Through the Eyes of the Littlest Stowaway - An Original Story

Through the Eyes of the Littlelest Stowaway - An Original Story

 

Darkness enveloped her and surrounded her. The sound of footsteps and voices had awakened her from a sound sleep. She popped up, wondering where she was at first, and then she remembered and settled back down. She felt around for the half eaten homemade bread with the canteen of water that she had taken with her.

 

This wasn’t the first time that nine-year-old Annie O’Hara had run away from home, but it was the first time she had stowed away on a ship, especially one as large and beautiful as the Titanic. Annie had left the tiny apartment she shared with her aunt and walked the three blocks to the Southampton docks where the ship was berthed. Her fifteen-year-old brother, Sean, had gone to New York to accept a job offer. A whole year had gone by with no word, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

 

Annie promised that she would stay with her maiden aunt and when the time was right, he would send for them both, but she knew that would never work, and besides, she missed him terribly. 

 

Not wanting to return home, she climbed on board, looking for somewhere she could hide when she saw a lifeboat. No one had noticed and no one had been paying attention to a nine year old playing around the boats. And so she slipped in and had remained hidden in the darkness that surrounded her undisturbed for the three days.

 

She was about to peek out from under the tarp that covered the boat, when she heard voices. Two voices loud and clear, they seemed to be right next to her.

 

“You’ve got to slow this ship down, Captain. You are placing everyone in danger and putting lives at risk, including your own. We are venturing into frozen waters and you will have to contend with icebergs. This ship was not designed nor intended to see how quickly you could put in at New York Harbor.”

 

“Please, Thomas,” the other voice said. He seemed to be pleading. ‘This ship is unsinkable. If an accident should occur, the watertight doors will close. There is no chance that water can or will flood this ship. I do not intend to slow this ship down, Mr. Andrews and that’s my final word on the matter.”

“But you don’t understand Captain. I’m not so sure that all is safe. Should a disaster occur, there would never be enough lifeboats for every single passenger aboard this ship. We can’t take that chance!”

 

The voices were moving away now, but Annie had no idea what it had all meant. She tried to think about it, but the darkness and the gentle rocking of the ship made her sleepy again. 

 

A sudden jolt had woken her this time. This time the voices were louder. Annie could hear screams and a sudden rush of footsteps. This time she pushed the tarp back and saw some of the men kicking something around the deck. Why, it looked like big chunks of ice.

 

Then she heard another voice, a male voice, pleading with the passengers to put on their life jackets. They would be getting the lifeboats ready soon and wanted women and children only on deck.

Not wanting to be discovered, Annie waited until a sizeable crowd had grown. She climbed out quickly, hoping that no one would notice. She made her way through throngs of people to the first lifeboat she saw. 

 

“Come, little miss,” one of the officers called out to her. He was waving his arm, motioning her to come closer. “There is still room enough for a pretty little girl like you.”

He smiled as he reached out for Annie and placed her on the lifeboat. He looked over the crowd and decided that the half filled boat. 

 

“All right,” he called out. “Lower away.” Annie watched as the officer used his arms to direct exactly which way the boat was going. She heard a little splash as the boat connected with the freezing water. She could feel the boat pulling away now and watched until it was safely out of harms way. 

 

She remained on that lifeboat in the middle of the freezing water and watched the unsinkable Titanic slowly break apart and slip to the bottom of the Atlantic where it still lies to this day.

 

Sean O’Hara had gone to Pier 54 not knowing what to expect. He had received two telegrams. One that he had received was vague and had made little sense to him.

 

“SISTER ANNIE ON WAY TO NEW YORK HARBOR. STOP. CARPATHIA ARRIVAL CUNARD PIER 54. STOP. FATHER TIMOTHY DONNELLY.”

 

Sean knew that Annie was a wild child who ran away from the children’s home often. Aunt Mary or Sister Superior, as the other nuns referred to her, was too devoted to her chores and prayers and constantly lost track of the little devil, but one of the other sisters had followed her and confirmed what the first telegram said.

 

“ANNIE HAS RUN AWAY AGAIN. STOP. WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT SHE HAD GONE IN SEARCH OF YOU. STOP. WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED. STOP. AUNT MARY”

So to Pier 54 he came, watching and waiting for the Carpathia to put in, then wire Aunt Mary with the news. Father Timothy was a good soul, their Sunday school teacher who had been appointed Chaplin for the steamer, Carpathia. He had recognized Annie and sent the telegram to Sean as soon as he confirmed who she was. He had gotten the entire story out of her and promised to keep her secret, knowing full well she had been wrong. 

 

Just then, Sean caught sight of a liner in the distance. He had hoped that it was the Carpathia and when it slid into the pier, anxiously awaited the mass exodus from the ship. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Sean, Sean,” Annie called. She smiled, ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

 

“Annie, girl, you had us all worried. This was a great stunt you pulled this time, it was.” He pushed her away and looked into her eyes, pushing her long hair out of it. “I should send you back right now, you silly goose. Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten into?”

 

Annie looked into his eyes, a little puzzled at first, but realized that he had been smiling. Then she started to cry. 

 

“My little love,” he whispered, taking her into his arms. “You will stay here with me in America now. No turning back.” Sean smiled and bent down to dry her tears.

 

“Come, let me show you what I call home. It’s a small flat that I share with another boy right now, but it will get better.”

 

Sean took her hand and smiled at her. “Come let’s go. Our future awaits.”

