This Cache is based on the book 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More'. In particular the story 'The Swan'. although I'm sure Dahl did not base this story around this area it makes a good link to tell children about. Especially with the old Halton railway just down the path. Also if you look very carefully and if you are around at the correct time of the year you may see a Swans nest and possibly the Cygnets. Just be careful not to upset the parents because Swans are notoriously grumpy. Although not to sure about the rumors 'They'll break your arm'. :-).
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More is a collection of seven short stories written by Roald Dahl. They are generally regarded as being aimed for a slightly older audience than many of his other children's books.
The stories were written at varying times throughout his life, and are believed by many[by whom?] to reflect some of his best fiction writing. Two of the stories are autobiographical in nature; one describes how he first became a writer while the other describes some of Dahl's experiences as a fighter pilot inWorld War II. Another piece in the collection is a non-fiction account of a British farmer finding a legendary haul of ancient Roman treasure. The book was first published in 1977 by Jonathan Cape.
The Boy Who Talked with Animals
This is a first-person fiction piece of medium-length writing. The narrator, on advice from friends, decides to vacation in Jamaica for a time. One night, a large commotion breaks out on the beach-a sea turtle, ancient and huge, is caught by a group of fisherfolk. The beach patrons debate about what to do with the tortoise; rich people want to buy it, while the manager of a nearby hotel wants to use the meat to make turtle soup. The people's plans are foiled when a little boy and his parents appear; the child screams at the people, calling them "horrible and cruel." His parents reveal that the boy loves animals deeply, and even talks to them. His father pays off the fisherfolk and hotel manager, and the turtle is set free.
The next day, the boy is missing. Everyone is shocked when the fisherfolk return and reveal that they have found the child-riding on the back of the sea turtle, venturing into the unknown.
[edit]The Hitch-hiker
This is another fictional first person narrative. The narrator in this case has a brand new car, and is enjoying a trip down the highway when he spots ahitchhiker. He lets the man into his car; the passenger is described as being curiously rat-like, with long, white fingers. They engage in conversation, revealing the man's Cockney accent and attitudes. He challenges the narrator to guess his true profession. As he does, the hitchhiker suddenly reveals various items from the narrator's person, from a wallet to a watch to the narrator's shoelace. The narrator accuses the hitchhiker of being a pickpocket. The hitchhiker disagrees, claiming that he is a "fingersmith" - just as a goldsmith has mastered gold, he has mastered the use of his fingers.
As they talk, the narrator is pulled over for speeding. The police officer who writes the ticket acts particularly cruel, threatening the narrator with a long prison sentence and a huge fine; he even spits on the car before leaving. The narrator is despondant until his new friend reveals that he has stolen the police officer's notebooks, which contain the tickets against them.
[edit]The Mildenhall Treasure
This is a non-fiction account of a labourer named Gordon Butcher who uncovered a large quantity of Roman treasure in a field that he was ploughing for a farmer.
[edit]The Swan
The Swan is about two boys named Ernie and Raymond who like to bully a boy named Peter Watson. They give Peter a hard time and put him through many dangerous ordeals.
[edit]Characters
There are three main characters in The Swan: Ernie, Raymond, and Peter. Ernie is portrayed as an evil and cruel boy who treats everyone badly and as an extremely violent person. Raymond is portrayed as cruel, like Ernie. Peter is portrayed as a boy who does well in school, and enjoys nature. Peter is also quiet and polite, loves music, and plays the piano well. He is also brave.
The Swan is a short story about Ernie and his friend Raymond who like to bully Peter Watson. Ernie gethis fifteenth birthday. His dad tells him to go kill some rabbits for supper. Ernie agrees, goes outside, and whistles for his friend Raymond to come outside. Raymond comes and they both shoot birds while heading to the rabbit field. When they get to the railway line they see Peter Watson, a boy whom they often bully.
As a joke, Ernie and Raymond go over to Peter and point the gun at him and say, “Hands up!” Then, Raymond decides to tie Peter up on the railway tracks. Miraculously, Peter survives when the train comes over him by sinking into the ballast just barely enough so the train won’t hit him.
Next, the two boys decide to throw Peter in the lake with his hands still tied. When they get to the lake, Ernie spots a duck on the lake and decides to shoot it instead. After he kills it, he orders Peter to go and fetch it. Peter does this unwillingly because he didn’t like to see Ernie shoot the beautiful duck, but he also doesn’t want to aggravate him.
