Wooden Bell from the Past: A Novella by David Richard

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Author of “Wooden Bell from the Past”

Here is a short sample from the book:

Day One
He is living in 19th century; in 21st century.
This is day 1 but day 7 for someone’s new life.
Nancy got stuck by the sofa.
“Fuck the city.”
The New York City, if someone visionary from 19th century got that ability to imagine the future then his imagination would be less accurate than the 21st century’s New York City.
This city is a magnet which attracts all the fucking dreamers like her to live in here. She also came here to start the journey toward her goal and this is how her journey looks like:
A fucking gray color sofa which converts into bed and this is all the space she got in her home.
She has everything in her home, like this TV. Look what happens when she is sleeping; she is literally kicking the TV. TV would be relaxed when she has acceptance to her life.
The city noise getting higher; probably the sun got up.
She has woken up and gone into the bathroom.
The bathroom and kitchen is just attached to her room; bathroom has its own door but it has only space as it is requires to place a toilet and a shower.
She came out and cooking something – stumbling again and again by the refrigerator – probably Jesus using this way to tell her that she is just wasting her time here.
She made the breakfast.
When she converts her bed into its original shape; it looks like she got her home back.
There’s nothing special for New Yorkers to do in morning other than watching TV while drinking coffee.
There’s nothing special going on the TV except someone showing the public that how much the New York changed from last 200 years.
She looked at the clock; it ran out so quietly.
She respects the clock – finished her coffee and sandwiches – ran out of the apartment so quickly.
She has picked the traditional NYC taxi – on her way to the job.
She usually likes the black man but this taxi driver is annoying; he is playing loud music in his taxi.
“Do you love the New York City?” She asked.
He slowed the volume and said “Sorry.”
“Hmm you love the city’s lifestyle, right?”
“Yes, I mean, you can see outside.”
He waited a little and asked, “You?”
“I didn’t feel the city yet.”
The taxi has stopped and she arrived. She gone into the lift and arrived at the 4th floor.
There she works. She is going to see someone before the day put her on work.
She looked out of the window as she used to from more than a weak.
I’ve joined this job 10 days ago. On the first day of my job, I stepped out of the taxi as usual and noticed someone who stopped my moves. I was standing there looking at him. A young charming man playing the guitar on the side of the road; he’s a street performer but his face looks more attractive than his music. I was thinking he will be the only main reason for me to work here but I was wrong.
After 3 days, I was looking outside the building to see that guitar man – that day New York was little different – little windy and little sunny. That was the first day I was feeling the city little bit. There was someone more special than the guitar man on the side of the road – someone a young boy – young boy means a 17 to 18 years old boy. He was sitting next to that guitar man – wearing a very loose dirty white shirt, a very loose dirty brown coat, a brown bow tie, also tied a white kerchief on his neck, and a brown cowboy hat – there was something in this child which was forcing me to notice him. I was looking at him from the window of this building and the guitar man looked at me at the very first time and that’s how we see each other’s faces because of this strange boy.
At the middle of that day, I went down – crossed the road and said “Hi” to that boy but he hasn’t answer and little bit later he said,
“Would you like to buy this wooden bell? It will protect your family.”
That was the first fucking sentence I listened from this boy.
It’s a pendant looking thing – in the shape of bell – made of wood.
I looked at his face and he was intensely looking at me; it doesn’t seem like he was trying to make me fool but if he was trying to then I also do the same as I did that day.
His goddamn eyes, I didn’t know what to answer other than smiling.
He was continuously looking at me. The guitar man replied to my smile by smiling and said to that boy,
“Why don’t you show her one?”
He withdrew one from his vintage looking box and showed me.
I had money and had no problem giving it to him but I said,
“I have no money but I have something for you.”
I gave him that two sandwiches which I brought for lunch. From that day, he became someone I’m preparing food for.
He gave me this wooden bell that day. I don’t trust that this thing really protects my family but I’m wearing it every day by making it a pendant with some black threads.
This thing is nothing but something which has given me the reason to work here.
I asked him his name and he told me – Harvey – Harvey Wilson.
I turned my face to that guitar man and he said,
“Hi, I’m Jeff.”
He offered me his hand to shake and this is how we felt each other’s touch because of Harvey.
This is just an another night for Harvey after his new birth.
He’s back at home after walking more than few miles from the New York City.
His house reconstructed once from the 19th century and renovated more than 2 times.
It still looks like a classical home in New York.
It has four bedrooms – one bedroom on the ground floor and other three on the first floor.
He’s never gone to the first floor because there was no first floor in 19th century.
The whole city is under light but he is lightening the home with the candle.
There are everything in his house but they are nothing other than some another question in his life.
He’s preparing to go to sleep – rubbing his hand and feeling the cold.
Today is cold, he has to find a quilt to spend the night. He thinks that he can find it on the storage room.
Storage room is on the same place as its before but it looks different.
He opened the window of his bedroom and looked outside – it’s dark out there.
He remembers that he was always asking to his father to go with him when there was dark outside.
Where god sent me – there is no sign of my father except this Wooden Bell which I made for living.
