<1>

Once upon a time there lived a boy with his sick mother.
Life for Sam was not easy. Early in the morning he woke up to the sound of cocks and hens , then in the night he slept​ with the neigh of his horse.
At a tender age of 15 , he was a very hardworking and brave boy.Since his father died in an accident he was all left to the family , along with a dying mother, who didn't take the death of his father well.

Sam's life had became a monotony. Waking up , feeding chickens then working in his small cabbage farm and then taking the ripped cabbages to town for sale Not to mention , taking care of his mother besides all this.

Whenever he went to town to sell cabbages at noon, he watched children of his age returning from school. Most of the time it occured to him that what would his life have been if his father hadn't died while swimming.

One night it such happened that Sam saw a weird dream. Wind was blowing hard and a monster sized hat was running behind him , the craziest thing was, that hat was made up of cabbages.
He was terrified that without thinking he ran and ran until he left the hat behind and came to hault at a small hut.
He heard something strange.

"Son don't run." Said a voice,
"This hat is for your help, you are going to come across such factors that you will need help, at that time this hat will help you."
Soon he realised that what he heard was his father's voice.
He ran away from the hut towards the hat, but never found it again.

Only then his eyes opened abruptly ,tears flowing down his cheeks and sweat tickling from his forehead.
It was morning, and it's said that dreams seen early in the morning usually comes true.

***

<2>

Like all other days, Sam worked in the cabbage farms. It was afternoon, sun was shining bright in the sky. Sam was busy pulling out cabbages from the ground. He digged a little hole near the cabbage, took the cabbage out and put it in a cart near him.
It was so hot, sweat was tickling down his forehead to his neck. He swept the sweat on his forehead using the sleeve of his worn out shirt.
" Huh. It's so hot today. And it's just the starting of summers." He thought to himself.

His thoughts drifted back to the dream he saw a few days ago.
"Will it be true? What was that hat? Was father trying to talk to me about something?"

He was thinking deeply. Lost in thought ,when he touched something soft under the ground.
"What is this? It doesn't feel life a cabbage." He thought.

He tried to pull it out, but nothing happened. He tried again with all the force he was capable of.

And then it came with a blast, all the cabbages around him jumped out of there holes ,like they suddenly were given legs.
Everywhere he looked, there were cabbages poping.
Even his cart of cabbages got blown away.
Something fell in his hand, without even seeing what had fallen in his hand, he ran towards his hut.

"What's happening? Is this a dream too." He thought.

He went inside the door , closed it and hid himself behind a cupboard.

He sat on the cold ground. His heart threatening to come out.
Before he could think what was happening around him, he heard a voice.

"Could you just put your ass away from my face? Said someone.

He looked up, down, right and left but found none.

The voice came again, "I am under you stupid."

Frightened from it, he jumped up and collided with the wall.

"What are you?" He asked looking at the place he was sitting.

"Pheww, boy you are heavy. You squeezed the life out of me."
Sam tried to peek what was the thing talking to him , too frightened to go near.

" Oh my, like father like son. I am not going to hurt you ,come here."

Hearing it Sam took a few steps closer to that thing.
What he saw , was not new to him.
The same hat he had seen in his dream was infront of his eyes. Just in a small version.

" Oh my god, are you real? " he asked excited to see the hat, he knew his father had sent.

"Yes boy, I am. My name is Cabby the hat."

"Oh my god, did my father send you to help me? Do you know him? How did you come here?"

"Oh my my , a curious lad like his father. Yes little boy I knew him, your father was my friend. I knew everyone in your family. Your great grand father was the first who found me, when he was 15 , in the same way you found me. It's a kind of custom that when a boy turns 15 he founds me and then when he turns 18 he would dig a hole again and burry me inside it in his cabbage garden."

"What exactly do they do with you?" He asked.

"Anything you want, I am magical. I can be a companion and a friend. Also I can help you at the time of need, But keep one thing in mind, if you tell anybody about me, you will never see me again."

" Okay, I won't tell anyone." Sam replied.

Sam was more than excited to know that now he won't be alone, atleast for a Few years.

From that day, cabby and Sam became best of friends.
Where ever he went he took cabby along.

On the other hand cabby was finding the right time to tell him about the powers it had.

***

<3>

Sam and cabby returned home from a long tiresome day.
"It was a long day, isn't it cabby?"
Sam asked.
"Yes, my light green color is changing to dark."
Cabby replied.

Cabby was a hat with humor. It never left a chance to make Sammy laugh.

Before Sam would knock on the door of his hut, he heard some voices from inside.

" You witch, you could keep all the money away from us?"
Said a man in heavy voice.

"Money, but we don't have any money." Sam whispered Cabby.

Cabby knew all the secrets of their family. .

