Hertz van Rintal

Hertz was born in the back of an old Volkswagen campervan. His parents were originally from Holland but had been travellers for the last few years, bumming around from place to place and just stopping whenever the mood took them. His parents had coasted into town on petrol fumes during the previous summer and eventually the old veedub ground to a halt outside the Rusty Star on Main Street. Now due to his parent’s free spirit, not to mention their lack of motivation and income, the campervan started to attract attention as it didn’t move from that same spot for the next 3 months. Eventually Big Dick stepped forward and offered them some assistance by allowing them to roll it down the hill and store it on a piece of land he owned behind his tackle shop. Well, they were

more than happy to accept his help and nine months later little Hertz was born.

From an early age Hertz discovered that if you want something done then you’d better get off your butt and do it yourself. Big Dick liked Hertz and soon took him under his arm teaching him how to hunt, fish and generally survive on what little he had. His people skills were soon noticed though and while his parents sat around all day drinking sloe gin and smoking odd looking plantlife, Hertz was helping out in Dicks tackle shop and talking to anybody that would listen. Infact, Dick could never quite put his finger on why young Hertz was so well liked by just about everyone who met him, certainly Big Dick never got anywhere near the same amount of tips that Hertz would get, he could only put it down to his cheerful banter and cheeky smile.

One day Hertz’s father, Ruud, declared that he had now saved up enough money for a full tank of fuel and was keen to hit the road again. Well for Hertz his home was now in Rockard and he had no intention of leaving with them, so after pleading with Big Dick to let him live in the 1956 Airstream parked in his back yard, Hertz happily waved goodbye to his folks as they disappeared down the road in a haze of smoke..... Continued....