportunities. I groan to remember.

I cleared my throat, giving to my feet a good solid stand. Mister Marley paused, only briefly, the pacing, silencing the chain scrapes in my ears.

“Risky? What are our options Mister Marley?” I asked.

“Here’s the thought. Mister Dickens says to take care of Mister Scrooge. None of us want to. But one of us needs to.” Mister Marley starts back at the chin, brewing the idea with his hand again.

“Go ahead Mister Marley. What’s the thought?” I match his mood, rubbing at my chin with the thought, in the same manner.

“I’m listening.” Spirit Past, a grimaced shift behind a thinned smile.

“He makes me nervous, but I’ll listen.” Spirit Future adds in the thought.

Mister Marley suspends his pacing, “If you say no, I understand. But the thought is this. How best to take down the grumpiest of all men in the world. What if… an idea, we did it together?”

Mister Marley shoots out that idea, the riskiest of thoughts I had ever let my ears hear. All of us, working on one case, never minding at the pile on the table.

Spirit Past shoots out of the chair, it slapped slammed the floor with a quick rage.

Spirit Future, elbows to table and face in the palms exhaling with a chest full of ugh and arg noise escaping with growls.

Mister Marley shifts, flowing the chains side to side.

I stayed standing, the idea of great interest as I continued to rub it with my hand across my chin. “Mister Jacob Marley, this idea I see. Genius I should say. All at once. How would you suppose we, these two spirits and me, should do such a thing with this Ebeneezer Scrooge?”

“Since last night, when Mister Dickens gave me the order, this has my thought. When the fever rises mountain high, I’ll go in first. My chains are great for giving at a good fever spook. If I thump my box to the floor, next to his bed, the wrestle of gold will jostle him awake. When I finish him up, prepping him for Spirit Past to start, then you come in Spirit Present. But the best one, don’t mess it up, you Spirit Future. We do it all together, Mister Dickens best not to fire any of us cracking that hard hearted shell of a greedy Ebeneezer Scrooge. Done together, that’s the thought to how.”

“What time shall we be ready?” I smiled at the Jacob Marley, the gold rattling like sleigh bells from his box as he headed to the door.

“Spirit Health said to give her five minutes, she needed to add in an extra spike of heat into his mind to make him beg for Spirit Mercy. I’ll thump my box right loud to the floor so you can hear me from upstairs. That will be my signal.”

“If I get fired because of this, Mister Marley, you’ll be seeing the upheavals of the better half of mine.” Spirit Past grumbled out, sliding the plump feet into green slipper shoes.

I spritz the fancy cinnamon spray in my hair, grabbing my robe from the hook. I mumble out my own fear, “I’ll file the workers compensation claim this time if he bites me again.”

“If this doesn’t work, we will talk to Mister Dickens about firing this Mister Jacob Marley and look for a new boss. Rehire Spirit Joy on the condition the glitter stays at school,” Spirit Future whispered out, grabbing at the bag of visioning tools. “I’m missing out of giving Little Elizabeth a heart full of hope tonight, this better be worth it.”

Mister Marley gave a wave. If I hadn’t seen it myself, I couldn’t have talked myself out of my own disbelief, seeing a cold greedy man cast out that smile from the side.