Stuck

The Misadventures of Nicholas Barkley 3

by Arkangel

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.

"Mama! Papa! Help." Nicholas Barkley yelled.

Rushing into the foyer, Tom and Victoria stopped at the sight. "Nicholas Barkley, how on earth did you do that?" Victoria gasped running to the staircase.

Tom puzzled his son's predicament a moment then turned and ran for the kitchen. "Tom, where are you going?" Victoria yelled.

"I'll be right back." Tom yelled back

Victoria looked once more at her five year old son who's head was now stuck in between the rods attaching the banister to the staircase. "Nicholas....." She said shaking her head.

"I'm stucked." Nicholas said stating the obvious.

"Yes, I see that. Let's see if we can get you unstuck." Victoria said calmly though inside she was a nervous wreck. Victoria took hold of Nicholas and gently pulled back.

"Oh! Mama, my ears."

"Son, we have to get you out."

"But my ears, they hurt when you pull like that."

Jarrod stood, watching from the top of the stairs, "Well if your ears weren't so big......" Jarrod began.

Victoria gave Jarrod a scolding look, "You hush, young man. Did you stand there and let Nicholas put his head in here?"

Jarrod tilted his head a bit, "Yeah, figured he wouldn't believe me if I told him he'd get stuck, so I thought he needed see for himself."

"You know better than this, Jarrod." Victoria stated firmly, "Come down here and sit with your brother, I'm going to go see what's taking your father so long."

"Yes, Mother." Jarrod sighed as he made his way to take up Victoria's position. "Do you want me to give him a good yank, I bet he'd pop right out."

"Absolutely not!" Victoria stated, "You just sit here and talk to him, kept him calm."

"I'm calm mama." Nicholas smiled.

"But I'm not, young man." Looking at Jarrod again before she left, "Don't you do anything.....you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jarrod watched as his mother left. Turning to Nicholas he said, "I bet you're gonna have to stay here for the rest of your life."

"Am not." Nicholas answered with a frown.

"Yep, you're head's to big, short of cutting off your ears, there's not way we can get you out." Jarrod said matter of factly.

Nicholas brought a shaky hand up to tug at his right ear, "I like my ears, I don't want them cut off."

"Then you shouldn't have stuck your head in there." Jarrod smiled.

"You told me to do it." Nicholas protested.

"I did not, you asked me what would happen, and I said 'you wouldn't believe me if I told you.' I didn't say to do it." Jarrod answered.

"You didn't stop me!" Nicholas whined.

"That's not the point, I did not tell you to do it. I'm not in trouble, you are."

"What do ya think papa's getting?"

"A knife.....or maybe a saw. I don't know. May be painful for you though." Jarrod reasoned, "Don't worry little brother, I'll be here."

Nicholas became frantic with worry, "Why......why would papa be getting a saw?"

"Well you see......it's like this......" Jarrod was interrupted by his mother and father's return to the foyer.

Nicholas noticed something silver in his father's right hand and began to panic, "Don't cut my ears off!" He cried.

Tom and Victoria looked at each other then, together, looked at Jarrod. "What have you been telling him, young man?" Tom asked.

Jarrod thought honesty in this instance was warranted, "I told him you may have to cut his ears off to get him out."

"That's absurd, I am not cutting his ears off." Crouching in front of his distraught son, Tom continued, "Nicholas, I'm going to put some lard on the side of your head. The 'butter' knife is to help me get it out of the tin.....I won't hurt you."

"Promise?"

"Promise, the word of a rancher and a papa." Tom said holding his right hand up as an oath.

Nicholas nodded his head as much as he could, "Okay papa, I believe you."

Tom handed the lard tin to Victoria and proceeded to dig out it's contents with the butter knife. He then put the large clump of lard into his left hand and placed the knife in the tin. "Now, you hold still."

Nicholas nodded again.

Slathering the lard between his rough calloused hands, Tom placed the greasy mess on each side of Nicholas' head and proceeded to smear it around his ears. "There, all done."

Victoria made her way to the backside of Nicholas while Tom placed a still greasy hand on his forehead, "Now Vic, you gently pull and I'll push. On the count of three."

Seeing Victoria nod worriedly he started. "One......two......three."

Victoria gently tugged on Nicholas' shoulders as her husband pushed slightly on his head, feeling it give, they pushed and tugged a little harder until finally, with an audible pop, Nicholas' head was free.

"Now, you will never do something so foolish as this again......right?" Tom said, shaking a lard covered finger at his young son.

"No sir."

"You do know that this was a very dangerous thing to do?"

"Yes sir."

Turning to Jarrod he added, "And you, I expect you to watch out for your little brother. No more of this standing by and watching."

Jarrod frowned, "But."

"No buts, Jarrod." Tom said firmly.

"Yes sir."

Victoria smiled in relief, "Lets get this little one upstairs and in the bath. I do hope that lard comes off."

"Yeah, mama, I smell like a greased pig."

"Look like one too." Jarrod added.

Tom gave Jarrod another look then, with a small grin, took his lard covered hands and placed them on each side of Jarrod's head. "Now you both smell the same. Go get cleaned up."

"Papa!" Jarrod yelled as he started up the stairs.

Nicholas giggled, "That was funny, papa. Do mama next!"

Tom looked from Nicholas to Victoria and his grinned widened.

"Don't you dare, Thomas Barkley!" She said backing up the stairs holding her young son in front of her.

Tom stalked up the stairs, following his laughing son and giggling wife. "Now Vic, would I do something like that?"

"You certainly would." Victoria then turned and hurried up the stairs towing Nicholas behind her.

Silas came in to fetch the lard can and butter knife and smiled. Hearing his families laughter coming from upstairs, he shook his head and returned the items to the kitchen. Nicholas was free and safe and all was well.

Until next time.

THE END