We Tried Our Hardest. One of Them Spoke out in Fear

A Christmas Carol

By: Grace Tisher

“Thirty three, thirty four, thirty five. Is this enough money, is it.” Mike screamed at his employees as they all looked at the ground.

“We tried our hardest.” One of them spoke out in fear.

“You are not trying to do anything you are being a bunch of lazy bums.” Mike yelled back.

“Come back tomorrow and double the money and if you don’t you will go back to where I found you” …….. The streets!

“Why is he so mean all he cares about is money, money, money why should I even want to work for him what has he done for me nothing that is the answer nothing.” Steve yelled into the empty air.

What is so hard about their job all they do is carry peoples bags, show where the items are located and check out, what is so difficult about that they are useless; if I have to I will find new people who will be more dedicated to work? They would make more money; more people will come and get the things that they need. On his way home Mike say that the wind was not blowing but the weather vanes where spinning out of control, it wasn’t every house it was just his house what in the world was making his weather vane go out of control. Everything was looking backwards he felt like he was walking on the sky and the way the day had been going he would’ve believed it in a heartbeat.

Inside his house nothing seemed right the chairs where in the wrong place, all the dishes were out of the cupboard, and the lights keep on flickering. The farther he walked the worse thing got he started hearing a voice the closer he got to his room the louder the talking became, when he got to his room the door was shut and the talking stooped immediately when he put his foot down. Then the door opened and he saw what was making the nose… It was a ghost! Mike was terrified he ran out of there but when he opened his eyes he was sitting on his bed with the ghost yelling at him. “What have I done” mike demanded.

“Everything, the ghost replied, you don’t know what your employees think, you treat them like they are dogs but they aren’t if you get new people they will do the same thing that they are doing now. It won’t help to get new people.”

“How did you know I said that I didn’t even say it out loud I’m just imagining you so go away.” Mike said almost to tears. Then the ghost yelled back at Mike.

“I am here to warn you, you will be visited by three ghosts 1st and 5:00 2nd at 7:00 and the 3rd will come when ever ready for you.” Then the ghost diapered without a word.

After the ghost diapered Mike tried and tried to forget what had just happened but as hard as he tried he couldn’t it was not possible for anybody to forget a site like that. “That didn’t happen that didn’t happen I must be sleeping I just have to wake up then this will all be over.” When the clock struck 5:00 he started to panic when was the ghost going to come what would it look like will it be someone who I used to know or will it be a complete stranger. All of these things where racing through his head then a gust of wind blew and there right in front of his face was the ghost he had been waiting for.

“I am Myer the ghost of the past and I have come to try and change your selfish heart.” The ghost said with confidence in his voice.

“I don’t need to change my heart this is the way I have always been and this is how I am going to stay whether you like it or not.” Mike yelled.

“You used to be a sweat boy but after the accident you changed.” Meyer said.

“You don’t need to bring up, it happed already and just because I was sick I survived and I wasn’t even sick I was just faking so I wouldn’t have to go to school.” Mike said with tears forming in his eyes.

“That is why I am here to bring you back and see the boy that used to be before the accident so you might be able to g=find him buried in anger and regret, Meyer said with a calm voice. Grab my hand and we will go.” Slowly but surely mike was reaching for he was reaching for Meyers hand with tears slowly falling off his face he gabbed on, closed his eye and when he opened them he was in his home. He saw his parents laughing passing the food around the table, his sister smiling at a little boy, a boy that looked just like him smiling and laughing with the rest of the family.

“Where did that little boy go” Meyer asked longing for an answer.

“I don’t know where he went, but where ever he went he can stay. I don’t need him and he doesn’t need me we have two very different lives that don’t go together.” Mike said with the anger returning.

“Take another look and try to find him inside of you” Meyer said.

“Can we just go” mike said while looking at him and his family, taking in all of the memories and trying to remember the past as a good thing.

“Yes but know that this is the only time that you will ever be able to see anything from the past. Are you sure that you want to go?” Meyer said with concern in his heart. This was concerning him because he didn’t think that he was ready to leave the sight.

“Yes I know that I will never visit this boy again, it just hurts to much right know to see what was and will no longer be.” Mike said when he was looking at his family and reaching for Meyer’s hand ignoring the tears running down is face.

When he opened his eyes he was in his chair all by himself waiting for Meyer to come and comfort him but it wasn’t Meyer it was a new ghost a present ghost, not Meyer where was he, “I want to go back I need to go back and find that little boy where is know? Mike screamed at him. I need to go back this isn’t far.”

“Your chance is over to go back that was the only time that Meyer gave you and you wanted to go. The ghost said with a deep voice. I am matt and I am the ghost of present time I will show you what people think of you.”

