Pernell Roberts Special Literary Birthday Challenge

Rating:  K  (3,460 words)

Books and worms.

*******At the table

While the family had diner, the rain kept falling on the house. Thunder made the kids jump for fear. Francesca removed one empty plate from the table and went to the kitchen to bring back the rest of the meal.

«Finish your bed, hum, I mean Bread….

-Yes sir, and then after, we go to bread, Amelia replied, teasing her father.

******

First they ate Smoked Ham ; then tomatoes, corn and green salat. Amelia was concentrated on what she was eating, but she couldn’t avoid to listen at the stern voice of her mother, scolding at her son, Luke-Adam. Francesca was looking at him, with a stern face :

-Luke-Adam Cartwright, will you stop teasing your young brother ; you know, he’s afraid of thunder, you know better than doing that.

The boy, who had been caught, tried some humor :

— Well, in fact, I don’t tease him, I just try to light the atmosphere for me, to make him think to something else than to his fear .

— Don’t worry, » Adam stepped in with a calm and serene voice, putting his hand on the head of his youngest son :

– When I was a little boy ; in the wagon with grand-pa, I was afraid to. Thunder made me cry too… And you, you should obey your mother, if you don’t want to have a long time-out in that corner, is that clear, young man ?

-Yes sir », the boy replied, his head down, feeling guilty. Or just trying to do as ; so that father came back to « security space », that one which would avoid him to be punished.

Adam took his fork and planted it into the salade. Francesca just had given him some. He was about to put it into his mouth. He stopped. His hand suspended in the air, he was looking at his fork. He was petrified. He couldn’t help watching the tiny creature which was mooving at the end of the fork. Amelia started to drink some water, without looking at her father’s face.

«Oh no, it’s disguting… » , Adam protesting, pushing his plate. And the little worm ? What it was doing ? It was squirming on the salade and couldn’t help falling into the plate.

*************

In the morning, at the Ponderosa, the birds were singing and the birdsongs were so intense that the children were awakened. Rozenee heard the clock ringing; it was six thirty. Some naughty thoughts came to her mind, if she had had a slingshot, she would have been able to silence the singing birds, but fortunately she pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, because she knew, she was going to have a wonderful day. She splashed some water on her face and dressed herself. She looked through the window, the rain had stopped, a shy sun and cold fresh air were waiting for her.

*******Ben was in the South part of the Ponderosa and had disappeared into the forest, his head held high, haughty and noble on his horse. When he had covered around 600 miles he stopped in front of a narrow path, close to it there was a small river which was flowing along beside the trees. He trotted slowly towards the river and dismounted. He sighed, taking time to look all around him. He was enjoying the calmness of the nature surrounding him, he could hear the sound of water lapping and the wind dancing through the leaves. He bent over and sat down under a tree, the moss seemed to be so appealing, that he almost fell asleep. He let his gaze wander all around him, there were some red flowers, giving off their scent  and a cute stony waterfall. He briefly closed his eyes, when he reopened them, he could feel the Sun beating on his face, it was close to midday. He stood up and stretched his legs for the circulation to be restored. He mounted and continued his inspection, he wanted to verify the fences. When he felt hungry he stopped a while and ate a sandwich.
Since he has been a little boy he had always known that he would live in a place like that. Some people had told him, how lucky he was, but deep inside he knew how hard he had worked to fulfil his dream.

******close to the ranch
There was one giant oak tree with bright green leaves. In the branches of that tree there was the hut which had been built by Hoss and Emmanuel and they had even hung a tree swing. The children liked to spend some hours in this hut reading, daydreaming or even escaping some angry daddies. Oh yeah, angry daddies, and two daddies at least had had some very good reasons to be angry; Amelia, Rozenee, Emmanuel and the twins had heard about it.
“We’ll try something else, won’t we ?” , Emmanuel told them, with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

« I’d like to do it again, with the worm”, Amelia added, whilst Laura and Elizabeth looked at their cousin and each other in disbelief.

«You should have seen daddy’s face, that was funny”

« So ? Tell us more!”, Rozenee asked, curious and impatient to have more details.
«If what we read has to be confirmed, I do confirm that Dad doesn’t like worms. Mom told him “I’m sorry”, and she gave him two pieces of apple pie”; Amelia explained “And you, how did it go?”
“Emmanuel and I got caught red-handed”, she replied and looked up at the top of the hut “Pa found out that we had taken his boots to play a prank on him. We have to find something else”.

