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Rated: E · Short Story · Comedy · #1766688
A prequel and different point of view of The Scarlet Letter.
         As I watched Hester ascend the Scaffold I noted the scarlet letter embroidered on her bosom. I remember back to when we first met, it was a sunny Sunday afternoon, we were twelve at the time. I was frolicking through the forest picking flowers when I came across a girl dancing joyfully in a clearing, all of the forest critters dancing along side of her. I approached her carefully thinking she may be a witch; as I drew closer the critters stopped dancing, this alarmed her and she turned quickly towards me in a fright.
         “Oh hi,” she said, “you gave me quite a scare, I’m Hester what’s your name?” she said.
         “My name is Loquacious.” I replied, happier than I’d been since my pet camel died.
         From that day forth we were inseparable. We did everything together, we even came over to the new world on the same boat. Now I must watch in silent discontent as she is forced to endure the belittling insults and gestures of the townspeople.
         I recall back to the previous spring when her belly first began to grow. I asked her whose seed had accidentally taken root in her stomach, but she would not confide in me that information, not yet. When the townspeople first discovered her deed they were in quite a ruckus. They banished her to the edge of the Candy Cane forest and only provided her with what little
necessities were required to stay alive. Now that the child has been born they force her to stand on the scaffold in the middle of the market place.
         It was on this particular day that the man arrived. I first noticed when Hester's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment. I looked back and noticed an ugly man with a hunched back and furrowed brow glaring at her with the intensity of a thousand fireflies. He approached the scaffold with a limp.. I thought he was going to go berserk and jump upon her like a blood crazed little girl whose mother has refused to buy her a new doll. Yet he did not, nor did he linger long. I watched as he waddled off towards the east of town. That night I went to visit Hester's turtle infested shack to confront her about the man. As we sat on the marble floor of her shack trying to keep the rabid turtles from attacking she told me that the man was her husband. She was sobbing as she told me that he came by earlier and beat her mercilessly with a stick of wood and made her promise not to tell anyone of his identity.
         We went out to the Candy Cane forest to further discuss the matter and get away from the devilish turtles. We sat down on some gumdrops and she then revealed to me the name of the man whom she had sexual intercourse with. I was shocked to learn that Reverend Dimmesdale, the same man that slayed the spaghetti monster that had resided in my basement, was the father of my best friends offspring.
         “How did you two get involved?” I asked in wonder
         “It all started two years ago.” She began. “I was strolling down the yellow brick road when a devilish flying monkey dropped from the sky and attempted to steal me off to the evil kingdom of Disney Land. Just as the monkey was reaching out to snatch me away Reverend Dimmesdale came gallantly charging towards us on his faithful dragon Pablo. Pablo reeled back and engulfed the monkey in flames instantly killing it. Dimmesdale jumped off of Pablo and ran to me embracing me in his arms. As we were walking back to my hut, me riding Pablo, him walking beside me, he asked me if I would accompany him to the annual Ostrich race. I apologetically told him I could not for I was already married. He continued to ask me on dates until one evening when I finally succumbed to his girlish charm. Ever since then we’ve been seeing each other in secrecy, our affection growing stronger with each week.”
         Before I departed from her turtle infested shack she asked a favor of me, she said Chillingworth was going to try to find Dimmesdale out and hurt him. She asked me if I would look out for him. I told her that I would do what I can.
         Later that week I received a letter inviting me to a gathering at the Mayor’s house in order to discuss the custody of Pearl, Hester's daughter. I was informed that it was going to be a formal occasion and so I would be required to wear my sombrero. When I arrived at the gathering I noticed Chillingworth was eying Dimmesdale the way a man might eye a fool who has just tried to convince him of such a far fetched idea like Santa Claus is not real.
         When everyone had arrived the mayor began. He asked us if we believed Hester should be allowed to keep the child. I myself was not allowed to speak unless spoken to, so I listened as they discussed the future of my friend’s child. It looked as if she was going to lose custody when Dimmesdale spoke up, he told the mayor that Hester was perfectly adequate to raise this girl. That was all that was needed and the mayor ruled in favor of Hester, which made me as giddy as a schoolgirl.
