Author's Note: Hello, friends! Thank you SO much for your patience! The good news is that I have TWO chapters written. So I will post this one now, and then the next one will be up on Wednesday. Thanks again for sticking with me - I truly appreciate it!
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The next morning, Alain was up at the crack of dawn. It was Monday, so he needed to get all the chores done early in time to head out for full day of work at the gunsmith's. He felt exhausted just thinking about it.
He headed to the stable...and to his surprise, saw the horses already munching contentedly on their oats. Mimi was standing on a stool, brushing her horse with a curry comb. She smiled brightly when she saw him. "Good morning!"
"You fed the horses?" Alain said, stunned.
"Sure!" Mimi said proudly. "Gave them water too! And now I'm grooming them."
"Thanks, Mimi," Alain said gratefully. "I mean it. That really helps me out."
Mimi beamed. It was nice to be praised instead of scolded. "Well...I felt kind of bad about yesterday," she admitted. "I mean, I promised I'd behave at church, but then I didn't. Even though it was Luc's fault!" She scowled at the memory, then shrugged. "Anyway, Grandpa talked to me at bedtime and said how hard it is for you to do everything yourself. So I thought, if you're the man of the house while Mama and Papa are away, that means I'm the woman of the house! So I should help out with the chores too. I'm not a baby like Lili - I'm almost grown up!"
"Yes, you are," Alain agreed. He patted her shoulder. "Thanks again. I'll see you at breakfast." He went to finish the rest of the chores, feeling more cheerful.
The gunsmith's was busy that day. It was the height of hunting season, and any guns that broke or became damaged needed to be repaired as quickly as possible. But Alain found that he was grateful for the work. Focusing on his task was a welcome distraction from his worries. Unlike the situation of his missing brother, which made him feel helpless, a defective rifle was a problem that he could actually tackle and solve. He became so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice the hours pass.
In the afternoon, the door suddenly banged open, startling Alain and Monsieur Armurier. Maurice rushed excitedly into the shop with Mimi and Lili tumbling at his heels.
"What is it?" Alain asked, his heart pounding as he came toward them. "What's happened?"
Lili yelled happily, "We got a letter from Mama and Papa!"
"They know where Georges is and they're gonna get him!" Mimi joined in.
Maurice was smiling broadly. "Here, read for yourself!" he said, holding out the letter to Alain.
Alain practically snatched it out of his hand and read quickly.
Dear Maurice, Alain, Mimi, and Lili,
We have good news! We spoke to an innkeeper who saw Georges! He said that Georges is fine, but that he missed the coach and got a ride to Paris with some friendly troubadours who are traveling that way. What an exciting story he will have to tell us all when he gets home!
Since we don't know what route the troubadours are taking, we are going to go to Paris ourselves and catch up with Georges there. Unfortunately, this means that we won't be back home for at least 10 days, possibly even two weeks. We are so sorry to leave you alone for so long! We never expected to be gone this long. But we have to get Georges, and this is the only way.
Alain, please explain the situation to the butcher, the baker, and the other storekeepers. Tell them to give you whatever food or supplies you need and to put it on our account. We will pay them in full as soon as we return.
Mimi and Lili, I hope you are behaving well and making things as easy as possible for Grandpa and Alain. It is a lot of work to be in charge of the household and to take care of everything, so please pitch in as much as you can and do what they say without complaining!
But the most important thing to know is that Georges is fine and we are fine, and we are going to get him and return home as soon as we can!
We love you and miss you all so very much, and can't wait to be back with you! There will be lots of hugs and bedtime stories then! We promise!
Love,
Mama and Papa
Alain sagged with relief. Thank God! He could handle anything, now that he knew his brother was alive and safe! That was all that mattered.
He was also grateful for his parents' instruction to ask the storekeepers for supplies on credit. Before, he hadn't wanted to ask anyone for help, fearing that he would be letting his parents down by not managing everything on his own. But now, they were telling him to do exactly that! That made it all right. It was a tremendous load off his mind. The world suddenly looked a whole lot brighter.
