Fat & Bones Read Online Free

bark—descent toward Fat’s hole, he wondered what he and his new friend would talk about. Philosophy, maybe? Politics? Perhaps his new friend was a traveler and would tell him stories about other places in the world!
    Thunk. He tripped and fell upon an obliging leaf some four feet below. If the fairy heard him coming, he’d stand no chance of executing the rescue mission.
    His heart pounding, he raised and lowered his legs, settling each one back down on the bark. Though normally Leonard could see fine in the night, the sunglasses made everything blurry and dark. Leaves loomed all around him, rustling and settling in for the night.
    He neared the fairy’s hole. He flattened himself against the branch and took deep breaths. So far, he had not caused too much commotion, at least not enough to alert Fat of his approach.
    He heard Fat inside the hole, moving vials of potions about. The fairy was muttering the recipe for Bluebell Blindness Inducer. “Six bluebell petals. Three rabbit droppings. One cat hair. One human toenail clipping; thank you, Bald, may you rest in peace. Eight drops of midnight dew. And finally, a generous quantity of fresh, warm spider blood.”
    Leonard held his breath. Had he arrived too late? Had his new, yet-unknown friend already withered and died? Trusting his camouflage gear to conceal him, Leonard peeked into the hole.
    To the left, the fairy stood at his worktable with his back to the room, humming a song as he measured and mixed. His wings were threadbare, but his arms showed his strength. He was old but no weakling. On the table, beside a large beaker of blue liquid, lay a large knife with an intricately carved wooden handle.
    To Leonard’s right, a spider hung in the corner, legs tied together. He was either unconscious or asleep or dead; Leonard couldn’t determine which.
    It seemed too easy. With the fairy engrossed in his work, his back to the room, all Leonard had to do was sneak in, set the captive free, and the two of them could hightail it out of there, back up the tree.
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    If Fat did turn around and see him, hopefully it would be after Leonard had set free the spider. Then the odds would be two against one. And Leonard had a feeling even Fat would hesitate to take on two spiders, even if one of them was a coward.
    Settling his stocking cap a little lower on his head, Leonard almost fainted from panic before silently scolding himself to get moving.
    He ran into the room before he could talk himself out of it.
    After a few steps he tripped, performing something like a somersault as he pulled out of the fall. He was almost there!
    And then, quick as lightning, he was thrown on his back, his boots waving in the air. His sunglasses fell off, and a foot landed upon them, a wrinkly foot that smelled like onions, squashing the dark lenses and twisting the rims.
    â€œHello, neighbor. Pray, tell me what your hairy, lumbering self is doing in my hole,” said Fat, the long knife in his hands.
    Stunned, Leonard could only gurgle in response.
    â€œYou are a terrible excuse for a spider,” Fat said, rolling his eyes, “I heard you when you were halfway down the tree. You might as well have hired a blue jay to announce your arrival.” He twisted the knife in his fingers. “Pathetic.”
    Leonard did indeed feel pathetic, splayed out on the ground, unsure of how he got there. The indignity was extreme.
    A thin whistling sound came from outside.
    He had forgotten the kettle!
    Fat groaned. “Do you never tire of drinking tea?”
    Leonard gurgled again and struggled to right himself, but Fat placed his foot upon Leonard and held him there.
    â€œWell, I tire of hearing your kettle go off, that’s for sure,” Fat said.
    Fat placed the knife’s tip at Leonard’s abdomen. He clearly enjoyed toying with his second captive.
    Leonard was at a loss.
    With his feet wriggling in the air like some infant’s, his terror grew