Lewi's Legacy Read Online Free PDF Page B

do treasure it as I was paid this by Mr Reynolds today.’
    He pulled out the crisp ten shilling note. She held out her bony hand for the note, and Louis passed it to her without hesitation.
    She neatly folded the note into a small square and pressed her bony hands together in a prayer-like fashion as the boy watched intently. He noticed two things happen as she pressed her hands. The first was that the old woman’s stature somehow got larger. He blinked his eyes in disbelief. Secondly he noticed that on her right hand, on one of her fingers there was a silver ring. Not an ordinary ring though. It was easy for Louis to make out the shape, two snakes formed into a double ‘S’ shape, each with a tail and a distinctive head. He leaned forward for a better view; each head had two red eyes that seemed to be getting brighter, and then suddenly went dark.
    The old woman passed the note back to Louis and he opened it up to check that the precious note was as it had been.
    ‘Put it back into the same pocket, boy, right now!’ The old woman demanded.
    He jumped up and pushed it in his pocket, and sat down again on the wicker chair. Magda sat down on the other chair looking quite exhausted.
    Louis began to feel a heat travelling up his leg. It was not a searing heat, nor did it make him alarmed at all. The soft warmth reached his hip area and he suddenly felt the urge to stand up, watched all the time by the old woman. As he stood up he felt and heard a sharp ‘click’ in his hip area. The heat sensation had gone but he just stood there in the caravan not knowing what had happened to him. The old woman shuffled up to Louis and whispered in his ear.
    ‘Now boy, walk around the room and keep walking until I say stop.’
    He did just as he was told, initially not noticing anything, but then everything felt different. He wasn’t sure what had happened. She said stop and he just stood in the middle of the little van, feeling his hip but not speaking. He looked at the old woman who looked back at him intently.
    ‘Yes my boy, you are cured, no more limping for you. Now sit a while whilst I tell you a story.’ He sat on the chair, looking at her like an obedient puppy dog.
    ‘Where I come from, yes, we all help each other, but there is always a reward for that help is expected. When you saw my need after the trouble with that horse, you came to my help and asked for no reward. In fact you thought nothing of it, you walked away not even asking for my thanks. I know something about you my dear Louis, you were not taught to do this, it has to be born in you, and this is a very rare thing. As you grow to a man, many years from now, you will find that most people are driven by selfishness. Listen to my advice, do not change your ways no matter what the future holds. I tell you this, help your fellow man, ask for no reward and I promise you will be rewarded tenfold.’ She put her bony hand on his little shoulder.
    ‘Do not worry about what people will say about you, now that you no longer limp. Maybe just two people will ask you about it that is all.’
    ‘I think I know who they are Magda.’ Louis found his voice.
    ‘To those who will ask, the answer you will give them is this; it went away on its own as I grew up. Will you say that to them?’ She asked and he nodded and smiled at her.
    ‘Will it be our secret?’ he asked.
    ‘You must never tell anyone, not even your dear father. Do you understand my boy?’
    Louis thought for a moment that no one would believe him if he did. So he acceded. He was about to leave, sensing that the audience was over, but she stopped him with her hand.
    ‘I have another present for you, it may not seem much.’
    She held out her hand to him and he looked down to see it. A small brown envelope was nestled in her bony palm. It was no more than an inch square, made of brown parchment, with what looked like two words written in a strange language. He took the envelope, turned it over and saw that it