Next, Ernie sees a beautiful swan that is sitting on her nest and decides to shoot her also. Peter begs and pleads with him not to shoot the swan, but Ernie shoots the swan anyway. He tells Peter to go retrieve the swan. Peter hesitates for little bit and then goes with tears streaming down his face. He wishes that the swan could come back to life. This gives Ernie another idea.
Ernie says he can bring the swan back to life, and he gets to work. He cuts off both of the swan’s wings, then ties the wings to Peter’s arms and says, “Look, I have brought the swan back to life!” Then, Ernie wants to see Peter or “Mister Swan” climb the tree and jump off and fly. Peter thinks that if he climbs the tree then he can get further away from Ernie and Raymond.
He climbs the tree all the way to the top and just stands on a branch. Ernie yells at him to jump off the branch, but Peter just stands there. Ernie gives him ten seconds to jump off the tree or he will shoot him. Ten seconds go by and Ernie’s second shot hits Peter in the thigh. Peter falls off the branch, but grabs onto another one. Then, Peter sees a bright light and jumps off the branch. Three people saw a great white swan flying over the village that day. Mrs. Watson sees a white thing flop into her garden and she recognizes it as her son, Peter. She sprints out to him, calls a doctor and an ambulance, and cuts the two great wings of the swan off his arm.
[edit]The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Henry, an independently wealthy man who enjoys gambling, finds and reads a doctors view on a strange patient. This patient had the ability to see without eyes. He then decides to try to master the art of meditation and discovers that he is a "one-in-a-million" type of person whose natural psychic powers are much more easily honed. After only three years, Henry masters the ability to see through playing cards, and can even predict the future to a mild extent. Henry unnaturally uses these abilities to help him in a casino; however, when he arrives, he discovers that months of disciplined training have altered his personality, making him more perceptive to the greed of those around him. He uses his powers to predict which number will win on a roulette wheel, then later makes a great deal of money at the blackjack tables. While there, he also realizes that he must be careful; though he could easily "break the casino", the media attention caused by such an event would get him in trouble.
Henry walks home with enough money for a "large car or a small cottage" - surprisingly, though, he is uninterested in the cash. He realizes that the thrill of winning or losing has been eradicated: he is guaranteed to always beat the house. Henry tries to decide what to do with the money, then abruptly decides to literally throw it out of his window. Soon, a near-riot breaks out as the people of London rush to collect the twenty pound notes falling from Henry's apartment. A police officer arrives at the scene and scolds Henry, suggesting that he find a more legal form of charity-for instance, he could donate money to orphanages.
Henry is struck between the eyes at this idea, and vows to establish the most well-equipped and supportive orphanages on the planet. He enlists the help of his accountant who works as his personal banker. Originally, Henry's plan works well-until he reaches Las Vegas. There, he unknowingly collects a huge sum from three casinos owned by the same Mafioso. A bellhop at the hotel Henry is staying at warns him of the danger; the two switch clothes, and Henry escapes unharmed. After this narrow escape, Henry flies to Hollywood, where he enlists the aid of a famousmakeup artist to create various disguises and false identities to protect himself.
At the end of the story, the author reveals that he was selected, seemingly at random, to write Henry's story, as the man has died. The narrator is shocked to hear all of the events, and also comments that Henry's wish came true-the Henry Sugar Orphanages, established all across the globe, are indeed the best in the world.
[edit]Lucky Break
This is a non-fictional account, similar to Roald Dahl's Boy and Going Solo albeit in a more concise form. It discusses the events in his life that led him to become a writer, including a meeting with a famous writer, who helped to launch his career. The story is about Dahl's school and all the teachers, up until after the publication of his first story.
[edit]A Piece of Cake
This is an autobiographical account of Dahl's time as a fighter pilot in World War II, particularly the details of how Dahl was injured and eventually forced to leave the Mediterranean arena. The original version of the story was written for C. S. Forester so that he could get the gist of Dahl's story and rewrite it in his own words. However, Forester was so impressed by the story (Dahl at the time did not believe himself to be anything approaching an accomplished writer) that he sent it straight off to his agent who had it published (as "Shot Down Over Libya") in the Saturday Evening Post, thereby kick-starting Dahl's writing career.