 

Into the Mind of a Stalker Original story

Into the Mind of a Stalker

 

 

An original story by Susan

 

He stands alone, stock still, In the middle of a small field in the park, watching, scanning the immediate vicinity, waiting for something to catch his eye.

 

He stands with a quiet grace and determination, while maintaining a cool, innocent appearance, never giving away the secret of his intentions.

 

Suddenly, he moves his head, his attention drawn elsewhere. There stood the one he had been waiting for, less than two feet away. He watched intently for a while, sizing up his victim before he makes his move.

 

With bold steps, he begins to advance, moving slowly and stealthily with strong movements and quick reflexes. He moves through the brush ever so quietly so as not to startle his intended target. From time to time, he will hear something and he stops to look around before proceeding.

 

He tries to disappear into his surroundings, become one with the land, so to speak, but he is not careful enough, for his victim sees him. For one brief moment, he loses sight of his target.

 

Now he is on the move again, slowly changing direction with the intention of trapping and holding his prey. He is still advancing, moving toward his victim, slowly, slowly, and ever so slowly….

 

Suddenly he stops and stares. His victim, unaware that he is much closer, is walking toward him, not suspecting anything.

 

When he feels that he is the closest he can get, he pounces and he catches his prey, never once letting go. With one bold stroke, he strangles his target leaving them on the ground, unmoving.

 

He stares at it, wondering what to do next when he spies another potential victim coming toward him. There is no stalking this time. With a pounce he leaps, but his target is too fast for him and this time he is unsuccessful.

 

Perhaps next time he will not fail in his actions for a predator always finds his prey.

 

The cat yawns and stretches out and calmly walks to the center of a grassy hill. The sun is hot and he lies down on the cool green grass, licking his paws.

 

It feels good to relax for a moment, free of the day’s worries. He falls asleep, dreaming of the next time he will be silently stalking his prey.

A Friend in Need A Little House fanfic

Story takes place right after Back to School, Part 2. Laura and Almanzo find that themselves attracted to other people, but will those relationships work out? And will Laura and Almanzo remain friends? A one shot.

 

A Friend in Need

"You should go and apologize to that boy," Caroline said, as she ushered Charles into the kitchen. It was the only place the two of them could talk quietly without the other children hearing.

Charles shook his head. "Come on, Caroline. How did it look to you? She was in his robe and he kissed her. What was I supposed to think?"

Caroline smiled and shook her head. "He only kissed her on her forehead, Charles."

"And you believe that?"

Caroline frowned. "Since when do you believe any of the Olesons, especially Nellie.

When he didn't answer, she continued.

"Charles, listen. I understand how it must have looked, but…"

He frowned. "Don't you think it's a little strange? A grown man and a…."

She crossed her arms and stared at him. "I guess it seems a little odd, even to me. But Laura was right. He was just being nice." She sighed and shook her head. "You lost your temper as usual, Charles. She tried to tell you happened, but of course..."

Charles nodded. "Yeah, I know. I acted in haste." He hung his head. "Where is she?"

Caroline smiled and shook her head. "In the loft, crying."

He smiled. "Maybe I should…"

Caroline shook her head. "No, I'll talk to her. You go outside and cool off. I'll send her out."

And so she did. Laura came out with a tackle box and a fishing rod and walked to the footbridge where they sat by the lake. Laura explained everything this time and everything straightened itself out.

At least for the rest of that afternoon, that is. There was still tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Almanzo and Eliza Jane stopped by the Ingalls' place to deliver Laura's clothes and to pick up his robe. He had hoped that they would be able to drive her to school, but was disappointed to learn that she had already left with Albert.

As soon as he climbed back onto the buckboard, Eliza noticed how upset Almanzo was.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Mr. Ingalls wasn't home," Almanzo told her. "Mrs. Ingalls explained that he's down by the mill. He's been keeping track of the accounts ever since he broke his arm. I'll go over to see him on my lunch break. "

But Almanzo was busy on his lunch break. A very pretty woman with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes came by to introduce her cousin, one Clarence Brown, to him. Almanzo had never noticed Ginny Brown before, even if she was closer to his age than Laura. She was very pretty, but he had no feelings one way or another. He wasn't even sure they had anything in common.

Almanzo looked up at her, focusing on her big blue eyes. They caught his attention if nothing else. He listened as she droned on about how her cousin would be here for a while before he joined his parents in Minneapolis where he would begin his last year of school.

He smiled and nodded, all the while wondering if he should ask her out. Why not? She was pretty enough. There was no one else, was there? The only two women he had met so far were Beth and Nellie.

And Beth, well, Beth was young, too young and Nellie, well, although she was older than Beth, there were too many differences. She acted like a child. Now Beth was beautiful in her own way, she was a go getter, loved horses and loved her personality and confidence. Now Beth would make a…

He closed his eyes. He couldn't stop thinking about her, could he?

"Cal? You okay?"

Almanzo opened his eyes and looked at Ginny. She was looking at her cousin whose focus now was on someone walking up the road headed toward them.

He turned his gaze to that someone and discovered that someone that Clarence was looking at was Laura Ingalls.

XXXXXXXXXX

Laura almost stopped when she saw Ginny Brown talking with Almanzo Wilder. Miss Wilder explained to Laura that they had delivered her dress to her mother earlier that morning and she wanted to thank him for dropping it off at the house. She was a little afraid when she saw Ginny, but she decided to anyway. There was a new boy in town, a good looking boy that Ginny was introducing to everyone.

