David Plumb and the Five Spiky Giraffes
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Once upon a time, there was a ginger boy called David Plumb. He was on the way to see his Molly Cox when he decided to take a shortcut through Penrose Woods.
It wasn’t long before David got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he fell into his bag for his favorite toy, Molly, but Molly was nowhere to be found! David began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Molly. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
And so it went on and on… until eventually David gave up and sat down under a tree for something to eat.
But what did he find instead? It appeared that Mr. Blueberry Pie himself had left him an apple pie and half a bottle of lemonade. There must have been some magic at work! How else could someone appear out of thin air like this?! So after finishing his lunch, David thanked the mysterious figure with a little bow.
However, before he could move away, it dawned on David just who ‘The Baker’ might be…”
“How can I help you, young man?” inquired the baker as he opened his shop door one morning.” I’m looking for a place to stay,” replied David earnestly.”
“Have no fear!” reassured the baker.” My cottage is yours tonight, for free. All you need do is bring me back your prized possession once we’ve finished our game!””What’s that?” enquired David in bewilderment.” Come to think of it, my beloved toy rabbit didn’t come with us to meet your lovely niece, did she?
Well… er…” the baker answered sheepishly.” You will get the same deal,” assured the baker firmly. “But if I don’t win back Molly by tomorrow noon, then neither party shall ever set foot inside this bakery again!”
David agreed. The next day, they played the game again. For David, things never went to plan, which was quite a feat because the Baker’s rules were extremely strict, and made the original version seem rather relaxed compared to how hard this particular adventure became.
As soon as David hit the road, Molly came flying from nowhere! Even more astonishing (at least to David!), the Ginger Boy discovered that he now held her rabbit tail.
At first, David couldn’t believe his luck. He felt like shouting aloud: “Thank you so much, Mister Blueberry Pie! This has saved me having to spend months in my own personal purgatory!”, but somehow managed not to spoil the moment.
Instead, the brave lad smiled gratefully before finally passing the tiny bunny over to his newfound friend, the Baker, whose name, the grateful hero remembered to ask once more, was Thomas Cook. Just like old times.
In fact, Thomas Cook seemed just exactly as he always did, although even he appeared to grow just slightly paler than usual during their encounter. Apparently, his nephew – the madcap Uncle Billy- hadn’t liked the idea at all; it made no sense to him. And David would remember that statement forever. That had been a few years back already.
Having both returned home with Molly, David put her high on a shelf in the living room where she’d remain hidden behind a blanket for many days after that. Finally ready to share the story of his life with her, David was determined to tell Molly exactly why it is that his head filled up so easily these days.
Back in school, they say that there’s nothing to fear… unless it can touch you! Something to do with being alone, David reasoned. Then again, maybe those are just fairy tales…
By now, both parents and teachers were pretty certain that something wasn’t right. No one knew any more about the little ginger-haired boy; there weren’t any more excuses to keep him apart. Of course, Molly already knew the truth anyway.
Why else would her granddad buy an entire shop dedicated solely to rabbits? She hoped he’d come home every evening for a cup of tea, or for her grandmother to put her in a basket, but most sadly, the chances were growing slim.
Slowly, David stopped coming over to play too. One night after dinner, a tearful Mrs. Cox said to him: “Why aren’t you stopping by more often? Your father told us you don’t want to be with the family anymore. We’re worried about you!” “I’ll still be here when everyone else has forgotten”, David sobbed back.”
Even though nobody will listen, I will always be near to them.” His mother only hugged him tighter that night while his little brother kept asking questions about Santa Claus. And in a matter of days, David himself forgot how much fun it really was to stand on your tiptoes and try to catch a glimpse of the blue sky without ending up flat on the floor!
***
It has been four years since David saw Molly, yet he has not once regretted his choice to save her from the bakery fire, even if he could have easily given up the last carrot to ensure it never happened. After all, what use can a tiny rabbit truly make of its very special talent?
