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The Adventures of Henry Pickle |
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Chapter 7Posted at 6:42 PM on May. 9, 2009
It really didn't take Henry long to get back to the main road. He looked in the direction of the village for a minute then shook his head and turned towards home, trying to think of something he could tell his Mother. The whole time Sydon and Thorton complained, and scolded from behind. The cow was no longer happy and every now and then would utter a complaint as well, it's long low cry echoing over the hills.
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Several minutes passed like this when a shadow rose up out of the rain, stopping Henry dead in his tracks. The figure ahead of him looked huge, well over six feet. It moved towards him, and before Henry could run stepped close enough for him to see the shape was a man, not some mindless beast set on eating him. "Well, who do we have here?" The voice was deep, very deep, Henry liked the sound of it. The man looming in front of him had dark brown hair, and wide sloping shoulders. He was dressed in brightly colored rags, a scarf of yellow wrapped around his head. His pants were a dull brown, but they had bright colored patches all over the place, so brown was now a miner color. His cloak seemed to be the nicest thing on him, made of red silk. "My name is Henry Pickle Sir." "Is it now, and what might you be doing out on such a dank, terribly horrible day?" "I set out this morning to sell this cow, but ran out of time and had to start home." "Sell the cow?" The man peered behind Henry at the bedraggled cow. "Doesn't look like you would get much of a price for her anyway. The poor thing looks to be just skin and bones." "Yes sir, but my Mum and I have no need for a cow who gives no milk, and we hoped we would be able to get at least a small price for her. Now I shall have to go home empty handed, except for this old cow of course." Henry shook his head in disappointment. "Who are you sir?" "I am called Jinx by many." "Jinx? That's kind of a strange name." "Your the one with the sir name of Pickle young man." Henry blushed as he realized what he had just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Henry mumbled, looking down at Sydon who had come to sit by his feet. Jinx followed the boys gaze and nodded at Sydon. Sydon winked in response. Henry looked up in surprise at the man in front of him, who seemed to treat the cat with respect. Jinx noticed the boys questioning expression. "I've always been a feline kind of man. Such interesting creatures. Anyway my son, if you are so desperate to be rid of the cow I may be able to help you." Henry's hopeful look made the man laugh. "Let me see what I can find in trade for the poor creature." He let down a nap sack that had been hanging on his back, and pulled open the top. Reaching in he began rummaging around. "I'm guessing you wouldn't want an old shoe... probably not a loaf of bread either... maybe a bottle of apple cider? No, you wouldn't be able to use that." This strange dialogue continued for several minutes, with each new item Henry wondered why the man was even carrying these sorts of things with him. Finally as the soaking boy started to wonder if this was even worth it Jinx stood up exclaiming in a loud, "Ah ha!" He turned around and held out a small black bag to Henry. "This is just the thing. Take it my boy." Henry reached out hesitantly to take the bag, Jinx nodded to reassure him. The boy pulled open the draw strings that held it closed and dumped the contents into his hand. Several small beans landed in his palm and he looked up at the traveler in disgust. "A few small beans in trade for a cow?" He poured the beans back into the bag and handed it back to the man. "These are not just normal beans my boy, they are special beans." "Do they well to the size of a bushel when boiled?" Henry asked in amusement. "Not quiet a bushel, but something to that effect. Please my boy keep them, they will be more useful then you have reason to believe." Henry looked back at the cow and sighed. "I'm sorry Sir, but I don't think my Mum would be happy with this trade." "Well then, keep the beans, and the cow. You can tell your Mother you couldn't find anyone who wanted to buy such an old raggedy cow. Goodbye!" He closed his sack and hoisted it onto his back, sweeping past the boy and hurrying down the road. "Wait!" Henry reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping his escape. "I can't just take these from you. Here, take the cow. No one else would want her anyway." He held out the cows rope. Jinx smiled and the ownership of the cow was moved over. "Pleasure doing business with you son." This time Henry did not stop Jinx as he continued on down the road, towards the village. He looked down at the strange black bag, and wondered at the beans inside. I think you made a wise choice for once. Could you try and convince Mum on that fact? Your the one who will have to do the sweet talking. Henry rolled his eyes, cat's were so annoying. I agree!Posted by Anna at 4:55 PM on Sep. 4, 2009
I agree with Meggie4u, are you going to put chapter eight up? I can't wait! And you can't quit! This is a GREAT story! Keep on writing BlueJane!
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LOVE IT!
Keep writing - do not despair!