*********** They were as thick as thieves  and they quickly found another idea… Emmanuel and his sisters would stay at home and would prepare something for their parents, while Amelia and Rozenee would go outside and would start to dig for other worms.

******* At the end of the afternoon Francesca was enjoying the sun gently caressing her face. She was sitting on the stair steps in front of her round house and she was taking advantage of a few calm minutes. With the children and the house she was very busy but she really loved her life, it was pure happiness to be part of the Cartwright family, to take care of the children she had had with Adam. A man she loved, a man she respected , a man she would have followed until the end of the world. The love she was feeling for him was tinged with affection, tenderness, complicity and sensual desire. Adam , her husband was irresistible, and how not to be attracted by his charm . He had everything a woman could hope for : he knew how to be tender with her and with the kids, but he was also determined and stubborn and he knew perfectly what he was doing , he was sure of himself but in a good way. And when he had to deal with the kids, he was great , he had an exceptional way of being a father to them. Oh yeah he expected a lot from the kids, he could be severe but he was never mean.

She sighed again.
– Ma ?
Amelia’s soft voice made her turn around, her daughter was standing close to the door. The little girl came nearer and sat down :
– you did a bunk , didn’t you ?
Francesca replied with a smile .
– I’m more than practical when I need a short break”.
She started laughing, then bit her lips and she continued :
-alas , given that your brothers are still yelling in the kitchen, I guess, I will have to go and separate them. Oh boy, I wish, they could stop just for a while… They just can’t help squabbling”

**********
– Ma?
They both turned around towards Benji who was now standing close to the door.
– yeah, dear, what’s wrong ? Francesca asked.
– May I sit down with you ?, he added.
His mother smiled at him, he returned her smile and ran to her. He sneaked behind his mother and his sister and placed himself between Francesca’s legs, he nestled again her to get some warmth and affection. She was sure, he was going to put his thumb in his mouth. He surely was in need of a cuddle. Francesca started caressing his head.
– Hi, Sweetie, you’re alright ?”, she asked.
– No, Luke , he is mean.
– Oh, he is ? Really ?”
Benji didn’t answer , he was looking for more affection, pressing closely to her, as if he was trying to go back into Francesca’s belly.
– I was wondering, when baby Benji would go to ma”. Luke-Adam’s voice disturbed their tender moment. He was really in a teasing mood.
– I’m not a baby”, protested Benji and moved away from Francesca. “I only wanted to know where she was”.
– Yeah right, crybaby” Luke-Adam added and lifted his eyes up towards the sky.
– I’m not a crybaby’, Benji raised his voice, so that Francesca preferred to step in.
– Boys, that’s enough’.”

**** ******* at Asibikaashi( Adam’s ranch)
«Hi Honey”, said Adam in a deep warm voice, before kissing her on her forehead.
– Hi pa, you had a nice day ?”, Benji asked in an energetic voice.
– yes, buddy, but please, easy, be calm… I’ve got backache.»

Adam went upstairs, after having enjoyed a cup of coffee. In the calm of his bedroom he freshened up and went to the small room he had decided to keep for himself, it was his office, his desk and a library.

He chose one novel written by a French author, one of his favorites, one he had read several times. He went downstairs and sat down on the settee, he tried to find the most comfortable and relaxing position which would ease the pain in his back. During 45 minutes he was engrossed in the chapters until his wife called him for dinner. He put his book on the table and stood up but he couldn’t help grimacing.
« I’ll rub your back with some oil, honey. After dinner, I promise”. He thought her suggestion sounded interesting and smiled at her.

*****
While they were having dinner, they all had a lot to tell, especially the kids, who were allowed to speak, as soon as Adam or Francesca had given them permission to talk.

“ … Luke-Adam, he’s mean with me”.
«Oh Tiger, it seems to me, you’ve had a very unpleasant day, haven’t you ?».

The dinner went on. They enjoyed the food Francesca had put onto their plates : red beans, corn, and some salad and ham.

***********
«HEY, What the heck! A worm ? Again!», Adam shouted and pushed back his plate, on which the little beast was wriggling on the salad leaf. “The first time it was funny, but now… IT HAS TO STOP… WHO DID THIS”

-Oh, I’m sorry, Mr Cartwright. I have meticulously washed the salad. And I don’t particularely appreciate the tone of voice you’re using.”

