Read Online A Zombie Christmas Carol by Michael G. Thomas; Charles Dickens - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael G. Thomas; Charles Dickens
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it in anger of several occasions. The marks on its blade are from training and war. It is a weapon that deserves your respect.”
The young Scrooge nodded, asking but one question. “Is it sharp, sir?”
The soldier laughed loudly as he handed the sheathed sword to Scrooge.
“Indeed it is, though I am told even a dull blade will cut open a Frenchman!” he guffawed.
Scrooge pulled the weapon slowly from its scabbard to reveal its blade and sharp edge. He placed the scabbard to one side and held up the tip towards the wall. Next to Scrooge, the weapon looked large and cumbersome. He lifted it up and tried to swing the weapon but he clumsily moved and nearly embedded it in the floor, much to the amusement of the soldier.
“Good Lord! What has the floor done to you?” laughed Mr. Jenkins as he moved closer.
“Here, let me show you something,” he said as he took the sword from his hands.
The soldier held the weapon in front of him with the tip pointing towards Scrooge.
“This sword is designed to be an excellent cutter. There are some that argue that the point and thrusting are the way to fight but you will be hard pressed to use this sword in that manner,” he explained, as he made several stabbing motions with the curved sword.
“You see, a good stab may very well kill a man bit it usually won’t be right away. A man can still move forwards, and hack and stab at you whilst your sword is stuck impotently inside his body. You will observe the curved blade makes it move and cut quickly and effectively. Watch this,” he said, as he proceeded to make a serious of cuts that were so fast in speed and elegant in movement that it almost looked like a dance. As he cut, the sword moved in a series of circles so that the edge was threatening almost continually from many angles.
“If I were on a horse I could strike down like this at the man’s arms or face,” he slashed down to one side and then to the other in quick succession.
Scrooge stepped back in astonishment but with a grin that made his mouth look twice as large as it had been just moment before.
The Ghost watched in a form of amusement as the older Mr Scrooge forgot where he was for a moment and moved through a series of cuts whilst holding an imaginary sword. The movements had returned to his mind and in just seconds, the old Scrooge was leaping from side to side as he delivered horizontal and diagonal cuts with his invisible blade. With each cut, his movement became more fluid and relaxed and with it, his cuts became stronger, faster and more accurate. After a full minute of practice, he stopped and looked directly at the Ghost before realising what he had just done.
“Yes?” asked Scrooge, but the Spirit said nothing and simply turned to look back at the room and the dancing.
When Scrooge looked back the old soldier was talking to his sister and the young man was gone, presumably busy dancing with the many others in the room. Scrooge looked through the group of people until he finally spotted his younger self, using a cane in the corner of the room. The young man was practicing almost the exact same movements that the elder Scrooge has been trying just moments before though this Scrooge at least had something physical to swing.
When the clock struck eleven, this domestic ball broke up. Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig took their stations, one on either side of the door, and shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas. When everybody had retired but the two ’prentices, they did the same to them; and thus the cheerful voices died away, and the lads were left to their beds; which were under a counter in the back-shop.
During the whole of this time, Scrooge had acted like a man out of his wits. His heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self. He corroborated everything, remembered everything, enjoyed everything, and underwent the strangest agitation.
The young Scrooge nodded, asking but one question. “Is it sharp, sir?”
The soldier laughed loudly as he handed the sheathed sword to Scrooge.
“Indeed it is, though I am told even a dull blade will cut open a Frenchman!” he guffawed.
Scrooge pulled the weapon slowly from its scabbard to reveal its blade and sharp edge. He placed the scabbard to one side and held up the tip towards the wall. Next to Scrooge, the weapon looked large and cumbersome. He lifted it up and tried to swing the weapon but he clumsily moved and nearly embedded it in the floor, much to the amusement of the soldier.
“Good Lord! What has the floor done to you?” laughed Mr. Jenkins as he moved closer.
“Here, let me show you something,” he said as he took the sword from his hands.
The soldier held the weapon in front of him with the tip pointing towards Scrooge.
“This sword is designed to be an excellent cutter. There are some that argue that the point and thrusting are the way to fight but you will be hard pressed to use this sword in that manner,” he explained, as he made several stabbing motions with the curved sword.
“You see, a good stab may very well kill a man bit it usually won’t be right away. A man can still move forwards, and hack and stab at you whilst your sword is stuck impotently inside his body. You will observe the curved blade makes it move and cut quickly and effectively. Watch this,” he said, as he proceeded to make a serious of cuts that were so fast in speed and elegant in movement that it almost looked like a dance. As he cut, the sword moved in a series of circles so that the edge was threatening almost continually from many angles.
“If I were on a horse I could strike down like this at the man’s arms or face,” he slashed down to one side and then to the other in quick succession.
Scrooge stepped back in astonishment but with a grin that made his mouth look twice as large as it had been just moment before.
The Ghost watched in a form of amusement as the older Mr Scrooge forgot where he was for a moment and moved through a series of cuts whilst holding an imaginary sword. The movements had returned to his mind and in just seconds, the old Scrooge was leaping from side to side as he delivered horizontal and diagonal cuts with his invisible blade. With each cut, his movement became more fluid and relaxed and with it, his cuts became stronger, faster and more accurate. After a full minute of practice, he stopped and looked directly at the Ghost before realising what he had just done.
“Yes?” asked Scrooge, but the Spirit said nothing and simply turned to look back at the room and the dancing.
When Scrooge looked back the old soldier was talking to his sister and the young man was gone, presumably busy dancing with the many others in the room. Scrooge looked through the group of people until he finally spotted his younger self, using a cane in the corner of the room. The young man was practicing almost the exact same movements that the elder Scrooge has been trying just moments before though this Scrooge at least had something physical to swing.
When the clock struck eleven, this domestic ball broke up. Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig took their stations, one on either side of the door, and shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas. When everybody had retired but the two ’prentices, they did the same to them; and thus the cheerful voices died away, and the lads were left to their beds; which were under a counter in the back-shop.
During the whole of this time, Scrooge had acted like a man out of his wits. His heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self. He corroborated everything, remembered everything, enjoyed everything, and underwent the strangest agitation.
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