Tell Me A Story

The Return of Monty Bone

Charlie Bone and Billy Raven were on their way home from Bloor's Academy. As far as they knew, Charlie's grandmother, Grizelda Yewbeam, had once been married to a man named Montgomery Bone. But Monty was killed in a plane crash when their son, Lyell, was just 2 years old.

Well, that was many years ago.

But this time, Charlie was about to get a very nasty surprise.

When they got home, Charlie gasped as he saw an old man sitting in his grandmother's usual rocking chair. "Hey, who are you and what have you done with my grandmother?" he yelled.

The old man said, "My name is Montgomery Bone and I am your grandfather."

Charlie laughed at him, saying, "I don't have a grandfather. My grandfather died years before I was born."

Grizelda overheard them and said, "Monty, what are you doing here?"

"I decided to come back to you, my dear," said Monty.

Grizelda snapped and said, "You've got some serious nerve coming back to me after all you put me through."

"Like what?" Monty said.

"You left me to raise Lyell all by myself," said Griselda. "He had to grow up not knowing what happened to his father! What kind of man just up and leaves his son behind?"

Amy walked in overhearing the conversation. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"Amy," said Grizelda. "This man has left Lyell behind when he was just 2 years old. This man was reported dead, until he chose to show up here."

"Oh," said Amy.

Maisie then added, "And then Lyell went off to go look for you after finding out what happened to you and he just..."

"Disappeared," said Grizelda.

"So where is my son now?" Monty asked.

"I don't know!" Grizelda snapped. "If you had been a better father, then maybe Lyell wouldn't have disappeared trying to look for you. I had to help raise his son! What kind of man are you?"

And as husband and wife argued, Charlie said to Billy, "Let's get out of here. This place is too weird right now."

They went to Ingledew's Bookshop, where Charlie explained everything to Paton. Paton said, "Oh, so that no-good brother-in-law of mine decided to return, eh? Why couldn't he be more like Archie? That is a good man with his head on his shoulders and a much better father to his children."

"I see," said Billy.

"So will you confront him?" Charlie said.

"You bet!" said Paton. "And then we'll find Lyell and tell him the truth about his father."

Needless to say, the entire Yewbeam family got into a fight with Montgomery Bone. Charlie and Billy stared at each other, realizing that this was not going to end well.

And when they found Lyell, things were going to get worse...

To be continued...