the wind and the rain - 19. the book, continued

by nick nelson

part 19 of ?

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the tree did not like the gorilla or the hippo. it thought they were mean to the bear. the tree stopped growing bananas and started growing kumquats. the gorilla and the hippo went on down the road i told you something like this would happen, the cat said to the bear and the dog. there is no i in tree, the bear said. or in kumquat, the bear added. just then the sun went down and rain fell on the tree and on the ground. a lion howled in the jungle. and a moose bellowed in the woods. a nightingale flew into the tree and started singing. an owl hooted in the darkness. with the lion’s roaring, the moose’ s bellowing, the nightingale’s singing, and the owl’s hooting, the cat, the bear and the dog could not hear themselves think, and they parted ways with the tree and with each other. the cat took the high road and met a panther, whom he had known under the sign of saturn. the dog found a quiet spot under a rosebush and went to sleep. the bear took the low road and met a turtle. the turtle understood everything, and took the long view. the walrus and the young king waited for them all at the seashore, expecting the zookeeper to arrive with the new day. and the zookeeper did, in his brand new airplane filled with apple pies and blackberry crumpets. on this happy note, the book ended. joe was pleased with himself for having learned to read, and the librarian told him he could keep the book and take it home with him. next

the wind and the rain - 18. the book

by nick nelson

part 18 of ?

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the cat, the dog, and the bear looked up at the apple. they all wanted to eat it. the elephant came along, it wanted to eat the apple too, so it just did, with one gulp. the cat, the dog, and the bear waited for another apple to grow. when the new apple finally grew, the fox came along. climb the tree, the fox said to the cat, and knock the apple down so we can all have a bite. the cat climbed the tree and knocked the apple down to the ground. the fox grabbed the apple and ran away into the woods. the dog ran after it but could not catch it and it disappeared into the undergrowth. the dog returned to the tree. the tree had stopped growing apples and grown a banana instead. the cat, the dog, and the bear were sad because they liked apples better than bananas. the cat and the dog went away but the bear decided to give the banana a chance. the bear waited for the banana to fall off the tree. the gorilla and the hippo came along. the gorilla liked bananas. it climbed the tree and ate the banana. i should have though of that, the bear said. the gorilla and the hippo laughed at the bear. i need some new friends, the bear said. next

the wind and the rain - 17. the library

by nick nelson

part 17 of ?

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when he got to town, joe found the library without any problem, and walked up its broad steps and went inside. there were three desks just inside the front door. they were occupied by the fattest woman joe had ever seen, the skinniest woman he had ever seen, and the most ordinary looking woman he had ever seen. there were no signs or name tags on any of the desks, not that joe could have read them. he decided to approach the ordinary looking woman. hello, joe addressed her. hello, young man, what can i do for you? i want to learn how to read. don’t you go to school? no. why not? they could teach you to read. and a few other things besides. i don’t want to. why not? they will not teach me what i need or what i want to know, well, that is a pretty good answer, and one i do not hear every day, the ordinary looking woman laughed. what is your name, by the way? my name is not by the way, it is joe. do you have a last name? no. your last name is no, or, no , you do not have a last name? my name is joe. all right, joe it is. not joe it is, joe. got it, and you want to learn to read? yes. well, we have two options. you can enroll in the weekly reading class, which convenes every tuesday here at ten in the morning. it is frequented mostly by smelly old bums, many of whom like to talk a lot and interrupt and argue with the teacher, and some of whom might want to take you home and barbecue you. what is the other option? joe asked. i can give you a little book that you might be able to teach yourself with. i will try that. the woman reached under her desk and produced a little book. the book had no lettering on its cover. the cover did have a picture of a cat, a bear, and a dog, all three of whom were looking up at a tree with a bright red apple on it. next

the wind and the rain - 16. joe

by nick nelson

part 16 of ?

