[James]

Sticks has asked me to transfer this to this forum.

So here it is.

Sticks posted this:

The Christmas Interactive story

It has been a while since any of us had a go at this, I suppose normal rules apply


It was a cold snow afternoon in December as Alexander Scrooge cleared the security system of a small South London Hospital.

"She is expecting you Mr Scrooge" the guard grunted as he continued to gawp at his sleazy tabloid.

He walked down a long well lit corridoor untill he came to a small room and entered. Sharon, a young woman with blond hair, her face in bandages sat by the bed.

"Evening Cocker" she greeted the man in a London accent.

"I want Welsh" Alexander shouted back.

"Sorry" she replied trying to put on a false welsh accent

Alexander Scrooge drew a chair up and sat down in front of her. "Let me get a few things straight. I am not a weak man like my ancestor Ebenezer. I will win that wager do you hear"

"Wager ?" Sharon asked in a mock Welsh accent.

"So they did not tell you"

Sharon shook her head, all she knew was this B******* had her marker from a London casino, and she had had to have plastic surgery.

"There is a famous couple who met up on a game show and fell in love. By rights it should have fizzled out after they left. I had a substantial wager that the pressure of fame and their popularity would split them up after a certain period of time"

"But Kate and Spencer have split" Sharon ventured.

Alexander almost exploded, "Not them!!!!" Helen Adams and Paul Clarke"

Sharon felt threatened, Alexander Scrooge made the old Ebenezer a patron saint of generosity compared to him. He was also not above the use of force to get his way, so she heard

"To Win my Wager" Alexander continued "the Helen and Paul romance must be finished by Christmas day, and no ghosts are getting in my way"

Alexander clicked his fingers and a nurse came into the room.

"Is it time" the nurse asked

"Yes"

The nurse set to, removing the bandages carefully and handed Sharon a mirror, to her horror she was now the spitting image of Helen Adams.

"You my dear" Alex started "are going to be part of my plan to win my wager. Any problems with that"

Sharon shook her head "Actually I wanted Josh to stay instead of Helen" she sighed in her false welsh accent.

Alaxander stood up, "You are going to have to work on that accent" He then handed her a wallet with papers. "This is all about Miss Adams Study it, you are phase two"

"Phase two ?"

"Sorry did I not mention, I have already initiated phase one"


Meanwhile in a North London flat, Helen was sorting through the post that morning after Paul had gone to work when....

Rog. England posted this:

....., unfortunately,................

ROB posted this:

She forgot that she had left the porridge simmering on the stove.

Thirty minutes later, after she had carefully arranged the mornings arrival of christmas cards on the mantelpiece, and picked up Paul's empty Stella bottles and crisp packets from the night before, she ambled back into the kitchen.

'What's that horrible smell?' she asked out loud, before spying the now dry and crackling pot on the hob.

'helen Adams, I swear, you will never make a housewife! No wonder he hasn't asked you to marry him yet! And it's that lovely big le crussey pan thing his gran bought us!'

Without thinking, she dashed over and picked it up.

'Oooooowwww! Now I've burned myself! Ow, it really really hurts! Now I know I've got to run it under the cold tap. OOOOOOWWW that kills!!! Ooowww!. let me look. Urrr, there's a big burn on my arm now! Oh My God. I think I need to get a doctor'.

Balancing on one leg, with her arm still under the running water, Helen managed to reach the phone. She put it down on the worksurface and pressed Paul's speed dial number. She continued to hop in discomfort from one foot to the other as the number rang.

'Good morning, CAD department, Paul speaking. How can I help you?'

'Hello Paul, it's me'.

'Hello babe, what's up?'

'Oh Paul, I burned my arm, and it really hurts. I think I need to see the doctor. Will you ring him for me, because I can't reach the number. And I don't think I can drive Paul, because it's my arm. Can you come home and take me there?'.

'Whoa, hang on Helen! You alright? How bad is it? What happened?'

'Paul, I burned the porridge love. And it is your nan's lovely pan, you know the middle one in that set of orange ones. I'm sorry Paul.'

'Never mind the bloody pan Helen, how big is the burn?'

'Well it's shaped like a big crunchie bar and it's all red and blistery and it really hurts Paul'.

