Pulchritudinous

BY LINDA ARDITTO

Copyright 2013 LindaArditto Publi h!d by Clo"!r Digital #!dia Co"!r by Clo"!r Digital #!dia $#A$%&ORD$ 'DITION

Li(!n ! Not! Thi !Boo) i li(!n !d *or your p!r onal !n+oy,!nt only- Thi !Boo) ,ay not b! r!. old or gi"!n a/ay to oth!r p!opl!- I* you /ould li)! to har! thi boo) /ith anoth!r p!r on0 pl!a ! pur(ha ! an additional (opy *or !a(h r!(ipi!nt- I* you1r! r!ading thi boo) and did not pur(ha ! it0 or it /a not pur(ha !d *or your u ! only0 th!n pl!a ! go and pur(ha ! your o/n (opy- Than) you *or r! p!(ting th! hard /or) o* thi authorThi !Boo) i a /or) o* *i(tion and any r! !,blan(! to p!r on 0 li"ing or d!ad0 i pur!ly (oin(id!ntal- Th! (hara(t!r ar! produ(tion o* th! author1 i,agination and u !d *i(titiou ly-

1.
%! h!ard /hi p!r but (ouldn1t h!ar th! /ord - %! h!ard th!, again but (ouldn1t !!0 hi !y! (o"!r!d /ith (loth and ti!d tightly- %! (ould ,!ll th! !arth and *!!l th! (old0 h! /a o,!/h!r! und!rgroundTh! /hi p!r /!r! g!tting *urth!r a/ay and th!n di app!ar!d- %! /a alon!-

%! (ouldn1t ,o"!2 hand ti!d b!hind hi ba()0 l!g bound'arly that ,orning h!1d /al)!d b! id! th! broo)0 it ,ad! a ,!rry tun! a it *lo/!d o"!r ton! to/ard th! ri"!r- Th! un p!!r!d through th! tr!! 0 dan(ing on th! /at!r a th! bran(h! /ay!d- %! (ould ,!ll th! *or! t0 th! gra 0 th! tr!! !"!n th! *lo/!r - It had b!!n a b!auti*ul ,orning li)! o ,any oth!r %!1d at do/n /ith hi ba() again t th! tru() o* a tr!!- Thin)ing ho/ lu()y h! /a 0 urround!d by u(h b!auty !"!n though h! had no on! to har! it /ith%! lo"!d th! pringti,!0 *lo/!r o* !"!ry (olour (att!r!d a(ro th! ground- Th! tr!! *ill!d /ith l!a"! 0 all had! o* gr!!n- %! loo)!d up at th! )y0 not a (loud in ight&hat /ould h! do today0 h!1d thought- P!rhap a /al) to th! (a"! o* light0 a pla(! h! li)!d to "i it a o*t!n a h! (ould- It /a n1t *ar0 only an hour1 /al) *ro, th! broo)Th! (a"! o* light intrigu!d hi,2 (ry tal o* ,au"! and pin) glo/!d and hu,,!d- It /a a p!a(!*ul pla(!0 /h!r! oth!r /ould o,!ti,! gath!r at night but h! alon! /ould "i it during th! day- %! /ould lo"! to b! th!r! /h!n th!y dan(!d and laugh!d a,ong th! (ry tal 0 but h! had n!"!r b!!n /!l(o,!An out(a t *ro, th! *or! t d/!ll!r 0 h!1d l!arn!d to li"! hi li*! alon!- $olitud! had b!(o,! hi *ri!nd- %i o/n thought /!r! hi (o,panion !"!n though th!r! /a no (on"!r ation%! ,anag!d "!ry /!ll /ith thi lon!ly !3i t!n(! *or h!1d n!"!r )no/n it any oth!r /ay%!1d h!ard tori! 0 o* a /i4ard bringing hi, to th! *or! t a a baby- $tori! h!1d o"!rh!ard0 *or h! n!"!r po)! /ith oth!r 0 th!y1d al/ay run a/ay /h!n h! approa(h!d%! r!(all!d tho ! long /int!r night 0 no/ on th! ground and a bitt!r (hill in th! air- %! r!,!,b!r!d th! /i4ard bringing hi, a blan)!t- Th! only a(t o* )indn! h!1d !"!r )no/nA h!1d ,o"!d to/ard th! (a"! o* light h!1d h!ard a ound0 a light br!!4! /hi tling through th! tr!! to/ard hi,- %! topp!d and /at(h!d a th! bran(h! on a tr!! b!nd do/n to tou(h hi,- 5!ntly tro)ing hi hair /ith it 1 l!a"! 0 it ,ad! hi, ,il!- Th! br!!4! topp!d a 6ui()ly a it tart!d and h!1d pr! !d on to/ard th! (a"!%! r!,!,b!r!d /al)ing through a "al! o* *lo/!r 0 y!llo/ *lo/!r that had a /!!t ,!ll /hi(h on(! again ,ad! hi, ,il!%!1d arri"!d at th! (a"! o* light0 and !nt!r!d- Th! hu,,ing /a oothing to hi !ar and th! (ry tal glo/!d a i* by ,agi(- %!1d at and pond!r!d0 /ond!ring /hat /ould b!(o,! o* hi,- %! had no (loth! a *or! t d/!ll!r had0 +u t /hat th! *or! t had o**!r!d2 no ho! on hi *!!t- %! had nothing to hi na,!2 in *a(t h! didn1t !"!n ha"! a na,! that h! /a a/ar! o*-