As she got closer, Laura noticed the new boy staring at her with a smile on his face. He didn't look much older than her. Yes, he was handsome, but she had no interest in him whatsoever. At least she didn't think so.

"Hello, pretty lady," Clarence said, watching her. He was making her nervous.

She smiled back. "You must be Ginny's cousin, then. I've heard so much about you."

"And you must be Laura Ingalls," Clarence said, smiling wider. "I didn't realize that you would be so pretty."

She looked over at Almanzo who had lifted his head. All of a sudden he was interested in the goings on.

Smiling, Laura turned to face Clarence.

"Thank you," she said, taking one last glance at Almanzo. "Well, I have to get back to school."

Ginny turned. "Do you mind if we follow you Laura? I was just about to take Cal there. I was going to introduce him to the new teacher. He'll need to go to school until his family is sends for him."

The two of them fell into line with Laura as she headed back toward the schoolhouse, all the while with the two of them talking her ear off.

Laura did turn around to take one last look at Almanzo who was still looking at her, wide eyed and frowning.

XXXXXXXXXX

Almanzo sat by the footbridge in the clearing, watching the water of Plum Creek swiftly move past him. It was late on a Sunday afternoon and dusk was fast approaching. Almanzo estimated three more hours and it would be completely dark. He couldn't believe how angry and hurt he was feeling. It was over between him and Ginny. Three dates and that was all. Oh, yeah, she was pretty and those big blue eyes were tempting, but that's all they were. There were no brains behind it. She was scared of everything, insects mostly, but horses?

Maybe she was right to feel the way she did. Skip was the quietest horse he had. He didn't understand why Ginny wouldn't want to see again. She had stormed out of the buggy proclaiming that he drove too fast and didn't want to get into accident. Ginny had had enough of his recklessness.

It was all over town that Almanzo loved to speed. He thought driving was a race, at least that's what the local gossip was. They said that about him back home too. But Almanzo loved to drive and drive fast. He loved to feel the wind in his hair as he drove his Morgan horses. He had trained Skip himself and he had done a great job. He had come as part of team; Barnum was the name of the other one and boy, was he a handful. No matter what Almanzo did or how hard he tried, Barnum just wouldn't listen or learn.

It wasn't that Barnum couldn't be tamed. Sometimes he was gentle, but more often than not, he was a stubborn and wild. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. And he couldn't get him to walk at all.

But Almanzo was confident that Barnum would be broken in. He was certain of it. It was only a matter of time.

And then there was Ginny. Well, forget about her, there were other girls in Walnut Grove. He had noticed Brenda Sue Longworth and she had visited the Feed and Seed a number of times. They had spoken about music and she could sing. Well, at least they had that much in common.

He heard something in the woods; there was a rustling in leaves. Someone was walking and he sat up straighter. A slow smile came to his lips. He recognized those footsteps. He had heard them before.

XXXXXXXXX

Laura was angry and hurt. Clarence wasn't who she thought he was. He didn't like anything that boys normally liked. He didn't want to go fishing, in fact, he was afraid of the worms. He didn't want to play baseball and he was afraid of bugs. Most of all, he wasn't an animal lover and he didn't like horses. All he wanted to do was sit by the footbridge and talk. And boy, could he talk and talk and talk. It was boring and it was getting on her nerves. She loved picnics and hiking in the woods. She loved fishing and collecting bugs and leaves. But, most of all, Laura loved horses. She longed to ride in a buggy at breakneck speed. She wanted to feel the wind in hair as she drove them across the prairie. That's all she dreamed of.

So she told Clarence off. She couldn't stand the talking anymore. There were other boys out there and the one she set her sights on was Almanzo Wilder. She would get him to notice her one way or another. He would see her as a grown woman one day. And she wouldn't give up until he did.

The last thing in the world she expected to see was Almanzo sitting on the footbridge looking as if he had lost his best friend.

XXXXXXXXX

Almanzo stood up to greet her.

"Hi Manly, what are you doing here? Clarence told me that you and Ginny…."

Almanzo lost his smile and shook his head. "Didn't work out, Beth. What about you and Clarence? The two of you were getting along great."

Laura shook her head. "All he wants to do is talk, Almanzo. We have nothing in common at all. He doesn't like fishing or walking in the woods and is afraid of bugs. And he doesn't like horses."'

Almanzo tried to suppress a smile. "I had the same problem with Ginny." He shook his head. "I even tried talking to her, but there was nothing to talk about. She just smiles, nods her head and agrees with whatever I say. She's afraid of everything." He wanted to continue, to say that Ginny was not as clever and confident as her, but he kept quiet.

Laura looked at him and smiled. "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Almanzo smiled. He found it easy to talk to Beth and felt so comfortable with her. He couldn't understand why. She was just a kid.

"Hey, do you need a ride home? It wouldn't be out of the way and we could…" He stopped.

Laura frowned. "Is there something wrong, Manly?"

"It's your father. I don't want to upset him again. I don't want another punch in the mouth. I've been trying to speak with him for over a week now and I haven't been able to."

Laura shook her head. "I think we might be able to fix that. Pa is reasonable if you get him at the right time. "She smiled. "Come on, Manly. It's getting later every minute. I've always wanted to ride behind Skip. I've heard you trained him well. And I heard about your new horse? What's his name again?"

