The Rebellious Son: A Fairy Tale -- Part 9

The following day the boy was picked up by a man riding a wagon pulled by a mule. The snake was waiting for the boy, lying without speaking next to the man. When the boy grabbed the snake it turned back into a wooden stick.

The Virgin Mary waved goodbye as the boy rode off down a narrow winding road. The one-legged boy was no where to be found, perhaps off picking berries or getting drunk, the boy wasn't sure.

As they moved further from the house the boy reached into his pocket to fetch the note the man had given him.

"Looks like a note," said the driver.

The boy looked back at the Virgin Mary. "I forgot to give it to her."

"Well, if it truly is for her, she'll get it when its gettin' time."

Without consideration the boy threw it in the bushes and never thought about the note again.

However, before touching the earth, the note was lifted by the wind.

"Gotcha!" said the wind.

A bird was there watching as it sailed past.

"Looks like a letter," said the bird.

"Not for you," said the wind. "Anyway, you wouldn't understand."

The wind twirled the folded piece of paper this way and that, up and down, and around! "WEEEEEEE!" said the wind, she was having a great time with the note.

After many loop-de-loops the wind brought the note to our Virgin Mary. She unfolded the note and read it out loud.

This is what the note said:

                                                    deer virjin mary,

                   thinkan maybe you and i cood meat fer some grub in the villag 
                   in the north? momma says thay gotta lots of plases to eet and 
                   chitty chat. I cood chat with you bout havin our fuchure togather. 
                   thinkin youd like me. momma says you mite. i can hunt. i can
                   ax. i can kuk rabit stu. i can luv yu. i can sinj sonjs to. pleez luk
                   fer me in da woods. i will b heer waytin fer you. 

                                                    luv allways, hank

The wind and the bird watched her read.

When she finished reading she looked into the bird’s eyes and began to sing. The bird was very pleased and did everything in its power to stay awake, however, after a moment of stretching its feet, the bird fell to the ground (still asleep) until it hit the earth with the softness of a twig.

A hungry wild cat found the bird lying there, snoring.

The cat sniffed the bird and nudged the bird.

“Birds don’t sleep lying on the ground,” said the wild cat.

"Birds are birds," said the wind.

“I am very hungry,” said the wild cat.

"Who doesn't need a treat?" asked the wind.

Without another thought the bird was swallowed whole. The wild cat trudged on, satisfied with his snack until he too found a nice resting place inside an old dead tree trunk.

Before falling asleep the big cat said to no one in particular, “Now how did we get here?”