         As I was climbing onto my llama to head towards home, Hester pulled me aside with a look of sheer terror on her face. She informed me that Chillingworth had discovered the identity of Dimmesdale and was now entitled to be his private doctor. This news frightened me for I knew that Chillingworth had studied apothecary at the school of Hogwarts and could poison Dimmesdale at any given time. I told her that she must warn him, but she solemnly told me that she had made a promise to Chillingworth and unless necessary she wouldn’t break it.
         Through the next few months I noticed Dimmesdale's health begin to debilitate. I knew that it must be the work of Chillingworth. I also noticed how Dimmesdale held his hand on his bosom in the precise location where Hester’s A was.
         I met Hester down at the hippopotamus farm to tell her about this. She told me she already knew. She had went to Chillingworth to attempt to make him stop, but he had only laughed at her and made his vicious pet platypus chase her away.
         “There is a ship coming to harbor in a few weeks, the Black Pearl, when it leaves for Neverland you, Pearl, and Dimmesdale should be on it,” I said to her in a whisper.
         A few weeks passed, and finally the Black Pearl arrived. I went and talked to the captain of the ship, a stout little otter with a deep southern accent. He agreed to give them passage to Neverland if I would bring him twenty clams. So I asked my friend if I could use one of his giant squids to fish for clams. He thankfully allowed me the use of one of his older squids.
         When I had the clams I took them to the otter and exchanged them for three tickets to Neverland. I went to Hester's turtle infested shack and told her the good news. We then planned to meet Dimmesdale on top of Candy Mountain to convince him to leave for Neverland.
         The next afternoon I departed for Candy Mountain to meet Hester and Dimmesdale. I jumped on a penguin and flew up to the top of the mountain where we had planned to meet. When I got there Hester and Dimmesdale were already there. Dimmesdale seemed to have gained strength since the last time I had met him. Hester came up to me and told me that Dimmesdale had agreed to leave for Neverland after he makes his speech to induct the new mayor. I was overjoyed when I heard this for I knew that it meant soon Chillingworth would no longer be able to harm Dimmesdale. As I was walking home from Candy Mountain I saw Aslan bounding down the streets roaring, “The White Witch has been defeated! The White Witch has been defeated!”
         The next day as I was shopping for prunes in the marketplace I bumped into Chillingworth and fell to the ground. He laughed at me and told me to move out of the way. I replied by telling him that he wouldn’t be laughing long because Hester and Dimmesdale were planning to leave town. This enraged him, he began to rise into the air, his hair standing up as if there were a strong draft going straight upwards, an aura formed around him. I realized in terror that he had gone super-saiyan. He began throwing lasers at me and shooting lightning bolts out of his eyes in an attempt to destroy me. Thankfully he was blind with rage and all of his attempts were futile. I got back on my feet and ran for the forest nearly escaping a gruesome death.
         The next day as I stood in the marketplace listening to Dimmesdale give his final speech before his departure for Neverland with Hester, all I could think about was Chillingworth going super-saiyan. It was such an incredible, yet haunting sight. As Dimmesdale neared the end of his speech I noticed that he looked sadder than he had at the beginning. I went up to him and asked him why this was. He told me he was having doubts about Neverland. He heard they had a ruthless dictator Peter Pan, and he wasn’t sure if he would fit in or not. I told him not to worry everything would be fine, Peter Pan was ruthless but Tinker Bell made sure he was nice to the people of his land. Just then Hester came running up to us, she looked horrified. She told us the otter had told her Chillingworth had booked a ticket to Neverland earlier that morning. Distraught, Dimmesdale took Pearl and Hester by the hand and began to ascend the scaffold; I gave him a questioning look. When he got on the scaffold, he got the crowds attention who were so happily filing out of the marketplace anticipating the day ahead of them. He then shockingly revealed to everyone that he was the father of Pearl. I was speechless, I didn’t know what to say. I was pulled out of my trance when Dimmesdale collapsed to the floor. The crowd cried out, but there was nothing they could do, Dimmesdale was dead.
         It has been several years since the death of Dimmesdale. Chillingworth died but a short year after Dimmesdale, and Hester succumbed to deaths embrace last fall. I stand now by their graves, reflecting upon the adventure that had been embarked upon the day Dimmesdale and Pablo saved Hester from being stolen away to Disney Land. In solemn content I kneel and prey by their graves, then I sadly mount my llama, say my final goodbye, and head towards home.
© Copyright 2011 Jake Halbrooks (jakehbrooks at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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