This is why David still chose to stop by regularly at Grandfather’s bakery – partly to visit her, and also because he enjoyed spending time with his favorite auntie, the girl who treated him like the biggest prince in the whole world.
Ever the adventurous sort, his fondness for playing pranks backfired once more; this time though, it turned out to be the saving grace. It certainly looked odd the way that Uncle Billy went pale whenever Molly came near the old man.
Although the kindly uncle did everything within his power to protect his precious niece from harm, it became obvious to the local villagers that a fate worse than death awaited her unless someone found a solution quickly enough.
When she heard the story for the first time, David was horrified. If they were to take Molly away from him immediately, she’d leave a big hole inside his heart… however difficult it may get! Yet still the boy dared not return home until a suitable option presented itself.
Seeing Molly become lost would crush his spirit beyond repair, yet hearing the Baker talk about her right before his eyes only fueled the determination. Whatever lies ahead for them, surely his mission cannot fail. When Uncle Billy was kidnapped, he agreed to help; now that Molly could have ended up being sold off to some stranger, David was determined to set her free regardless of the risk he would run.
The ensuing rescue effort proved somewhat awkward, to say the least…
David was very brave. Quite frankly, he’d soon decided that Molly should stay at the shop permanently so that anyone suspicious could find no trace of her whereabouts ever again. However, Baker refused the request: “Not only would Molly never forgive me for doing such a thing to her…” he explained quietly, “…but her disappearance would break my heart!”
So instead, David promised himself to bring her home for a proper vacation every summer, thereby keeping things moving smoothly between them. Indeed, after the events that followed a short while later, neither Molly nor herself felt quite able to appreciate the gravity of what they’d done together – all thanks to a mysterious white rabbit.
Soon enough, the people came back around; the strange and unexplainable circumstances surrounding Molly’s origin no longer mattered, as long as the girl stayed alive. This time around, the young lad actually had the courage to tell everyone about his ability to see into the future, albeit very rarely and purely through dreams.
Nonetheless, it worked like a charm! People believed David when he gave his explanation, and although many voiced their suspicion, his relatives wouldn’t hear of it until something drastic happened in real life.
Nowadays, David continued living alongside his auntie under the strict conditions of the baker’s home; taking care of Molly of course, and working the fields tirelessly throughout the week to pay Uncle Billy back for the food he’d been providing over the past months.
With the winter close upon them, David knew it would only be a matter of time before Grandmother was going to ask them to move into the village properly – perhaps even with their uncle!
He certainly wasn’t keen on the idea at first, having made friends almost immediately. In fact, as far as the boy was concerned, there might have been no better place anywhere on Earth compared to Grandfather’s abode… until he learned about the talking pig, of course.
No matter what, one thing remained true. Never once did either of them consider leaving the Baker’s house. At least, not while his beloved niece was still safely under his protection, where she belongs!
One evening, the trio stood before the kitchen entrance with Mr. Wobble in tow; he was happy to find a spare set of legs among the locals. However, it was becoming increasingly apparent to David that his poor old uncle could do nothing to stop him from eventually looking outside the village.
That was why they finally accepted his invitation to join forces and travel northwards with a wagon full of supplies, some extra wool, and other assorted goods purchased along the road to keep themselves entertained. Of course, both girls loved the ride itself, but the prospect of reaching their destination in an unbroken silence piqued their interest greatly.
“So you’ve told us your entire history, how are we going to explain ours?” demanded Grace nervously.
“…That will depend entirely on how much of that gold you’re willing to part with…” mused Mary-Anne slyly.
Molly scowled bitterly and slammed the door shut behind her. There was absolutely no need to worry about that; none of it belonged to the girls. Besides, David said they should remain loyal. She remembered exactly what the little rabbit had once told the group: “In truth, these items mean more to us than anything else we could possibly possess.”
So they would find out together what the term ‘gold’ actually meant.