Overjoyed, he spontaneously hugged Maurice, almost lifting the little old man off his feet. Then, laughing aloud in sheer relief, he took his sisters' hands and spun them around and around in a joyful dance. "Mama and Papa are coming home!" he told them, and they gleefully shouted the words over and over in singsong voices, giggling. They weren't used to seeing their oh-so-serious brother acting so silly.
Then, realizing that his employer was watching, Alain abruptly stopped, reddening in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Monsieur Armurier," he said sheepishly. "I'll get right back to work!"
Monsieur Armurier smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "It's all right. I'm very glad your brother is all right! Tell you what: take the rest of the day off and be with your family."
"Really?" Alain said in astonishment. "Are you sure? There's so much work to be done..."
"Don't worry about it," Monsieur Armurier said, putting a hand on Alain's shoulder. "I must tell you, I've been very impressed with you this past week, Alain. Anyone else would have asked for time off, with your family troubles. But you've been here on time every single day, completely focused on your work, not letting anything distract you, getting everything done with no mistakes. You're a very responsible young man and a hard worker, and I respect that. You've more than earned an afternoon off. But be back bright and early tomorrow morning!" he added quickly, not wanting to seem like a pushover.
Alain smiled. "Thank you, sir!" he said gratefully. "I will."
As they left the shop, Alain said to Maurice, "We should tell everyone the news! They've all been asking about Georges." He ran into the church, climbed up to the steeple, and rang the bell.
Immediately the villagers hurried into the town square, anxious to see what was happening. Aside from Sunday prayers, the church bell was usually rung only in emergencies.
Alain came out and addressed the crowd. "Hello, everyone. Thanks for coming. Don't worry, everything is fine! We just got a letter from my parents, and since you've all been so kind asking about my brother, I thought you'd want to know. My parents said they haven't caught up to Georges yet, but they DID meet an innkeeper who saw him. The innkeeper said that Georges was fine, and that he got a ride to Paris with some troubadours. So they're going to Paris to find him there and bring him home. But the main thing is that Georges is all right, and they know where he's going. So they'll have him back home soon."
"Oh, thank goodness!" said Amelie. The other villagers all nodded in agreement, buzzing about the news.
In the crowd, Suzette was overjoyed. What wonderful news! she thought. Georges is so young - I'm glad nothing bad happened to him out there all by himself. They must all be so relieved!
Lefou said, "Wow, Paris is far! That's gonna take them a long time, won't it? Do you need anything while they're gone? We could bring over some food from our farm if you want."
"Thank you," Alain said gratefully. "Actually, my folks mentioned that in the letter." He looked at the butcher and the baker, who were standing together. "They said if you could please give us whatever food and things we need, and put it on their account, they'll pay you as soon as they get back."
"Of course!" the baker said immediately, as the butcher nodded in agreement. "Anything for Gaston and Belle!"
Alain smiled. "Thanks for your support, everyone. We appreciate it! And I know my parents will be very grateful too." He suddenly thought of something. "Oh! While I'm here...I'd like to thank whoever left that apple pie on our doorstep last night. It was delicious! Thank you very much!"
Suzette's cheeks reddened at the comment. She hoped her mother didn't notice. Inside, her heart was singing. He liked the pie! It made them happy! She was overjoyed.
Alain thanked the crowd again and left with his family. Suzette turned to her mother. "Isn't it wonderful, Mama? Georges is all right!"
"Yes, it is wonderful," Bunny agreed. "That means that as soon as Belle and Gaston come home, we can get back to our plan! We can invite Alain to dinner, just like you wanted. We should start planning that now...I have some ideas to make him want you even more..."
Suzette sighed, a little exasperated. Sometimes she wished her mother wasn't SO single-minded. She was just glad that Georges was all right and hadn't met with tragedy, and that Alain and his family were happy now. That was all she could think about at the moment.
When Alain and his family got home, Mimi said, "Hey, is there more of that pie left? It really was good."
"Yes, there's a few slices left," Alain said. "We can have it now."
As they sat at the table, Lili said, "I wonder who sent it? It's a big mystery, isn't it, Alain?"
