Little Eli's Day Out
A five-minute excerpt from Bartle Clunes
The old man, Eizer Griggs has just become guardian to six-year-old Eli. This is the scared little boy’s first day living with Eizer and they are getting acquainted….
Eli and Eizer rose early and went to the kitchen, where they found Finn perched on a water pipe, waiting for his breakfast. Eli stood very still, eyes wide, mouth open. The crow cocked his head, giving Eli that sidelong bird eye. He performed a sliding two-step, bobbing back and forth on the narrow footing, crying “Awk!” Eizer got Finn a chunk of bologna from the refrigerator, “Awwwk!”
“This handsome bird is called Finn. He is a crow, a bird of the Corvidae family, and he lives in this house. Now you go over there slowly and stroke his back.” Eli reached out one tentative finger and touched Finn lightly on the back. The bird shivered and ruffled his glossy feathers.
The large blue-black creature hopped to the drainboard and brought a small shiny thing over to Eizer, beaking it into his hand. A silvery bottle cap. Eizer patted his head with one finger and thanked him for the gift. “He brings me things now and again – sparkly things,” he explained to Eli. “In exchange for the food, most likely.” Finn stayed for a meal of stale cornbread crumbs and a few more bites of lunchmeat. He uttered odd chattering sounds then hopped out the window to sit on the sill in the morning sun.
Eizer opened a can of peaches, and after their breakfast of Grape-Nuts, milk and fruit, he said, “Now then, we are going to wash up these dishes and then we will be on our way.” At eleven o'clock, they went out to Eizer's big old ‘36 Ford Tudor humpback sedan for the short drive over to Placerville.
The vehicle, as you might imagine, was in much the same state of repair as Eizer's yard and house – grimy, with enough dust to make a bug sneeze. There was rust around the windshield, a broken door lock, missing knobs, and the upholstery was torn. A mashed cardboard box and old paper bags were crumpled on the floor in back with stepped-on Cheez-Its and two unopened cans of motor oil. But the abused old Ford was faithful. It started right up and was now humming like a sewing machine along Pleasant Valley Road and Cedar Ravine. The morning was warming up a little, Eizer noticed that the hills were already beginning to turn yellow, the valley oaks were exhaling a miasma of pollen into the air. Eizer rolled down his window and let his arm dangle outside. Eli watched him and did the same.
Their first stop was Wells Fargo to withdraw money. Then they went to Combellack’s Mercantile where Eizer told the two salesladies, “This boy needs some clothes.”
“And what kind of clothing may we help you with today, sir?” asked the older of the two women.
“Just give him everything,” said Eizer.
Clucking like hens, the women picked out an entire wardrobe for the boy – trousers, shirts, sweaters, socks. Like careful mothers, they choose slightly larger sizes he could grow into, dark practical colors, good sturdy fabric. They added underwear, pajamas and a flannel bathrobe. Given free rein, they were in their maternal glory, fussing over that boy with total abandon. Eizer himself chose a nice warm jacket and cap for Eli, for school later in the year. When the man and the boy left the store, the women sat down to cool off over coffee and cigarettes.
Eizer and Eli went to the shoe shop down the street and got the boy some wooly house slippers and some sturdy boots. Eli was in Wonderland, he was in little-boy heaven! Never, ever, in his short life - awake or dreaming, had so much attention been paid to him. They stuffed five full bags into the car and made one more stop downtown at the office of the Mountain Democrat, where Eizer placed a three-day ad in the help-wanted section:
WANTED
Yard-clearing crew with large truck.
House-cleaners with stamina also required.
One week's labor $1.00 / hr. Apply to:
E. Griggs, 8 Riles Road, Riles Crossing
Finally, before returning home they stopped by Riles' General Store and Hardware at the Crossing. Eizer held the screen door open for Eli. Ayla Riles, working behind the counter said, “Hey there, Mr Griggs! Nice to see you. And who is this handsome boy with you today?”
“This boy is Eli Flounder. He's come to live with me. I believe he is my third cousin, but I'm not exactly sure on that score. Eli, say hello to Mrs. Ayla Riles.”
“Hello, ma'am.” He offered his hand, shyly. “Nice to meet you.”
They shook hands and she gave him a cherry Tootsie Pop. Lonnie Riles backed in through the swinging door at the rear of the store with two large cases of Kellogg's cornflakes. “Lonnie, come over here a minute, would you please? I want you to meet Mr. Griggs' new house mate. His name is Eli.” Eizer noticed that the buttons were about to pop off of Ayla's long shirt. She was expecting a baby in mid-June. Eizer, who knew very little about pregnancy, thought by the size of her, that the month of May might be a better choice.
Eli and Eizer purchased a few essentials, such as oatmeal cookies, cocoa powder, sausages and six bottles of cream soda and headed back home.
My novel, Bartle Clunes, has its own section here at 🌿Leaves. The chapters are in descending order. Click here.
Good people, polite little boy. Never had a bird in the house... except 74 years ago, parakeet got out of tall cage. Tiger cat pressed him against the window screen and didn't know what to do after that. Mom pried him off claw by claw. Birdie happy to get back to seeds in his safe house. Lots of birds OUTside here. Flocks of sparrows, BlackBirds with red and yellow on their wings, Doves nesting on single bare stick in the front bushes, Starlings with stars upon thar's, Thrashers and Robins, Barn Swallows catching treats in the air, vrooooming Hummers, a pair of Orioles, Red Tail Hawks, one Eagle, ONE actual Blue Bird in 35 years, lots of Juncos and one flock of all brown Cow Birds in a driveway puddle after rain. Sandhill cranes on migration path, singles or trailing flocks. Owls in the distance, no Crow seen.
Such an easy-going, warm piece, Sharron, like a good cup of coffee. You always include some unique figure of speech or descriptor to liven up the prose. This one stood out to me: "beaking it into his hand." I never came across that verb before. A thoroughly delightful read, featuring engaging characters.