SEEING IS BELIEVING
By
Lynne C.
Joe was saying nothing, and was rather hoping that the rest of the
family might just forget about what he'd done, but all hope of that
was dashed, when Adam spoke.
"Maybe you don't believe in voodoo Pa, but the proof is in the
pudding, as they say, and we are now all wolves, thanks to Joe and his
book of spells."
"Well, I always knew such things were possible," said Hoss, who
sounded as though he was happy he'd been turned into a wolf. "There's
all sorts of things that we know nothin' about, but that don't mean
they don't exist, sure enough."
"Well, I've seen a lot of strange things, in my time," said Ben.
"But
most of them have always got a logical explanation. It's only because
people are poorly educated that superstitions and other such mumbo
jumbo, flourish."
"Okay, Pa, there's no such thing as voodoo, so why are we wolves?"
persisted Adam.
"I don't know," said Ben, angrily. He glared at Joe, until the
young
man wished he could find a rock to crawl under.
"Well, young man, just what do you propose to do to put right the
predicament you have landed us in?"
"Erm, I don't really know, Pa," said Joe, eventually. "I
never
expected the spell to work, either, and I didn't get as far as reading
what to do, to reverse it."
In a voice that he was trying hard to keep calm, Ben then said,
"Explain, again, who gave you the book, and why they gave it to you."
"It was like this, Pa," said Joe. "I was in town, collecting
the
supplies, like you asked me to, and I had to wait a while, cos Mr Cass
was expecting a delivery of sugar and I knew better than to come home,
without it, as Hop Sing would've had my hide. So, while I was waiting,
I went over to the Bucket of Blood, for a beer, and there was a poker
game going on, so I joined in. I knew most of the players, but there
was this one man, who was a stranger to me. He was rather shabbily
dressed, but was well educated, that is, he had a nice speaking voice,
and he had a fair amount of money in front of him. Anyway, we started
playing and I was doing rather well."
"That makes a change," said Adam, sarcastically.
"Never mind about that," said Ben, not wanting Adam and Joe to
get
into an argument about Joe's appalling bad luck at poker. "Carry on,
Little Joe."
Joe glared at Adam and growled at him, before continuing. The growl
rather surprised him, but then as he was a wolf, he reasoned that it
shouldn't have.
"Like I said, I was doing rather well, and the biggest loser was this
new man. It was just him and me left in the game, and he suddenly
pulled this book out of his pocket and offered it, as part of his bet.
Said he'd got it off an Indian medicine man and it was full of cures
and spells. Well, I was curious and so I agreed to accept it. I won
the hand and so I got the book. I didn't have much time to read it,
until I got home. I told Hoss about it and he was interested, as he
said there might be cures for the stock in it, so I was leafing
through, to see what I could find, and I came across this one about
changing your body for one of an animal. I just happened to be saying
it out loud when you and Adam walked in and hey presto, we're all
wolves. Quite an experience, huh?"
"Quite an experience?" repeated Ben. "You're gonna have
quite an
experience, young man, just as soon as I can get you out to the barn.
How many times have I told you not to get into poker games, when
you're not sure of the stakes? In fact, how many times have I told you
not to get into poker games, at all, especially when you're supposed
to be working? And look where it's got you, in fact where it's got all
of us, we're wolves."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Joe began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" said Adam, who was getting rather irritated,
seeing
as how he seemed to be a wolf, who was plagued with fleas, and they
were making him itch.
"Pa is," said Joe, when he was able to stop laughing. "He
says he's
gonna take me over to the barn, but since when did a wolf have hands,
or a belt, come to that? I was just wondering how a Papa wolf tans one
of his kids."
Both Adam and Hoss began to chuckle, too, at the picture Joe's words
conjured up, but Ben didn't find it amusing.
"I might not be able to do anything about it, now, young man, but
we
won't be wolves, forever, and once I am back to being your Pa, and you
are back to being Joe, you won't be laughing, of that you can be assured."
Joe moved away from Ben, and went to sit by Hoss, the only member of
the family who didn't seem to be annoyed with him.
Adam was looking at the book of spells, but found he was unable to
read it.
"I certainly hope that this madness won't last for too long, as I
have
now discovered that although we can still talk, we can't read, and so
there's no way of us finding out, from the book, how to reverse the
spell. And I do not wish to remain as someone, who is unable to read."
"I think there is more to concern us than just that we can't read,
Adam," said Ben. "How on earth can we run the ranch, as wolves?"
Just then, they heard the sound of a horse arriving in the yard.
"Thank goodness, it must be Hop Sing back from visiting his cousin,"
said Hoss. "At least we're gonna eat, decent, tonight."
"Typical of you, worrying about your stomach," said Adam. "Hop
Sing
getting back means we stand a chance of getting this spell reversed."
The door opened and Hop Sing entered the room, singing to himself, as
he did so. However, the words froze on his lips when he was greeted by
the sight of four wolves.
He rushed over to the gun rack and grabbed a rifle.
"Don't shoot," yelled Ben. "It's us, Ben, Adam, Hoss and Joe."
Hop Sing pointed the gun at the four of them, and began to babble.
"You eat the Cartlights? I kill you for this."
"No, Hop Sing, we ain't bin eaten, we've bin turned inta wolves,"
said
Hoss.
"It's all down to Joe and this book," said Adam. "The one
on the
table. If you read it, you might find out how to reverse the spell."
It was all too much for Hop Sing and he fainted, but when he came
round, surprised that he was still in one piece, and not torn to
shreds, he picked up the book and began to leaf through it.
"Hop Sing sure he is in bad dream, but will do as Cartlights say and
look for way to break spell."
After what seemed like an age to the Cartwrights, but was, in fact,
only about twenty minutes, Hop Sing's face lit up.
"Hop Sing find way to do this, shall I try?"
"Please do, Hop Sing," said Ben.
The cook circled around the family, reading slowly from the book. At
first it didn't seem as if anything was happening, but then,
gradually, the transformation began to take place. Before too long,
four Cartwrights stood where there had been four wolves.
"Thank goodness for that," said Ben.
"Yeah, all's well that ends well," said Joe, flashing his father
one
of his million dollar smiles. "I got all the supplies you wanted, Hop
Sing, so what are we having for supper?"
"After we've had our session in the barn, I don't think that you'll
be
feeling much like joining us at the table, Little Joe," said Ben. "I
now have those hands and that belt I was missing, earlier on."
THE END
Little Joe forever
Lynne
January 18th 2007