Shadow Reader's Christmas Carol Chapter Four

Shadow made his way out of the closet, and headed down a small corridor towards the viewing room where he saw that the special his employees were working on had just finished, and was now displaying the credits. "Sir the Christmas special is complete. It'll be live on TV in about one hour." Elie explained while she made Shadow a cup of tea.

Shadow left the viewing room before it was served to him however, and attempted to make his way outside of the building only to get intercepted by Frank Price who served as Viacom's president and CEO. "There you are! I was just talking about you! Hey look come on in here I want you to meet someone." Price said as he rudely pushed Shadow towards an office despite Shadow protesting that he needed to go.

Inside the office, Shadow saw Sonny sitting at the far side of the room drinking a glass of scotch. That's when Shadow realised they were in his office. "Hey what the fuck is this guy doing here Pricey?" Shadow asked as he made his way towards Sonny: ready to strike. "Sonny's taking over for you buddy." Frank explained.

Frank then explained that he had noticed the stress Shadow was under with the special so he had Sonny take over as temporary chairman of Nickelodeon. Shadow tried to argue his point before getting thrown out of the office by Frank. He was then taken towards the elevator so he could be looked after on a lower floor of the studio.

However when the elevator opened it revealed a large grim reaper like figure with a huge black rope thrown over itself. "OH GOD!!!!!!" Shadow yelled as he fell to the floor in utter fear. "He's come for me!" Shadow yelled as he continued with, "come on then you think I'm afraid of you with the day I've had? Come on and take me you pussy." Shadow said which caused the figure to ask, "what the heck is he going on about?"

"Hey get on out of here Richard you're scaring him. Don't worry pal I'll see to this." Frank said as he led the figure out of Shadow's sight. "He's in the show Sir as the ghost of Christmas future." Elie explained to which Shadow replied with, "he's great. That guy's gonna be a big star." And with that, Shadow pressed a button on the elevator which took him to the very top floor of the studio. Shadow didn't even know there was another floor after his office which was supposed to be on the top floor of the building.

He walked into the room only to see a mangled and bloodied Solomon grab a shotgun, and aim at him. As Solomon hadn't died from the assassination attempt Shadow had attempted earlier. Thinking quickly, Shadow ducked back inside the elevator where he was greeted by an incredibly tall figure with a dark robe draped over him.

"Oh it's you. Shouldn't you be out of your costume by now?" Shadow asked when all of sudden the figure removed it's hood revealing the face of none other than Shadow's old nemesis Patrick Star himself.

"Patrick!? No I'm not doing this!" Shadow cried as he attempted to exit the elevator only for Patrick to stop him. "No no Shadow you have much to see." Patrick said to which Shadow replied with, "call me crazy but I don't exactly want to be in an elevator with the same starfish that has tried to kill me on numerous occasions." Patrick chuckled at this before saying, "and how many creepypasta's have you forced me to read Shadow? Despite the fact I've told you time and time again that I wish to see no more."

"Look Patrick I saved your life. I resurrected you from the dead when you were just a mess of pink goo all over my trailer!" Shadow added. "Well then perhaps this is my way of paying you back Shadow." Patrick explained as the elevator began falling at an extreme speed.

It eventually stopped as Shadow and Patrick made their way out of the elevator arriving outside of Shadow's mansion where a large group of people were cheering and doing Fornite dances. "What are you celebrating about?" Shadow asked. "I don't know." Patrick said while eating some cheesy crisps which caused Shadow to say, "greedy bugger."

Suddenly, Sonny appeared at the front entrance of the mansion where he began thanking the people for coming for this occasion. He also thanked Shadow for apparently doing something incredibly wonderful. Shadow noticed a dollar bill on the ground, and went to go and pick it up. While he was doing this, a small black casket was carried out of the mansion, and was taken away by several big sweaty fat men.

Shadow looked up just as the casket had left the scene, and Sonny began speaking again, "ladies and gentlemen on behalf of all the people who came here today. I would like to thank our friend for what he has done for us today, and then therefore I'd simply like to say!!!!!!" Sonny said as he began singing a song, "Thank you very much. Thank you very much. That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me. I may sound Double Dutch but my delight is such. I feel as if a losing war's been won for me, and if I had a flag I'd hang my flag up to add a sort of final victory touch. But since I left my flag at home I'll simply to have say thank you very, very, very much!"

Shadow and the other people then replied with, "thank you very, very, very much!" At one point in the song, Sonny climbed on top of Shadow's casket, and said, "thank you very much! Thank you very much! That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me." He then placed his head on top of the casket and sang, "it seems a bit bizarre but things the way they are. I feel as though a losing war's been won for me."

Shadow watched on in amazement as Sonny and the others along with the casket disappeared in the distance. "Well if this is my future Patrick I'm ready for it!" Shadow said as a huge grin appeared on his face. "Come with me Shadow we have much more to see." Patrick said as he and Shadow made their way towards a small deserted street where four men were having a conversation. "So when did he die?" One of the men asked. "Last night I believe or sometime Christmas day." Another one of the men explained. "Well it's likely to be a very cheap funeral. Can't imagine a single soul who would go to it." One of the men said to which another man said, "well I wouldn't mind going." "WHAT!?" The other men asked to which the man laughed before saying, "if lunch is provided." The men began laughing hysterically as they walked off to catch a cab.

