Hullo, everyone! This was a little piece that I wrote for a short story challenge on Bonanza Brand that I found moldering on my hard drive so I thought I'd share it. It's rather...er...ridiculous, but not to far fetched-to my mind-to have happened. The story had to contain the phrase in order to comply with the rules of the writing challenge: "You better not never tell nobody but God."
Disclaimer # 1: Don't own, never will, not making any money from this...you get the point.
*Edited in Disclaimer #2: As a guest reviewer pointed out, the opening line of dialogue, "You better not never tell nobody but God" is from the book The Color Purple. Again, I don't own The Color Purple, it belongs to Alice Walker and not me, I just borrowed the quote because the challenge required it to be in the story.
Response to Guest review (There was no need to call me names when you pointed that out, dear guest. I hope that, if you ever read this again-if you ever did in the first place-, that you will be satisfied with this second disclaimer. For what it's worth, I apologize for the fact that you thought I was stealing the line; that was not what I was trying to do-especially since I didn't know where the line came from, I only knew that the challenge specified that the phrase be used in the story so that's what I did. I also forgive you for the derogatory name you called me and I wish you all the best in your life. :)*
Enjoy and let me know what you think (but, please, no flames: this is fanfiction and not a fireplace)! ~ Knowing Grace
O Romeo...?
By Knowing Grace
"You better not never tell nobody but God."* He hissed, his blue eyes blazing at me and I felt my back slam into the side of the barn. It took me a few minutes to answer him since the wind had been knocked out of my body.
"O...Okay...Hoss...I won't tell...nobody that you're—" A big hand clamped down over my mouth muffling my words.
"Dadblastit, Little Joe! What'd I jist tell ya?" I could detect a bit of red creeping up his neck towards his cheeks and I knew I'd have to tread very carefully since I didn't want to end up with my head stoved in.
"Mmmff...mmmff...mmmff." My mumblings must have reassured him because he let go of me. I drew in a huge breath and let it out slowly. Peering up at my older brother, I resisted the urge to laugh at him out right. He stood there with the most dignified expression's on his face, but that was the only thing serious about him. He was dressed in some type of poofy pants that ended just above his knees, green tights and a mushroom looking hat with a red feather poking out of the top.
"Now git! I need ta practice for the play. I only got til next week afore the school puts it on an' the teacher wasn't able ta find no one else to play Romeo."
"Sure...I'm going! I'm going!" I replied raising my hands in a gesture of surrender. I turned and moved around the corner of the building, but my curiosity got the better of me and I peaked back around for a second. He'd struck up a ridiculous pose and started reading from a tattered book in his paw.
"O! she doth teach the torches ta burn bright!" He said dramatically. At that instant I decided it would be in my best interest to leave as fast as I possibly could before I exploded into a fit of giggles. Shaking my head, I nearly ran back to the house, slamming the door behind me in my haste.
"Joseph! How many times must I tell you not to do that!" My father groused at me, pinning me to the wall with one of his famous glares from his favorite red leather chair.
"Sorry." I murmured. I'd about reached the steps when I turned back.
"Hey, Pa?"
"Mmm?"
"I think Hoss is really stuck on that new school marm, Viola Kirby." His eyes met mine.
"Oh? Why do you think that?" He asked.
"Shakespeare." I replied and jogged my way up to the second story, leaving my father to stare after me as if I'd gone mad. As I headed towards my room, Adam poked his head out of his bedroom.
"Hey, Joe, have you seen my copy of Romeo and Juliet?" I cringed.
"Brother, you don't wanna know."
~Finis