And the two of them walked together toward Almanzo's buggy, both talking like two old friends, neither realizing the fate awaited them. But it felt comfortable now, just being with each other and knowing that they would always be friends no matter what happened.

 

The Hobby Horse A Little House Fanfic

 Ah, Spring on the prairie.  A great time for everyone. Almanzo and Charles have their hands full between flowers and hobby horses.  Story complete in one chapter.

 The Hobby Horse

Spring had finally arrived on the Minnesota prairie and the land was filled with prairie flowers. Almanzo knew that Laura loved the roses so much that he gathered a bunch of them together and made several bouquets out of them. He had made so many more wooden vases that he didn’t know what to do with them. He had given some to Charles along with the wooden flowers, but nothing seemed to lift up Beth’s spirits than some beautiful real flowers. And he wanted to do just that. So he brought some down to the schoolhouse to surprise her.

He went during his lunch break which lately he’d been sharing with Charles. It was getting busy at the Feed and Seed and at Hanson’s Mill and Almanzo and Charles were working part time at both places to pick up the slack. Orders were coming in from everywhere.

Not only at the mill either. It seemed that Oleson's Mercantile had a demand for hobby horses and the Oleson's were looking for someone to make them. Not the rocking horse kind, Nels told them, although they might be considering that in the future. For now, the demand was for the stick version with the horse’s head attached. They knew that Almanzo and Charles were amazing woodworkers and Nels asked if it were possible to drop off some samples of their work. Almanzo agreed and brought some with him from home. But first, he wanted Beth's opinion. So he figured he drop some at the schoolhouse and some at the Mercantile.

But the flowers were the first thing on Almanzo’s mind this day, anyway. They’d discuss the horses later.

“I’ve got some real flowers this time, Charles. The prairie flowers are in bloom, especially the roses, which are Laura’s favorite. I’ve got tons of them and I thought of you.”

Charles smiled. “Why not son, but you’ll have to promise that you’ll give us a few bouquets when we join you for supper tonight.”

Almanzo smiled and nodded his head. They shook on it. "Be back in a jif," Almanzo told Charles."Going to drop those flowers off at the schoolhouse."

Just to be of the safe side, Manly looked around in every direction he could think of before entering. He wanted to make sure no one saw him coming or going.

He walked up the stairs slowly and quietly and slipped into the schoolhouse. He placed the flowers in the small wooden vase in the center of her desk making sure that she wouldn’t miss it.

He looked around for a piece of paper, something, anything he could write on, when he discovered a tablet and a pen tucked on the side of her desk. With a sly smile, Almanzo opened the tablet and ripped off a piece of the first blank paper he’d come to. He grabbed the pen, dipped it in the inkwell that sat on the desk and scrawled something on the front of it, folded the paper in half and placed it underneath the vase. He returned the tablet and the pen to its regular spot on the side of the desk. Satisfied, he picked his head up and looked around again. He moved his eyes from side to side, making doubly sure that no one was around to see him come and go.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“’From a Secret Admirer’,” Willie said, turning the letter over in his hands.

Albert smiled. “Yeah, but he added something. It’s a heart with the initials M+B in the middle.”

“You know who that is?”

“Willie, everyone knows who that is,” Albert said, as he grabbed the note out of his hands and placed it under the vase. “Let’s get out of here before Almanzo or my sister get back.”

“Hey,” Willie said, turning around. “Look at those, Albert.” He pointed to the three hobby horse samples propped up on the wall next to the blackboard.

Albert nodded. “Yeah, Almanzo and Pa have been working on them. Your father came around to ask my father if he and Almanzo would like to make them for the store. Almanzo was supposed to bring some over there this morning. Guess he forgot.” Albert picked one up, placed the horse between his legs, pretending it was a real horse.

”I can’t understand why anyone who lives on the prairie would want anything like this,” Willie said as he straddled one himself. “Not when you can have a real horse.”

“Do you have one, Willie?” Albert asked. “I don’t, not yet anyway.”

But Willie wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy jumping around on the hobby horse.

“Giddy up, horsey,” he shouted, with a wide smile on his face.

That is until he broke it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“How many hobby horses did you get done, Almanzo?” Charles asked as they pooled their work together.

“We promised the Olesons thirty of them,” Almanzo said, picking up one of the wooden horses that Charles made. He compared it with the one that he made. They were identical. “There seems to be a lot of requests for the wooden ones on a stick.”

Charles came over to look. Both were intricately carved, both of them made from one piece of wood.

“What do you think?” Almanzo asked looking up at his father in law. “Do you think that Mrs. Oleson would accept them?”

Charles nodded. “They’re good, Almanzo. And if she likes them and they sell.…”

Älmanzo smiled. “We’ll see. When are we going?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Charles said, putting the finishing touches on the one he was working on. “This is my last one.”

“I just finished my last one,” Almanzo said, holding it up. “I compared it with yours. And Charles, I hope you’re right. Oh, and I also dropped some off at the schoolhouse for Albert and Beth to look over at lunchtime.”

“I talked Mrs. Oleson into those wooden flowers you made,” Charles said, smiling. “The customers love them. They’re selling like crazy.”

“And she’s keeping most of the profits,” Almanzo said, shaking his head. “Wonder if she’ll do the same with these.”

Charles nodded, but he wasn’t paying attention, not really. He had something else on his mind.

“Speaking of flowers..."

