The Adventures of the Hooded Wonder: Jasons Journey to Heroism

Micah Morgan American Lit. Short story Period 2

Our story begins in a small village called Ekerfillia, located in the land of Shire. It rests upon relatively high mountains, but the travel presents no trouble. It was the middle of a harsh winter when our main character, Jason Lordrath, was born. His parents, Johnathon and Maria Lordrath, could not have been more proud of the boy. He grew up to be a fine young lad, normal size for his age, and quite unique in his own ways. Jason lived for adventure. He dove into any opportunity from mischief that came his way. He was fine fellow indeed. It is the beginning of winter this time around, with the ground ever so lightly covered with snow. The people of Ekerfillia are ecstatic about the up coming winter games. They crowd the streets bringing a great deal of joy and profit to the marketers. Jason is seventeen now, with an ever growing thirst for adventure. There will be little visibility and much leeway for mischief, and he knows it. Our adventure begins here. Ma! Pa! Im going to the market! Ill be back in no time! screams Jason, rushing out of the wooden door of their hut. Oh! Maria replies startled, make sure you have enough money dear! Id hate to have you out in the cold for nothing! And bundle up son! Johnathon adds, You know how you like to go out with just your underwear! You dont want your jewels to freeze off! Jason

laughs. Ill be fine. I wont be long. Oh, I may have forgot to mention a few things about our young Jasons parents. Jasons fifty-two year old father Johnathon is a metal smith, and is well known throughout Ekerfillia. He was the villages fastest messenger and a master archer. His lovely forty-three year old mother, Maria, is a stay at home mom, but was once secretly a master thief; excellent with the sword, and even more powerful with her fists. Now she cooks and cleans, and can be often found knitting, which in previous years she despised. Both of them gave up their lucrative careers shortly after Jason was born, in the event that he wouldnt grow up to be like they once were. Anyways, let us get back to the story and catch up with Jason, who is on his way to the market stretch. On the way to the market, Jason realizes he doesnt have as much money as he thought he had when leaving his home. Agh! Jason shouts in frustration. Well Id be a monkeys uncle! No matter. Guess Ill have to look in the ol bag o tricks and see if I cant swindle these good people out of their goodies. So much for trying to shelter young Jason from a life of pure mischief. It appears as if it runs through his very veins. But wait, theres more. Once he arrived at the fresh fruit cart, Jason buys an apple to compensate for the distance he travelled. He then slips two plums in his pocket and walks off. Haha, what a dim wit Jason says as he closes in on his next victim. Next in line is a man selling firecrackers. He is a rather large and fat man, nearly six feet tall, and wore a long pointed beard. Jason walks by casually and pretends to knock

over the cart. Im terribly sorry sir Jason says in a sly voice. Here let me help you. The man replies in a deep and friendly voice: oh its alright young lad. They begin to tidy up. With every firework Jason puts back, he slips one in his bag. When they are finished, he begins to walk away and on to the next sorry sap, which Jason carelessly dropped a firecracker out of his bag. The man immediately yells, Hey get back here boy with my fireworks! Guards help, Im being robbed! Jason takes off with great speed, with guards chasing after. He quickly executes a series of maneuvers to evade them. For now, he is in the clear. Or is he? Suddenly a guard pops out from behind a tree and grabs Jason, who fights back but is no match for the hefty physique of the guard. I got you, you little thief, the guard says while removing the fireworks from Jasons bag. Where do you live? Hesitantly, Jason replies, Just dont there. The hut with the farmland. The guard drags Jason to the door. He knocks on the door and suddenly is shocked to see who meets him. Oh, uh, Mister and Misses Lordrath. II didnt know this was yourI caught him stealing firecrackers and I Stealing? Martha interrupts. No, not my boy. Im afraid so maam. Ill let him off with a warming this time, but next time Ill have to take em in for a day or two. Oh thank you ever so much officer. We really appreciate your kindness, dont we Jason? Yes ma, Jason replies. The guard leaves. Since when do you steal? asks Johnathon. I dont knowI jus had the urge. You see, I didnt have enough money and I Well

Maria interrupts. Did you get away with anything? Jason pulls out the two plums he stole from the fruit cart. Splendid! But youre going to have to do better than fruit and fireworks if youre going to be a thief. You mustnt be afraid to dream a little bigger darling. Honey, Johnathon says in a low voice, I thought we agreed not to expose Jason to our past lives. Its in his blood John, and we cant control it. Sooner or later he must know. Turning to Jason, Maria says, And you will learn. For days they had been getting up bright and early, training Jason to be the best thief he could possibly be. His mother began teaching him the basics of thinking like a thief, while his father thought him footwork and running techniques. Those days quickly turned into months. When they felt Jason was ready, they moved on to more vigorous exercises. Combat training. When learning the art of the sword, Maria begins, you must first hone in your senses. This means you must be fully aware of the word around you. Tell me Jason, what did you notice when you first walked in? Puzzled, Jason replies, Nothing out of the ordinary I guess. I saw you standing there, a bookshelf, a lamp; nothing I havent seen before. Maria shakes her head in disappointment. Tsk tsk tsk. Youll have to do better than that young man. Jason looks even more puzzled than before. You noticed those things, Maria continues, but you failed to give attention to the your fathers shadow as he is hidden behind the bookshelf, waiting to attack you. Johnathon leaps out from the shadows with bow and arrow in hand. Youve also failed to see the obvious

trap Ive placed jus below your feet. Maria quickly pulls a thin rope attached to the rug underneath Jasons feet, snatching the rug from under him, causing him to fall. Theres a loud thud. Thonk, said Jasons rump as it came in contact with the floor. And what a humorous fall it was. Know your surrounding Jason, Johnathon said, keep on your toes. Even if you didnt see the trap coming, you could have still utilized your speed to evade your predicament. Ill do better next time, says Jason who is feeling a bit embarrassed by what had occurred. And he does. Within a year and a few months, Jason masters all the elements required to become an ultimate thief. Of course theres always room for improvement, but Jason is too arrogant to realize and believes he and his newly developed arsenal of tricks could swindle everyone with the cover of the night. One night, while Jason is on the prowl, he breaks into a larger house. The home consisted of a family of five- a husband and wife with their three little boys. Undetected, Jason collects all that was to his liking, when he hears a odd sound. He deciphers the sounds as footsteps. He quickly hides in the shadows, hoping not to be seen. What the? Another burglar? Jason says quietly to himself. Jason immediately examines the suspect. The man was much taller than Jason and obviously weighed a lot more. Like Jason, the man was equip with a sword and wore a mask to hide his face. He sneaks into the childrens room and starts collecting. Unfortunately he drops his bag of goodies, which startles the children. AAAH! the children scream, its a monster! Desperate to shut them up, the man

quickly draws his sword. He raises his arm to take a swing at their heads, when suddenly Jason leaps from the shadows and blocks it with his own. I dont think you aught to do that, says Jason with a sly voice. Who are you? says the man. Your worse nightmare. They engage in battle for a good while, when finally Jason deals a deadly blow to the mans stomach, ending his life. The kids, although frightened, express their deep gratitude toward Jason. Within an instant he realizes that what he is doing is wrong, foolish even, and so our young Jason makes a change from thief, to hero of the night as he proudly establishes his newly found persona, The Hooded Wonder.