Page 52 of The Scrooge Effect

Eden sat on the floor, dirty and dressed in rags, while Gracie wore a dress of some kind, stained with brown spots. A cap on her head barely fit as Harper held her close, humming a tune as they sat in front of a fire. James was in a basket next to Eden, being rocked gently.

“What is this?” I snapped at Zoe.

“This is present day.”

I couldn’t help the dramatic eye roll. “This is not present day. My kids aren’t in rags, and they definitely don’t hang out in front of the fire playing with wooden toys!”

“But this is Victorian London!” Zoe beamed. “Can’t you feel the drama?”

“What I feel is a giant pain in my ass named Zoe! How is this supposed to make me feel anything? This isn’t my life. My wife doesn’t darn socks!”

“Well, maybe she should!”

“Zoe, I swear to God, if you don’t take me home right this minute⁠—”

“Okay, okay! Geez, you really don’t get the whole purpose of cinematography. You know, you would have been great in Victorian London,” she hissed right before snapping her fingers.

There was no violent shift in the world around me. Instead, everything dissolved like fairy dust, and the comfort of my actual home appeared, along with my wife and kids, dressed in normal clothes without a speck of dirt on their cheeks.

“Better?” Zoe snapped.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Harper hummed to the tune of “Silent Night”, one of her favorites that I’d had to hear over and over again for the past few years, from September until February.

“This is my favorite part!” Eden squealed, jumping up and down as the view panned to the television.

I groaned as Kevin ran into the house and started preparing for his counterattack on Harry and Marv. I had watched Home Alone with the kids at least ten times already this year. Most of the time, I just tuned it out, but when Eden got really excited, I couldn’t block it out.

“Edu hates this movie,” Eden chuckled, but as she turned to Harper, I could see the sadness in her eyes.

“He doesn’t hate it. Maybe you just watch it too much,” she giggled, poking Eden in the stomach.

“But it’s such a good movie!”

“It is,” Harper laughed. “Then again, is there such a thing as a bad Christmas movie?”

The smile on Eden’s face died as she looked at the floor. “Why doesn’t Edu like Christmas?”

“Well, he didn’t have a very good childhood,” Harper explained. “I don’t think Christmas holds very many good memories for him.”

“I try to make new ones with him. I think…” Eden sighed heavily, and when she looked up, there were tears swimming in her big eyes. “I don’t think Edu wants me here.”

“What?” I huffed out a laugh. “That’s ridiculous. Why wouldn’t I want her there?”

“Oh, honey,” Harper sighed, pulling Eden into her arms. “Of course Edu wants you here.”

“But he’s always so mad.”

“Only this time of year. And I don’t think he realizes he’s mad.”

“But he yells all the time.”

“Sweetie,” Harper snuggled her closer, doing the things I just wasn’t capable of. “Edu loves you very much. I promise you, he really does.”

“Does he love Gracie and James, too?”

“Very much. You’re his favorite people. Probably even more than me.”