Almanzo nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I put them on her desk, but I think I might have gone too far with the From a Secret Admirer thing.”

“Is that all you left?”

Almanzo shook his head and smiled. “I added our initials to it.”

Charles nodded and smiled. “The sooner we get this work done, the sooner we get to go home.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“If you want get back at him, Laura, I have an idea.”

“You think I should?” Laura said, staring at the paper.

“I think he can take a little joke,” Albert said, “on the other hand…..”

Laura smiled, remembering the cinnamon chicken incident two years ago. She never understood why he had forgiven her for that little stunt. Nellie never had, but you really couldn’t compare the two of them, could you?

“Nah,” she said, looking down at the letter in her hands. “I don’t think so. I’ll just talk to him and ask him later on if he was….”

“Laura?”

She picked her head up and stared in Albert’s direction, but he wasn’t looking at her.

“Where are the hobby horse samples that were here earlier?”

“You mean the ones that Almanzo and Pa are working on for the Mercantile? What would they be doing here?”

“Almanzo brought three of them into the schoolroom for some reason, but they’re gone now, maybe he came by to pick…”

And then he heard the kids outside laughing and yelling “Giddy up” and “Go horsey" and Albert knew what had happened to them. He turned to face Laura and the two ran out to stop them.

XXXXXXXXXXX

“Of course it was me, Beth” Almanzo said, looking her in eyes when he came to pick her up. “I left the initials there so that you’d know for sure.”

“Why’d you leave them there, Almanzo?”

“Just a little sample of what’s to come later and to cheer you up a bit. Your Pa has some of the excess. I made bouquets out of them. There’s so many that Percival is interested in them for centerpieces on the tables at Nellie’s.”

He wrapped her up in his arms, smiled and kissed her lightly. He released her, his arms around her shoulders this time. “Besides, I figured that you’d know right away who the secret admirer was, with or without the initials.”

“Hey brother in law,” Albert called out, “Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah, we are, except for one thing.” He turned to Laura. “I left one or two hobby horses for you and Albert to look at before your Pa and I drop them off at the Mercantile. Where are they?”

Albert looked at Laura and then back at Manly.

“Uh, Almanzo, you see…”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Well, at least we know they have to be made thicker and stronger,” Charles said, looking at Almanzo. They were outside against the corral fence of the Wilder farm. They switched places all the time, sometimes they’d have supper here, sometimes at the Ingalls' place and once in a great while, Nellie’s, but not that often.

“Maybe it was a good thing Willie grabbed them and gave them to the kids to try out,” Almanzo said. “I realized later that it wasn’t a good idea to leave them at the schoolhouse. Not too much lost there.”

“Nah,” Charles told him, lighting up his pipe. “No harm done. There’s more where those came from anyway.” He clapped Almanzo on the back. “The saving grace was those wooden flowers you made and the fresh prairie ones you picked. “

“Don’t forget those small wooden vases,” Almanzo grinned. “They’re beautiful all by themselves.”

Charles nodded. “We’ll get everything over to the Oleson’s tomorrow. “ He tapped the tobacco out of the pipe and waited for it to cool off before returning it to his pocket. “I think we did a good job, if I say so myself.”

Almanzo smiled. “I guess if Willie and the rest of the kids like them.” He looked at Charles. “Come on, Pop, dessert time. Beth’s got that apple pie you love so much.”

And they smiled at one another as Almanzo opened the door for his father in law.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Laura’s Remembrance Book

Late Spring, 1886

Even though Manly and Pa didn’t mind what Willie had done, the Olesons did, well, Mr. Oleson did until he spoke to Mrs. Oleson about how much more money they were losing with Willie’s recklessness. And not only that, but he was growing boy and eating them out of house and home.

Manly said later that it really didn’t matter how they punished any of the Oleson children, they never seemed to learn anyway.

As far as Albert was concerned, well, he got extra chores to do, which, it seemed, he didn’t mind one bit. He claimed it kept him out of trouble and this way he could get serious about furthering his education. Pa couldn’t argue with that.

As for the hobby horses, it turned out they were a big hit until a major company mass produced them and Manly and Pa couldn’t keep up with the demand. It really didn’t seem to matter who made them because the minute Willie was given a horse to play with, that was the minute it was broken.

The flowers were another matter. Manly and I started our own garden of fresh flowers where we got to pick what we wanted when we wanted, except maybe in the winter when we used the wooden flowers. To tell you the truth, I think I preferred those the best. We never had to water them or keep them up and they lasted forever. And they were just as beautiful as the real flowers that we had growing in our garden or the wild flowers that grew on the prairie.

And they were the biggest hit at the Mercantile. Even Mrs. Oleson agreed.

Authors Note:

The original hobby horse, also known as ‘stick horses’, became popular in the sixteenth century. It got its name because a fake horse’s head was attached to a stick. There were also ‘barrel horses’ so called because four wooden legs and the fake head of a horse were attached to a barrel. Later on, springs were attached to the figure of a horse to create a riding toy for children.

Rocking horses became quite popular in the 1800’s, although there have been stories that they were around much earlier. By World War I, their popularity started to decline. These days, you can still find them as antiques or as a brand new children’s toy.

Almanzo’s and Charles’ “stick horses” were made of wood from the stick to the head.

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere A Little House fanfic

 

 Almanzo wants to surprise Laura with something different and new. Almanzo comes up wooden vases and Charles suggests wooden flowers. When Almanzo shows them to Charles, he wants some as well. They try to surprise their wives with them, but things go embarrassingly wrong. A one shot. Story complete in chapter.