"Let's go to that window on the other side, from there we will have a better look , of what's happening inside." Cabby told Sam.

Crawling on the ground,they went towards the window. Sam peeked.
"What is happening inside?"cabby asked.

"Shhh, keep your volume down."
He whispered.
" There are three men inside. They have my mother. Mother is crying sitting on the bed.
One man is shouting at her, he is small and old with a blunt Head.
The other two are large , heavily build. old man has a knife. What if he hurts mother?" Sam asked cabby with worried expressions.

"Don't worry lad, he won't. Unless and untill I am with you." Cabby replied.
" Come give me your ear."

Sam put his ear next to cabby's mouth. Cabby whispered a few things, hearing which Sam's expressions changed.
Suddenly Sam became excited.

"Do you think this plan will work?"

"Are you questioning my abilities?"

"No I am not." Sam blinked.

Sam wore cabby on his head and knocked on the door.
No sound came from inside , all voices hushed. Then the door opened.

Before Sam would put a step inside, a pair of hands caught him and pulled him inside.

"Leave me." He shouted.
"Look, who we have hear." Said the old man.

"Finally, now I will kill you and I will became the only heir of the William empire." He laughed and his men joined.

"No Sam, run away my boy." Sam's mother pleaded.

"Mother, what's happening. We don't have any money?" Sam questioned.

"Oh. You don't know. You are the only son of Charlie William. Your father didn't die in an accident. I killed him and I would have killed you if your mother hadn't ran away , taking you away from us."
Old man said.

Sam looked at his mother.
"Mother is this true?"

"yes my child, I wanted to save your life. Once you turn 18 , whole property will become yours. Then I would have taken you back. These people would not be able to hurt you then!" Mother cried.

Hearing all this Sam was dumbfounded. Shocked beyond imagination.

"But not now, now every thing will be mine. Once you are dead, all will belong to uncle Henry." Old man laughed.

"Kill him Dave." Henry Waved his hand towards his other man.

Sam was struggling in the arms of a man and Dave went towards him with a sharp shinny knife.

"Now is the time." Cabby whispered Sam.

***

<4>

Before Dave could come close to him Sam shouted.

"Fuzzle Fuzzle , Bumfuzzle."

The man that was coming towards Sam to kill him changed his path. He went directly to the wall and threw that knife on the ground. He shouted and bangled his head hard on the wall. Then he went to the man who was holding Sam and banged his head with his own.

"Owch, Dave what are you doing man." Shouted the man.

"I don't know, I don't know what I should do David." Dave slapped David.

David unable to control his anger slapped Dave. Both started fighting like animals.

"What are you both doing , you stupid men." Shouted Henry.

"I think I myself have to kill you." Henry went running to Sam.

"You should try."
Sam said and douched him.
Henry went straight to the wall and stucked his head in a hole.

Sam went running to his mother.
"Mother we need to get out of here. " Sam said.

Meanwhile Henry pulled his head out of the hole.
"Not before I kill you , son of a dog!"

Before Henry could reach Sam.
Sam shouted a spell,

"Boo , boo, Gardyloo!"

Sam jumped on a table near by and pulled his mother with him.

Large steam of dirty water ran down the stairs.

"What the hell is happening?" Henry shouted.

Dirty water took the three shouting men away from the house. It looked as if whole river of dirty water was flowing inside their house.

Gradually all water decreased.

"Sammy , you can now go down." Whispered Cabby.

"Mother now we are safe." Sam told his mother.

" What if they will come back." Mother asked worried.
"How did you do all that?"

Now was the time to tell her mother about Cabby.
Sam took cabby off his head.
"This is not just a hat mother. This is a magical hat, a gift from father. I wore it on my head, it made me a wizard. It gave me power to use spells." Sam tried to explain.

"Yes, I am. And as for them , they will never come to this place again." Cabby explained.

Mother stared at both of them with shock.

"I had heard this story , that there is a magical hat involved in this family, but never believed it. But now I do.
Thank you Cabby."
Mother said wiping a tear from her cheek.

"It's my duty Mrs. Williams. But now since you know about my existence I will have to go. " Cappy sadly informed.

"No , it's almost a year before I turn 18, you can't go." Sam cried.

"Don't cry my boy. I will give you something which you will always cherish."

"Nothing can be better than you."

Cabby gave Sam a boon.

"I give you the power to know the right,
you will be the most bright.
People will come to you for help,
Nobody would judge your wisdom.
Your life will be one of the best in the kingdom."

Cabby sang and then with a loud puff , he was gone.

Sam cried hard in his mother's arms.
His only friend was gone.

They packed their bags and left the town the other day.

As said by Cabby, Sam became the most educated man of his times.
Wisdom and wealth became his charm.
He helped all needy and lived a peaceful life.

***