The Persistent Suitor: A True Story

By Mrs. Prudence Howell

The humans who survived The Fall have to navigate ruined cities and magical creatures to find the basic necessities of life.


Theodore is searching for something more: his One True Everything... his wife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mrs. Prudence Howell
• Release date: Feb 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798986172323

Book preview

The Persistent Suitor

The Persistent Suitor

(A TRUE STORY)

MRS. PRUDENCE HOWELL

This is a work of fiction and all characters herein are sprung from the author’s own mind. Any similarity between any person depicted, and any being alive or dead is purely coincidental.

All text and Illustrations are © 2023

by

Mrs. Prudence Howell

All Rights Reserved.

Cover Design by Vishnu Ramesh

ISBN 979-8-9861723-2-3

www.MrsPrudenceHowell.com

For Mr. Howell

 he early morning sun climbed up the right side of Theodore’s neck, warming him. The seagulls sang out their lovers’ ballads, and the smell of brine hung heavy in the fog. It was good to be home.

Theodore had been on the routes for over a month and was road weary. Not that he objected to travel, mind you. His profession as a barterer had provided him with a priceless education. Most people in those days never traveled more than a few miles from their own village, much less over mountains and across rivers. Wagons were hard to come by and beasts of burden expensive. Besides, most people were frightened of the outside world. The Fall was still fresh in people’s minds and our new world was strange to them then, so they avoided their countrymen, hid from trolls, and cowered at the mention of fairies.

But not Theodore! As soon as he came of age, he fixed up an old bicycle, hitched a cart up to it, took his father’s map, and set about exploring. He traveled from town to town, exchanging goods and meeting all manner of interesting people along the way.

People were always the greatest adventure for Theodore. He loved talking to strangers, getting to know the different ways they lived, and guessing at the hidden complexities inside each of their heads. Eventually, Theodore’s good humor and curiosity won him friends and trade partners up and down the coast. In time, he had developed a robust and steady network of trade partners (magical and non-magical alike!).

But, even with all his friends, with all the relationships he had cultivated over the years, Theodore privately considered himself a failure. For there was one relationship he could not master, one alliance he had not forged. After many years of trying, Theodore still could not find a wife.

The search for love played no small role in Theodore’s decision to lead a life on the road. He reasoned that different places would have different kinds of women and that one of them would eventually prove to be the girl of his dreams.

As an