He smiled. "It sure is, Lili. But whoever it was, they were very nice to do it!" Happily , they all enjoyed the dessert.
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Over the next few days, the troubadours continued making their way toward Paris. Georges helped out as much as he could, fetching and carrying, and pitching in to set up and break down the campsite each night and morning. They thanked him, but Georges felt that he wasn't doing enough. He was deeply grateful to Hugues and his family for taking him along, and wished he could find some way to repay them for their kindness.
One night around the campfire, listening to Léon strumming his wistful, mournful tune and trying to come up with words for it, Georges suddenly had an inspiration. Maybe I can write words for Léon's song! he thought excitedly. I AM a writer, after all. And a song is kind of like a poem, isn't it? Thrilled by the idea, he listened closely to the tune, and hummed it to himself over and over until he had it memorized.
The next day, as the wagon rolled along and the others napped, Georges took out some paper from his pack and thought about the song. It's a sad tune, so it needs sad words, he thought. And Léon's songs always tell a story. So...it has to be a story in rhyme...
What was a sad thing to write about? He chewed on the end of the quill as he pondered the question. Writers should write about what they know, he remembered. So...what makes ME sad? Immediately he thought of his own homesickness and how much he missed his family. Inspired, he began to pour his feelings out on the page.
Then he realized, Léon's songs usually have love and romance in them. So I should get that in there too...somehow. That would be a challenge. He was only 12 and knew nothing of love except what was in books. He frowned, trying to figure out what to write.
Then he thought, Wait – I can just add it on to what I already have! I'll say the guy in the song misses his family AND a girl! Determinedly, he wrote all afternoon, crossing out and revising, not even noticing the time passing until the sun went down and it was too dark to write anymore.
That night at the campfire, Georges shyly said to Léon, "You've all been so nice to me, I wanted to do something to help out...so I wrote some words for the song you've been playing." He held out the paper to Léon.
"Really?" Léon said in surprise. "Well, thank you, Georges!" He took the paper and read it to himself by firelight.
Georges watched nervously as Léon read. The performer's brow was furrowed in concentration. Georges couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. Georges blurted out, "You don't have to use it! I mean, I don't know if it's any good or not – I never wrote a song before, only poems and stories. It's okay if you don't like it! I won't mind."
Léon looked up from the paper and grinned. "You're too modest, Georges. This is great - it's just the kind of thing I needed for that tune. You're really talented!"
"Don't keep us in suspense!" Belda chided. "Come on. Let's hear what Georges wrote!"
"Sure," Léon said, picking up his guitar.
Georges reddened in embarrassment, feeling self-conscious. "Oh, don't play it now!" he said hastily. "You can just let them read it from the paper."
Léon laughed. "Don't be silly! I need to hear how it sounds when I sing it. And if we do decide to use it, lots of people are going to be hearing it, so get used to it." With his eyes on the paper, he strummed the guitar and began to sing. The others listened with rapt attention.
"I longed for adventure, I longed to be free
To become whatever I wanted to be
I've traveled the world, I rove and I roam
But oh, how I miss my old village home
My mother, who cried so to see me go,
My father, who taught me all that I know,
My sisters sweet, with their games and toys,
And all my friends, the village boys
But most of all, the girl I left
So loving, and so bereft
She held me close and begged me to stay
But wanderlust called me and I flew away
I traveled the world, saw the Orient,
The jungles, the deserts, but wherever I went,
I was sure she would wait, no matter how long
But I was a fool, I was so wrong
She grew tired of waiting and found another
Last I heard, she's a wife and mother
And I wander still, never to find
A girl as dear as I left behind."
As the final strains faded, Belda, Amarinta, and Hugues began applauding. "Excellent, Georges!" Hugues said approvingly. "The audiences will love it!"
"Especially the girls," Amarinta said teasingly. "Léon, you sing that and give them the sad puppy dog eyes, you'll be fighting them off with a stick!"
"Ooh, I sure hope so!" Léon said, grinning.
Georges was beaming. "You really like it? You're not just saying that to be nice?"
"Yes, I really like it," Léon said sincerely. "In fact, I'm going to play it at our next show. When is that, Pop?"
