The Adventurers, Ch. 3

October 29th, 2005

If you're new, read CHAPTER 1 and CHAPTER 2 first. And the Saga continues:

THE ADVENTURERS - Chapter 3

Far to the left, parallel with the cliff, a long freight train was approaching. The sound of its motors got louder by the second. When it came closer Jerry could see that towards the middle of the train, a couple of uncovered cars were filled with manure and hay. Jerry choked at the idea that he was gonna have to jump into one of those. If he missed...

"Get ready..." Apparently Gus had the job of timing the jump.

Jerry thought about not jumping. Just let them go. They wouldn't be able to get to him once they had gone on the train. But no. For the first time in his life he felt he was a part of something. For the first time in his life he trusted people. Besides, they trusted him. It'd be a real disappointment if he betrayed them. No, he would jump.

The train was already passing below them. The hay car approaching very fast now. Jerry thought it would be impossible to time the jump perfectly. He had to jump.

Suddenly, Gus gave a shout and everybody jumped at once. Jerry hesitated a little and jumped late. He was well behind them. He looked down and saw the group land perfectly in the middle of the car. But he hadn't landed yet. The hay car was passing and Jerry almost fell between the manure car and the hay car. At the last second, however, Jerry landed in the manure, hitting his elbow painfully against the metal edge of the car.

The roar of the train was incredible. He sat up and tried to yell at the car ahead of him. It was no use, he could scarcely even hear his own voice. Then Jerry saw a head pop up from the hay car. It was Beau. He tried yelling at Jerry but Jerry could only hear the noise of the engine. Beau tried signaling and Jerry took it as "stay down". Jerry nodded and gave an okay sign. Beau's head disappeared once again.

The force of the wind almost threw Jerry off and for a scary moment his feet were off the ground, but he managed a firm grip on the edge of the car and pushed himself down. He lay down on the soft manure. The cold wind chilled his body. He hoped this would be a very short ride.

The ride lasted three hours. Jerry was aching and freezing when it finally started slowing down. The wind died down considerably and so did the noise. Jerry thought he heard voices but they were just murmurs. Then he heard them. He sat up and poked his head up. Mark, Curtis, and Beau were shouting at him urgently. Gus was watching the landscape up ahead intently.

"Get ready to jump!" He heard them yell, though to him it was only a whisper.

The train was still going fast. Jerry thought they were crazy. But he got ready.

"When I bring my arm down, you jump." Mark was saying. Jerry barely heard him. Then he brought his arm down and they all jumped, including Jerry. He had learned to trust the timing of Gus. Mark had brought his arm down a little after he jumped so that they would land on the same place. Jerry found himself soaring through the air towards a lake. He landed hard and tumbled on the surface until he finally submerged in the water. He had no sense of direction and thrashed about wildly. The wing had been knocked out of him and he desperately needed air. He was blinded by the spraying water and didn't know if he was swimming towards the surface or going deeper into the lake.

Then he was out! After much rubbing of eyes, he was able to open his eyes. Somehow, after all that wild swimming, he had ended up under the bridge where the train had passed. He looked around for the other and spotted them searching the water. Then Gus saw him and gave a joyful shout. Everyone looked and Jerry saw the relief on their faces.

"Man, we almost thought you'd drowned." said Beau once he swam close enough to speak.

"Almost did. How deep is it here, anyway?" Jerry thought it must be pretty deep since he never touched bottom even when he went to sleep.

"Don't know," said Mark, "but we've never tried to go all the way down."

"Hey, sorry we didn't tell you we'd have to get off like this, but the train usually goes a lot slower once it approaches the bridge. I don't know why it went so fast." said Curtis.

Beau spoke up, "Well, what are we floating around here for. This water is cold and we only have two hours to get dry before the hit."

This said, they swam to shore. A few people were there fishing and they looked angry. One of them yelled something about how long he'd been sitting there and how they scared away the fish when they had finally come out. Jerry yelled out a sorry and everyone laughed.

They walked over and stood under the sun. After an hour and a half they were dry and ready to go. Beau passed a comb around and Jerry asked what for.

"So that we can look nice and not look suspicious." answered Mark.

