it was a nice day, and mother smith was sitting outside in her favorite chair.
she was not exactly watching the world go by, as her house was up on a hill, and the road to the city was obscured by a row of trees, but she was staring into the void, as was her accustomed way, thinking her own thoughts, whatever those may have been.
joe emerged from the house, with his suitcase. children leaving the house on their seventeenth birthday were given a choice of a suitcase or a backpack to carry away such belongings as they had and wished to take with them. 76 percent chose the backpack, but joe was among the 23 percent who opted for the suitcase. (one percent chose neither.)
joe’s suitcase was hastily and lightly packed, and not too heavy. in his pocket were two of the chocolate cupcakes teresa had given him, as well as some loose change he had saved, and the lucky coin he had found while tending the pigs.
“good morning, mother,” said joe.
“good morning, joe,” mother replied. “i see you have a nice day to begin your travels. i remember when matilda left last year it was pouring rain, so you may consider yourself fortunate.”
“indeed i do,” said joe. he looked down the hill. “i can never remember which way is the city and which is the country, although i have been told several times.”
“i believe there is a sign on the highway,” said mother, “but in any case if you go left you will head into the city and if you go right you will go into the countryside.”
“thank you,” said joe. “that should not be too difficult to remember. good-bye, mother. thank you for bringing me into this world. “
“it was my pleasure. good-bye, joe.”
joe started down the hill. the path was clearly marked, and he reached the bottom of the hill safely.
he remembered that he had forgotten to say good-bye to the pigs, especially parmenter, his favorite, but after a monent’s hesitation he continued on his way and reached the highway.
but he had forgotten again which direction the city was in, and he did not see the sign that mother had described.
of course nobody in the world cared which direction he took.
joe started walking.
as he walked along he wondered what sort of person he would first encounter.
a vampire? a billionaire? a movie star? a serial killer or homicide detective? a world famous novelist or movie director? a mad preacher or guru? a trained deadly assassin? a lone wolf dispensing solitary justice? joe was familiar with all these types from watching television in the evenings with mother and the other children after finishing his chores.
or would he first meet just an ordinary person like himself, wandering the earth?
finally he came to the sign mother had told him about.
he was heading in the direction of the city.
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