One day,when they sun was high in the sky and it was about noon, a man cam upon our small
dwelling. It was amidst a small pine forest in a clearing filled with Dafodills that came up to your knees.
A river went through, it was blue and foaming and made a gurgling sound in morning. The man came
with only a smile on his face and the clothes on his body.
He was short stubby and always smiled a huge toothy smile that was always white and clean. HIs
name was Zhacheria Grinner. When someone commented on his smile he would always say "grinner is
my middle name! Literally!"
What we didn't know, was he did carry something else. He hid it in his pocket and smiled bigger and
broader than ever when we asked him about it." pastry puddin'" Zhacheria called it.
My mother was a stern mother and always frowned and told us to do chores." sweep the floor! Clean
the stove! De-weed the garden!" She yelled. Every time she yelled, her face would turn as red as a cherry.
Behind her back me and my sister called her a strawberry pudding with whipped cream on top (the whip
cream referred to her ghostly white hair that was curled up like a mountain in snow).
Once it was time for dinner, we sat at the table silently with our hands in our laps. All but
Zhacheria. He sat with his feet on the table whisteling a merry tune, his eyes twinkeling at us. It made me
and my sister smile just looking at him.
Then when my mother came in she started serving us the food. Ick! Nettle soup. The most horrid, awful, beastly, black, dirty, disagreeable, disgusting, fierce, filthy, foul, godawful, grody, gross,grubby, food in the whole universe!
But when my mother tried to serve Zhacheria the soup he said." I'm fine, I'll just eat my Pastry
Puddin'!" With a smile on his face. Once we were all sitting down we all never even touched the food.
We peered ovver the table looking at Zhacheria, waiting for him to take out his Pastry Pudding. We
were all eager to see the odd named food.
As he pulled it out of his pocket, he took as slow as ever. Finally, after what seemed like ages he
pulled out a sticky red substance that stank. Really bad too! It was rancid. Zhacheria dug a wooden
spoon in it and took a bite. His face filled with delight, when ours turned to disgust. Suddenly on his
next spoonful, he flicked it on my mothers dress. She looked down at the red juice on her dress and
then up to Zhacheria. Her lip trembled, but before she could say anything, Zhacheria fired another one
at me. It hit me in the forehead. Red juice trickeled down my forehead getting in my nose and mouth.
I grinned broadly and retaliated by catapulting a spoonful of nettle soup in his lap. Suddenly my
mother sprang up and threw a ladle full of soup at me and Zhacheria. And before you knew it, we
were all covered in nettle soup, and pastry pudding. Our mom, for the first time in a long, long time,
smiled. She smiled so wide, even Zhacheria couldn't smile bigger. We all smiled.
And before you knew it, Zhacheria was out the door skipping and yelling his farewells to us.
" Farewell! Goodbye! See you soon! Off to cheer another smile deprived family!" And we never
saw Zhacheria again.
Our mom still makes us do chores, but she does it with a smile on her face. Now we call her the
"smiling snowy mountain!"
THE END
Why was I even out at this time of night? My mother. Unfortunately she felt like seeing me and she had to come over. I�d had enough of her bugging me about the cleanliness of my home. I mean gosh! Why did she have to bother me about it? Why not my sister? Of course, I forgot, she is a hygieneatic. If there even were such a word, she would be right in that picture in the dictionary.
I dawdled weaving between the many rooted trees. I had been walking like this for about an hour so far, trying to take his mother off his mind. Oh, If only somebody understood me. My sister, nah, she wouldn�t care if I fell off a cliff and died. Actually it would be quite the opposite on the contrary. She still every once in a while visited me once and a while, usually to taunt me, and my home and how I haven�t found a mate yet." You�re so immature and stupid! You haven�t even found yer�self a mate!" She said one unlucky visit. "Well, �tis a lot better than having a mate only for your looks" I replied, as a scored another one of her irresistible irritable looks that I loved to get her in.
As the sun was just setting, I settled myself down at the base of a gnarled pear tree. I selected a pale yellow pear from a lower branch and gave it a bite. Ah, how sweet the pears were at the beginning of summer. Minutes passed and by then I was dozing off, enough not to feel my hands be tied together behind the tree.
Suddenly I awoke. It was nighttime and I was tied to a tree! I couldn�t believe it! I was so unaware as to let some total stranger tie him to the tree as some joke. But oh, ho, it was no joke. A rusted candle lamp was in front of me. Suddenly a blade of metal poked into the side of my neck. A felt a soft breath on my ear." So finally you�ve come around. Thought yew were dead first" said a soft calming female voice." Er, well, yes, I am a heavy sleeper �" The blade sunk deeper into my neck and sent a drip of blood down my back. "I don�t think I asked your opinion" she said in her soft beautiful voice.
"Erm, could you please remove the knife from my neck? It is making me very uncomfortable". Suprisingly the dagger removed and I hear a sharp collide of metal as she probably put it in its sheath. I had not even seen her face yet.
"Your braver than most I�ve robbed". Robbed? My mother will freak when I get home." Well I guess you could say that. At least I�m brave enough to show my face to people". I heard a small "humph" from behind me." You best not taunt me any more or I�ll have to take action" she murmured with a bitter tone in her voice. I merely smirked.
I heard her come around slowly. She was an otter. Her eyes were icy blue and gleamed in the light of the lamp. She wore a dark green skirt, and the dagger was at her side along with� My pouch of money!" You look quite strange to look like that and be in the position your in". I jerked aware that I was staring dreamily at her eyes." I�m Renalia the Thief". I nodded still smiling "pretty name". Renalia frowned and glared at me. "Oh shutup. Your just one of those goggling fools that are only interested in my looks. Makes it much easier to thieve from them " she said tossing up my bag of money." Well, I on the contrary was sleeping, so I am out of that claim" I said trying to convince her I wasn�t one of what she thought I was." Ah yes, then you�re a stupid fool, that dozes off in the middle of thief territory at night". Now, this I couldn�t escape.
She smiled sweetly and placed the money in her belt again." Can�t escape that can ya?" I tried to shrug, but the rope bound by arms enabling that." I probably could, though I would take a while. You now, I can drag a conversation forever if I really want to". Renalia smirked." You, know� Your different than most of the people I thieved from" � "And your different than most people that have thieved from me. �Cause most of them didn�t succeed. You are, to put it, exquisite". She looked up facing the moon and looked down. "You know, of course this doesn�t mean you get your money back". I grumbled." Wasn�t �specting so�"
My father would probably say some quote like, "every rose has it�s thorns" being the wise person he is. But, I really did not mind the thorns so much.
"It is getting late, I must go now. I might see you around some other time. Remember, bring lotsa money next time" she winked and cut the ropes that held my wrists. I stood up as she sheathed her dagger." Nay, next time twill me be taking your money" I laughed. "We�ll see about that" She smiled a kissed my cheek softly, and walked back disappearing into the shadows. I dreamily watched were she disappeared and touched my cheek were she kissed it.
Once I got home I told my worried, flustered mother about my encounter. Leaving some parts out. Of course she got all worried and over emotional about it. But in the end I told I was ok, so she calmed down. I�ve never seen Renalia again.
THE END