-Oh pa, don’t worry. The worm will soon be a caterpillar”, Luke-Adam replied with a smirk.

-A Caterpillar? A CATERPILLAR? And you think it’s funny ?”
Adam ended up losing the last cent of cool he had managed to keep up until then.

-Luke-Adam, there are moments when you would do better to SHUT UP”, he exploded, standing up and throwing the contents of his plate outside.

-I don’t think such a worm can become a butterfly”, added Francesca but not within her husband’s hearing, well realizing how upset he was.

****Everything could have been serene and perfect in this summer time, but it wasn’t true in one particular house. In fact in Asibikaashi a severe domestic dispute was about to break out. Some grey clouds were now hanging above Adam’ s and Francesca’s heads, because of one ridiculous small worm.
For sure there wouldn’t be any massage that evening.

*********
« Pa, ma, please, don’t raise your voices… Don’t quarrel.” Amelia was now looking at her parents, she admitted, that she was responsible for the whole story of the worm.

« Pa, Ma did nothing wrong. It’s not her fault, if you’ve found two worms in your salad. I did it”.
– You did it ?”
-I’m in trouble, huh ?” she dared to ask…
Was Adam angry ? She could bet he was but, at that moment, she couldn’t read on his face what he was really thinking. She had no idea how he was going to handle the whole thing.

-Well, let’s say, I appreciate the fact, that you’ve spilled the beans” and he immediately pinched his nose.
-you bet she did it, but in fact, the worm wasn’t in the beans, it was on the salad leaf”, Luke Adam added before bursting into laughter.
But the very dark look from his father stopped him dead and he closed his mouth.
-Tell me more about it,”
So Amelia started to explain…
“Well, it’s because Emmanuel…..”
-Oh, well done, young lady, I’m asking you for more information, and you have nothing better to do than involve your cousin. Is it an attempt to play down your own responsibility ?,” replied Adam in a severe tone of voice.

« I’m sorry , dad ».

« oh, you’re sorry… And for what ? Because you’ve played a naughty prank on me and your mother, or are you sorry, because you know you deserve to be punished ?” Adam’s voice was very icy and Amelia lowered her head. She knew so well that this tone of voice announced something unpleasant, her father rarely used that kind of tone, but when he did, it wasn’t for nothing.

« Both of them, I guess”, she whispered and sighed with resignation.

********* the day after
« Where’s Rozenee ? I would like to…. »
Adam started to explain what his sweet daughter had imagined for supper.
“aahhhhhhh, no she didn’t ?’
That was the way Ben reacted to the very dramatic story Adam had told him. Ben managed to keep a straight face, but he could easily picture the scene .
“if she had done it once, maybe she would have got away with it, but not on two consecutive days…”
Adam didn’t finish his sentence, but the expression in his eyes didn’t change. The scene was still vivid in his mind.
“Amelia and I had a “talk”, I gave her a couple of taps on the backside, and I hope that this will be the end of it, I really hope so !”he added.
Ben could easily imagine Adam’s feeling, he knew perfectly well that Adam could often have second thoughts about disciplining his children, so he patted his son’s back and said ;
“You were the one that was the victim of the prank, so you did what you had to do; Son, and as far as I’m concerned, I don’t think you overreacted, I think you acted fairly.”
Adam shook his head, no he couldn’t have and would never hurt her for the world, he had just given her five firm taps.
“So, you tell me, what did Rozenee do to you ?”
« I’ve punished her”, Ben answered. “she must clean the library, that will keep her busy for a few days…
« Please, pa, can we talk about the way we’ll keep the cousins busy to avoid them having such ideas for doing pranks”, Adam groaned.

********flashback, in the afternoon
Rozenee quickened her pace towards the ranch, impatient to test her new invention, a brillant one. All along the way she could feel how her boots were heavy with all the mud sticking to their soles, it was as if she was bringing back with her all the Ponderosa soil. She knew, she would have to leave them in front of the door or else she would be in big big trouble with Hop Sing… And she didn’t want that, she wanted to be able to go into the kitchen.

