 |
Storyteller's Cabin |
Collected and Adapted by Craig Dominey
Some would say Jack was a lucky man. He was a rebellious young adventure-seeker who left his family a long time ago to ride the rails, and to see as much of the world as he could. But even a journeyman had to eat sometime, and Jack's stomach had been rumbling like an angry bear lately. So he knew it was time to finally hop off the train and find himself a job - at least for the time being.
One day, Jack's train pulled into the small town of Abel, Mississippi - although it would have been generous to call it a "town." It was really a small speck in the middle of an endless sea of dry, barren farmland. Jack carefully hopped out of the dingy boxcar that had been his home for the past few days, and wandered toward a small general store. On the wooden porch, he could see a small gathering of men; all looking tired, hungry and lost.
"Howdy, fellas," said Jack as he sauntered up. "You hear of any work 'round here?"
The men stared blankly at him, as if that was the most ridiculous question they'd ever heard. After an awkward pause, one of the men reluctantly spoke up:
"Well, you can always go out to the Davis place."
The other men whirled around and looked at their friend in disbelief. "What kind of work is it?" asked Jack.
"Old man Davis is looking for a farmhand. He's gotten too old to do most of the work. I hear he'll give you a room and food and everything..."
One of the other men suddenly interrupted him and said to Jack, "I don't think you'd want that job, mister."
"Why not?" asked Jack. "Sounds like a good deal to me."
The men looked at each other again before the second man replied, "'Cause everyone who's taken that job ain't lived to tell about it."
Return to top
