"If I Were King..." - Stave Two

Now we move on to Stave Two with what I feel are the necessary ingredients for a cohesive short-form version of "A Christmas Carol."

I think the Ghost of Christmas Past should make its appearance fairly quickly. Don't need too much about Scrooge waiting until the hour of 1:00 a.m. then wondering what day it is.

I do like the idea of the ghost pulling back Scrooge's bed curtains, as they figure in Staves Four and Five. 

Scrooge and the spirit should get to the schoolhouse quickly with the spirit doing the heavy lifting of expository dialogue.

We just need to know that Scrooge was lonely as a boy and have him recall the kid whom he chased away rather than letting him sing and giving him something. I want Scrooge to learn a clear lesson from each shadow of the past.

Next we need Fan to visit the somewhat older Scrooge at the school. This is necessary to make Scrooge realize that he should be nicer to Fred, the one link to his late sister.

We don't need a lot of time at Fezziwig's, but throw in a Dick Wilkins reference and tell us what a good time everyone had at the party. Have the spirit needle Scrooge until he realizes that he should also give Bob Cratchit more consideration.

These first three shadows all make Scrooge think about how he had treated people on Christmas Eve and sets him on the road to being nicer.

Next up comes the breakup with Belle. This is important because it shows Scrooge what he lost by pursuing money over love. That being said, I want the scene of Belle's later domestic bliss included to really bring the point home.

All of these scenes can be edited quite a bit. It may seem like the story is going by fast, but I can deal with that.

Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits. (Part 1!)

Scrooge now finds himself in the awkward position of having his bed curtains drawn aside to be greeted by the first spirit - the Ghost of Christmas Past!

An awesome line us used by Dickens here to indicate how close the ghost was to Scrooge: "As close to it as I am now to you, and I am standing in the spirit at your elbow." Love it, but it's hard to sneak in without a narrator!

The description of this ghost is pretty wacky, which makes it hard to depict visually, especially in live action versions. It looks like a child and an old man, with long, white hair, but no wrinkles on its face. It also has a jet of light streaming from its head. And if that's not enough, it fluctuates from having one head and arm and leg to multiples of each! At least the ghost's outfit of white tunic with summer flowers is easier to depict. It also sports a cap that acts as an extinguisher for its light.

This ghost definitely varies the most in appearance of any character in the various adaptations!

Befitting its name, the ghost will show Scrooge a series of events from past Christmases.

Next up, we'll take a look at each as originally depicted in the book itself!