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joe was a serious child, who believed what he was told, who tried to accommodate people , and who was not inclined to fuss and fight and argue about anything. he was raised in the canebrake by mrs murphy lee, a conjure woman with many stories to tell about herself, some of which might have been greeted by skepticism or even mockery by those who considered themselves enlightened or sophisticated in the ways of the world. mrs murphy lee had a few ragged looking leather bound books which she read or consulted, especialy on rainy days. some of the books had pictures which joe liked to look at, but he did not understand the words. joe would have liked to learn to read, but he did not want to read so badly that he wanted to go to school. one rainy day joe asked mrs murphy lee if she would teach him to read. i ain’t got time for that, mrs murphy lee replied. do you know somebody who does? the school. i don’t want to go to school. mrs murphy lee considered this. try the library, she said. will somebody at the library teach me to read? i don’t know about that. they might give you some little book where you could teach yourself. that seemed to be the best answer he could get, so the next day that it did not rain, joe took to the highway and walked the ten miles into town. as the highway was mostly paved, ir was easy walking for joe, who spent long hours walking and scrambling through the swamp and the canebrake. next

the wind and the rain - 15. the face

by nick nelson

part 15 of ?

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waldo felt ready to collapse when he reached the top of the staircase. instead of turning left toward the blue library, he turned right toward the end of the hallway , thinking to open the window there for a breath of fresh air. but when he reached the end of the hallway he realized that the storm outside was raging so fiercely that it was best not to open the window, lest he not be able to close it again. with a sigh, he looked out at the bending trees and waving branches. was that a face he saw in the trees? waldo was familiar with seeing faces in unexpected places, but he had not had a drink in three days. nerves, he thought, nerves, and turned quickly away from the window lest he see the face, or another face, or something else. his phone vibrated in his pocket again. he hoped it was only harold being impatient. he remembered harold as being the impatient sort. or was that roger? or young joseph? (as distinguished from old joseph and cousin joseph.). he was always getting them mixed up. he was always getting everything and everybody mixed up. how he hated the modern world. he passed the head of the staircase and entered the open door to the blue library. next

the wind and the rain - 14. harold

by nick nelson

part 14 of ?

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despite being the friendliest person in the world, and having one of the best memories for names and faces, harold had never enjoyed fame or fortune or even modest success in life. but he never gave up, and kept on keeping on, spreading sunshine wherever he went. harold and his identical twin had been born under a bad sign, and separated at birth, just like in the old days. harold was brought up by mrs claudette brown - which was why he was called harold brown - and her husband bradley brown, who did not have much to say for himself. claudette baked the best walnut brownies in the world, and when she was not baking her brownies or singing in the church choir or practicing singing in the church choir, enjoyed speculating on the mystery of harold’s birth. harold liked listening to claudette’s speculations on the subject of his birth, and developed many suppositions of his own on the subject, each one of which might have been considered more outlandish than the last, by anyone who might have happened to pay attention to them. when he reached the age of five years, harold went to school, not to the large public school filled with violent and unruly children, but to a small church school run with an iron hand and no velvet glove by mrs melody mason, the wife of the reverend matthew mason. mrs melody mason was the best friend of mrs claudette brown. mrs mason was amused by harold’s stories. and he became her pet. harold was not kindly taken to by many of his fellow students, but a few of them found him amusing.and often laughed both with and at him. harold’s best friend and supporter was clyde hooper, a clumsy boy who was big for his age, and somewhat intimidating to the other students, despite his slow and easygoing manner, which he had inherited from a long line of easygoing folks, from both his father and his mother. harold’s most vocal adversary was daisy dempster, who took exception to harold’s varying accounts of his life and ancestry. harold is a liar! daisy would protest vociferously to both children and adults. he lies his stupid head off all day every day! harold has imagination, mrs mason would reply placidly but with a twinkle in her eye. so what? they are still lies, daisy would insist defiantly. how can you tell? clyde hooper would ask. perhaps the world is divided into harolds, daisys, mrs masons, and clydes. next

the wind and the rain - 13. the call

by nick nelson

part 13 of ?

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waldo gazed uncertainly at the antique phone outside the dining room. the caller i d did not show a name, only a number he did not recognize. he picked up the receiver. waldo here. waldo! this is harold brown. how are you , old fellow? very well, harold. if you have any other questions, please call me back on my private and hopefully secure line - and waldo slowly repeated the number. would you like me to repeat that? of course not, as you know i have a great memory for numbers, as i have for names, people, places, and events, even so-called trivial ones. of course, how could i forget? waldo hung up the receiver with a slightly trembling hand. harold brown! how many years had it been? with a barely audible sigh, waldo decided to repair to the blue library to await harold’s call. but he had not gone three steps down the hall toward the great spiral staircase when the phone in his pocket vibrated. marlowe, the butler, watched waldo carefully to make sure he did not trip on the steps of the staircase. he considered asking him if he needed assistance but decided against it. when waldo was two thirds of the way up the staircase, marlowe took his own phone out of his pocket. next

the wind and the rain - 12. the train

by nick nelson

part 12 of ?