“But I need to go back there is more that I need to see I want to know if I made the right chose or if I should’ve went with them.” Mike said looking for a way back to the past.

“You where left here for a reason, a reason that you will have to find. Now off to the present.”

Matt said.

“I’m ready to go but when I want to go can we leave.”Mike asked with plead in his eyes.

“If it is something that you need to see then we will stay but if it something that is really hurting you then we will go”. Matt said.

“Ok then, I am ready to go.” Mike said with fear growing in his eyes. I don’t want to see what people think of me, all that I care about is how I think of myself, I all ready know that they are not going to say nice things about me so why should I go and hear what I already know.

“Even if you know what they might say it might not be what they really are trying to say, you might surprise yourself” Matt said with a grin on his face.

“How did you know that I said that, no thought that?” mike asked with a look of fear on his face.

“I know what you are thinking, so everything that you have thought in could understand. Matt answered with a whole heart. Shall we go know or would you like for me to continue creeping you out.”

“No let’s just go, maybe after today this will all make sense.” Mike said waiting, and wanting for the day to finally come to an end.

“Alright then, let’s go.” Matt said. Mike felt like he was trying to open his eye under water where everything was blurry and slowly became clear.

“This is the strangest feeling that I have ever felt in my entire life.” Mike said trying to get ride of the feeling. When he opened his eyes he was in a house of one of his employees, it was small cold and had nothing to decorate it, it hurt him to see the living conditions that some of his employees where living.

“Is this how they all live?” Mike asked Matt.

“This is the way that most of them live if they are lucky they got to keep some of their personal belongings, instead of selling them to make more money to keep the house running.” Matt said.

“Why are they living like this I give them money, it should be enough to pay the bills and put food on the table, and they should be able to keep most of their belongings.” Mike said trying to come up with a reason why he was right and Matt was wrong.

“All of these things happened before they started working for you, all the money that you gave them they used to pay off bills, pay people back and to put food on the table, there was no money to buy their belongings back.” Matt said with a sorrowful look on his face.

“What is that nose?”Mike asked with a concerned look on his face.

“The person that lives here is probably home and ready to face a world of hurt and concern.” Matt said.

“Why does he always have to yell at us we are trying our hardest, and doing our best? All that he douse is sit in his office and come up with a new way to hurt us. I wish that he would find a soft heart and see that we are trying our hardest.” His employee said.

“I never thought I was hurting them I didn’t mean to, I feel horrible he is right I need to be better about it.” Mike said with a heart melting inside his chest.

“Are you ready to go?” Matt asked.

“Yes, I say what they think and I know what I need to change to make them happier and keep them here and working.” Mike said with a smile sneaking onto his face.

Mike was at home alone, wondering when the 3rd ghost would appear. I would be a creepy feeling waiting for something to come and show you what your future is like as the person that you are today. There where noses from the outside standing up and walking over to the window Mike was waiting for the ghost to aperies ……. And then there in front of him was a little girl who looked like an angel coming into the room.

“Hello I am the ghost of the future, my name is Zoey.” She said.

“You are so young, how can you be a ghost?” Mike asked.

“I was sick, and well then I became a ghost. Zoey said. Are you ready to go, I hope that you know what to do after the first to ghosts.”

“O yes they were very kind about the whole thing.” Mike said.

“Well then we are off.” She said reaching for his hand. He felt different about this trip he felt angry again, he wanted it to stop but it wouldn’t. He blinked ounce and he was somewhere new, nothing looked the same.

“Welcome to the future we are here in your store and the people are talking about your death and funeral,” Zoey said.

“I feel bad for Mike he had no friends, I walked by the funeral and there was only his family, I don’t think most of them came, only and aunt, Uncle and the priest where there and after the funeral they left without a teat on their faces. I won’t miss him at all and I certainly won’t miss coming here anymore and getting yelled at for our poor work.” She said.

“she was one of my best working people I can’t believe that she would say that.” Mike said.

“This is what most of them are saying, Would you like to listen to more people or are you ready to go?” Zoey asked with a warm smile on her face.

“I am ready to go if this is what they are all saying then I don’t want to listen to them, it hurts to much.” Mike said.

In no time he was in the comfort of his home and ran to the store hopping that his employees where coming to work early, while he was running he remembered that he just got home and they were probably home. He ran to each of their house and sat down to apologize to them for all the mistakes that he had made and that working would never be the same again. Every day after that Mike and his employees lives keep on getting better and better, more people would come close to Mike and his employees were able to go and buy back their personal items. Never again would mike go back to the way he was.