A Christmas Miracle for Jane

Prompt: In the year 1845 on December 15, there was a little 9 year old orphan girl named Jane Thomas. She lived in a rundown orphanage that also served as a workhouse called Sanford's in London, England. Unfortunately, life was not kind to Jane, or any other of the orphan children who lived at Sanford's. The old couple who ran the place, Mr. & Mrs. Sanford, were horrible, cruel people, who hated children, forcing them to work to earn more money for the place. But they were also greedy and selfish, for Mr. & Mrs. Sanford would secretly pocket some of the money meant for donations for themselves. Despite her gloomy life at Sanford's, young Jane did know some kindred souls in her life. Those included Bob Crachit and his youngest of six children, Tiny Tim, who walked with a cane to support his lame leg, but he was getting better every day. Jane would often see them at church on Sundays, or out walking on the streets of London. She got along well with Mr. Crachit's six children, and sometimes, Mr. Crachit's wife, Emily, would invite her in for a little lunch or a cup of tea. There was also Tom Jenkins, a kind, jolly man with dark skin and a purple suit who owned a wonderful toy shop. Jane often comes to the shop to browse, but she never had enough money to buy anything. But nevertheless, Mr. Jenkins was happy to see her, always striking up a polite conversation with the little girl. Of course, there was also Ebenezer Scrooge, a rich miser who used to be rude, sour, and stingy until he changed completely for some strange reason almost two years ago. Now he was kind, happy, and generous, giving to and helping those in need. He always dropped some gold sovereigns in Jane's cup whenever she was out making more money by busking in the streets with another orphan named Oliver. The children loved it when Jane sang, as did several people who heard her on the streets. Oliver played the music, and they would both sing Christmas songs every December. Even if the Sanfords were forcing them to do so just to earn some extra money, Jane still enjoyed it. One afternoon, when Jane was shoveling snow outside the orphanage, she saw Mr. Scrooge and his dog Prudence, a big brown cheerful bloodhound who loves children, and Jane was no exception. She barked with happiness and bounded up to the little girl, who laughed in delight as Prudence licked her face all over. "Hello, Prudence! Hello, Mr. Scrooge! It's good to see you both again!", Jane said as she wiped the slobber off her face. "Yes, it's quite lovely to see you as well, Miss Jane!", Mr. Scrooge said, smiling warmly. "I hope the Sanfords haven't been working you too hard! It's almost Christmas, after all!" Jane smiled, but deep down, she wasn't sure if she could tell Mr. Scrooge the truth. It wasn't a good life at the Sanford orphanage, but she knew it was better than being on the cold London streets. She had been taught to be grateful for what she had, even if it wasn't much. At that moment, Mrs. Sanford came outside, her pinched face scrunching up even more when she saw Jane speaking with Mr. Scrooge and playing with Prudence, who frowned and growled in dislike as she saw the cruel looking woman. "Jane, girl, you need to come inside to help with dinner! Did you finish the walk yet?", Mrs. Sanford asked Jane, careful not to seem abusive in front of Mr. Scrooge. She took Jane into the building before she could say goodbye to Mr. Scrooge and Prudence. The man stared in confusion for a moment, then walked off with Prudence by his side. "Something doesn't seem right, wouldn't you think so, old girl? Mr. Scrooge asked his dog. Prudence barked in agreement, almost nodding her head. Mr. Scrooge began to ponder as he made it back to his mansion. "Someone may have to do something sooner or later.....", he mused to himself . Meanwhile, Mrs. Sanford had accused Jane of not doing her outdoor chores and revealing the truth about her treatment there. Of course, Jane hadn't done any of that, but there was no use arguing, Mr. Sanford had beaten the girl and then locked her in the cold, dark cellar for the night with only scraps of dinner for food and a single glass of water. Poor Jane began to cry and shiver with cold as curious little rats came out of their hidey-holes in the walls. Unlike the rest of the young orphans, Jane was not afraid of the rats in the cellar. Sometimes, she even fed them cheese whenever she was locked down there with food scraps. The rats were grateful for this. Now they could sense her sadness and hopelessness, and decided to help her. A couple of rats led the girl to a small hidden trap door that was big enough for a little girl like her to crawl through. So Jane did so, and decided to find shelter in the streets of London. However, it was already late at night, and the snow was coming down hard. All Jane had for warmth was her late mother's old shawl, and a small handful of old matches that she had grabbed from next to the old furnace in the cellar. Sitting in an alleyway, those matches gave her a bit of warmth for a while, but all too soon, they began to run out. Jane knew she had to keep moving, lest she freeze to death out in the snow, but exhaustion soon gave in. She curled up on a nearby bench, wrapped her shawl tightly around her, and did her best to sleep. "Perhaps even if I do die out here, I'll see my family in Heaven.", she thought before sleep overtook her. Meanwhile, the three Christmas Spirits, the very same ones who had helped Mr. Scrooge change his greedy, miserable ways almost two years ago, could see the little girl trembling in her sleep on the bench as the falling snow began to cover her. They decided to help change her fate, for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, a black hooded figure with glowing eyes could see that if no one found Jane, by morning, she would indeed be in Heaven. The Ghost Of Christmas Past, a woman made of candle wax with a flame on her head, kept Jane alive and warm with her fire magic as she slept, while the Ghost Of Christmas Present, a huge bearded man with green robes, sent an image to Mr. Scrooge in his bedroom mirror that showed little Jane half