 

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

“Manly?  Are you almost ready?”

Almanzo looked up at the sound of his wife’s voice.  He wasn’t sure if she was coming out to the barn or not.  He was finishing up the gifts he was making to surprise Laura and Caroline.  He had mentioned it to Charles before the summer ended. 

He wanted to give Beth something new, something different, he told his father in law.  He couldn’t think of anything until he noticed a small wooden vase that he had made for Eliza Jane when they first moved to Walnut Grove two years ago. 

He was working on more of them; he had twelve of them done so far which was good. The problem was he hadn’t figured out what he could put inside them.  Beth loved prairie roses and she would fill the house with them during the summer when they bloomed.  The problem was he wanted some colorful flowers for the colder months. 

But he wasn’t sure what kind.

“What about wooden ones?” Charles suggested.   Flat ones, he told his son in law. 

“I don’t know, Charles,” Almanzo said.  “I’ve never made flowers before.”

“But you’ve seen them, haven’t you?” Charles said looking at him.  “If anyone can do, Almanzo, it’s you.”

And Almanzo had.  It was easier than he thought it would be. He had come up with tulips, thistles, daisies, even flat prairie roses.  He showed them to Charles and he loved them. He loved them so much that he wanted some to surprise Caroline with.

And so, he made extra. There were so many of them now, he couldn’t keep count anymore.  They were tucked away in a small keepsake box that he made, but had never given as….

“Almanzo?” she called again, this time the voice was closer. 

“Comin’ darlin’” he called out, looking for a cover. 

Almanzo quickly grabbed an old towel that had seen better days.  He pushed the vases down and covered them as best he could. 

“Manly,” Laura’s voice called again.  “Come on, we’re meeting my parents at Nellie’s.”

Almanzo turned toward her voice and frowned.  “I thought your Ma and Pa were comin’ here, Beth.  I thought that’s what we decided.”

“Ma and I decided that if the two of you weren’t ready that we’d go over there without you two,”   Laura said, walking into the barn.  She took one look at Manly and frowned.  “You’re not even ready yet?”

Almanzo didn’t say anything; he was staring at her, a wide smile on his face.  It was as if he was looking at her for the first time in his life.  She was wearing his favorite green suit, the one she wore at their wedding.    

“It’ll only take me a minute to change,” he walked over to her; put his arms around her shoulders, swaying her back and forth. 

He kissed her and pulled back.  “You look lovely tonight,” he told her, smiling. “Listen, do you mind if I meet you there?   You know, get us a table and order?”

Laura stared at him waiting for him to smile or make a joke about it, but he didn’t.

“Almanzo Wilder,” she said, looking at him.  “What are you up to?”

He tried not to smile. She always knows, doesn’t she?

“Nothin’” he said, “Do you see anything here?”

Laura looked at him.  She looked around carefully and she had to admit she really didn’t see anything except….

“Why is there an old towel in here?” she said, looking at the one sitting on top of Manly’s worktable.  “I thought we got rid of that musty old thing….”

“Um, Beth, if you and your Ma decided to go over there without us, why didn’t the two of you go?”

Laura looked at him, shook her head and frowned.  “You and Pa wanted us to all go together, Manly. I guess you both forgot.”

“Almanzo, Laura,” Charles called out from the barn door, with Caroline bringing up the rear.  “Is there anyone in here?   We tried the front door, but there was no….”

Laura was about to grab the towel, but Almanzo took her hands in his, but she wouldn’t let him.  In fact, she managed to get one free. 

“Charles, is Caroline with you?”  Almanzo called out, removing her hand from the towel.  He swept her up in a bear hug and then he kissed her, distracting her, hoping that she would forget all about the towel.

“Are we interrupting something?” Charles’ voice called out.  “Shouldn’t we be….”

Laura and Almanzo broke apart.  “Is Caroline here with you?” he repeated, still looking into his wife’s eyes.  He was smiling.

“She’s right here, Almanzo,” Charles answered, placing his arm around her. “Listen, if you two want to be alone….”

“No, it’s fine.  Beth was just leaving.”

“Was I?” Laura asked.

“Yes, you were, remember?  You said that you and your Ma were going to….”

“Almanzo, I didn’t mean…”

“Laura,” Caroline scolded.  “You did tell me that we’d meet your Pa and Almanzo over there.  I hate to admit it, but…”

“Oh, alright,” Laura said and turned to face Caroline.  “Come on, Ma, let’s go down to Nellie’s and let the boys fend for themselves.”

Laura threaded her arm through Caroline’s and the two of them walked out of the barn.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Älmanzo and Charles watched them until they disappeared.  “You were supposed to have these ready,” Charles said, turning to face his son in law.  “At least that’s what we agreed on this afternoon.”

Almanzo pulled the towel off.  He had stuffed six of the twelve vases inside it. 

“Here, take these.  I have six more in the keepsake box.  Take these back to your house and do what we decided.  I’ll take care of our house.”

“I need some of the flowers you made, Almanzo.  That was the whole idea, wasn’t it?”

Almanzo looked up.  Was that really the idea? Where was he, asleep?

He shook his head to clear it. 

He walked to the where the keepsake box was, pulled it down and placed it on the work table.  There were tons of flowers in there and tons more under the work table.  Manly handed him the draw with the flowers in it and wrapped them up inside another towel. 

