Handle with Care
Hoss tried very hard to tread
carefully, but
the floorboard just inside the
kitchen door squeaked wildly as soon
as he
placed his foot upon it. An
almost imperceptible moan escaped
from his
mouth as he realised he had been
caught red-handed, literally holding
onto
the evidence.
Hearing the sounds, Hop Sing whirled
around,
suspecting the middle
Cartwright brother was attempting to
sneak
some sustenance before dinner.
This was an all-too common
occurrence and
one that annoyed him greatly. Hop
Sing regarded the kitchen as his own
personal space and resented any
intrusions, far less family members
raiding
his food stores. However, the
sight that greeted him was so
shocking, that
for once he was lost for words.
Shaking his head slightly, Hop Sing
returned
to his chores.
A shame-faced expression crept
across Hoss’
face and he gripped tightly onto
the little hand clasped within his
own
much-larger paw.
“It were
an
accident,” he mumbled. “Didn’t mean no
harm.”
Hop Sing snorted. “Not mean no harm! Just look what you do!” He gestured
towards the small figure standing
silently
beside Hoss, the picture of
abject misery. “What you do this
time, eh?”
“He gave me a bath!” chirruped a
clear
treble voice.
Working at his desk, with all the
windows
open, Ben could clearly hear this
exchange. Overwhelmed with
curiosity, he
could bear it no longer. There was
something so familiar about that
little
voice…
”Would you like
to explain
what has been going on here?” Ben’s deep voice
sent a shiver right down Hoss’
spine, clear
to the floor.
Hoss shuffled his feet nervously
before
meeting his father’s irate gaze. “It
were like Joe said – I was helping him with his
bath…”
“I told him the water was too hot –
but he
wouldn’t listen to me!” Joe
protested, tugging his hand out of
his
brother’s firm grasp and running over
to Ben, his tiny feet pattering
across the
floor. He looked up at his father
earnestly. “Hoss wouldn’t listen,
Pa! And
now look at what’s happened…”
“You shrank your brother?” Ben could
not
believe what he was seeing.
“I just got smaller and smaller,”
Joe
agreed. “He shrunk me, Pa!!”
Hoss gulped nervously as three
accusatory
pairs of eyes bored into him.
Claire