When Events CATapult Characters into New Decisions and New Worlds
Please pardon the pun, but Ernest has been feeling left out!
In this week’s newsletter, we are sharing the next chapter which will set up the final volume in this series. All seems to be going well after Amelia’s return from The Circus world of Professor Accipiter. But the tension created by Nate’s Uncle Buddy from almost the beginning of this story has finally reached its peak when an ultimatum is given. Nate must make a choice, but what will that choice be? Hint: this chapter will begin to catapult Nate and his chickens into new decisions and a new world.
When it comes to writing, Ernest has not been as active a participant as he was in the past. The heat has gotten to him as you can probably tell, but heat is not any easier for chickens!!!
I guess you could say that these writing muses and helpers have inspired “turning up the heat” for the story of Nate and his chickens! And you’ll see that in this week’s chapter!
But Pearl and Amelia are still going strong thanks to their fans and cooling blocks!
Amelia had barely finished telling us all that she had learned while she was out exploring the world when we heard a knock at the back door of the sunroom.
I looked up, and saw my uncle, bundled in his winter coat with his hat with the ear flaps pulled down to keep him warm. Snow had collected on the shoulders of his coat and the top of his hat.
I quickly stood, went over, and unlocked the door, hoping that the chicken remembered all I had told them about how to behave when we had visitors, even family visitors. They decided it would be best to simply enjoy some roasted pumpkin seeds and keep quiet about everything else.
My uncle looked around at the Christmas tree, the presents, and a stack of journals and sketch pads on the telephone table. On the top was the one labeled in bold, unmistakable letters as “The Dictionary of Curious Words.”
My uncle headed right for it to pick it up.
“So, you started a book, did you?” he said. “The one you were telling your Aunt Grace about. Well, that sounds fine. People like books. Everyone knows the smartest people write books. And look at this—a book about curious words.”
Uncle Buddy picked up the book, and I could feel my throat tighten.
As he began thumbing through it, my tension grew. Not knowing what else to say to protect my work, I stammered out the first thing that came into my mind.
“Aunt Gracie has been working on it with me to make sure it has the correct format for a dictionary. She said that is essential. It helps people understand all the aspects of a word, from the pronunciation to the meaning and origin.”
“You just might be on to something. People like to be smart. And some fifty dollar words just might do the trick. Maybe you are smarter than I ever thought you were.”
My uncle paused to examine the illustrations and silently mouthed the words as Nate stood, wondering what to do.
“What kind of nonsense is all of this?” he demanded.
“It’s my nonsense. Give it back to me.”
“This is what you have been wasting hours of your time on? Useless chicken-sounding words that no one in their right mind would care about—let alone pay two cents for!”
“Your aunt is going to hear about this—my side of what is going on with your so-called ‘Curious Words.’ And when she does, she will agree with me, not with you and your lies and tricks to get what you want from her, the way you did with naming chickens after her and your grandmother.
“Your mother was right about you. There is something wrong with you. Maybe she will want you back now that you’ve got this house and this land. Possibly, that fellow she’s with, the one with the red Bel Air, will be more inclined to get hitched with her if he knows there’s real estate that comes with the deal. I’ll bet he knows how to handle a smart-alecky brat like you.
“And if she won’t take you back, we will go to the courts and get the city to have these chickens taken away. They are harming your good sense and keeping you from growing up like a good, normal boy should, even after all we have done for you. And if they will let us, we will have you put into a state home for boys like you so that you can be fixed up real good.
“I don’t want to be fixed. I don’t need to be fixed,” said Nate. “I just need to be with my chickens.
“They are the only real family I have in this home, not a Mother with unattainable love who imitates a White Peacock and a Man with impenetrable shadows who imitates a Black Heron.”
Amelia held her head high to listen more carefully as she heard the mention of a White Peacock. She had not yet told all that she had experienced while in the Circus, and she was sure The Professor’s White Peacock was still captive there. She had freed all the prisoners except for that one bird. Amelia felt sorry for the White Peacock, and she wondered if she should feel sorry for The Mother that Nate spoke about.
Nate remembered the story of Abraham pleading for the people of the city that God wanted to destroy.
“Can I please just keep one chicken?” he asked.
Uncle Buddy examined Nate’s face for clues of sincerity and lack of a cunning trick.
“Just Gracie,” added Nate. “She is my favorite, and she needs me.”
“Very well, then. Just one.”
“And if I am obedient and give up all of what you call foolishness, could I please just keep two chickens? Just Gracie and Bessie. They belong together. I promised them I would keep them together, regardless of what happened.”
“First it’s one. Then two. Soon you will be bargaining to keep them all and them trying to get me to agree to you having even more than the ones you have now.”
“But I promised them. It would break their hearts, and Gracie would never trust me again if Bessie was taken away by the city.”
Uncle Buddy’s brow furrowed as he thought about all Nate was saying.
“A promise is a promise, Nate. But there must be a difference between promises made to chickens who can’t understand and promises made to people who can understand. Your grandparents understood when your Aunt Grace and I promised to make sure you grew up right and good.”
The Uncle saw Nate’s disappointment beginning to pool up in his eyes.
“One chicken,” he said emphatically, “and if you get enrolled in high school for the fall, it can be two. At least your Aunt Grace can keep an eye on you during school hours since she is the librarian there, and I can keep an eye on you after school hours since you’re working in the millworks shop.”
“Thank you, Uncle Buddy,” said Nate. “I will let you and Aunt Grace know about getting enrolled in high school.”
Uncle Buddy’s face showed his disappointment, and he said, “I remember the reading about Abraham from several Sundays ago as well as you do, Nate. I also know that the people of the city received the punishment due to them. We reap what we sow.”
“Chickens, like other birds and all animals with breath,” said Nate, “only want to sow love and to give what they were created to give. I was too. What I have to give may not be what the world expects me to give, but give it, I must!”
Until Next Time
If you have any comments—good or bad—please share them.
Our Best Advice for the Days Ahead: When life gives you difficult choices, give what you must give what you were created to give, even if it is not what the world expects. This is what Nate will do with the help of his chickens and their most curious gifts that will lead them all into Volume Three and Through the Garden Gate.
We will be sending a “Bonus Newsletter” to let you know as soon as Volume One: Into the Garden is available in print!
Thank you for reading!
John, Gracie, Bessie, Blanche, Pearl, Emily, and Amelia
'It's my nonsense". I'll remember to say that if anyone criticizes my own writing's subject matter.