The Rebellious Son: A Fairy Tale -- Part 20

Adam awoke with the girl draped over him. He liked the weight of her leg on his leg. He liked the way her hair covered her sleeping face.

Slowly he slipped out from under her and opened the barn door. Sunlight entered and brightened the sleeping girl and all the hay. The flute was still in his hand and without thought put it to his lips and blew a soft sound. A tune for a quiet morning. The song went forth melodiously like an eagle in the sky or a snake slithering through a vast lake.

"There he is!" shouted distant voices.

The boy looked to see the wives walking his way. They were smiling and waving at him.

"We haven't seen you in so long!" they shouted. "We have something for you!"

The boy did not very much like the wives. They made him nervous. He squeezed his flute with two hands.

"We made these for you!" they said and held out a pair of trousers. "Here, try them on!"

Without having time to respond the large wife picked him up while the other wives stuffed his scrawny legs into the trousers. They were a handsome blue pair of pants that fit snug, but not too snug around his waist. The length was perfect.

When they set him back on both feet he looked down. He squatted and then stood straight.

The wives laughed, "Look at him! He doesn't even know what to do."

"Thank you," said the boy. And then he began playing a happy tune, one the wives could dance to.

The girl awoke and joined the other wives in dance. They must have known the song the boy was playing because they were singing with it. The boy had never heard the song before.

The song was called, "Sweet Anna," which happened to be the name of the girl.

Anna and Adam strode down the road, holding hands.

"Where should we travel?" asked Adam.

"Wherever we want," said Anna.

They walked and walked. When they got to the edge of the village they looked the other way toward the distant mountains.

"I've heard there's a city beyond those hills," she said.

"What's a city?"

"Lots of people live in a city."

"What will we do there?"

"You can play your flute and they will listen."

They headed that way, toward the city, still not understanding the powers of the boy and his flute. But first they had to hike over hills, through deep valleys, and even swim across wide rivers. When the girl got tired Adam would carry her. When Adam got tired Anna would carry him.

At night they'd hold each other in front of a roaring fire. When Anna got tired he'd play her her favorite song, "Sweet Anna", and watch as she fell fast asleep, a small smile on her lips.

On the night before the great flood they just so happened to fall asleep inside an abandoned boat. The boat was impossibly caught in the large branches of a tree.

"A boat in a tree," said the girl. "How odd."

"What's a boat?" said the boy.

"Something to float on."

They climbed the tree and found a bed in the cabin. There were pillows and sheets all spread nicely on a soft mattress. Everything was dry and clean. They made themselves comfortable under the covers and looked out the window at the many stars.

The boat happened to be painted red and the name scrawled on its side was "The Favored Son".