yarrow's sitting by the stream
Loosely inspired by / leading on from ??? jesperimp's writing
It's late afternoon and the sun is setting, turning the sky a deep reddish pink. Yarrow is sitting by the stream nearby his house, playing little tunes on his thumb piano. He made it himself with a piece of wood from a fallen branch which he hand-carved and attached small pieces of scrap metal, so the sound is a little dull, but it's good enough. He made a strap for it which hangs around his neck -- a series of intertwining red swirls stitched into faded black fabric.
All of a sudden he hears jingling accompanying the melody he's playing: he turns his head and sees Jesper approaching. He gives a small smile in response to Jesper's wide toothy grin.
"How did it go?" asks Yarrow.
Jesper plops himself on the ground next to Yarrow and starts pulling things out of his backpack as he recounts what he got from the market. Last of all, he pulls out a small pastry and holds it out for Yarrow.
"Oooh. Thank you." Yarrow takes the pastry from him and immediately takes a bite. His eyes open a little wider as he savours the taste of the berry jam inside it. "Did you get one for yourself?"
He did. He already ate it.
Yarrow chuckles. "Well, thank you for saving one for me."
He returns to playing his thumb piano. Jesper soon begins dancing around, the bells on his hat jingling in time with the music.
"Jes-per went on a journey to-day,
To get us some food to eat.
He bought me a pas-try and one for him-self,
Filled with berries oh-so-sweet."
Jesper giggles and claps gleefully.
Yarrow takes a bow in response, a little awkwardly as he's sat with his knees up towards his chest.
"Okay," he says, finishing up the melody. "You ready for dinner?"
"Jesper hungry!"
"Good, me too." Yarrow helps his companion to gather up the things he got from the market before picking himself up off the ground. He starts the short walk back to the house, laughing to himself as he spots Jesper blipping in and out for short distances until they reach the house.
He's about to open the door when he notices Jesper eager to get inside.
"Hey. Jesper. What are we forgetting about?"
After a moment, a lightbulb seems to switch on in Jesper's mind. "Imp wash feet! Friend no like dirt in house---hehehe."
Yarrow smiles. "No friend does not. Wait here -- let me get some fresh water."