Then they split up. Jerry went with Gus and asked him why they were splitting up if they were all going to the same place. Gus said it was better if people thought they didn't know each other. They walked through a couple of dusty streets and finally ended up in front of a large, old building. They went inside and Gus said to talk about stupid things. Jerry didn't want to ask why. They walked though the aisles for about five minutes, the whole while grabbing items and tossing them into the cart. The whole time Jerry talked about the color of trees, why ants work so much, and the reason why humans can't fly. He noticed that adults who overheard their conversation smiled to themselves in amusement.

Suddenly, a commotion at the front of the store caused Jerry to halt. But Gus grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the running and yelling. There, Jerry saw Curtis and Beau tangled up and crashing into the aisles of food, knocking the food down along with some shoppers and workers. The fight looked real. Both of them were tense and had the meanest looks on their faces. All eyes were on them as Jerry was led away from the crowd. Jerry turned and saw Mark with a huge bag out of the side window. Gus told Jerry to open the door. He did and Gus shot through it, with Jerry right behind him. They piled the packages on Mark's bag. Mark handed Jerry a whistle and told him to go in and blow it four times. Then, Mark and Gus disappeared around the corner heaving the bag in front of them. Jerry turned and ran inside the store but was petrified to find Curtis and Beau held by police. Jerry put the whistle to his mouth. When Beau saw him he shook his head vigorously. Jerry took a deep breath. Beau closed his eyes. Jerry blew four loud whistles. Everyone in the market stopped what they were doing and turned to Jerry. Beau covered his face with his hands. One policeman grabbed Jerry by the neck.

"I think this is another one of 'em, sir." he said.

[end of Chapter 3]

The Adventurers, Ch. 2

October 28th, 2005

Looking for Chapter One? Click HERE. And the Saga continues...

THE ADVENTURERS - Chapter 2

While the boy fell, another person came flying in and tackled Jerry. It was the boy with the alert eyes. They fought on the ground and finally Jerry managed to get on top of him, but before he could get a good whack at him, Jerry felt himself being lifted and thrown face down on the ground. The fall took the wind out of him and he lay there like a fish gasping for air. The boy that threw Jerry down was the one with the big arms. Jerry saw him turn to were him and the boy with the glasses had last fought.

"Hey Gus, you all right?" said the big armed boy.

Gus got up and rubbed his eye. "Yeah. I just got a little bruise." He rubbed his eye again and flinched.

At that moment, the short and wide boy came puffing in. He seemed angry. "Why didn't you guys wait for me. You know I can't run as fast as you."

"Well we didn't know where this guy would end up at after Gus caught him." said the big armed boy grinning. Then he turned to Gus. "I guess this guy gave you a real race, huh."

Gus was still rubbing his eye. "And he's also got a really knock out punch." He paused and looked at Jerry who was still on the ground, "So what do we do with him?"

"Well," the boy with the alert eyes sounded uneasy. "Maybe we can use him for the hit tonight."

"I don't know, Mark. He doesn't look like a fellow to trust," said the short and wide boy.

"Beau, we don't even know him," said Mark, a little frustrated. "Besides, he looks like he's suffered a lot, so that makes us a bit like him, doesn't it?"

"Hardly." said Beau disgustedly.

"Look, why don't we ask him stuff before we come to any conclusions, that way we'll see if he's to be trusted." Mark turned to Beau. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure." Beau didn't sound sure. "Go ahead, Curtis."

The big armed boy moved forward toward Jerry. "Uh, tell us your name."

Jerry's pain had subsided a while ago and he was waiting to see what they'd do to him. "Jerry."

"Jerry what." barked Beau.

"Jerry." Jerry repeated.

"A smart alec, huh?" Beau clearly didn't trust Jerry.

Gus spoke up. "Beau, get real. He probably doesn't have a last name. Or do you?" He turned to Jerry.

"No. I've been an orphan since I was one, or at least that's what they tell me, so nobody knew my name."

"So how'd you end up with that name?" asked Gus.

"Pretending to be a mouse." said Jerry.

"Huh?" said Gus.

"Tell us about it." said Mark

"Okay. When I was about three, me and a friend where pretending to be Tom and Jerry. You know those cartoons about the cat and the mouse?"

Gus said, "I've heard of them."

Jerry continued, "We used to steal some of their comics from the stores in town. Me and some older kids used to sneak out at night and walk to town. Not that far from the orphanage, only about 5 miles. Anyway, I pretended to be Jerry so much that everybody started calling me and the other guy, Tom and Jerry. The name stuck to both of us."

