Readers; this is a fairytale fantasy I have written in response to a challenge from a friend. I did not plan on throwing in so many fairyland creatures, movie land characters, and mythological deities that I would be forced to do copious research; so much so that I have added a References list at the end. And, speaking of "The End", please forgive me because I did not intend to make my story so lengthy that the ending is such a long damn ways (8000+ words) away!
*
Pussies and Boots: A Piece of Fairy Tail
Colonial America 1760
King George Highway
(Prologue) Beggars and Bastards
"Kind Sir, may I have a penny for a penny-loaf of bread?" the young man asked. He hung is head in humble surrender hoping against hope he would not receive rebuke.
Little chance had he. "Get the hell away from our table, beggar boy!" my eldest brother did indeed reproach. "There is nothing more I detest than beggars!"
My other brother objected, "Now, now, Edgar, let's not forget our manners! Without beggars, who would we have to lick our boots? Boy, lick them spit-clean and you will have your bread."
My two older stepbrothers were often wickedly evil. As they laughed in gleeful merriment, I could tell the young man was sorely tempted to do the humiliating deed anyways. Hunger was most likely gnawing at his gut. Times were hard and many faced hardships aplenty. If my eyes were any judge, this youngster had experienced more than his share. His body fit his outer clothing as if it was emaciated or the clothing was made for a bigger man. Whatever hair he had was tucked under a tight-fitting, wide-brimmed woodsman's hat. His face, well for some reason, I thought his face had sort of an effeminate look! I don't swing that way, but if I did, I would say the young man was pretty. I would guess his age to be eighteen or so. This would make him much younger than my own age of thirty, which came as of this very day.
The youngster finally relented and threw away all pride. He dropped to his knees and reached for my brother's outstretched boot. As he bent to lick it, an old, dingy-white, longhaired alley cat hissed beside him. "I have no choice," the young man explained to the cat.
He 'explained' to the cat? Damn, people don't explain reasoning and consequences to animals! Okay, yes, I did have a dog I talked to when I was a boy, but that was different. While petting the old cat's head, I took a penny from my pocket and flipped it toward the penniless lad. Just for the heck of it, I threw out a penny more. Little was I prepared for, but the furry feline kissed my hand then sat up and quizzically stared at me. "I know you surely can spare a penny or two more, Sir," the old pussycat simply stated. "And Sir, she...HE has so little!"
What the hell! "What did you say?" I asked the cat. What did it say? Am I going bonkers, cats don't SAY anything!
"Little brother, are you daft?" Edgar and Allan teased. "Talking to a godless, unspeaking creature is a sign of the devil at work. If we tell our father's solicitor this you may find yourself cut from the dearly departed old man's will!"
The two were almost drooling with the thought of cheating me out of my inheritance. Father had died and we were on the way to his grand estate to hear the will. If those brothers of mine had their way, I would indeed end up with nothing but a pittance. Edgar and Allan were the kind of men who nearly made me ashamed to carry the last name of Poe. So just to bedevil the two, I withdrew a silver dollar from my pocket and tossed it to the wide-eyed lad on his knees.
Suddenly, the old pussycat sprang from the floor and landed on my shoulder. Quick as a wink, she kissed my cheek, whispered "thank you" in my ear, and then jumped astride my brother's boot where she proceeded to wet it with about a cupful of cat piss. Enraged, the man kicked with both feet, but the mischievous feline was just too quick for him.
"Goddamnit!" he ranted and raved. "Raven, I blame you for this affront! You will get your comeuppance soon enough!"
As much as I wanted to laugh, I didn't. No sense in adding fuel to his fire. I smiled as the spry old cat ran away. The lad sprang up from his knees with his bounty of coins. It was then I noticed his boots. His clothing might be dirty, tattered, and ill-fitting, but his boots were shinning with a spit-polish sheen. They matched neither of my brothers' fancy-dandy pairs of custom shoeboots, but they did match my own functional leather Captain's Cavalry footwear.
(Part 1) Titties and Fornicating Beasts
Before I could question him, the young man slipped away. Edgar and Allan made speedy arrangements for the night with the innkeeper for the only two good rooms. This left me with only a quilted pallet on the attic floor. I made no fuss. Instead, I busied my mind with pondering the mystery of the lad's leather boots. From the corner of my eye, I saw the boy kneel by the fireplace with a plateful of food. He had a separate plateful for the old pussycat.