A Christmas Carol Alternate Ending

A/N I do not own "A Christmas Carol" or any of the characters

Please R&R!!!!!!!!

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"And so," the man concluded, bringing his wizened finger down upon his audience as a school master might so do after making a very important point in his lesson, "Ebenezer Scrooge learned to forever cherish Christmas, and not only on the holiday itself, but on all the days of his life, and that he did, with a generous heart."

The shabby band of ragamuffins that had been enjoying Scrooge's tale now revealed their rascally, toothy grins at its joyful conclusion. "Bravo," the boys clapped their hands enthusiastically as Scrooge took a funny bow that was very much in the style of a circus performer. The children roared with laughter and beamed all the more at the aged man's juvenile antics. Then, after sharing a hearty conversation with him, the boys dispersed throughout the murky alleyway outside the factory, which at that moment seemed a trifle less grim, for the sound of the children's laughter could still be heard echoing about the walls and a new light of the sun that had gone unnoticed before seemed to make it's grand appearance through the bleak clouds of the towering smoke stacks.

Ebenezer Scrooge nodded in satisfaction at the joyous atmosphere and started on his way down the street toward his home, when a rustling sound caught his attention and he turned around to face the oncoming sound. A strange woman, not much younger than himself, emerged from the shadows of the alley. She was garbed in a dull grey dress, decorated with all sorts of sooty black patterns and tears. Her tiny feet were fully exposed and as white as the snow beneath her. Her graying hair was a wild mess of matted curls that fell about her face and shoulders, obscuring the rest of her features from Scrooge's sight. "That's a pretty story to tell to children," said she in a bitter tone, "what good is a generous heart? It serves you no good in the end. You will soon lose all, by the by and who will remember your generosity then? When you are low and broken no one will make a return of it. You delude those children with your foolish ideals. The only thing that matters nowadays is how to get by."

"What makes you speak so?" Scrooge cried out, saddened by her speech. He was not angry or even aghast at her vinegary talk, for in this miserable old woman he saw his old self before the good spirits had enlightened him, and he took pity on her.

"A great deal," she replied reluctantly, "the world has shown me that it cares nothing for me and my pains. Why should I care for the world and its pains. It has served me no good."

At this, Scrooge took a breath. "The best way to heal your own pain," he explained, "is to reach out and try to heal the pains of others. I learned that myself, for the story I told the children was actually my own." Scrooge discerned the skeptical dip into which the right corner of her lip had descended from behind her veil of hair and decided to choose another avenue of aiding this unfortunate woman. "My lady," he said at last, addressing her with the respect warranting a lady of fortune, "I feel for your pains, though I am a member of that worldly assemblage that you seem to despise. Christmas is coming yet again. Allow me to take you into my home, for no one should be forced to spend so excellent a holiday alone with only their sorrows for company. Come." He held out his hand to her, which she rejected, although she did consent to walk alongside him to his attractive abode.

Once there, Ebenezer Scrooge kindly selected the best room to house his guest and immediately sent for some new dresses for her. She assured him that he needn't but as it is impossible to stop a host of elephants from trampling through a forest, so it was not viable to deter Scrooge from his generous rampage.

As soon as the dresses came in, the old woman changed from her colorless rags and into a very flattering blue gown that brought out the same color in her eyes, although it was subdued and lifeless. It turned out that she cleaned up rather nicely. She pulled her thick long hair into an elegant bun, as though it were from some ancient habit that had in that moment resurfaced, and then joined the master of the house in the drawing room by the hearth.

The fire seemed to alarm her at first, for she shut her eyes as though to block out an agonizing memory before recollecting herself and seating herself in a large arm chair across from Ebenezer.

"You seemed disturbed," he commented in a concerned tone in the way he might if they had been intimate friends.

"It is nothing," was her short reply. Scrooge detected the falsehood in her answer but did not press the subject further.

"Forgive me," he went on in his friendly tone that seemed as though it ought to have belonged to a younger man, "but we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Ebenezer Scrooge." He waited patiently for her to continue the presentations but she remained silent. After a long pause she murmured the name Peri. It was a strange name to be sure and Scrooge could not be certain of the significance of it except that it might have been some epithet she had acquired from her youth.

In truth she had been a lovely and decent lady once, but through disaster and shame, she had sunken quite low, not only in circumstance but in heart as well. The once youthful heart, untouched by worldliness and selfishness, was now enshrouded in bitterness and self pity. A wizened superstitious woman, who had known her and who had watch her tumble down to her lowly state, had given her the name Peri as a warning, for it had some spiritual significance according to ancient pagan beliefs. Peri had been the name of a fallen angel, and that is exactly how this old woman had regarded her and had warned that she would become so if she did not mend her ways. The name remained with Peri all the way up into her later life and no one now knew her by any other name.

