Thursday 29 July 2021

THE BEST CHRISTMAS STORIES – CHRISTMAS NOVELLA # 2 The Chimes: A Goblin Story

 

The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, by Charles Dickens was published in 1844 and was the second in his series of "Christmas books":

The chimes are the old bells in the church on whose steps the principle character, Trotty Veck, plies his trade.

During the course of the story Trotty loses his faith in man's destiny to improve and as a result the bells call to him in the night and he feels compelled to climb the bell tower.

Once in the bell chamber the spirits of the bells and their goblin attendants reprimand him and tell him that he actually fell to his death on his climb up.

He is then forced to watch a series of visions of his daughter Meg and those closest to him and finds himself helpless to intervene.

The final vision was of his daughter Meg poised to jump into the river whereupon he cries out that he has learned his lesson and finds himself able to touch her and prevent her from jumping.

With the conclusion of that vision Trotty finds himself awakening at home as the bells ring in the New Year as if from a vivid dream.

The book concludes with the customary happy ending.

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