Bonny's Debut

By M. M. Rodeheaver

Everything changes for Bonny when her 'uncles' leave town. She has a new job, a new school, and a new dream: to play with the orchestra in the summer concert. But there are some who think she doesn't belong – and not just the kids!

 

Bonny wants to be interesting instead of just weird. She wants her 'uncles' to stop telling her what to do. But Porkington and Swinson know how tough life can be, especially when you start life as a piglet.

 

When her 'uncles' head west for the summer, Bonny gets what she wants. Her job at Mugsy's should be a cinch, and she's sure she'll meet interesting people at the City School for the Arts. Once there she makes a discovery, and a new dream captures her imagination. She's determined to play the xylophone in the summer concert!

 

But Bonny's new job isn't easy. Some of the kids in the orchestra think she doesn't belong. And the assistant principal is on a mission to seek and destroy. Will all the obstacles prove to be too much? If Bonny has what it takes to reach her goal, will anyone be there to hear?

 

Don't miss any of these other books by M. M. Rodeheaver:

Porkington Hamm  Life is hard when you look one way on the outside, but feel another way on the inside. Porkington struggled against the odds to make a good life for himself – but someone is stalking him, and when his friends leave town Porkington finally meets his mysterious enemy.

Porkington Returns  Swinson has a secret - he left a brother behind, and now his brother is not safe. Porkington and Swinson join forces and embark on a daring rescue mission.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Margaret Rodeheaver
• Release date: Jul 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781733288088

Book preview

Praise for Porkington Hamm

A clever and touching story.... Porkington is a gentle and articulate soul who just happens to have floppy ears, a funny nose, and a preference for dressing very formally. It is a fable of sorts – light but thought provoking.

– Amazon reviewer

The tale as a whole is charming. I am waiting for the sequel!

– Amazon reviewer

Also by M. M. Rodeheaver

Porkington Hamm

Porkington Returns

Haunted Holiday – A Christmas Cookie Ghost Story

Bonny’s Debut

by

M. M. Rodeheaver

Pares forma Press

MacoN, Georgia

Copyright © 2020 by Margaret Rodeheaver.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

Will Way Books, Inc. / Pares Forma Press

212 Will Way

Byron, Georgia 31008

www.margaretrodeheaver.com

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Book design © 2017  BookDesignTemplates.com

Cover illustration by Jen Smith, www.thesheepandthemoon.com

Cover design by Rebecacovers

Ordering Information: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by bookstores, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

Macon / Margaret Rodeheaver — First Edition

International Standard Book Numbers:

Print  978-1-7332880-7-1

Ebook  978-1-7332880-8-8

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to you.

Do more of what makes you happy.

Contents

Chapter 1. Believe It or Not

Chapter 2. Cooped Up

Chapter 3. Lessons

Chapter 4. Free

Chapter 5. Past and Future

Chapter 6. At the Library

Chapter 7. Opportunity

Chapter 8. Alone, But Not

Chapter 9. Day One

Chapter 10. Another Day One

Chapter 11. Discovery

Chapter 12. Determination

Chapter 13. First Lesson

Chapter 14. Trouble

Chapter 15. Green Things

Chapter 16. Suppertime

Chapter 17. Enemies, Friends, and Brothers

Chapter 18. Letter From Woodsy

Chapter 19. Back in the Kitchen Again

Chapter 20. Accident

Chapter 21. In the Oven

Chapter 22. Warnings

Chapter 23. Cyclops

Chapter 24. Revelations

Chapter 25. Cabbages

Chapter 26. Postcard

Chapter 27. More Trouble

Chapter 28. Decision

Chapter 29. Meeting

Chapter 30. Bonny’s Debut

Chapter 31. Encore

Chapter 1.

Believe It or Not

In the heart of the city there is a large green park with a fountain that splashes and sparkles three seasons out of the year. City Library is at one end of the park. Shops and eateries line the surrounding streets, and City University is not far away.

People out and about in this part of the city might notice an old, well-kept apartment building just off Park Street. The apartments inside are comfortable, and the people who live in them tend to stay put for a long time.

All except for a certain gentleman who started out on the fifth floor, then moved to the fourth floor, and a short while later moved again to the second floor.

The other residents found all this moving around a bit strange, and the gentleman doing the moving was rather strange-looking. But since he was also kind and interesting and liked by everyone who got to know him, they just shrugged their shoulders, updated their address books, and got on with their lives.

The gentleman was named J. Porkington Hamm; Porkington to most of his friends.

Porkington worked mornings at Mugsy’s Café around the corner from the apartment, where he crafted delicious soups and salads and other items on the lunch menu. Customers lined up for his soup of the day, of which he was very proud.

When he wasn’t working, Porkington could often be found strolling through the outdoor market in City Park, reading in the library, or chatting with neighbors in the café. Lately, however, he was spending more time close to home, and with good reason.

Porkington had a baby.

Rather, he had a piglet that had turned into a baby.

PORKINGTON WAS BORN in the normal piglet way to a sow named Mrs. Hamm who lived in the animal science department at City University.

Now, it’s a long story, but when Porkington was eight weeks old he received a dose of experimental stem cell serum that transformed him into a person. The problem was, he still looked a little bit ... odd. And some people were mean to Porkington. Very mean.