******later at table, during dinner.
Ben had just grabbed his napkin when a strange sensation came over him. His nose was itching. He closed his eyes, he breathed slowly, he opened his mouth, tightened his lips. He couldn’t resist and gave in :
« achoo ! »
« “Bless you !, Benjamin ».
Ben gave a little cough , he ran a hand across his face
«Thanks, achoo »
No no; it couldn’t be the first signs of a cold or influenza, because germs were afraid of Ben Cartwright.
« achoo ! »
-Have you got a cold, Benjamin ?
-No! Achoo ! I don’t understand I don’t feel feeverish or cold… But now my eyes are burning, I can’t help sneezing and my nose is itching… achoo ! … hey what’s the meaning of that?
– Don’t worry, there’s surely an explanation…., Joan concluded.
But she started to feel the same sensation Ben had described. Her nose started to itch. She was pouring water into glasses. She stopped and put her hand in front of her mouth :
« achoo! »
She turned her head and covered it with her left elbow and sneezed again :
“achoo ! Sorry”
“Bless you.”
She looked around the table, put her hand in her pocket to reach for a handerchief.
Amused by the animation at home, Cassie was smiling and dancing in her chair.
« Are you sick, honey?” Ben asked with amusement in his voice.
– No.
– Are you really sure, you’re not sick?, he continued with a smile on his lips.
– Yes, I’m sure, I’m not…”
She smiled at him, her eyes were sparkling. She came close to her husband, put her arms around him, rubbed his shoulders several times and drew him closer towards her. A few seconds later Ben stepped back from his wife, turned his head and put his hands on his nose and on his mouth, before sneezing :
“Achoo ! Achoo !”
“Bless you!”
“Thanks,” Ben replied.
He grabbed a handkerchief in his pocket, blew his nose and put it back in his pocket. He frowned, anxious and impatient to discover what was happening at the Ponderosa… What was responsible for that trouble, that mess.
ACHOO !
Baby Cassie had just sneezed.
-« achoo ? » Said Ben, looking at his daughter. He was surprised because she had sneezed while he was putting a spoonful of food into her mouth; and he was now covered with potatoes.
« Bless you, Sweetie”, Ben added and wiped his face with his napkin. But it caused him to sneeze again, and Jason sneezed too. And Rozenee too.
End of flashback

So Adam was now aware that Rozenee had had some brillant ideas too to make the Ponderosa a little bit more animated… Adam now understood why his little half sister had to clean the library…
“So you dusted her backside and told her to dust the library”, he asked, while his father was pouring them a brandy.
“So I did lightly”…

*****
«Go on, young people, you have to be more efficient, the whole room had to be cleaned. It won’t clean itself… Hey, what are you waiting for ? Help from myself ?”, Adam scolded them and gave Emmanuel, Rozenee and Amelia a dark look. All three looked at him with pounting faces, because they didn’t think they would manage to finish everything and Uncle Adam was in no mood for being charmed or convinced. So they went back to the extra -chores they had been told to do.
*********** a few minutes later
«Uncle Adam, may we stop ? Don’t you think, we’ve been punished enough ? We’ve learned our lesson !”, Emmanuel added, gazing at his Uncle , trying to get round him with his big puppy dog eyes.
«Oh no, young man, I don’t think you may. Grandpa and I said “the whole room”… So, don’t waste any time trying to argue with me… You’ll clean the whole room… I’ve got half a mind to kick your backside, so… No protesting…
« Okay. Gosh darn it  », the boy whispered.
-I beg your pardon?” Adam’s reaction was quick and sharp.
Adam knew what kind of conversation Hoss and his son had had a few hours earlier. Adam, Ben and Hoss had been told about the discovery of the famous notebooks, Adam and Ben hadn’t known about them, but Hoss remembered perfectly that he had written in them with Joe when they were younger… And Hoss had been very embarrassed because Emmanuel had told him what he had read on one page :
“We Hoss Cartwright and Joe Cartwright, we make a solemn promise that we’ll never be as bossy as Adam is and that we’ll never punish our children”. Hoss had told Adam about it and it had made him laugh. Hoss was the one who’d been the most set up, because he was the one who had made that promise. But he was no longer a boy and Emmanuel had witnessed the “first official breaking of a promise” ever made by a Cartwright. That was why he was now cleaning the whole room with Rozenee and Amelia. In fact he hadn’t played any pranks but the prank was his idea and he was the one who had discovered the notebooks.