fine and that the bill should be sent to his son, Charles. With that, John wakes up only to find his son staring at him. He tries to cover - saying that he was just having a dream. John tells Charles that he has come to celebrate Christmas with his son; however, Charles tells his father that he must work, as always. It seems that Charles does all the work and John gets all the pleasure. In fact, it's been that way since Charles was a boy. He tells his father that he is sick and tired of it! John gets offended and goes to a room at the inn. Left alone, Charles tries to write the Christmas story - coming up with a variety of scenarios. Nothing seems to work. He tries to calm down and simply write. Here, he creates a story (enacted on stage) about a boy names Tim who on Christmas Eve has just left the factory where he works. He has his Christmas bonus and is wondering what he should buy for his mother and father. It's only a penny, and it becomes all too apparent that he can afford nothing. Strangely enough, a Flower Girl gives him all her flowers - for free! She does this because his story is much too sad for her to hear. Tim tries to give her the penny, but she doesn't want it. A gift is free. He gives her a kiss, takes the flowers, and runs through the streets with his treasure. He arrives at Debtors Prison to give his parents their present; unfortunately, the guard tells him that no visitors are allowed that late at night. The guard finally lets him in - only because it's Christmas. Tim finds his parents, who have been jailed for their financial failings, and reveals the flowers. Instead of being happy with the gift, they chastise the boy for spending his money foolishly. Even after learning that the flowers were a gift to him, they still are angry. Why couldn't he have sold the flowers and raised money to help erase their debts? The poor boy is terribly hurt by all of this, but his parents don't care. They (especially his mother) are more concerned that their son continue working and help them get out of prison. Out in the streets, Tim collapses and prays to God - asking him for help. He doesn't want to go to the factory! He wants to go to school and make something of himself. Charles crumples the paper, and angrily comments that he could never use that story for Christmas. In actuality, that happened to him, and it is far too depressing for the holiday season. An idea dawns on Charles. He'll make Tim a little older and invent a wonderful happy place for him. The scene transforms itself to a beautiful dance where couples enter in masks and gowns. One couple, Tim and Rachael, dance away from the others. Tim asks Rachael if she read the poem he sent her. Of course she did, and she was very "flattered." He explodes! "Flattered" is not the word he wants to hear! he loves her madly and wants his love returned! Rachel cannot say "love." Before she can tell him why, they are swept away to participate in a dance where the entire goal is to not be without a partner when the music stops. Throughout the dance, Tim desperately tries to get to Rachael; however, she keeps avoiding him. The dance finally finishes and Tim follows Rachael to the next room where the young woman desperately tries to get him to change the subject. He presses her to tell him just why she won't love him. She finally admits that he is just a boy who doesn't have any "prospects." She needs more than that. Charles finds this all too painful for that, too, actually happened to him. Maria said those very words to him. He can't make this painful memory into a Christmas story! Charles drops his head into his hands in despair. The Young Woman playing Rachael approaches Charles and asks him if he was indeed hurt badly by Maria. Charles panics when this "ghost" he has created actually talks. Having heard all the commotion, Mrs. Furnival enters the room - wondering if everything is alright. He asks Mrs. Furnival is she sees anything strange in the room. She only responds that she does indeed notice the mess of papers all over the floor - no ghost. Charles is terribly confused and Mrs. Furnival notices just how out of sorts he is. As she leaves, she begs him to get some rest. Charles tries to rid himself of the ghost; unfortunately, she won't leave. She begs him to take her advice: let his past in. His novels are full of unhappy childhood memories. Whether he knows it or not, these can be a part of his Christmas story. He begs her to go and she finally does. Returning to his writing, Charles decides to try and maybe use some of the poverty and pain, and then bring in a Christmas miracle. He picks up his scraps of paper and decides to write about little Tim and give him an equally pathetic family. Here, we find the Trotwood Family - a family that has nothing. Mother sits home and sews while Father has just been let go from his job. Though life is terrible for them, at least they have their son, Tim, to brighten their day. Tim is off at the fancy Christmas Ball with Rachael Pembroke. In fact, they think he might be asking her
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