Meanwhile, at a big university in the Midwest, other piglets were given doses of other experimental stem cell serums which turned them into people. One of these people was Swinson McHoag. When Swinson moved east to take a job at City Library, he and Porkington got an apartment together. That was one of Porkington’s moves.

Swinson had a brother named Bo who turned out to be not very nice, even when Swinson and Porkington tried to help him. There was a hostage situation and a lot of other unpleasantness. While all this was going on, one last piglet received a dose of experimental stem cell serum. Then a terrible accident happened and two people were killed.

That’s how Porkington and Swinson ended up with a baby named Bonny. But babies who are not born in the normal human way tend to grow up a lot faster than usual. That’s where this story begins.

Chapter 2.

Cooped Up

Very few people can remember what it was like to be a baby. Swinson and Porkington certainly couldn’t. But they knew they had grown up quickly, and so would Bonny.

In the meantime, they had friends they could depend on to help look after her, at least in the mornings until Porkington came home from the café.

With a borrowed crib and some baby supplies from their favorite thrift shop, they quickly got down to the business of raising a little one.

Porkington unpacked a bouncy chair, set it up on the dining room table, and plunked Bonny into it. She bounced up and down with her arms in the air. You like that, don’t you? Porkington said. You’re quite a wiggle-worm.

Their little gray cat Grisette leapt up on the table and crept close to the child. The cat lowered her head and sniffed. Then she reached out a paw and patted Bonny’s foot.

Enough of that, Swinson said, and gently put Grisette back on the floor. While Porkington put away diapers and bottles and things, Swinson sat at the table with a big calendar in front of him and took up his marking pen.

Mondays and Tuesdays Melody said she would look after you. Melody Watson lived on the fifth floor where she took care of her granddaughter LaDonna. Swinson wrote Melody’s name on the calendar.

And Wednesdays and Thursdays Gloria offered to watch you. Gloria was a tutor who taught reading. Since she mostly worked in the afternoon when kids got out of school, she was available in the mornings to help out.

And Tom will take Fridays. Tom Major was Porkington’s oldest friend. A professor in the animal science department at City University, he had brought Porkington home to his apartment as a young piglet.

I’ll be sure to get my work done so I can be home by one o’clock every day, Porkington said.

Swinson smiled at Bonny. What do you think about that, eh? Bonny waved her arms like she was leading an orchestra, and bounced again in her chair.

And that’s the way it happened. Before they knew it Bonny had outgrown the bouncy chair and the borrowed crib and was toddling around the apartment. That’s when they moved into a larger, three-bedroom apartment on the second floor. Porkington hoped it would be the last move for a long time. His comfortable old furniture couldn’t take being squashed into the elevator and squeezed through any more doorways.

TOM MAJOR WALKED DOWN three flights of stairs and along the hallway of the old apartment building and knocked on the door of number 215. Coming! a muffled voice called from inside.

Swinson opened the door and let him in. Come on in, Tom. We’re running a little late this morning. He wore one sock, and held the other in his hand. Oh! Shut the door, quick!

A pink blur streaked through the living room and came to an abrupt stop as Tom shut the door behind him. Bonny took one look at Tom, did a U-turn, and ran back in the direction of her bedroom.

That child has enough energy for three people! She escaped into the hall the other day, and I had a terrible time catching her. I’m glad you’re here. I have to finish getting dressed. Swinson walked off as Porkington came into the living room.

How are things going, Porkington? Tom asked. It looks like you’ve barely slept.

Porkington collapsed onto the sofa with a big sigh and a dazed look. She’s growing up fast, Tom.

I can see that. She’s almost as tall as you.

First we went to the park yesterday evening. Then we watched a movie together, and then she was up at midnight making herself a snack and left all the lights in the apartment on. I had to get out of bed and turn them off. I don’t know how you managed to raise me.

You were a much calmer child. And I let you watch way too much television. Bonny ran up the hall and circled the living room, staying just out of Tom’s reach. Finally she flounced onto the couch next to Porkington. Seriously, Tom continued, you look like you could use a break.

"I feel like I could use a break. I feel restless, which is odd for me. I’ve always considered myself a homebody. But since Swinson and I took the train to the beach last year, I’ve had a bit of wanderlust. I want to go places and see things. We’ve been cooped up at home so much these last few months."

Bonny bounced up and down on the cushion. Cooped up! I’m the one who’s trapped all day in this coop! Buck buck buck-ack! She made crazy chicken noises.

Porkington put his arm around her to stop her bouncing. You know why you have to stay close to home, he said.

Because I’m weird! Bonny exclaimed.

No ... he explained patiently, because –

"Because I look weird." She wiggled out from his grasp and dashed back to her bedroom.

Porkington sighed. She’ll probably want a nap this morning, but don’t let her sleep too long, whatever you do. I can’t take another night of this!

Has she had breakfast yet? Tom asked.

You’re the expert on nutrition. I’ll leave feeding her up to you. I’ve thrown in the towel. Most of the things I like, she doesn’t. Even Swinson can’t figure it out. She does love to play in the kitchen, though.

Swinson came back with both socks on, as well as shoes. Ready? We’ve got to get moving. He gave Bonny a pat on the head ruffling her short dark hair, and grabbed his jacket.

Bye, Tom. See you later, Bonny, Porkington said.

Let’s watch and wave to them,