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his train was waiting for walter when he reached the safety of the platform. he quickly found an empty compartment and settled into it. he realized that in his haste to escape harold he had left his newspaper behind. how annoying! he would just have to open his battered brown briefcase and read some of the reports from his suffering underlings that he had not been able to peruse the night before. but as he was reaching into the briefcase the door to the compartment opened snd another person entered, one that walter thought he recognized. a gentleman of advanced middle age, with a round bushy white beard, and wearing a defiantly old fashioned tweed suit. he was none other, walter realized, than mr moses amenhotep, a lion of the financial world. mr amenhotep glared casually at walter. you seem at a bit of a loss, sir, he addressed walter. would you like to read my newspaper? i am quite finished with it. thank you, sir, that is very kind of you, water replied, and accepted the newspaper, which was the gazette, and not the times, which he had left behind in the kiosk. he did not indicate that he recognized mr amenhotep. what do you think of that, eh? mr amenhotep asked walter, apparently referring to the headline of the gazette. damned popinjay, upsetting the equilibrium men like myself have spent years establishing. the headline read - social butterfly adventurer foments rebellion in asia below was a photo of richardson robinson, taken when he was a freshman at h_________, and describing in suitably ironic terms his self proclaimed mission to rescue asia from europe and america, very strange, walter replied noncommitttaly to mr amenhotep, he did not mention that he , walter, was a partner in the law form that had represented the robinson family for over a century. next

the wind and the rain - 11. the recognition

by nick nelson

part 11 of ?


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my train is not due for anther fifteen minutes, harold said, as walter rose from his seat, i am sorry that we will not have time to become better acquainted. up to this point, harold and walter had conversed with walter seated at the little table, and harold behind him, staring at the back of walter’s head. now walter turned to make his way past harold to the eastbound platform, and they came face to face. and realized that they were identical twins. harold was the first to speak. my brother! he cried. my long lost brother! i am not the least bit lost, walter replied, recovering his composure after a tenth of a second of hesitation. now if you will excuse me, i have a train to catch. he brushed past harold and, clutching his battered brown briefcase, headed out the door of the kiosk toward the platforms. harold had been in many such situations before and was in no wise at a loss. he quickly took his phone out of his pocket and took a picture of the back of walter’s retreating head. then he calmly took a plastic bag out of his own traveling case and put the newspaper, which walter had left behind, into it, and put the plastic bag into the traveling case. why does everything have to be so complicated, harold said out loud as he made his own way out of the kiosk. why can’t everybody just get along? the old woman behind the counter of the kiosk, who had been the only witness to the encounter between harold and walter, snickered audibly. but harold made no indication that he had heard her, and exited with his head held high. next

the wind and the rain - 10 - the twins

by nick nelson

part 10 of ?


