Leaves - Day 5
Editor's Note: Most stories in this space have been 5 segment (or days) long. This one is longer, going a total of 7.
----
“Let’s see what he wants first, before we decide Grandpa,” answered Molly. It turned out Molly was the girl, and her voice was as soft and as peaceful as a mother’s voice putting her baby to bed.
“So whatcha want, young pup?” asked the old man. He had taken the pipe out of his mouth and had begun digging into the bowl, getting access to the final bits of tobacco left there.
“Well sir, we were, well, I was hoping to find the leaf.”
“The Leaf!” spit out the rusty cat, still curled on the girl’s lap.
“Got lots of leaves around here,” answered the old man as he relit his pipe with a wooden match he had found in one of the many pockets of his overalls.
“The Leaf, sir. The purple leaf, sir. “
“Oh, THAT leaf eh?”. The old man laid his pipe on the railing that went halfway around the porch and rose effortlessly from the chair. He walked to the steps in the middle of the porch, laid his hand on one of the supporting posts and asked, “and what would you do if you found this leaf.”
“Well sir, then I’d be rich.”
Instantly Jeremiah knew this was the wrong answer. The old man didn’t move, but his face transitioned from a gentle inquisitiveness into a harsh punishing mold. The rusty cat, jumped from the girl’s lap, landing on the porch railing, its tail and back raised. Even the girl changed, from mildly interested into deep disappointment.
While Jeremiah was frantically thinking of how to get out of this mess, he noticed the goat had moved around to his back, blocking his escape back to the path. Jeremiah’s eyes darted around, looking for an avenue of escape, and then saw it. Blocked from his initial view by the goat stood a small tree, no more than a twig really, surrounded by a small circle of grass. On this tree was one leaf. The leaf was the most brilliant purple possible.
Jeremiah’s total fascination with beautiful the leaf was interrupted by a shocking shove from behind.
“Hey” he yelled and the goat kept butting him towards the porch. There waited the old man, the cat, and the girl. The old man was holding a big piece of wood in his gnarled right hand. The cat was hissing, showing every fang it owned. The girl remained in the rocker. Just before the last butt from the goat, he noticed she was crying.
----
“Let’s see what he wants first, before we decide Grandpa,” answered Molly. It turned out Molly was the girl, and her voice was as soft and as peaceful as a mother’s voice putting her baby to bed.
“So whatcha want, young pup?” asked the old man. He had taken the pipe out of his mouth and had begun digging into the bowl, getting access to the final bits of tobacco left there.
“Well sir, we were, well, I was hoping to find the leaf.”
“The Leaf!” spit out the rusty cat, still curled on the girl’s lap.
“Got lots of leaves around here,” answered the old man as he relit his pipe with a wooden match he had found in one of the many pockets of his overalls.
“The Leaf, sir. The purple leaf, sir. “
“Oh, THAT leaf eh?”. The old man laid his pipe on the railing that went halfway around the porch and rose effortlessly from the chair. He walked to the steps in the middle of the porch, laid his hand on one of the supporting posts and asked, “and what would you do if you found this leaf.”
“Well sir, then I’d be rich.”
Instantly Jeremiah knew this was the wrong answer. The old man didn’t move, but his face transitioned from a gentle inquisitiveness into a harsh punishing mold. The rusty cat, jumped from the girl’s lap, landing on the porch railing, its tail and back raised. Even the girl changed, from mildly interested into deep disappointment.
While Jeremiah was frantically thinking of how to get out of this mess, he noticed the goat had moved around to his back, blocking his escape back to the path. Jeremiah’s eyes darted around, looking for an avenue of escape, and then saw it. Blocked from his initial view by the goat stood a small tree, no more than a twig really, surrounded by a small circle of grass. On this tree was one leaf. The leaf was the most brilliant purple possible.
Jeremiah’s total fascination with beautiful the leaf was interrupted by a shocking shove from behind.
“Hey” he yelled and the goat kept butting him towards the porch. There waited the old man, the cat, and the girl. The old man was holding a big piece of wood in his gnarled right hand. The cat was hissing, showing every fang it owned. The girl remained in the rocker. Just before the last butt from the goat, he noticed she was crying.
posted by Jimmie C. | 7:38 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home