Summary

                       Summary of The Black Book of Secrets

Our story starts out in an English city with Ludow Fitch, a 14 year old boy that works to support his parents.  He supplies them at least 6 shillings a day, either through stealing or by working.  The money covers their drinking addiction.  Since Ludow was very young, his parents have raised him to pick pockets or steal anything he could get his hands on. One day his parents got extremely greedy and decided they would sell his teeth.

    Ludow awakens the next morning to find himself strapped down in a dental chair.  The dentist walks in with his specially-made tooth puller, grabs ahold of Ludow’s tooth and pulls. Ludow experiences the most pain he has ever felt as his parents stand nearby laughing while holding him down. Ludow looks around as this is happening and sees a way to escape. He hits the dentist in the face causing the dentist to fall on the ground with tooth puller in hand.  Ludow then hits his dad who is holding him down, causing his dad to stumble to the ground which then frees Ludow’s right arm and leg. Ludow pushes his mom away and runs for the door.

 Ludow runs, glancing behind him to see the dentist and his dad running after him. He sprints to the edge of town and jumps onto a carriage.  Ludow rides this carriage til he gets to Pagus Parvise, and then wanders around the little old village until one store catches his eye.  He walks up to the store to see it is a pawn shop.  Ludow stares for a minute, lost in his thoughts as he views the impressive inventory.  Just then a man jumps up behind him and grabs his arm.  The stranger challenges the boy with the commanding question of what Ludow was doing in front of his pawn shop.  After sizing up the terrified boy he notices that Ludow’s mouth is still filled with a bloody residue.  He releases Ludow and invites him into the shop. This is the beginning of Ludow’s new life. After a few days Joe, the pawn shop owner, felt good enough about Ludow to invite the boy to work for him.

 Part of Ludlow’s job is to write in “The Black Book of Secrets”. The Black Book is just what it sounds like.  Joe offers pawn payments for the villager’s secrets, and it is in this book that they are kept.  Ludlow’s job is to write the secrets as they are told. Ludow moves in with Joe and they travel the world together.