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harold brown and walter wilson were identical twins. but they did not have much in common. they met by chance one night at a small railroad station on the outskirts of the great city. the station had a small kiosk where coffee and donuts and other small pastries, and newspapers and magazines, could be purchased. but unlike some other stations on the line, no chewing gum or hard candies or cough drops were available. there was one small table with two chairs and walter was seated at it, reading a newspaper he had purchased at the kiosk, and sipping an anonymous beverage in a bottle he had not purchased there but produced from a battered brown briefcase that sat at his feet, which were encased in red running shoes with blue laces. the red running shoes were the only distinctive features of walter’s dress, or of his person. harold was the friendliest person in the world, and started conversations almost every day with complete strangers, impervious to any indifference or insults he might encounter, and delighting in regaling them with the most intimate details of his mind and his personal behavior. now harold stood behind walter wilson, reading walter’s newspaper over his shoulder. the front page of the newspaper had a headline declaring the outbreak of war between - do you mind, walter asked harold in his curiously booming voice, standing back a little way? you are standing in the light. oh but the light, such as it is, is directly overhead, harold replied innocently. i fail to see how i am impeding it in any way. well, since you are not perspicacious enough to take a broad hint, i will be blunt. i do not care for the proximity of your presence, walter thundered. but i was only curious as to the exact nature of the terrible tragedy unfolding on the other side of the globe, harold expostulated meekly. i believe the best way for you to satisfy your curiosity would be to purchase your own copy of this newspaper. they have to have a sufficient stack of them and to be in no danger of running out of them any time soon. if you are inconvenienced for funds, you might ask one of the other persons assembled here - not myself - to give you the necessary coinage. or, as a last resort, you might wait until the person at the counter has their back turned, and simply take one. all this walter delivered in a voice guaranteed to catch the attention of anyone within one hundred meters , including any dozers or sleepers. harold was in no wise nonplussed, and quite used to longer and louder and more threatening outbursts from persons he approached. come, sir, he continued affably, is it not a bit ridiculous and unseemly for us to bicker thus, when across the world our fellow humans are inexplicably blowing each other bits with flaming engines of steel - there is nothing inexplicable about it, walter responded in a somewhat more muted tone, it is what humans do. i bid you good day, sir, your company displeases me. a whistle announced the approach of a train. i wonder if that is our train, harold mused aloud.. being in possession of a timetable, i know that it is my mine, walter replied, folding his newspaper. next

the wind and the rain - 9. the revolutionary

by nick nelson

part 9 of ?


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and so, richardson, you are resolved to go forward with your mad plan to forego your final year at h_______ in order to travel to asia and lead a revolution there? i am indeed, aunt. after all, i can always return to h________ and complete whatever studies i fancy, but the situation in asia requires immediate action! if i do not strike now, someone else will do so, with what results who can say? but uncle chester has been in the state department for forty years and he assures us that there is no situaton in asia, i beg your pardon. chester has only been in the state department for thirty-four years. before that, i believe he was in the treasury department. in any case, he is too high up in the organization to have his ear properly to the ground. what say you, uncle waldo? i defer to your judgment, my boy, having no interest in the matter. marlowe, the butler, appeared and announced that dinner was ready. richardson, aunt arlene, and uncle waldo repaired to the dining room. the table had been set for four but cousin gloria had pleaded a few minutes before that she felt unwell. it is too bad gloria will not be with us, waldo observed to richardson as they seated themselves, as she had showed such an interest, just this afternoon, in your adventure. i am interested enough myself, richardson answered with a smile, for all of us. please, make any conversation you like, or none at all. dreadful weather, aunt arlene observed, and expected to continue for a few days. i hope it will not delay your trip. there is little chance of that, richardson replied. outside, the wind howled, and rain beat on the french windows. suddenly the phone, arlene’s old landline phone in the hallway outside the dining room, rang. it must be for you, richardson, aunt arlene observed complacently, as the rest of us lead such uneventful lives that no one would ever dream of calling us. in that case i i will answer it, richardson replied, picking up up his fork. marlowe reappeared and announced that the call was for waldo and did wish to take it?’ how extraordinary, waldo said, no one ever calls me. but seeing as it is such a stormy night, i suppose i had better take it. and with that, waldo got up from the table, leaving richardson alone with aunt arlene. next

the wind and the rain - 8. the cook

by nick nelson

part 8 of ?


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mrs cole, the cook, was a kindly soul who had always been indulgent to claudia. as the wind and rain howled outside the house, she made claudia a bundle of four sandwiches to take with her into forbidden inhospitable night. an artichoke sandwich, a bacon and egg sandwich, a mutton sandwich, and a cucumber and eggplant sandwich, all on stout slices of homemade bread, and all lathered liberally with horseradish. there you are, my dear, the kindly creature informed claudia, each of these should keep you alive for a day, and i am sure that at the end of that time, you will have found good fortune. claudia was profuse in her expressions of gratitude, and mrs cole interrupted her with a merry laugh. that is not all i have for you, my dear. mrs cole, in adddition to being an accomplished cook, was also a witch. she gave claudia four magical charms to put in her knapsack along with the four sandwiches. the first was a small wooden doll the size of a thumb of a bear wearing a blue hat, which could be used one time to ward off a murderer. the little bear had a curious smile on his face, but mrs cole assured claudia it did not signify that he did not mean. serious business. the second object was a little statue of a court jester, with a cap and bells, about the same size as the bear with the blue hat. despite his apparent occupation, the little fellow had a decidedly serious countenance. he could be used twice to confound false witness , but mrs cole cautioned claudia to be especially careful as to its use. the third object was about the same size as the first two. it was a minutely carved wooden square depicting a scene of a knight battling a rhinoceros on the banks of the river jordan. it was painted black, except for the red eyes of the rhinoceros. it could be used three times to ward off extreme cold or heat. the fourth object was smaller, a smooth blue marble the size of a fingernail. it could be used four times to produce a huge and hearty meal, to offset the effects of ravenous hunger. mrs cole gave claudia a final admonition against using any of the charms frivolously or except in time of real need, and wrapped the four little objects in a stout handkerchief to be tucked safely in the knapsack. with a last hug, mrs cole sent claudia out the back door of the kitchen, into the forbidding and relentless night. next