"So what are you doing way out here. There's not a single orphanage around." asked Curtis.

"I ran away."

"What do you mean you ran away." asked Gus.

"I-ran-a-way."

"I mean, why?"

"It was too much labor and not enough food. We worked from before sun up to after sunset with only a little break for stale bread and water. They'd also whip you if you asked for more food or complained about anything. They'd even whip you if you said someone's head was shaped like an egg."

"They'd whip you for that?" Beau was starting to sound interested.

"Yep. And they were gonna send me away anyway."

"Where?" they all asked.

"To a foster home. They were gonna make me work even harder there during the summer and then I'd have to go to school and learn whatever you learn there."

"Bummer." said Beau.

"How'd you get to be such a good fighter?" asked Gus.

"The older kids always picked on us younger kids. We always tried to defend ourselved but they were too big and usually beat us up."

"At least you tried." said Beau.

"Of course."

"All right. So I guess you trust him now?" Mark asked Beau.

"I guess." Beau tried to sound casual.

"Okay, then. My name's Mark."

"I'm Beau."

"Curtis."

"Gus."

"Hi." said Jerry.

"Okay. Let's get tonight's plan going. We don't have much time before the train to town passes." said Mark.

"Don't you think Jerry should stay with someone, since he's new at this?" asked Gus.

Mark answered, "You're right. He'll go with you. Okay, tonight we're hitting on the Old Sam Market. Beau, you start a fight with Curtis. When the clerk and security guy go to break it up, Gus and Jerry are going to slip to me all the food you can get. When you hear four whistles, it's time to get the heck out of there. We all split up in different directions. Me, Gus, and Jerry will take the supplies into the woods. We'll meet in Grover street one hour later. Remember we have to surprise them twith speed or else they'll come after us before we can do anything. Any questions?"

"No Sergeant Mark, Sir." said Beau teasingly.

"Then let's get the heck over to the drop before it's too late." said Curtis.

Jerry half the time had no idea what they were talking about but they didn't give him time to ask any questions. Despite the mud and rain, all five of them moved rapidly through the trees. Even Beau stayed up at the back of the pack. Eventually they arrived at a small cliff overlooking the forest around them.

"Here it comes." said Curtis.

[end of Chapter 2]

The Adventurers, Ch. 1

October 27th, 2005

My brother and I took a typing class during the summer after my 7th grade year (or was it 8th grade?), and it was a two-hour-long-busy-work kind of class. Thanks to my piano "skeeeeells" I picked up the whole typing thing pretty quickly, and usually finished the exercises with plenty of time to spare. We weren't allowed to just leave, so I was faced with the challenge of entertaining myself everyday for 30 minutes. As most of you people know, entertaining myself is what I do best (hmm...that didn't sound right). The result? A 16 page fictional novella, starring my brother as an orphan, and including several of my friends. I even added myself as one of the central characters! Every kid in this story is modeled after someone I knew back then. And thus, I now humbly present to you, dear blog travelers, that famous story...word for word, chapter by chapter (10 in all!), for your pleasure and amusement.

THE ADVENTURERS - Chapter 1

Jerry had had enough. He was going to go off and never return to this dumb orphanage. After twelve years of labor and exhaustion, he was running away.

At one o'clock in the morning, Jerry stole into the kitchen and packed himself a generous ham sandwich. He quietly went down the stairs to the back door. He didn't expect any trouble from the "Miss" but his muscles were still tense and ready to bolt. He did not want to be caught and leathered like all those other times. Out in the yard it was dark and humid. Too dark, he thought, I should have waited till a clear sky. He struggled clumsily towards the fence. As soon as he jumped the fence, he knew he was safe. He could outrun anybody in Stephen Orion Orphanage. However, it was best he go as far as possible in case they bring in the dogs.

Jerry walked towards the rising sun. He had always believed that a better place was beyond those mountains up ahead. So Jerry set out in search of a better life.

These dense woods of North Carolina were the most abundant in these parts of the region. A slight drizzle began to fall upon him and Jerry took it as a good sign. This weather always pleased him. Since he was only wearing torn jeans, T-shirt, and an old sweat jacket, he started jogging to keep warm.

After three hours of walking and jogging, Jerry stepped under a huge pine that could shelter the storm a bit. There he opened his sandwich and started eating it.