P!rhap in ti,! oth!r /ill b!*ri!nd hi,0 h!1d hop!d *or thi a long a h! (ould r!,!,b!r- $o,!on! to /al) /ith0 to har! th! /ond!r o* th! *or! t- #ayb! "i it th! (a"! o* light tog!th!r- 7u t on! *ri!nd /ould b! !nough to gi"! hi, (o,pl!t! happin! A h! at th!r! it da/n!d on hi, that p!rhap !"!rything /a hi *ault- %! /a di**!r!nt2 h! didn1t loo) li)! th! oth!r - P!rhap hi app!aran(! ,ad! th!, a*raid and that1 /hy th!y *l!d *ro, hi,%! didn1t r!,!,b!r anything !l ! about th! ,orning- 7u t itting in th! (a"! o* light b!*or! *inding hi, !l* h!r!- $udd!nly0 h! /a a/ar! o* hi urrounding again- Th! dar)n! 0 th! (old0 th! !arthy ,!ll but (ouldn1t r!,!,b!r ho/ h! (a,! to b! in thi ituationTh! /hi p!r tart!d again0 g!tting (lo !r thi ti,!- %! /a a*raid0 /ond!ring /hy h! /a in thi pla(!0 /ho had bound and blind*old!d hi,%! *!lt a hand b!hind hi h!ad0 *ing!r g!ntly r!,o"ing th! (loth that (o"!r!d hi !y! %! till did not !! hi urrounding 0 dar)n! /a !"!ry/h!r! around hi,A light tru()2 a *la,! ,o"!d *ro, l!*t to right and lit a (andl!- %! (ould !!- B!*or! hi, tood t/o *or! t d/!ll!r 2 h! a/ th!y /!r! young and +u t tar!d at hi,%! didn1t try to ,o"! but at 6ui!tly loo)ing ba() and *orth at th!ir *a(! 8&hy did you bring ,! h!r!9: h! a )!d8$o you (ould !! u 0: on! r!pli!d%! didn1t und!r tand8Do you !! ho/ ugly /! ar!9: th! oth!r a )!d8I don1t und!r tand that /ord0: h! r!pli!d- 8&hat i ugly9: 8You ar! hand o,! Pul(hritudinou 0: on! aid8I ha"! a na,!9: h! a )!d in urpri !8&! (all you Pul(hritudinou b!(au ! /! don1t )no/ your na,!-: 8&!1"! /at(h!d you in th! *or! t *or u(h a long ti,!- &at(h!d you /h!n you play!d n!ar th! broo)0 /at(h!d you a you ang and dan(!d a,ong th! tr!! 0: th! oth!r !3plain!d8But /! didn1t dar! p!a) to you0: th! oth!r add!d- 8Th! /i4ard told u h! had to hid! you- %! aid you /!r! a prin(! in !3il!-: 8&hat i !3il!9: h! th!n a )!dTh!y didn1t )no/8I* /! unti! you /ill you run9: 8&hy /ould I do that9: h! a )!d8B!(au ! /!1r! ugly: on! aid a h! lo/!r!d h!r h!ad8I don1t )no/ /hat that /ord ,!an but I /on1t run0: h! an /!r!d0 ,iling at th!, all th! ti,!Th!y unti!d hi hand and l!g - Thr!! /al)!d *ro, th! dar)n! into th! (a"! o* light0 it loo)!d b!auti*ul2 ,or! than it had b!!n that ,orning and a thr!! n!/ *ri!nd r!turn!d to th! *or! t Pul(hritudinou )n!/ tru! happin! *or th! *ir t ti,!Th!y dan(!d and play!d tog!th!r0 at by th! broo) !"!ry ,orning and told tori! o* ad"!ntur! that only !3i t!d in th!ir i,agination%! /ould n!"!r b! alon! again;;;;;