| |
HUDGEON
TALES
By Eleanor Goodman
BOOK I
CHAPTER 2
Mr. Joe started back down the hill,
thinking and planning in his head as folks are wont to do. He began
to plan a bed for the hudgeon, and as soon as he arrived home he
built it. And an elegant piece of work it was, made from the finest
wood and with a nice firm mattress. He carried the new bed into
the house and set it next to his and said in a loud voice to no
one he could see, “There now, I hope you enjoy your
new bed.”
When night came, he settled down
into his own bed and pulled the covers around himself, sure he
would finally have a good night’s rest. Suddenly, he
thought he heard a wee, small voice grumbling and mumbling, “too
big and too hard,” and then, off came the covers on
Mr. Joe’s bed.
Undaunted, the next day he set about
making a new bed. This one had a goose down comforter and was a
bit smaller than the other one.
“Too puffy and much too fluffy!” was what the
wee complaining voice muttered, and, once again, Mr. Joe found himself
uncovered. He tried one thing after another, but nothing suited
his fussy, uninvited guest.
Next morning, JJ found him fast
asleep in the garden. “Wake up Mr. Joe! I want you to fix
my wagon.”
JJ was ten years old and very persistent.
Mr. Joe slept on. JJ shook him.
“Hey Mr. Joe, what is the matter with you? Are you dead?”
Jimmy Jake’s parents had died in an accident when he was
a baby and he worried about people dying.
At that, Mr. Joe woke up and hugged the boy.
“Nope, I’m just the victim of a dissatisfied Hudgeon.”
He told JJ the whole story.
The boy listened thoughtfully and
said, “The wise woman told you the hudgeon was small. Did
she tell you how small? I think that hudgeon is much smaller than
you think. Much. Like Tom Thumb, or Thumbelina.” He
knew lots of stories about the little people and he believed them
to be true.
While they were talking, Mr. Joe
had been absent-mindedly cracking open walnuts from the old walnut
tree in the yard, and eating them.
JJ picked up half a walnut shell, looked inside it and yelled. “That’s
it! This is the perfect size for a hudgeon’s bed. I just
know it.”
Mr. Joe was doubtful that anyone
that small could be so strong, but he didn’t want to discourage
his young friend, so he found some fluff from a cottonwood tree
and carefully lined the shell with it then laid a leaf on top.
“Let me do it. Let me carry it into the house.” said
JJ eagerly. Mr. Joe nodded and gave the little bed to him.
Ever so carefully, the boy went
into the bedroom and placed it on the window ledge, announcing
to someone neither of them could see but both knew was there, “O.K.
little hudgeon… here’s a bed we made for you. Please
leave Mr. Joe’s bed alone. He really needs some rest.”
So that night, when Mr. Joe went
to bed and braced himself for his covers being yanked off, nothing
of the sort happened. After awhile he thought he heard a purring
noise and a soft voice saying:
“Oh yes indeed, yes this is fine.
I really like this bed of mine.”
And Mr. Joe got a good night’s sleep.
>> Click
here to continue to next chapter >> |
|
