The Adventures of Chuck Sadler.
Southern USA- Late 1800’s
My eyes open to the blazing sun shining over the dusty streets of this small Southern Village. The sound of both birdsong and bartering filled the air as the townsfolk made their way through each other in order to get the best deals on local produce as today was market day. Was I excited? Nah, I’ve no money. Heck, I don’t even have a roof over my head or a pair of shoes! But it sure is amusing to see what monsters folk can become once they get bitten buy the bargain bug.
Take the elderly Mrs Conrad for instance, now usually she’s as sweet as pie. Always a kind word to send anybody’s way, be them young, old, black, white you name it. But right now she was practically tearing her sister limb from limb in order to by the biggest Rabbit that the Butcher, a Mr Metzger had hanging on his stall.
For my own safety I decided to move from my shelter for the night, an old barrel covered in a thick blanket outside the local drinking hole, not much, but it keeps me safe. I made my way towards the River Angelique so that I could do a bit of fishing when every other kid was in school.
Now, the River Angelique has an interesting story behind it. Legend has it that around 50 years ago, a poor guy would go and fish there every day in order to feed his family but to no avail, until his wife came along and bathed in the river that is, then the rivers were abundant with fish and have been ever since. It’s a corny story, sure but that’s just me, what with no schoolin’ I have to use my imagination to get me by.
One I got there, I noticed a bad smell coming from nearby, I didn’t take me long to realise that it was yours truly that was the culprit, so I thought it best that I would bathe in the river before I fish.
I may be poor, barefoot, 16, bucktoothed, redheaded and proud owner of a stolen shirt and ragged pair of pants held up by rope as well as some long johns cut off at the thigh so they’re like short pants, but I have standards.
So after I had undressed and bathed until the smell had gone. I was about to get out when I heard rapid footsteps and giggling in the distance. I was able to hide behind a rock where I was able to get a good view. And that’s just what I got.
For that moment, I was in the presence of two angels. The Belmonte Sisters, a wealthy pair of twin girls my age who lived in a big mansion just outside the town square were hurrying past, the long skirts of their white dresses playfully fluttering in the warm summer breeze and their elegant long white gloves gripping tightly to their parasols so they wouldn’t get burned.
“Hurry up Ellie-May!” cried Rose-Marie. “We’re gonna be late! And I am NOT gonna be late just because you thought you saw some boy creep through our window last night. Another thing? Why are you so pleased about that?”
“Because he was the boy of my dreams” replied her sister dreamily, her eyes lost in fantasy and then momentarily focusing on the rock I was hiding behind as if she knew. They had soon left and I was able to get myself dressed and dry. The truth is, I WAS in their room last night. In search of food, but I managed to escape with a lamb leg in my mouth as I dived out of the window unnoticed or as I thought so at the time.
The thought of food led me back to the Belmonte house soon enough. I managed to get inside the girl’s bedroom (the safest route) and down to the kitchen and sure’nuff I saw the second leg of lamb on the girl’s dining table ready for their evening meal. As I was about to clasp my hands on that meaty prize I was alerted by the same giggling that I heard earlier. The girls had come back early. I hid in the wardrobe and dropped the lamb by accident as soon as the girls came in. “SHUCKS!” I cried loudly.
That did it, the girls opened the wardrobe door and out I fell. “Well, hellooooo handsome!” Ellie-May squealed, as her sister rolled her eyes, indifferent to the situation. “I was wondering when I’d see you again, lock the door sister! It’s time to make dreams come true” She sneered as her white gloved hands started to fiddle with the rope that was holding my pants up…….
T.B.C