Abdul Zameer Husref

07—03-1994

Class B.Qn 5

The Long Way Home

Jimmy Bryan Dunn was the last living descedent ofAtticus Dunn,

the richest man the country had ever seen. The peculiar thing was no one in fact knew where Atticus got his incredibly large heaps of money. Some belived that he was a lost member of the royal family while others believed he was an international jewel thief on the run from the law.

Though no one ever figured out the truth of his wealth , it was more than enough to support the Dunn family for many the generations after him, and after the tragic events that took place precisely at midnight on the 1^st of September 2007, it old belonged souly to twelve year old Jimmy Dunn.

Jimmy hated thinking of that cold September night two years ago and how everything had changed so quickly. The fire had started in his room at midnight due to unknown causes , and quickly went up in flames. Bryan ,Jimmys father, realising something was wrong immediately rushed into his son’s room before being overwhelmed by smoke and passing out.Elizabeth ,Jimmys mother, worried when she did not see her husband emerge carrying their son,she rushed in after him only to see her husband lying on the floor, unable to move him she became quite hysterical and screamed for someone to save them before she soon passed out .

Jimmy however , was in one of their many kitchens fixing himself a late-night snack oblivious to the on-goings in his bedroom.By the time one of the maids had smelled the smoke and alerted the authorities it was too late. If Mr and mrs Dunn had stayed in their own bedroom on the other side of the manor, no harm would have come to them.

Jimmy wiped a lone tear from his cheek and sighed.He continued to look through the boxes. All of them were filllled with old manuscripts, ornaments or jewels,all but one. At the very end of the attic lay a small box, in which lay a sinlge silver chest.

On bended knee, Jimmy pulled out the chest and examined it closely,where there would have usually been a key hole, was a space big enough to put ones index finger. Jimmy cautiously placed his finger into the hole and the chest immediately clicked open. Peering in, he noticed a crimson coloured , vial he picked it up and saw words were written on it

“Do not touch without the express permission of Atticus Waldo Dunn”

“Everything is mine now anyway,”Jimmy said to himself and began fiddling with the vial.

Jimmy felt as though he had just been struggling in water, he awoke gasping for air. Getting up hurriedly, he examined his surroundings , they were unfamlliar. “Hello?Is anyone there?”, Jimmy called.He tried to recall how he came to this place, he remembered he was in his attic, he remembered finding a chest and then he remembered the vial that belonged to his ancestor.

A door creeked open in the near distance, Jimmy turned quickly in to see who had just entered the mysterious room. It was a man , dressed smartly in a three piece suit with brightly couloured shoulder length hair , he might have been a lawyer.

“Excuse me mister, do you know how i can get home?”, Jimmy asked.

“You look very much like your great-great grandfather jimmy, you have his eyes. And yes i do know how you can get home.” The man answered

“What? Wait , who are you,and where am i?”

The man took his time before he answered.

“Who i am is not important Jimmy. Yes i knew Atticus, he found me many years ago, he helped me and so i helped him in return. I granted him two wishes, and one day he said he would ask for his third”

“Wishes? What do you mean by that? Like in Aladdin or something ”Jimmy questioned.

The man smiled, and once again paused before answering .

“Yes i suppose you could say that. Now, we do not have much time , i will grant you your wish, after you have proved to me that you are as pure of heart as Atticus was. Just make your way out of the cottage and walk along the path until you meet the old man, he will guide you.”

With that the man walked to the door and was about to leave when jimmy called out “Wait, i haven’t told you what my wish yet!”

Without turning around the man answered,
“You want to go home Jimmy.”

And with that he left.

Confused and distraught , jimmy left the house and proceeded along the path till he reached a fork in the road , where an old man stood. The man handed Jimmy a scroll , it read.

One path is right, while the other is left, one path is right and the other is wrong. Take the right and you will meet my friends who will give you all the treats you could ever ask for, take the left and you will be attacked. Which do you choose?

Jimmy took looked at the man who did not say anything, he took the left path and continued his journey, soon he saw the mysterious brightly coloured haired man. He asked why Jimmy did not listen to the mans advice and gone on the right path where people would have given him treats.

“My mother told me not to accept treats from strangers or to listen to what they say.”

At the end of the river , Jimmy saw came across a bearded man with an axe, a little girl with many books and an old woman with long finger nails, coloured teeth and in a dark cloak.

The same old man stood with them,another scroll,this one read

One of the three is not pure , which one is it? Answer right and you will pass, answer wrong and you will not.

Jimmy contemplated this carefully and decided that the little girl. The old man moved aside and allowed Jimmy to pass. The man in the suit stood ahead and questioned Jimmy on his second choice.

“Well, the first man might’ve been an axe-murderer, but he also might ‘ve been a humble lumberjack. The old woman might’ve been a witch but she also might’ve been a poor old woman who could not afford to take care of her hygiene, but that little girl, why would a little girl need to read so many advanced books? Well , she must not have really been a little girl i guessed.”

The man smiled and allowed Jimmy to pass until he saw the old man for the third time,and the old man finally spoke. “This is your last question,this will test your mind. Answer this right and your long journey will have ended, and you wil be home.”

He passed Jimmy the third scroll which read , “How is an good auction like seasickness?”

Jimmy stopped, this was not like the first two questions , it did not test his heart. It tested his mind. He looked at the question again and his breathing became lighter, a slow grin spread across his face. Jimmy Dunn was the richest twelve year old in the world, he had been in many auctions and he owned many boats.

He answered, “One depends on the effects of the sail, while the other is a sale of effects”.

The old man smiled and moved aside, the man in the three piece suit stood ahead.

As jimmy approached he said

“Go home Jimmy”

Jimmy awoke in a cold sweat, he glanced around and his breathing steadied. He was in his own bedroom, he wiped his forhead dry and wondered if everything was a dream, then something occurred to him. This was no longer his bedroom, he got up quickly.This room had burned to the ground two years ago. He glanced at the calendar on the wall, 1^ST September 2007. His eyes widened as he checked hi s watch, it was 11.30pm. With haste he ran out of his room still not believing the situation. He pushed the door open and it made a loud sound,the couple immediately sat up on their bed and stared down at their son.

Jimmy’s eyes watered as he made his way to his parents, and that night as he climbed into bed with his parents, Jimmy Dunn knew he was home.

Well there it is, told you not to expect much.

Pfft.

~Words Of Zameer A Husref(unfortunately)~