'OK babe, let me think. I'm in Basildon, and it will take me ages to get home at this time of day. I'll meet you at the hospital. Now, remember the first aid. Put a clean towel on it, and get yourself a taxi right away'.

'But I'm still in my dressing gown. I'll get dressed first, shall I?'

'Err, ........yeah!! Now will you be alright til I get there?'

'I'll be alright Paul. Sorry Paul. I'll manage. I just thought you'd be cross, cos I spoiled one of our lovely presents.'

'It don't matter mate. It's just a pan. Now you get yourself sorted and I'll be there within an hour or so if I'm lucky'

'Alright love. Drive carefully though, won't you. I don't like to think of you taking no chances. Aaah, you've only just got there, bless your little cotton socks'.

'Don't you worry about that. Just get yourself to the hospital'

'Alright love. Bye. Big kiss, mwah, mwah, MWAH!'

'Yeah, same to you, now get cracking!'

'I will, bye'.

Helen turned off the tap and looked at her arm. It had stopped stinging, and she managed to cover it with a clean tea towel before shuffling off to the bedroom to get dressed.

'Oh my God, look at my hair! I can't go out like this, and I got no make up on! I'll just have to do something with myself first. I look horrendous!'

Slowly and carefully, Helen hot brushed her hair into shape, then she managed to get down to the serious business of applying her make up. It was not until her arm started to throb relentlessly again that she looked at the bedside clock and realised that an hour had passed since her phone call to Paul.

'Oh my God, he'll be there before me. I'll just have to do as I am. Now, what to wear?'

In the meantime, Paul found his drive back to Barnet was comparitively smooth. As he eventually eased his precious car into the last available space in the hospital car park, Helen was only just ringing for the taxi.

'Oh, hello, is that Fred's minicabs? I want a taxi please. When for? Now please. 30 minutes? Oh dear. OK then, that will have to do.' After putting the phone down, she suddenly thought about phoning Paul. Just as she picked up the phone again, Paul was approaching the A&E department.

'Better switch me phone off', he said, noticing the signs on the door.

Walking up to the reception desk to enquire about Helen, he was intercepted by a man in a white coat.

'Ah, Mr Paul Clarke I beleive. Forgive me, I recognised you from the television'.

'I know, it still happens sometimes. Normally, I'd be glad to chat, but not now mate, I'm looking for someone. She's been hurt'.

'I know, it's OK. Are you looking for Helen Adams?' asked the man.

'Yeah, are you her doctor?' he asked.

'I am,' he replied. 'I'm afraid there has been a complication'.

'Is there something wrong? Bloody hell, I thought she had just burnt her arm', said Paul, suddenly anxious.

'Nothing to worry about too much mr Clarke, but I'm afraid we have had to transfer her to the specialist burns unit at St Elizabeths, in South London'.

'Bloody Hell!. Poor Helen. I'd better go there right away. You sure she's not in any danger?'

'No, no, I think we caught it in time,' the doctor replied.

'Right mate, cheers, I'm on me way. Can you ring them and tell them to tell her? Bless her, she'll be really scared'.

'Of course,' said the doctor, 'you just get yourself over there.'

'I will'.

With that, Paul sprinted out of the hospital and back to the car, completely forgetting to turn his mobile phone back on. Just after he had left, a taxi pulled up at the entrance, and Helen got out. Walking inside, she was met by the same doctor.

'Hello, Miss Adams isn't it?' he asked.

'Oh, yes, that's right, hello doctor.'

'Mr Clarke rang and told us to expect you. He has been a little delayed. Now let us look at that arm of yours'.

'Oh, thankyou doctor. It is really killing me'.

'Now I'm going to take off the towel and have a look. Now breathe into this mask, and this won't hurt a bit.'

'Thankyou, you are kind. I thought I'd have to wa.... oooh, I feel a bit funny...I think I need a lie down,...I'm sooooo tired all of a sudden, ooooooh, I can't stop yawning........got to ......sleeeep'. Helen close her eyes and fell asleep.

The man removed his white coat, picked her up and walked straight through the main doors to a waiting car. The receptionist barely lifted her head, muttering about time wasters and drunks using up valuable emergency resources.

thirty five minutes later, Paul sprinted into the front entrance of St Elizabeths. Almost frantic with worry, he was delighted to see Helen standing waiting for him, her arm heavily bandaged.