buried in the snow on the bench outside, not too far away from his mansion. Realizing she was in danger, Mr. Scrooge threw on his coat and boots over his pajamas, and dashed outside with Prudence running after him. As soon as he saw the poor little child, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her small shivering body. Once they were back in the mansion, he set her down in a bed in the guest room, lit a fire in the fireplace, and wrapped her in warm blankets. Prudence gently licked Jane's face in a desperate attempt to wake her up. Luckily, it worked. Jane's eyes fluttered open, and she tried to sit up and speak, but her throat was dry and in pain, and she began to cough. Mr. Scrooge gently laid her back down and offered her some water. "Shhh, it's alright, Jane, you're safe now.", he whispered softly. "Here, just drink this and lie back down. Can you do that for me?' Jane nods her head weakly and drinks the water in small sips. When she finishes, she lies back down, murmuring a quiet "Thank you, sir.", before she falls back asleep. Mr. Scrooge takes off Jane's shoes and puts a pair of warm socks on her feet. Then he covers her back up and turns out the light. Prudence keeps watch over the little girl, and eventually falls asleep on the guest bed to give Jane extra warmth. Scrooge decides to sort it out tomorrow, as it was very late. He went back to his own bedroom and went back to bed. The next morning, Jane woke up quite confused before the events of last night began to come back to her. Prudence woke up and trotted out of the guest bedroom to wake her master. A few minutes later, Mr. Scrooge walked in smiling warmly. "Good morning Jane, dear." he said. "I do hope you're feeling better now." Jane stood up, feeling a little shy. "Y..Yes, sir, I..I think so." Mr. Scrooge bent down to her level. "There's no need to be shy, Jane. We're all friends here.", he said gently. "Why don't we all go downstairs for a bit of breakfast?" Jane looked up and nodded. She did feel quite hungry. Mr. Scrooge took her downstairs with Prudence bounding behind them. After breakfast, Jane told Mr. Scrooge how she had been locked in the cellar after being accused of not doing her chores and revealing the secrets of what goes on at Sanford's, and how she had escaped the cellar and tried to find shelter. She even told him about how she and the other orphans had seen the Sanfords stealing money from what was meant to be for the orphanage for themselves. Mr. Scrooge thought it was a miracle that she had survived that night. He decided to let Jane stay with him until he could sort out the mess and turn the Sanford's over to the police. Jane was very grateful for his hospitality, and Prudence was happy to have a child in the house. As the days passed Jane began to enjoy her time with Mr. Scrooge and his business partner, who happened to be Mr. Crachit himself. Eventually, the Sanfords illegal and cruel deeds had been revealed, and they were arrested. The orphans were sent to live in better homes or orphanages in London. Mr. & Mrs Crachit were glad to hear that Jane was safe, and invited her, Mr. Scrooge, and Prudence over for their Christmas Eve Dinner. It was a happy Christmas Eve that night, and Jane couldn't wait for her first ever true Christmas. On Christmas morning, Prudence woke up Jane by licking her bare feet, making the girl laugh, trying to get the dog to stop. "Prudence! That tickles!", she said between laughs. She rolled around so much that she got tangled in her bed sheets, and rolled off the bed and onto the carpet! Now fully awake, she wiped away her tears of laughter as she sat up and untangled the sheets off her. When Prudence tried to lick her toes, Jane giggled and said, "Okay, okay, that was funny the first time,Prudence, but enough is enough, ok, girl?". she asked. Prudence pouted a little, but she stopped. Jane smiled and scratched behind the dog's ears. "Good girl!", she said. Mr. Scrooge came in. "Good morning, Jane. Merry Christmas! Is everything alright? I could hear you laughing all the way from my room!" Jane beamed. "Good morning. Mr. Scrooge. Merry Christmas! Sorry about the ruckus, but Prudence was licking my feet to wake me up, and I ended up rolling off the bed and onto the carpet!" Mr. Scrooge chuckled. "Well, how about that? She used to do that to me when I was younger!" Before he left he said, "Breakfast will be ready soon, so make sure to get dressed by then! Your clothes are laid out on the chair." He gestured to a pretty red and gold dress and white stockings and black shoes, and left the room. Jane quickly got dressed, feeling excited for the day, for Mr. Scrooge had invited friends and family for Christmas dinner, and had a very special surprise for Jane. Once they had finished breakfast, they went outside to watch the carolers and greet their friends. At Christmas dinner, Mr. Scrooge's nephew, Fred Huffman and his wife, Lillian Huffman, were one of the first to arrive. Then the Crachit family joined in, and Tiny Tim was overjoyed to see Jane, giving her a big hug. A few of the orphans who had been adopted, including Oliver, arrived as well. Then Tom Jenkins was next, handing out a couple toys from his shop as Christmas gifts, including a windup horse-and-soldier toy for Tiny Tim, a working train set for Oliver, and a beautiful doll for Jane. They were all very happy with their new toys. After a wonderful, delicious Christmas Dinner, Mr. Scrooge gave out his own presents to everyone, saving Jane's for last. When he finally showed her her gift, it turned out to be adoption papers. Mr. Scrooge was willing to adopt Jane as his grandchild, if she would accept. Which, of course, she did. She gave Mr. Scrooge a big hug, whispering her thanks with tears of joy streaming down her face. Mr. Scrooge hugged her back, whispering, "Merry Christmas, Jane Scrooge." Tiny Tim stood up in his chair and added, "And God bless us, everyone!" From that Christmas on, Jane's guardian was more than just her friendly neighbor Mr. Scrooge; he was her new grandfather. For the first time in her life, she felt more than what the Sanfords had said she was. She felt truly loved and cared for.