As he was chewing his second bite, he looked up and was startled to see four boys his own age advancing cautiously towards him. They looked dirty and hungry. Jerry didn't think that was a good combination. All three stood staring at him, then at his half eaten sandwich, then again at him.

Jerry took their action as "we want your sandwich and if you don't like it, we'll punch your face in and take it anyway." He looked at the biggest of them all. A tough looking, blonde, country boy with arms as big as Jerry's neck. There was also a thin but built boy with glasses who was the next tallest. He looked like he could run pretty fast, but Jerry wasn't worried about anyone catching up to him. A short but wide boy leered at Jerry. Jerry wanted to hit him. The last boy was also somewhat skinny and also short, but his eyes were fully alert and it was evident that he always knew what to do.

Jerry didn't wait for them to make a move. He bolted away sure that they could not catch up, but surprisingly the boy with glasses stayed right behind him and wouldn't quit. jerry pumped his arms harder, sure that for some reason he was not running his top speed. He struggled to go faster but he was unable to shake the boy off. His arms were becoming heavier by the second. His legs were now burning up and a quick look back informed him that the boy was also suffering. Now Jerry was forced to slow down but he wouldn't give up. The boy's crunching footsteps quickly gained on him. A hand grabbed his neck and forced him to fall on the ground. Jerry immediately got up, surprising the boy with a hard swing that hit the boy on the eye. The boy struggled backwards but stayed on his feet. Jerry swung his leg and caught the boy on the left knee.

(end of chapter 1)

Gustavo's Adventures in Foreignland

October 16th, 2005

The Journey Down: And so Gustavo tumbled down the rabbit hole, where he was met by a beautiful gypsy girl. She was to be his guide on their journey through the strange and wonderful world known as FOREIGNLAND.

At the Top of the Mountain: They entered a Gondola which began to rise in the air...higher and higher and higher. It was driven by a madman who frequently asked Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl to give his friend a big hug. His friend was nowhere in sight. There were other passengers, but they seemed content in riding the gondola for all eternity...or at least until it took them back to where they had started. At the top of the mountain, Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl looked down and discovered they could see the entire world. In fact, they were so far up and could see so far out into the world that Gustavo wondered if the two dots he saw in the distance were not the back of their own selves. They were then served hot drinks by the dwellers of the mountain. The dwellers of the mountain were polite women with beards. They must have evolved into growing beards from the constant exposure to the cold mountain temperature. This was the most logical explanation. Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl left the mountain after the dweller announced that if anyone stayed any longer they would have to become mountain dwellers themselves...and grow beards.

With the Keepers of the Giant Balloons: They entered into a flat field that stretched out farther than the horizon. Here there were balloons which were growing from the ground at a tremendous rate. Upon reaching full maturity...the balloons would separate themselves from the earth, and fly into the sky...undoubtedly in search of their own adventures. The Keepers were miniature men with a strange language difficult to understand by Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl. They were curious creatures who seemed particularly interested in the beautiful gypsy girl. Their attempts at communication with her were not quite successful, mostly due to the fact that their entire language consisted of only one word: "Hot!"

In the House of the Twins: Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl then received an invitation to dine with a man named Bucca. Apparently, Bucca had heard of the stranger wandering Foreignland, and wished to extend his hospitality. Although Gustavo never actually got to see him in person, he could easily imagine Bucca to be a big Italian with a long, thick mustache, singing and playing an accordion. They were served delicious food by one of Bucca's children, who seemed to have rapid mood changes and frequent memory lapses. One minute he would be friendly and courteous. The next minute he would barely look at them and instead talk to other people in the room. The puzzle was solved when Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl witnessed Bucca's son walking to next to...Bucca's son! Gustavo deduced that all of Bucca's children were identical...maybe even Bucca himself looked like that...with the exception of the thick, long mustache, of course.

The Journey Back: The time came when Gustavo and the beautiful gypsy girl realized the rabbit hole would soon be closing. Although Gustavo wished to remain in this wonderful and magical land, he was needed back in his own world. As time was short, the beautiful gypsy girl conjured up a white rocket ship from thin air. They zoomed through the air and managed to arrive at the rabbit hole just before it began to close. Gustavo said farewell to the beautiful gypsy girl and to the magical Foreignland. They both waved back, and Gustavo climbed back up the rabbit hole...and into the end of this story.

THE END