'Helen, what's going on? I thought you was really bad!'

'I'm alright Mr Clarke. Don't you worry about me. Now are you gonna take me home or what?'

'Course I am babe. I's so relieved to see you're alright. What's the matter with your voice though? You sound really funny'.

'My voice is alright, isn't it boyo. I just had a bit of an anafetic, din't I?'

'Oh, roight. OK, get in the car then, let's go. I feel as if I've never got out of the thing this morning. Bloody hell', he muttered, as he drove off back to Barnet.


Meanwhile Helen awoke in a dark room, and found that she couldn't move her arms.

'Hello, doctor? Anyone? Hello? I don't like this. Nurse?'

No one answered.

Outside, the man smiled to himself, as he tuerned on the bugging equipment and waited to hear Paul and the substitute Helen arrive home.

'It's all going so well. Who would have thought such an opportunity would arise so soon. I will win my wager. I will be rich beyond my wildest dreams!'


A big tear welled up in Helen's eye as she struggled to move and clear her head.

'I don't like this. Where are you Paul Clarke?'

Sticks posted this:

Helen was also aware of a needle in her arm, in the gloom she could just make out a drip had been put into her arm, but she could not tell what it was.

Alexander noticed she was awake, he pressed a button on his control pad to administer a dose of a banned CIA mind control drug, designed to make the victim more suceptable to suggestion. For his plan to work, Helen would have to hate Paul and Paul to hate Helen.

Alexander checked the listening devices at the flat, they still had not arrived.

He tried the listening devices in Paul's car

Nothing!!!!!

That can't be right

Must be going through a tunnel.


+-+-+-+-
Helen had seemed strangely quiet, and seemed to be cold shouldering him.

Suddenly on a clearish stretch of road the car behind him pulled out started to over take and then cut him off forcing him to stop. The Other car stopped too

Paul got out, he was annoyed with how the day was turning out.

The other driver turned out to be Elizabeth with what appeared to be a green dwarf.

"What are you doing " Yelled Paul

The phony Helen got out of the car and in her mock Welsh accent Yelled "Paul Are you gonna drive me home or what"

The Green Dwarf got out of the other car and looked at the phony Helen.

"Why the Rush - SHARON" he said menacingly
Sharon looked shocked "What are you talking about"

"It's Ok Sharon" Spoke out Elizabeth "We are jamming the tracking device Alexander Scrooge has placed on you so drop the act"

To say that Paul was confused would be an understatement.

"Let me introduce myself " Said the Green Dwarf " I am the Ghost of Christmas What might have been"

"That's not in Scrooge" Paul Interupted

The Ghost of Christmas What Might have been rolled his eyes "Look I was supposed to be there when Ebeneezer was done but they had cut backs. I was supposed to come before the Ghost of Christmas Present. Charles Dickens left that bit out. I am here To try and rescue my three former coleagues and your Helen"

Sharon thought it was time to leave and tried to walk away. In an instant the Ghost of Christmas What might have been intercepted her "Going Somewhere"

"Sorry I had to cut you up Paul" Shouted Elixzabeth above the road traffic. "The Ghost of Christmas What might have been came to me while I was meditating"

"It was the only way I could get in touch with your world " the Ghost of Christmas What might have been replied.

"So What is going on " Paul asked

the Ghost of Christmas What might have been Explained " My 3 former colleagues have been captured by a decendent of Ebeneezer Scrooge, who is trying to split you and Helen up so he can win a bet"

"Huh ?"

"My former colleagues stood up for me when I was dropped so I owe them one, plus if I can make that scum bag loose that bet, count me in. This floozy is not Helen but someone made to look like Helen she is supposed to dump you"

Paul turned to the imposter "WHY? " he shouted

"I owe a few thou, he has my markers " she answered

"So what happens now" Asked Elizabeth.

The Ghost of Christmas What might have been stroked his beard, "let me see, we must not let Mr Scrooge know we are onto him, we must maintain an element of surprise. Oh Yes this is what we will do".....

[Sticks]

Thanks James
I did the last installment so it is someone elses turn, come on don't be shy

[Sticks]

This is another one from the archives, maybe it could be moved into the Fan Fiction section, although it is dated, as in the real world Paul and Helen did break up

It also had a contribution from ROB, who is sadly missed