“I’ll do my part over here and once I’m done, I’ll stop by and pick you up, okay?” Almanzo said.

Charles nodded.  “See ya later then.”

And he walked out the barn door.

“Uh, Almanzo?”

Manly looked up and saw Charles standing in the barn doorway.  He frowned. “Is there somethin’wrong?”

“Yeah, the rig is gone.”

Almanzo frowned and shook his head.  “We saw them walkin’.  We watched until they disappeared.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Charles said, shrugging. “I guess they came back to get it.”

Almanzo looked at Charles. “How come we didn’t hear it?  Don’t you think we should have heard them?”

Charles looked at him and shrugged his shoulders.

 Manly sighed and shook his head.  “Alright, help me set the flowers up here and then we’ll go and set them up at your place.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“We should have told them we decided to go back for the rig,” Laura said, waiting for the four steak dinners they had ordered.  They were getting it to go, which was the reason they came back for the buckboard.

“I guess we’ll go back to our house,” Caroline told her, “it’s closer.”

Laura nodded.  “You’re right, but I have a feeling that we should go back to ours.  I don’t think they realize that we took their rig.”

“They should have heard us, Laura,” Caroline answered, smiling, “but I guess we should go back, we left them there.”

Laura smiled and nodded her head.  “Thanks, Ma,” she said hugging her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“What do you mean they’re not here,” Almanzo said looking at Percival.  “How long ago did they leave?”

“I guess I’d say about  half an hour ago, Almanzo,” Percival answered, replacing the dirty tablecloths with clean ones.  “As you can see, gentlemen, we are closing for the night.  We shouldn’t even have let you in the door.”

“Well,” Charles asked.  “Where could they have gone; where’s the food?”

“My guess is back to the Wilder farm, Mr. Ingalls,” Percival said, grabbing another tablecloth.  “Laura and Mrs. Ingalls were discussing it when they left. They took the food to go.”

“When did that start,” Almanzo looked at Charles as he opened the door for his father in law.

“Two weeks ago,” Percival called out, as the two of them looked in his direction.  ”It was a special request, actually a few of them.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Manly? Pa?”

“They’re not here, Laura,” Caroline called, as Laura closed the door to the little house. “I’m sure they’re back at your house.”

Laura nodded.  “We’d better get back, the food’s getting cold.”

And they closed the door, the two of them, not even noticing what Charles and Almanzo had done.

XXXXXXXXXXX

“Manly? Pa?”

Laura called out but there was no answer there either.

“They couldn’t still be in the barn?” Caroline asked as she put the food on the table.  It was then she noticed what the men had done.

“Laura, come in here.  Look what your Pa and Almanzo have done.”

“I already see it, Ma,” Laura said, bringing in one of the wooden vases with the wooden flowers inside.  “They’re all over the house.”

“They’re beautiful,” Caroline said, picking up the thistles on the table. 

“It was Charles’ suggestion,” Almanzo’s voice came from behind them.  “We were discussing having flowers in the house all year round.  I discussed it with Charles and he wanted some too, Caroline.  He wanted to surprise you with them.”

“You mean you put these lovely flowers in our house too?”  Caroline asked.

Charles nodded.  “You didn’t see them?”

“We didn’t go inside,” Laura said, walking over to stand by her husband.  He placed an arm around her and pulled her close.

“Well, now that you’ve seen them here,” Almanzo piped up, “Maybe we should go back to your place and enjoy Nellie’s Special Steak Dinner.”

“Almanzo,” Laura said, “the food’s getting cold.”

“I’m sure it already is, Beth,” Manly answered smiling.  He wrapped his arms around her.

“Well, let’s go back to our place and warm it up,” Charles said, walking over to join his wife.  “Come on, I’ll drive.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Almanzo smiled as they all trouped out of the Wilder farm.

It wasn’t too long before Laura came back in again, ran into the dining room and grabbed the two paper bags with the food.  She shook her head and closed the door behind her.   

The Surprise A Little House fanfic

 

Takes place after The Silent Promise, Season 6. Almanzo misses Laura when she hasn't shown up at his job for almost a month since he saw her wearing Daniel's ring. He wonders what happened to her and how she's doing. He is surprised when another girl invites him to dinner and he agrees to go. A one shot.

The Surprise

Almanzo sighed. He was both hot and tired. He was hot because the summer sun was beating down on him and he was tired because he was loading those heavy bags of feed all morning long without a break.

And it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

The apple Eliza Jane had given him this morning was burning a hole in his pocket. Almanzo had to load up one more sack of feed and then he'd take a break and fish that juicy apple out of his pocket. It was all he could think about as he dragged the sack over.

"There you go, Mr. Jones," Almanzo smiled as he deposited it inside the rig. "Gonna start planting that crop of yours sooner than later?"

"I sure plan to, Almanzo. The fall isn't that far off." Mr. Jones smiled. "Thanks for all your hard work." He handed Almanzo the money and drove off.

He watched until the wagon disappeared down the road and walked back to the store and took his usual seat. He heard children's laughter as they played in the school yard. He waited a bit, but no one showed up. Wait, school was out for the week, remember? Eliza had some errands to run and chores she had to do and meetings she had to schedule. He looked up, half expecting to see Laura. He scratched his head and wondered where she was. He missed her and he didn't know why. It had been almost a month since he saw her wearing Daniel's ring around her neck. That was the afternoon he lied and told her that he was happy for her. That was the day he was waiting for Sara to meet him.

