A Christmas Carol
Retold by: Athena
Original Story by: Charles Dickens

All characters appearing in the show "Where on Earth is
Carmen Sandiego" are copyright DIC. They are used 
without permission and no copyright infrindgement is 
intended.  

             Stave One: Maelstrom's Ghost

        Maelstrom was dead to begin with. The prison 
clergyman, the undertaker and the chief mourner signed 
the register of his burial. The chief and sole mourner,
Lee Jordan, had signed it. Not that Jordan mournered the
man's loss, but rather missed the criminal mastermind in
a way that left him obliged to attend his funeral.

        And that is how it was one Christmas Eve day,
two years after Maelstrom's death. Lee Jordan sat 
behind a tattered desk in a small shabby run-down 
office buliding in San Francisco. 

        The turncoat detective's appearance was as 
shabby as the office building he sat in. His dark brown 
hair had grown out and a mismanaged beard began to 
darken his face. His eyes were invisible behind the 
goggles he wore to protect them whilst he soddered 
together two thin plates of metal. The office door 
banged open bringing in a blast of the northern 
California chill. 

        "Merry Christmas, Uncle Lee!" a boy of 15 
exclaimed as he entered, a box in his hands.

        Jordan glared at the youth through his goggles.
"I told you to stop calling me that," he hissed.

        "Awww, come on Uncle Lee, it's Christmas. What
were you gonna do anyway, sit around here and tinker?"

        "I have work."

        "Sasha - you know, my step-mom - wanted me to 
ask if you'll come for Christmas dinner. We're having a 
real traditional English meal: plum pudding and roast 
goose and-"

        "Christmas, bah humbug!" Lee muttered cutting
off his nephew.

        "What're you talking about, Uncle Lee? Christmas
is the best time of year! Everybody's so happy and
cheerful."

        Lee looked up from the table at his enthused 
nephew. "Tell me what you have to be so happy about on 
the 25th of December? What's so different about 
Christmas than any other day of the year?"

        "Why won't you have Christmas dinner with us?
It's only once a year."

        "Once a year too many. Bah, humbug."

        "Come on, Uncle Lee. Acme'll let ya off for 
Christmas. Please come to dinner."

        "No and I don't work for Acme anymore."

        "You don't? Why not? When'd ya quit?"

        "Four years ago."

        "Well if you won't come to dinner, at least let
me leave you a Christmas wreath."

        With that the lad opened his box and produced a
Christmas wreath larger than his head. He placed it on
Lee's work table and left the office building with a 
loud, "Merry Christmas!" That echoed throughout minutes
after he had gone.

        Lee picked up the wreath and threw it against 
the door. "Bah humbug!"

        Jordan went back to tinkering with his new 
"super glove" until fatigue forced its way into his 
brain. The clock on the wall read eleven-thirty when
Lee took off his goggles and prepared a sandwich in 
response to the nawing in his stomach. He sat in an 
overstuffed armchair in front of a television in his 
small sitting room, upstairs from the office. Picking
up the remote, Jordan turned the television to "Current
Copy" and sat back to eat his sandwich.

        Lee Jordan mearly looked at the show without 
seeing. The events that occured whilst he was walking to
his siiting room replayed themselves through his mind:

        With the sandwich in one hand Lee reached a 
hand out to open the door to his sitting room but was 
stopped by an odd light radiating from the door knob. 
Lee took a closer look at the knob and nearly fell on 
the floor at what he saw. The door knob was the exact 
image of Maelstrom's face. 

        Jordan had not thought about Maelstrom since
his death, and to see Maelstrom's face in his door knob
rather shocked Jordan. Now Lee sat before his 
television not really watching it but only seeing 
Maelstrom's face.   

        An old bell hung near the door to Lee's sitting
room. It had been there to notify workers on the second
floor of the office building. Jordan had never paid
attention to it until that night when it began to 
slowly ring. 

        The ringing increased in intensity, all the 
other bells in the office building joining in. When, as
suddenly as it started, the ringing stopped. Then a 
loud moaning reverberated throughout the building, 
rising up from Lee's office below. Jordan's ears followed
the sound as it went up the stairs. It sounded as though
something was dragging an heavy chain across the floor.

        Jordan sat in his chair and watched in fear as
a ghostly apperition floated through the door calling 
out his name, "Jorrrrrdannn.... Leeee Jorrrrdannnn...." 

        Lee tried to keep his knees from shaking as he
addressed the ghost, "Wh- who are you?"

        "You should ask 'who was I'."

        "Okay, who were you? What difference does it 
make?"

        "In life I was Dr. Maelstrom."

        Jordan looked again at the spirit. Sure enough,
it was the exact likeness of Maelstrom, but huge chains
encircled his body, and various famous artifacts were 
welded to the chains. Now Lee was no longer afraid but
curious to find out the reason for this visit.

        "Why are you here?"

        "I am here to save you from a fate worse than 
my own."

        "You mean those chains?" Lee asked increduously.
        "I am condemed to carry these chains with me
throughout all enternity." Maelstrom's ghost gave the
chains a rattle for effect.

        "That's great, but what does it have to do with
me?"

        "I forged this weight in life. Everything I 
stole added another link to this burden! And you, Lee
Jordan, have already begun to create your chain with your
criminal acts!"

        "Then I bet Carmen Sandiego's chain would sink 
the Titanic," Lee muttered under his breath.

        "Be warned by your death your chain will be
heavier than mine! Unless...."

        "Unless what?"

        "You will be given a second chance to repent of
your ways and to save yourself from my fate."

        Maelstrom rattled his chains again. "Hey, enough
with the ghost stuff already. I get the picture!" Lee
shouted, annoyed by Maelstrom's behavior.

        "You will be visited tonight by three spiirts.
Without their guidance you will be doomed forever! The 
first spirit will appear when the clock strikes one."

        With that Maelstrom disappeared into the
shadows. Leaving a very confused and slightly shaken 
Lee Jordan. "More ghosts," he said to no one in 
particular, "oh great."

        With that he went to his bedroom to try to get
some sleep before the arrival of the first spirit.

		To be continued...