"Patrick I understand I really do. The case of this unhappy man could very well be my own. My life tends that way now." Shadow said as he found himself in a small room. He turned around to see someone lying lifelessly in a bed with the covers hiding their face. "Wanna see what's inside it?" Patrick asked as he began to remove the sheets however he only removed a bit of it which showed the top part of someone's head. "Patrick I beg you show me something uplifting. Shadow cried as Patrick showed him Sonny and Ellie talking about someone's untimely passing. They began dancing around, and talking about with this man dead they could finally have a better life. "Let me see some tenderness connected to death or this chamber will forever haunt me!" Shadow yelled before covering his face with his hands.

He removed his hands from his face to find that he was in the house which Pablo and Austin had taken him to earlier. "It's so quiet why is it so quiet Patrick?" Shadow asked to which Patrick slapped him before saying, "stop being such a Scrooge, and look over there." Patrick commanded which caused Shadow to start fighting him. However, their fight was quickly broken up when Shadow heard Shadow Fiend say, "so is true then what they're saying about him?" Shadow Lioness nodded before saying, "they say he died in the earlier hours of Christmas morning. They say he died after accidentally eating a blueberry muffin."

This hit Shadow like a brick. Could he.... no it couldn't be or at least he certainly hoped it wasn't. "So where's Hoodohoodlum?" Shadow Fiend asked while trying to keep himself from crying. "He'll be soon here. He's walked a little slower these past few evenings." Skyrunner explained when a loud knock appeared at the door.

Hoodo entered the house with a sad look on his face. "So you went today then?" Shadow Lioness asked while making cups of tea in the kitchen. "Yeah I did. It would have done you good to see how green the place is. I just can't believe Luca would be stupid enough to meet with the Tattaglia's. He knows to not trust them." Hoodo said sadly before looking at Shadow Fiend with a curious look on his face. "So is... is it true what they're saying about..." Fiend cut him off by saying, "yeah it is true. He died this morning after eating a blueberry muffin." Hoodo gave a small chuckle at this which caused Lioness to ask in an offended voice, "what's so funny!?" "Nothing. I always knew he would die from eating one of them." Hoodo joked which caused Shadow Fiend, Lioness, and Skyrunner to give a small but uneasy chuckle as well.

Shadow then noticed that there weren't as many people as there were last time. "Hey where's Dark Reindeer and Gunner? And where's Luca Brasi and Henry?" Shadow asked to which Patrick sighed before saying, "pay more attention Shadow you dumb fox." Before Shadow could complain Patrick had already continued speaking with, "Luca was killed during a meeting with a rival family, Henry has moved to Las Vegas, and as for Dark Reindeer and Gunner they've decided to stop coming around for Christmas dinner." "Why would they do that?" Shadow asked confused. "Because they felt like it was a waste of time asking you if you wanted to come for Christmas dinner every year." "So they didn't even ask the question this year?" Shadow asked which caused Patrick to shake his head.

"They haven't buried him yet." Shadow Fiend explained before continuing again with, "and I promised myself I would walk there every Sunday!" Shadow Fiend said sadly as he began crying heavily. Shadow Lioness and Skyrunner comforted him while Hoodo lit a cigarette, and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Don't worry Fiend sure this is horrible news, but we'll get through it. We all will. I'm sure we will never forget our dear friend, and all the help he's given us over the years." Shadow began crying too which Patrick laughed at. "What the hell are you laughing about you fucking asshole?" Shadow asked in between heavy sobs. "Don't think I've forgiven you for making me read those creepypastas Shadow." Patrick said which caused Shadow to give a small smile. "Patrick I must ask." Shadow began before continuing with, "who was that man we saw laying dead in that bed?" Shadow asked as he and Patrick appeared in a small graveyard.

"Your answer is over there." Patrick said while pointing at a tombstone on the far side of the cemetery. Shadow began to make his way towards it before stopping and asking, "one more thing Patrick are these the things that will be or the things that may be only?" Patrick didn't respond. "Patrick I'm done playing games!" Shadow yelled but Patrick didn't respond. He didn't even cry or scream in fear like he normally would when Shadow got mad with him. Shadow got closer to the tombstone as a tear formed in his eye. "A life can be made right." Shadow said as he reached the tombstone wiping off some snow which was covering it.

"Good lord it's me!" Shadow cried out while crying heavily. The tombstone was indeed his with the cause of his death being death by eating blueberry muffin. Shadow ran towards Patrick, and grabbed him. "Please Patrick I will change! I will live my life by the rules of the past, present, and future. I will not forget the lessons taught to me, but assure me that I may sponge out the writing on that stone. Speak to me Patrick speak to me!" Shadow cried as Patrick yelled, "how about no!"

Suddenly the snow began sucking Shadow up, and pulled him towards his grave. Shadow cried, "Patrick Patrick help me!!!!!" Shadow cried as Patrick said evilly, "the past must be payed for." Shadow looked down towards the ground, and saw his casket opening up which had no one inside it. Shadow then began falling towards his empty casket screaming and screaming for Patrick to spare him.