Ernie, in answer, cuts off both of the swan's wings, ties the wings to Peter's arms, and says: “Look, I have brought the swan back to life!” then forces Peter to leap from a tree. Later, Ernie shoots a swan against Peter's wishes, and Peter wishes that the swan could come back to life. They menace Peter with the rifle and tie him to railway tracks, but Peter survives the train by sinking into the ballast.Īt first in hope of throwing Peter, still tied, into a lake, Ernie shoots a duck instead and sends Peter to obtain it. When Ernie receives a rifle for his fifteenth birthday, they both shoot birds on their way to the rabbit field. "The Swan" is a short story about the boys Ernie and his friend Raymond, who like to bully Peter Watson. It was published as a single title edition in 1999 by Jonathan Cape, with illustrations by Ralph Steadman. It was first published in the Saturday Evening Post magazine in the US in 1946 and was first published in book form in this collection. This is a non-fiction account of a labourer named Gordon Butcher who uncovered a large quantity of Roman treasure, the Mildenhall Treasure, in a field that he was ploughing for a farmer when he found pure silver and another man tried to deceive him into thinking it was worth nothing. Relieved, the narrator and the hitchhiker then stop on the highway to light a bonfire of the notebooks. He then reveals that he has stolen both the police officer's notebooks, which contain the tickets and details against them. He claims that he is never caught due to his "fantastic fingers". The hitchhiker disagrees, claiming that he is a "fingersmith" – just as a goldsmith has mastered gold, he has mastered the use of his fingers. The narrator accuses the hitchhiker of being a pickpocket. As he does, the hitchhiker suddenly reveals various items from the narrator's person, from a wallet to a watch to the narrator's shoelace. The narrator is despondent until his new friend challenges the narrator to guess his true profession. The police officer who writes the ticket acts particularly cruel, threatening the narrator with a long prison sentence and a huge fine. This results in a police motorbike pulling them over for speeding. They engage in conversation, revealing the man's Cockney accent and attitudes.Īs they talk, the narrator is urged by the hitchhiker to test the car's engine power by going ever faster. He lets the man into his car the passenger is described as being curiously rat-like, with long, white fingers. The narrator in this case has a brand new BMW 3.3 Li, and is enjoying a trip down the highway when he spots a hitchhiker. This is another fictional first person narrative. Main article: The Hitch-Hiker (short story) The next day, the boy is missing, and the fisherfolk reveal that they have seen the child riding on the back of the sea turtle into the distance. His father pays off the fisherfolk and hotel manager, and the turtle is set free. His parents reveal that the boy loves animals deeply, and even talks to them. Rich people want to buy it, while the manager of a nearby hotel wants to make turtle soup and eat him but both plans are foiled when a little boy and his parents appear, and the child screams at the people, calling them "horrible and cruel". One night, a sea turtle, ancient and huge, is caught by a group of fishermen. The narrator, on advice from friends, decides to vacation in Jamaica. This is a first-person fiction piece of medium-length writing. In 2023, a story from the collection, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", will be adapted into a film directed by Wes Anderson with Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character Henry Sugar.Ĭhapters The Boy Who Talked with Animals Another piece in the collection is a non-fiction account of a British farmer finding a legendary haul of ancient Roman treasure. Two of the stories are autobiographical in nature one describes how he first became a writer while the other describes some of Dahl's experiences as a fighter pilot in the Second World War. The stories were written at varying times throughout his life. The book was first published in London in 1977 by Jonathan Cape. They are generally regarded as being aimed at a slightly older audience than many of his other children's books. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More is a collection of seven short stories written by Roald Dahl.
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