HUCKLEBERRY FINN
Place: The Mississippi Valley
Time: Forty to fifty years ago
You do not know about me. You only know me if you read a book called The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But that is not important. Mr. Mark Twain wrote that book. Mr. Mark Twain told the truth, mostly. Sometimes Mr. Mark Twain told stretchers (small lies that make a story more exciting). But mostly Mr. Mark Twain told the truth.
Everybody tells a lie sometimes. Aunt Polly, Mary, and the Widow Douglas are in that other book. That book is mostly a true book. I told you before that there are some lies in it.
The other book ends in a special way. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn found money in a cave. Robbers hid the gold money there. This made us very rich. Each boy got six thousand dollars. It was a very large pile of gold.
Judge Thatcher took the money. Judge Thatcher put the money in a bank to get interest (extra money that a bank pays you). Now each boy got one dollar every day. This was a lot of money for a boy.
The Widow Douglas took Huckleberry Finn to her house. The Widow Douglas wanted Huckleberry Finn to be her son. She wanted to civilize (teach a person to have good manners and obey rules) me. But it was hard to live in a house all the time.
The Widow Douglas was very regular and clean in all her ways. I could not stay there. One day, I left the house. I put on my old, dirty clothes. I lived in my sugar-hogshead (a very large wooden barrel) again. I felt free and happy.
But Tom Sawyer found Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer said he wanted to start a group of robbers. Tom Sawyer said I could join the group. But I must go back to the Widow Douglas. I must be a good boy. So Huckleberry Finn went back.
The Widow Douglas cried when she saw Huckleberry Finn. The Widow Douglas called me a poor lost lamb. The Widow Douglas did not want to be mean. She put the new clothes on Huckleberry Finn again. I felt very hot and tight in those clothes.
Then the old life started again. The Widow Douglas rang a bell for supper. I had to come to the table at the right time. I could not start eating immediately. I had to wait for the Widow Douglas.
The Widow Douglas put her head down. She said a prayer over the victuals (an old word for food). There was nothing wrong with the food. But the Widow Douglas cooked everything by itself. I like food mixed together in a barrel. Then the juices mix and the food tastes better.
After supper, the Widow Douglas got her book. She taught Huckleberry Finn about Moses. I wanted to know everything about Moses. But then the Widow Douglas said that Moses was dead. He died a long time ago.
I did not care about Moses after that. I do not care about dead people. I wanted to smoke a pipe. I asked the Widow Douglas for permission. But the Widow Douglas said no.
The Widow Douglas said smoking was a bad and dirty habit. She said I must stop smoking. Some people are like that. They hate things when they do not understand them.
The Widow Douglas talked about Moses for a long time. Moses was not her family and Moses was dead. But the Widow Douglas was angry at Huckleberry Finn for smoking. Smoking is a good thing to do. Also, the Widow Douglas took snuff (tobacco that a person sniffs through the nose). That was okay because she did it herself.
The sister of the Widow Douglas came to live with her. Her name was Miss Watson. Miss Watson was a thin woman. Miss Watson wore goggles (an old word for glasses). Miss Watson tried to teach Huckleberry Finn how to spell.
Miss Watson worked with me for one hour. Then the Widow Douglas told Miss Watson to stop. I was very tired and bored. I could not sit still. Miss Watson said many things to me.
Miss Watson said, "Do not put your feet there, Huckleberry." She said, "Sit up straight, Huckleberry." She said, "Do not yawn and stretch, Huckleberry. Try to behave."
Then Miss Watson told me about the bad place. Miss Watson meant Hell (a place where bad people go after they die). I said I wanted to go there. Miss Watson got very angry. But I did not want to be mean.
I only wanted to go somewhere else. I wanted a change. I did not care where I went. Miss Watson said it was a wicked thing to say. Miss Watson said she wanted to go to the good place.
Miss Watson meant Heaven (a place where good people go after they die). I did not want to go where Miss Watson was going. I decided not to try for the good place. But I did not tell Miss Watson. It would only cause trouble.
Miss Watson told me all about the good place. She said people just walk around all day. She said people play a harp (a large musical instrument with many strings) and sing forever. I did not think that was a good life.
I asked Miss Watson a question. I asked if Tom Sawyer would go to the good place. Miss Watson said no. Miss Watson said Tom Sawyer would not go there at all. I was very happy about that. I wanted Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn to be together.
Miss Watson continued to talk to me. It was very lonely and boring. Then the servants came into the room. Everyone said prayers together. After the prayers, everyone went to bed.
I went to my room with a small candle. I put the candle on the table. I sat in a chair by the window. I tried to think about happy things. But I could not do it.
I felt very lonely. I almost wanted to die. The stars were bright. The leaves in the woods made a sad sound. I heard an owl (a bird that hunts at night) far away. It made a sound about someone who was dead.
I heard a bird and a dog crying. They were crying about someone who was going to die soon. The wind tried to whisper something to me. I could not understand the wind. This gave me the shivers (when your body shakes because you are cold or afraid).
Then I heard a sound in the woods. It sounded like a ghost (the spirit of a dead person). The ghost wanted to say something. But the ghost could not speak. So the ghost could not rest in its grave.
I was very sad and scared. I wanted someone to be with me. Then a spider crawled on my shoulder. I hit the spider and it fell into the candle flame. The spider burned before I could help it.
I was very afraid now. Killing a spider is a very bad omen (a sign of bad luck in the future). I shook with fear. I got up and turned around three times. I crossed my chest three times.
I tied a small piece of my hair with a thread. People do this to keep witches (people with magic powers who do bad things) away. But I was still scared. People do these things when they lose a horseshoe. I did not know if these things worked for a dead spider.
I sat down again. My body was shaking. I took out my pipe to smoke. The house was very quiet. The Widow Douglas would not know I was smoking.
A long time passed. I heard the clock in the town far away. The clock hit the bell twelve times. It was midnight. Everything was quiet again.
Then I heard a sound in the dark trees. A small branch broke. Something was moving. I sat very still and listened. I heard a soft "me-yow! me-yow!"
That was a good sound! I said "me-yow! me-yow!" very softly. I put out my candle. I climbed out of the window onto the roof of the shed.
I slipped down to the ground. I crawled into the trees. Tom Sawyer was waiting there for me.