the wind and the rain - 7. the castaway

by nick nelson

part 7 of ?

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you wished to see me, aunt? indeed i did, miss, and more promptly than this. but you know i often go wandering in the woods. i was not instructed not to do so. at any rate, here you are. i have some rather stiff news for you, which should not come as too much of a surprise to you. oh dear, claudia exclaimed. the household has had to tighten its pursestrings in these distressing times, but they need to be tightened more. we can no longer tolerate useless mouths such as yourself. therefore, without further ado, i ask you to pack your bags and leave this house tonight. is - is cousin jeffrey aware of this? jeffrey has returned to his studies. in any case, this is my house, not his, and he has no say in the matter. so! claudia saw it all in a flash. aunt edith had waited until jeffrey had left to strike the blow - but solely to avoid unpleasantness. jeffrey could do nothing in any case. she, claudia, should have heeded the warning signs. very well, she managed to say, how, how much shall i pack? as much as you think you can carry. i am sure we have no use for any clothes or possessions you leave behind, except to give them to charity. you know that a great storm is expected for tonight. tomorrow is the first of the month, the month for which the budget has alreay been determined. of course. i will pack as quickly as possible. might i - might i dine before i depart? that would be very awkward. i will ask cook to make you a couple of sandwiches to take with you. oh, thank you, aunt! next

the wind and the rain - 6. options

by nick nelson

part 6 of ?

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as joe continued down the road after his encounter with the surly gatekeeper, he considered his options. was it really a thousand miles to the next town? that seemed unlikely. would he collapse from hunger before he reached another outpost of civilization? was it worth it to try to penetrate the “secret site”? it did not seem like much, but it was a better lead than anything else he had encountered in his travels, since being entrusted with his mission. and that gatekeeper? he had seemed familiar. joe wondered if he had encountered him in a previous life. * tank watched the tenderfoot walk back down to the highway and head west. he took his phone out of his pocket and called the office. next

the wind and the rain - 5. the gate

by nick nelson

part 5 of ?

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tank watched the stranger walk up the highway, and stop when he reached the road to the site. tank was sitting in front of the gate on a folding chair, about seventy-five yards up the dusty winding road. the gate across the road was a plain wooden one, unpainted. tank did not have a weapon or a phone, at least none visible. overhead the sky was peaceful, with neither clouds nor birds, the stranger looked around like he was deciding what to do, then turned and started up the road. howdy, the stranger smiled when he got to tank. tank did not smile back. what can i do for you? i was wondering if you were doing any hiring? hiring? what gives you the idea there is any hiring to be done, or anybody to do it? i just thought there might be. no harm in asking. nobody put the idea in your head? at that filling station about two miles back, they said something about a site. they did, did they? and did they say the site was hiring? the stranger pretended to think. now that you mention it, they didn’t in so many words. if i recollect, it was i who brought the subject of hiring up, and the fellow at the filling station seemed to think i knew about this place. that old man is a right idiot. so to answer your question, mister, no, there is not any hiring done being done here. the stranger looked past tank at the scraggly trees lining the road behind the gate. but there is some sort of place back there? there is some sort of place everywhere if you just keep walking. of course. is there some sort of town up ahead? no, just a thousand miles of road until you get to the pacific ocean. the stranger laughed pleasantly. well then, thank you for your time and bid you good day. tank did not return the politeness, and the stranger turned and walked briskly back to the highway. next