Part 4 (2/2)
Jack clenched his jaw. I'll be my own man, he thought.
”Happy birthday,” said his father.
The sun was just beginning to filter through the black pines and a rooster was crowing his head off on a nearby farm and the ragwort and the heather were rustling against each other in the wind when Jack led Milky off of his father's land and onto the road. He was taking Milky to market all by himself.
Jack and the cow walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. Milky lowed from time to time, which made Jack sad, but he just kept telling himself, ”Today you become your own man. Happy birthday. Today you become your own man. Happy birthday. Today you become your own man . . .”
As Jack got closer to town, he saw many people on the road: a woman with geese all around her, honking and flapping; a man with a crooked back carrying broomsticks as crooked as he was; a tanner with stiff brown hides clacking with each step.
As the tanner pa.s.sed by, he eyed Milky. He slowed his pace. He nodded at Jack.
Little Jack saw what he was carrying and jerked his head away.
Those were cow skins.
The tanner shrugged and walked on ahead.
Jack kept moving toward the market. After a while, he heard a strange sound behind him. It was like a rattling and a clunking and a shouting all at once. It was coming from down the road. Jack turned and looked.
He could only see a cloud of dust. But he could hear the shouting more clearly now: ”Potions, elixirs, snake oil, gin!
Tell me what ails you and give me a min . . . ute.”
And then, out of the cloud of dust, emerged a broken-down cart with faded banners and rattling gla.s.s bottles on a hundred tiny shelves.
”Potions, elixirs, snake oil, gin!
Tell me what ails you and give me a min . . . ute.”
Jack turned and stared at the wreck of a cart. In the driver's seat sat a greasy man with a long black ponytail. He wore a flowing, floral s.h.i.+rt, faded from the sun and the dust of the road. His face was round like a baby's, and his eyes were pale blue.
”Potions, elixirs, snake oil, gin!
Tell me what ails you and give me a min . . . ute.”
He's not very good at rhyming, thought Jack.
And then, Jack saw, behind the cart, a group of boys from the village, pointing and laughing. They chanted, ”Potions! elixirs! snake oil! p.i.s.s!
Trade with this nut and your money you'll miss!”
Jack thought, That's better.
And then Jack saw who led the band of chanting, taunting children. Marie.
”Potions! elixirs! snake oil! p.i.s.s!
Trade with this nut and your money you'll miss!”
The boys laughed and laughed, and Marie threw his head back and shouted it at the top of his lungs. The man in the cart didn't seem to notice.
The hulking, jerking cart pulled up beside Jack and Milky, and the man leaned out. He smiled at Jack. He was missing many teeth. ”You're not selling that cow, are you?”
Jack shook his head no.
But the man grinned. ”How much are you asking?”
The boys stopped chanting. Jack could feel Marie's gaze on him.
Be your own man, Jack thought. And then he said, ”Five gold.”
The boys began to laugh. ”For that sack o' bones?” Marie bellowed.
The ponytailed man jumped down from his cart. He slapped Milky's side. ”She give milk anymore?”
”No,” said Jack. And then he thought, I probably should have said yes.
”Hmm. No milk. Scrawny as an old broom. And a hide like this wouldn't go for half a piece.” He grinned at little Jack. ”Tell you what I'll do. n.o.body at market'll pay a penny for this cow. She'll cost more to feed than she'll ever pay out; that's why you're selling her, I reckon.” The man looked knowingly at Jack.
Jack shrugged.
”Thought so,” leered the man with his oily, gap-toothed smile. ”So I'll give you a swap instead. It's a good swap.”
Jack held on to Milky's neck and narrowed his eyes. Marie and the other children gathered closer, grinning at one another.
The man announced, ”I'll swap my finest magic bean for this poor beast.”
There was silence on the long, dusty road.
Then someone suppressed a snicker.
The man leaned in close to Jack and said, ”I tell ya, this bean will produce a beanstalk that'll grow straight to the sky. All you've got to do is plant it and tend it.”
One of the village boys laughed out loud.
Jack was about to tell the man no-and then Marie said, ”That's not a bad deal.”
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