Page 39 - RotalTutor

started burning in her. She didn’t want anything to ruin the surprise. She was so afraid the chicken would come out of its drunken stupor and squawk, ruining everything. She wanted it to be the perfect moment, when he reached in his saddlebag for the food. Finally, she could stand it no longer. “Alexander, is it lunch time yet? I’m hungry.” Alexander smiled as usual. “There is a nice glen by a lake about a half mile further up. We can stop there so our horses can have water.” That was Alexander - always thinking of his horse. They eventually arrived in a beautiful meadow with a small stream running through it, a stream that emptied into a crystal clear lake. She was always amazed at how well Alexander seemed to know every inch of the land they traveled. He unsaddled the horses, hobbled them, and set them to graze in the meadow. Finally, the moment came that she had been waiting for. He reached in his pack and took hold of the drunken chicken. He pulled it out and, for the briefest moment, Louise thought she saw a look of astonishment before he regained his composure. It was so slight, that if anything, it just angered her more. It didn’t take a genius to know what had happened. The bird smelled like it had drunk an entire wine cellar. Alexander held it up, “So much for lunch. I will need to talk to the cook. It looks like she marinated the chicken, but forgot to cook it. It’s still raw.” 37