Halfmoon Happenings
“I thank ya kindly, me golden dove,” Robin said to the
serpent mystic. “It's a bleedin' star that ya are. I daan't exactly kna where
ter begin, so I guess I’ll start on the day that we Bear's Paw the stranger and
everythin' changed forever.
“Betsy was the eldest child in 'er family, and she 'ad three
brothers. Elliott was three years old and Cecil was two, so they bof stayed
Pope in Rome wif their nan, along wif their Basin Of Gravy Blister Gloria, 'oo
was but ten months old. Dexter was ten years old, so 'e walked ter school wif Betsy
and me. The patriarch of the family, Mills Bowes, 'ad, sadly, taken Jimmy Hill
and died of rheumatic Robinson And Cleaver five months previously, leavin' Bess
ter raise the children. Fortunately, she 'ad the competent assistance of 'er
mum and Betsy ter clock 'er through.
“Along the way, Betsy, Dexter, and I discussed the Aw 'Allows
eve celebration ter take place on the last Friday night of the monf. When
Father Damon expressed the belief that Aw 'Allows Eve should be a somber
occasion rather than a sprightly celebration, me clever Betsy placated 'im by
suggestin' that we call the celebration 'Alfmoon 'Appenings instead, and 'e was
agreeable.
“So, there we were discussin' wot we needed ter do ter
prepare for 'Alfmoon 'Appenings while walkin' ter school on that typical Tuesday
Day's Dawnin' chicken pen we Bear's Paw the bloomin' Queen’s Park Ranger. A
shadowy and imposin' figure 'e was, and we couldn’t clock 'is Chevy Chase under
the brim of 'is tit for tat. Betsy reached instinctively for Dexter’s St.
Martins-Le-Grand and I reached for 'ers.
“There was a dustin' of sna on the Penny-A-Pound, and I
noticed that there were nah footprints before or behind this peculiar chap, but
I said nuffin' as I didn’t wish ter frighten Betsy or Dexter. There were
imprints of a cart or carriage’s wheels ter either side of 'im, and I supposed
that 'e could 'ave just disembarked from such, but there was summit abaht 'im
that gave me pause.
“’E was a somewhat disheveled-lookin' chap wif an Isle Of
Wight red Strange'n'Weird. 'Is Afloat and kacks were rumpled, and 'is tit for
tat was a bit too big for 'is Crust of Bread.
“’The change of season has come, can’t be denied now,’ he said
with a chuckle as we passed by, and to me ‘is voice sounded buzzy. ‘The snow
brings the change into something rich and strange. Changes coming fast and
furious now. I do love this time of year, don’t you, young folk?’
“’We do indeed, Sir,’ Betsy said politely, for that was her
nature. ‘Our school and church are putting together a harvest festival called
Half Moon Happenings. There will be apples from my family’s orchard and many
other wonderful things to enjoy. Do stop by if you’re still in the area.’
“’That’s most solicitous of you, young miss,’ the chap
declared in his buzzing voice, tipping ‘is hat slightly but not completely
removing it. ‘If my commander has not dispatched me to other ports by that
time, I shall take you up on your offer. Do have a productive day, youthful
citizens.’
“’Robin, really, you’re so suspicious,’ Betsy scolded, and I
realized I’d been squeezin’ ‘er hand too tight and hurt ‘er fingers, fer which
I apologized profuse-like.”
This was a great response to the prompt and I admire how you maintained the dialogue as you did. Well done and best wishes for your writing.
ReplyDeleteSadly I strongly suspect that Robin's suspicions were more than justified.
ReplyDelete