Either way, it seemed highly unlikely that Molly or Mary-Anne would be prepared to give any of theirs up willingly… and vice versa, too. That simply couldn’t happen if everything went according to plan. No amount of riches could purchase this invaluable commodity, not even a second chance to go back in time.
Not until they took the leap of faith into the unknown, that is. It really had come down to trust… which unfortunately turned out to be easier said than done.
***
From the moment their carriage made its way beyond the sight of the local residents, Mary-Anne finally cracked. The sheer excitement of having seen the beautiful sights of London had brought the witch dangerously close to breaking point; only fear of seeing the real, supernatural beings who lived there stopped her from losing her mind completely.
Fortunately, David held firm, merely pointing out a small bakery known to serve the finest baked goods in the area and suggesting they deliver an order by foot – a journey requiring nearly twenty minutes walking distance each way, albeit a fairly straight path across the town.
A small price to pay considering the amount of gold being stored right now! Yet it had proven to be utterly crucial indeed since the friendly owner agreed to help David out despite their sudden change of fortune.
His advice proved equally beneficial when he realized just how difficult it was to manage a healthy appetite among the two ladies. When he offered them slices of apple pie fresh off the oven, their eyes practically bugged out in wonderment! To the girls, he would henceforth be forever considered their angel, especially after saving both girls’ lives numerous times during the ensuing trip!
Their escort grew increasingly more suspicious over the following day, often finding himself staring at the girl in green most of the time. By evening, he’d convinced the siblings to head towards London Gates via a bridge connecting to St Giles.
While waiting to cross the wide river separating the southern area from the northern districts of the city, the trio was constantly watched closely by the dark-skinned guards stationed nearby, clearly fearful of what had transpired so early in the year.
After all, it must surely be obvious why Mary-Anne was accompanying strangers into the depths of this foreign land; and not without good reason, of course! Fortunately for them, Mr. Beadley understood the dangers involved and knew their only hope lay within one woman.
As long as the nun arrived in perfect health, London would no longer pose the same threat to a particular lady called Alice and her sister… Mary-Anne couldn’t thank David enough.
True to his word, Mr. Beadley made sure they boarded the ferry the next morning well before dawn to avoid attracting undue attention. Thanks to his expertise with the family’s business, he handled their route perfectly, navigating through the busiest parts of the city along its busy waterfront.
Thankfully, he was always alert and never fell asleep behind the wheel during the short duration of the crossing.
An hour later found him helping the young maids disembark the vessel at Blackfriars Bridge; they immediately followed David’s lead, strolling away from the main docks to a less popular neighborhood a few dozen meters inland.
They knew London well, having lived there since birth thanks to Uncle William. And even then, none of them cared to dwell upon those memories of days past. Though there was still no doubt remaining within either mind as to where they were heading.
At last, they reached the rundown area surrounding the East End Market, also known as Whitechapel. During the daytime, such a location would usually see many visitors wandering through the narrow streets looking for food and other items to sell.
Yet even then, it was a rather different scene compared to what existed there in the early hours of the afternoon. Compared to the late-night inhabitants of London who typically settled here in the evening, those residing at the market worked well into the day to offer goods and services.
Thus, by midday, the place was busier than usual. Besides, it seemed to Mary-Anne as if a large number of residents had recently left for more distant areas due to some mysterious disturbance in the area.
Unlike the rest of London, however, the crowds did not dare venture past this particularly dangerous district for fear of attacks from demons, monsters, and humans alike. Strange creatures roamed freely within the maze-like labyrinth of alleys and lanes, yet rarely gave anyone a second glance; several appeared more interested in snatching food than committing acts of violence.
One would probably need to look twice, at least, to notice that such unusual creatures wandered the streets every single day – and while clothed normally, unlike their demonic brethren.
However, despite the safety afforded to locals through the various defenses of Whitechapel, the notorious Jack the Ripper still persisted in wreaking havoc throughout this part of town. Who knows how long this murder spree has gone on already? How unfortunate that we have been trapped inside this world!