"Puppy-dog tales"

--What little Boys are made of--

"Remy wait for me!" I called sprinting down the cobbles but when I reached the crossroads my friend was no where to be seen. I sighed crestfallen thrusting my hands deep in my pockets. My shoulders slumped, as I shambled down the narrow street. It was a fine spring day but I saw nothing but my dust smudged toes. Remy was clearly gone but I did not want to go home.

My parents had done everything they could to prepare my. Father sat me down months ago and explained mamma was pregnant…we were going to get a new member of the family. He asked if I knew what pregnant meant. I said yes and told him the butcher's dog Snowie had been pregnant last spring. He smiled and said I was not to worry that momma would tire more easily and as time got neared she would have less lap for me to sit on. He promised everything would be fine and hugged me. I believed him, and everything WAS fine right up to the very end.

Two weeks ago the big day had finally come. I had been nearly beside myself with excitement. The midwife chased pappa and me from the house and when we were finally allowed to come back I learned mamma had gotten everything wrong… All after all that preparation she didn't have a puppy after all...she had a Marie; and that wasn't anything near as nice. Maries were red and wrinkly and mostly hairless…they have big bulgy, eyes runny noses and they smell foul. The worst of all, they cry ALL the time. Papa said it was because Marie was colicky. I told them all four of Showie's puppies were collies and they didn't cause half so much racket as one gooey Marie. He laughed…and I ran out of the house so momma couldn't see how disappointed I was. My eyes still stung thinking about it.

My faltering footsteps carried me down the Rue St. Victor to Grands Degrés and along the Seine. All was quiet, people bustled this way and that going about business of their own, which meant there was no sign of my friend Lagardère, an urchin who usually clowned about on the bridge near Notre Dame begging for coins. He was the one who caught that turtle I helped find its way into Elise Bouvier's lunch pail. Any of the other lasses in class would have caused such a fuss and demanded the tutor put his switch to the rump of every boy in class till the culprit confessed. Not my miss Issa though. She is above such craziness.

When Maestro de Bergerac went off lecturing about how 'proper gentlemen' would never do such a thing to a lady… she got down right indignant and announced to the whole class she thought it was the nicest present she ever got. I think I'll marry her when we're big. I'll bet if she got pregnant she'd surely do it right and have a puppy just for me! One with big brown eyes and floppy ears…One I could teach to do tricks I'd even let it eat all my vegetables.

Oh why ever did momma have to go and have a Marie? I kicked a stone into the Seine and watched it sink beneath the swift moving water. I leaned on the side of the bridge and watched the muddy water swirl beneath me. How Lagardère could stand to do back flips into that great river just because some rich fool promised to give him a sou was beyond me…I don't even like it when Pappa makes me dunk my head when I scrub in the washbasin at home.

Suddenly the crumbled stone gave way beneath me and I tumbled forward. The water rushed up at me and I screamed. I hit the water with my face. Then I didn't care that Momma had disappointed me. It didn't matter that papa had laughed or that all our Marie did was cry. It didn't even matter that my friends hadn't been around when I needed to talk. My only thought was that the horrible river wanted to eat me. The murky water stole my breath and the currant tumbled me about. I couldn't even see a glimmer of light to tell me which way to the surface.

Then I felt movement and imagined a great fish was about to swallow me like father Michael said happened to Jonah. Something grabbed hold of my hair hard pulled me to the surface. That something proved to be a hand which I assumed was attached to an arm. I didn't really care so long as it allowed me to get a few half liquid gasps of air.

My savior dragged me onto the rocky shore. I knelt on all fours and a hand hit my back hard a few times then rubbed gently as I proceeded to empty myself of river water. Even when it seemed I'd been purged of everything I'd eaten all week I still wretched and trembled uncontrollably. Something thick and warm and dry engulfed me and I snuggled into it … only later did I notice it was dark blue edged in silver and marked with a fleur-de-leis. It was a tunic… a musketeer's tunic. My savior was a musketeer!

I looked up to meet the gaze of a distinguished gentleman with straggly brown hair dripped water into his blue eyes but he didn't seem to notice. "Feeling better boy?" he asked concern in his voice.

"Yes Sir," I whispered hoarsely and reflexively pulled the tunic tighter and soon my trembling eased.. "Thanks to you sir…Captain?"

My savior smiled, "I'm only a lieutenant lad, Arnaud-Jean du Peyrer, my friends call me Tréville, and you may as well if you like."

I blinked at him, still a bit dazed by the whole situation and said the only thing I culd thing to say, "Sieur Tréville…I'm sorry I got your nice tunic all wet. I hope the king won't be mad."

"Mon dieu! Think nothing of it, it will dry. I'm just glad you are all right." The noble reassured me. "Suppose I get us both something warm to drink then I'll walk you home."

Something warm sounded very nice I smiled shyly to my new friend and remembered I hadn't introduced myself I gave him my most courteous bow and said "I'm Marti Duval, that is to say Martin. I'm going to be a Musketeer just like you when I grow up.

"I'm sure you will Martin Lad." Tréville said and ruffled my hair affectionately. "Even sopping wet you make a dashing figure in that tunic of mine. Just see you mind the water next time."

"Sure thing Sir, I don't even like baths very much." I admitted and felt the blush creep across my cheeks.