She appeared at the wrong time as usual. She interrupted his private time with Beth, his Beth. He tried to make light of it when Sara was going on and on about the dangers of going out with a little girl of 15 and how he should be paying attention to girls his own age. Then they argued about it and the more they argued, the worse it got. Sara was frustrated. She told him that this whole relationship was ridiculous, that she was just wasting her time with him. After all, they had been seeing each other for a two months now and it was going nowhere. All they seemed to do was argue.

All Almanzo seemed to talk about was Laura this and Laura that and how much his sister liked her. Oh, they spoke about other things from time to time, but it was about his job and farming and horses, and well, she wasn't interested in any of it.

And Sara stormed off, tears in her eyes, as all the rest of them had.

That was almost a month ago. Sara never returned and so far there was no one he seemed interested in, except Laura. It seemed to have gotten serious with Daniel, he thought, and should have realized that.

It seemed to him that Eliza Jane was pushing for a relationship between Laura and him. All of a sudden it didn't seem to matter that all the other women had left because he constantly spoke of her. But he wasn't serious. She was just a kid, right?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the apple. He stared at it for a while until he finally picked it up and brought it to his lips.

"Hey Almanzo,"

The little girl's voice startled him and he dropped the apple. He turned half expecting to see Laura, but it wasn't her. It was a little girl much, much younger. Ïn fact, it was little ten year old Charity Carlton.

"Hi Charity," Almanzo said, smiling. "I suppose you're here for the usual order?"

Charity nodded. "I need two bags of feed for the cattle and chickens and two bags of seed for the crops."

Almanzo smiled. "Six o'clock?"

Char nodded her head. "Six o'clock," she confirmed. Charity turned to leave, but something made her turn around to face him again.

"Oh and my sister told me to tell you you're invited for dinner, if you want to stay. We're already having company."

Almanzo smiled. It wouldn't be the first time that Hope asked him to stay for dinner when he made those deliveries. This is the first time he only had one to make.

"You've got a deal, Charity, I'll be there."

"Thanks Almanzo. See ya later."

And he watched her run all the way toward home.

XXXXXXXX

Almanzo drove up with the four bags of feed and seed in his rig. He deposited them in a little wooden shed that he had made for them to keep them safe from vermin or theft.

Satisfied, he headed back outside and unhitched Skip and brought him into the barn. It was then he noticed the other horses. Frowning, he left the barn and headed toward the Carlton's small two room house.

As soon as he reached the front steps, he spotted Laura, Daniel and Faith, the middle sister, sitting on the tiny front porch.

Laura looked up and smiled. "Hey Manly," she said.

Almanzo felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at her. He didn't expect her to be sitting there.

Laura lost the smile and stared back. She leaned over and whispered something to Faith who just nodded. She kissed Daniel on the cheek as she stood up.

He heard her tell him that she'd be right back and watched him smile and stare up at her. Daniel held out his hand, Laura took it and they both smiled as she let go.

"Come on, Manly, let's take a walk. Supper should be done soon."

And she grabbed his hand tightly.

Almanzo let her take his hand. He shivered a bit when she did so. It felt like an electrical spark had passed between them. It wasn't the first time.

Laura led him over to the fence by the barn. There were two benches where they could sit and talk.

She let go of his hand. He was still staring at her, not sure what to say. Laura tried not to smile as she sat.

"You made these, didn't you?"

Almanzo nodded. He meant to say "Your father helped me," but the words wouldn't come. He kept staring waiting for what she had to say.

Laura stared up at him. "You know, it would be better if you sat down next to me. It might be a little easier to talk."

Almanzo nodded and did what she asked.

"Manly," she started "Daniel and I, well…" Her voice trailed off. She was having a hard time. She wasn't sure how he'd react.

"Daniel and I…"

"You don't have to tell me," Almanzo said, finding his voice. "I was wondering why you hadn't come around. Now I know."

Laura shook her head. "No. it's not like that, Manly. Daniel and I weren't meant for one another, but I have been busy teaching Faith and Daniel sign language."

Laura waited for him to say something, but nothing came.

"Faith wants to take over teaching him. It seems that they have feelings for one another. After all, Mr. Page and Hope are getting married soon and they'll all be leaving for Sleepy Eye after the wedding. It seems that the Carlton sisters came into an inheritance left by their grandmother. It's a big house, well, bigger than this one and the girls want to turn it into a hotel and restaurant. Mr. Page offered to help and is proposing to Hope tonight. "

She waited again for Almanzo to say something, but all she got was a wisp of a smile.

"Daniel and Faith will marry in due time and help out," Laura continued. "They've sold both houses."

Almanzo nodded and smiled. "I'm happy for them, Beth," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "But it must have hurt you to break it off."

"No," Laura answered, looking down at the bench. "I talked with Ma and Pa. They told me I was making a mistake and I agreed. I didn't love him. I only took the ring because I wanted to make him happy."

"But you weren't?"

Laura shook her head. "I was leading him on and that was wrong."

She looked up and found that he was already staring at her. And they sat like that a moment. No words passed between them.

"Laura, Almanzo," Hope called from the house. Dinner's ready. It's already getting cold."

"Ready?" Laura said, standing up. She held her hand out. Almanzo grabbed it and stood up.

"Yes," he said, still looking at her, "as I'll ever be."

And they walked to the house together.