Is it just an another dream – I just forgot to wake.
He’s remembering that night. He had fever and his mother was giving him ice fomentation on forehead. One thing he cannot forget that his father was awake all night and his touch and presence was giving him that feeling of being in heaven. He’s trying to remember that how he was feeling at that night because of fever, but only thing he remember that he slept earlier than ever at that night and he never felt any night that beautifully as how he was feeling at that night.
He wanted to tell his father to go sleep but he didn’t say. He knows what uneasiness and anxiety he was feeling, but truly he didn’t want him to sleep because his presence was giving him that relief to sleep well.
At the very early morning of that night, he woke with the touch of his father – checking his temperature.
“Fever getting higher. Did we do anything wrong, why god doing this with us.” His father said to his mother.
“God just examine us. We were living our life – fulfilled of happiness – perhaps crossed the limit of happiness. We got that lesson which god trying to give; tomorrow will be beautiful again.”
His father stood to go somewhere and his mother asked,
“Where are you going?”
He turned – he was looking like he is confuse for something – waited for a moment and said,
“We were living beautiful life because of Wooden Bell. Remember that day, my ability of making wooden toys wasn’t getting as enough as to provide us basic living. Until that day came with little sadness for someone’s family but left a lot of happiness for ours. People got trust that this thing really protects family and they started buying it. There’s might be something in it which got hundreds and thousands of trusts. Now I’m going to make a wooden bell for my son too.”
He went at the backyard, picked a piece of wood and gave it a shape.
He came back and said “I made it.” He never said that before when he was making in tons.
He showed and it was looking little different. Anyone could say that, that he made it specially for his loved ones.
He asked for some thread and made it a wearable thing. He told Harvey to wear it.
It was looking weird on me at that time but mom said “it’s looking good on you.”
“You’ll be alright soon.” His father said.
It could easily be seen that his parents were feeling little bit relaxed when he wore that wooden bell.
His father said to his mother to bring some food. She hadn’t prepared food.
She went – boiled some potatoes – came back and said,
“Eat for now, I’ll cook something nice for you at the evening.”
Harvey raised his head little bit – looked at the food – and lain back.
I was hungry but I didn’t want to eat boiled potatoes.
He looked at his father and said,
“I’m not feeling good. I don’t want to eat right now.”
“Do you love us?”
“I do”
“We both loves you and we can’t live without you. If you love us too then please eat a little.”
Why I didn’t care the emotions of my mother when she brought some boiled potatoes for me. Now I was going to eat the same.
I was thinking that I did something which isn’t fair but she came to me and caressed on my head; I felt a good vibration in my body.
She fed me with her hand but I still hadn’t got what is my world until now, I have the whole different world but not my family which was my world.
I lost my world.
Only have memories that reminds me my world.
I had been alright by that evening.
He wants to go out to find the quilt. He remembers that his father often used to say to people that this wooden bell will protect them and their families.
I remember; a lot of people were coming in our house to buy this wooden bell. I was thinking why they are continuously buying it; is it really works. My father used to say them to wear it or hang it on the side of the door, it will protect yourself and your family.
He lost that wooden bell which his father made for him in 19th century.
He picked one of his wooden bells and wore it. He’s thinking to go out in dark to find the quilt. He looked outside and he still can’t without his father.
I want to trust this wooden bell – I’m trying to – but I still can’t go out in dark without my father.
He decided to spend the night without quilt. He will find it on tomorrow.
He is hungry. He has some bread in the kitchen which he got yesterday.
He’s gone into the kitchen and eating it anyway because he doesn’t want to boil corn like every day.
Its taste, maybe tomorrow I will earn something to buy nice food.
He still trusts this wooden bell.
Cold is silently growing. He knows where he found the clothes before. Most of the clothes are loose here. Few were in the size of him but they all are dirty.
He is strangely checking clothes, one by one.
It’s not looking like a regular clothes. It’s totally different. Whom it belongs?
It’s not belongs to my father.
He picked few shirts, one sweat shirt, one trench coat, and a pant. He’s folding the pant after wearing these.
He wore enough to afford the cold but he also took a carpet from the ground and added it under the mattress of the bed to reduce its cooling.
He has the ability to live – but as well as – he’s also a person who’s controlled by the god – more than any other person.
He gone to sleep – and lain down on the bed.
He has noticed that picture in his front wall and a series of questions started flying him around.
Who is this man? Who is this woman? Why I look like this boy when I’m looking on the mirror?
These three questions – where his life depends.
There are three people in this picture; a man, a woman, and a boy. The boy is in center of this picture and the both man and woman are holding him. Looks like a family picture.
I’m looking inside those smiles in this picture.
It reminds him his family.
This house isn’t looks like mine – this city isn’t looks like mine – this world isn’t looks like mine.
He is continuously looking at the boy who’s in center of this picture.
The world has left that much questions in his life that he can’t focus in any one to solve.
This is not the only picture that contains these three people; almost everyone except few that contains the boy alone.
Who is this boy? Why I sometimes look like him?
There’s only one thing is easy in his life and that’s to sleep. He has chosen to sleep instead of understanding this world.