Ebenezer Scrooge expressed how pleased he was to make her acquaintance. Afterward, they went on to converse about many things until late into the night, at which time Peri insisted on retiring to bed and continuing there dialogue on the morrow. Scrooge, acquiesced, realizing then that he had allowed the lateness of the time to elude him. He led her up the spiral staircase of his home like a true host and courteously escorted her to her room. Following his gallantry, Scrooge made his way to his own bedchamber, his step slightly more melancholy and his jaw slightly tightened as he persisted in deep thought. He truly felt for Peri, despite her aloofness, sullenness, and self interest. He knew that she was unhappy and was eager to reach out to her but he feared she was too obstinate in her ways. He went to sleep that night feeling discontent.

But Scrooge's words had not entirely fruitless, for they had reached the frosted heart of Peri, and as she carefully mounted her bed, she considered all the things that he had said of charity, joy, and youthfulness of heart. A weakened sigh escaped her lips as she wandered like a pilgrim through her plethora of memories from her youth. She had not always been as she was now, degraded and sharp. She had been a carefree young woman who prized love and liberality above every worldly comfort. She had once felt so strongly on this point that she had cleaved herself from a man that she had been very much in love with, and that she had instilled these virtues most adamantly into her children after permitting herself to marrying another.

Peri shook her limp head of grey curls to shove away the memory in almost certainness that she could never return to her ancient and superior nature.

Peri remained with Ebenezer Scrooge for a full week before Christmas. He continued to pass on to her the lessons that he had learned from the spirits, and she continued to take in his words. Little by little her darker nature began to falter as winter begins to disappear when the warmth of spring takes over. She also found that, despite herself, she was beginning to feel for her happy benefactor. She began to more and more enjoy and look forward to her conversations with Scrooge and to more and more take them to heart. Peri even entertained the fancy she herself was being visited by a Christmas spirit, or rather that she was visiting with such a spirit in the person of Scrooge.

Ebenezer too, was starting to sense a tenderness for Peri, as he not only recognized a great deal of himself in her but also because she seemed to mirror, at least in some of her mannerisms, a woman that he had once been very much in love with and had never forgotten in all his long years. She seemed to fill him with a boyish giddiness and contentment that he never believed would know again despite his miraculous reform.

As the sun begins its dance upon the lake at first light, scattering glittering diamonds along its surface, so did Christmas morning dawn on Scrooge's home, dispersing all of the little miracles that seem to accompany it. Peri alighted down the steps and made her way to the drawing room, where she and her benefactor had spent so many pleasant hours. She found it fully decorated with thick streamers of holly and ivy and red satin ribbons with bouquets of mistletoe dangling from various parts of the ceiling. There were several white candles parading across the mantelpiece with the crowning glory of the room, the Christmas tree, looming majestically beside it. The tree was decked with all sorts of ornaments and garlands and little strings of popcorn and a large golden star to top it. Peri looked on at the sight and at Mr. Scrooge, who had been seated in the arm chair by the tree, with a twinkling smile that caused him to appear very like Father Christmas himself.

Peri beamed at him pleasantly, wishing him a very Happy Christmas. Ebenezer would have continued in the holiday greetings but for Peri's smile taking a sudden turn toward the floor and her features shrouding her face with a seriousness that took him aback. "There's something I must tell you," she confessed, her eyes straying to the ground for a moment before returning their permanent fixation on Scrooge's face. "I haven't been honest with you. My name is really Belle. You knew me once when we were younger but I rejected you when you took a turn for the world and for wealth." Ebenezer's jaw dropped in utter astonishment but she plunged forward with her revelations, "I found another that I grew to love, Nicholas, and together we had several children, and I was happy." She paused. "But misfortune came upon our family. A terrible fire in the night burned down my home and it, my husband and children. By a chance I was visiting with a friend and was spared. But I had nothing; and after all my years of helping others, not one soul lifted a finger to aid me in my loss and I was forced to remove to the miserable alley in which you found me a week ago. Slowly all youth and love melted away from me until I became a wretched ghost of a person with no heart." Ebenezer made an endeavor to protest but Belle held up a finger to stop him. "No," she declared, "I was heartless, but you restored in me what I thought I had lost. You showed me that there was some good in this world and have made me whole."

Belle began to waver as though she were about to faint from all of the memories and emotions that were rushing over her like waves crashing on the shore. Ebenezer steadied her and looked into her now glowing and vigorous azure eyes. He saw the truth and love that burned within them and addressed her in the tenderest of tones. "Belle," he declared, "Once you were my greatest treasure; I loved you and had planned to marry you, but I gave you up for vain wealth. Of late, I learned my terrible mistake and have lived to ever regret it." Then, taking her small wrinkled hand in his he went on, "It may be late, but I'd be the happiest man in the world if you'd consent to be my wife. I'd cherish you all the days of my life, Belle."

A wide grin spread across her face as a tear full of joy quickly made her way down her face. She nodded emphatically. "Yes," she replied, "Yes I will." And the two old people, who were now, both of them, forever young, engaged the altar that Christmas morning and swore their vows before God to love each other unconditionally until their death.