"Tomorrow, if all goes well," Hugues said. "We should be reaching Châteauroux by mid-afternoon. We always do well there."
The next day, the weather was fine, and the troupe made good time, reaching Châteauroux at 2:00. The family got into their costumes and tuned up their instruments on the outskirts of town. When all was ready, the brightly-colored wagon rolled into the town square, catching the attention of passersby. Hugues jumped out and bowed to the townspeople who had already started to gather curiously. Immediately he boomed out his tried-and-true spiel: "Welcome, welcome, one and all!"..."
The troupe did their usual performance, to applause and appreciative cheers. Near the end, Georges heard Léon begin to strum the familiar chords. Georges peeked through the window. A hush had fallen on the crowd as Léon sang softly and sadly.
Georges nervously scanned the faces of the crowd, trying to gauge their reactions. He was thrilled to see that everyone looked caught up in the song. Some of the older women were dabbing at their eyes, and the younger ones looked dreamy-eyed and swoony. When the song ended, they all applauded.
Léon bowed and said, "Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the song. And now, let me introduce you to the talented young man who wrote it. Georges, come out here!"
Georges froze. He hadn't expected that. Shyly, he came out of the wagon and stood next to Léon, who said, "Amazing, isn't it? This boy is only 12 years old, but already such a talented writer who penned the song you just heard! I think he deserves a round of applause, don't you?"
The audience clapped enthusiastically. Georges felt a warm glow inside that seemed to grow and grow till it shone like the sun. He couldn't stop smiling. This was the first time in his life that his writing had been performed for total strangers...and they liked it! It was wonderful! Georges felt as if he could do anything.
The troupe finished their show with a rousing singalong. Then Hugues gave Georges a hat and told him to go among the audience collecting coins, as the others did. Many of the audience members put coins in his hand and smiled, saying "That was a lovely song you wrote!"
As the crowd dispersed, Georges brought the hat to Hugues, who waved him away. "You earned those coins, Georges. Go ahead, buy yourself something. We need to pick up some supplies as well, so you've got about an hour."
Georges happily went to browse among the marketplace stalls, a jaunty spring in his step, daydreaming about his future as a real professional writer. He was delighted to see a bookseller's stall, where he was finally able to buy a blank book. I can write down all my adventures in this! he thought happily. There was so much to write about already, he couldn't wait to begin.
Next to the bookseller's was a stall that displayed inexpensive jewelry, baubles and trinkets. Georges' eye fell on a glittery necklace with a fake purple gemstone and a matching ring. Immediately he thought, Lili would love this. He smiled as he imagined her exclaiming joyfully over the costume jewelry and preening around in it.
Unexpectedly, he missed his little sister so fiercely it made his heart ache. He thought of her back at home, wondering where he was. Does she miss me? Did she cry when I didn't come home? She's so little – she can't possibly understand why I left. Maybe she even thinks I abandoned her! He felt horrible at that thought.
Then he had an even worse thought: if I don't come home for years, will she even REMEMBER me? Will she be all grown up by the time I see her again?
Almost urgently, he bought the necklace and ring. I'll find a way to send it to her, he promised himself. With a note telling her I'll ALWAYS love her and ALWAYS be her big brother. He had a lump in his throat.
Thinking of Lili led to thoughts of Alain, who had always been his best friend and confidante as well as older brother. He was overcome with guilt, remembering that he hadn't told Alain he was leaving or even said goodbye. He wondered what Alain was doing at that moment.
Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Are you done here?" Hugues asked. "We're heading back to the wagon now – we need to get back on the road."
Georges nodded, pocketing the necklace and ring. "I'm ready," he said.
As the horse clopped along the road, he asked, "How much further is it to Paris?"
"About two days, if the weather holds up," Hugues said. Georges perked up at the news. Only two days! He was so close to achieving his goal! Once they reached Paris, he would finally begin his glorious literary education and learn to be a real writer. Professor Liseur would explain everything to his parents and somehow convince them to let him stay. Then all the sacrifices would be worth it. He just had to get to Paris, and everything would turn out all right. He was sure of it!
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Next chapter: Paris!