Ashan 49, Arc 706
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
“Here’s the money!“ Devin proclaimed and dumped a bag full of shiny coins onto the counter behind which the kindly old man that owned the music store stood. “Can I have my lute now?”
“Please?” he added.
The old man didn’t reply immediately, but just looked at him incredulously for a few trills. He’d reserved the instrument for a few trials because something about the boy’s enthusiasm had moved him, but he hadn’t thought that he’d actually be able to procure the money.
“Of course”, he finally replied and retrieved the exquisite lute from the backroom. “May I ask you who gave you the money though?”
The boy was thin, he noticed, and his clothes were old and cheap. He didn’t look like someone who had twenty golden nels (minus a small discount).
“My … my …” Devin stammered because he hadn’t thought the man would actually ask. “My grandmother died and left each of us a few nels!”
“My condolences”, the old man remarked before he carefully placed the lute into a box so that it wouldn’t get damaged as easily. “Hopefully this beauty here will help you cope with your loss.”
“I’m sure it will!” Devin assured him. He was about to smile because he was just so very excited to try his new lute out, but then he remembered that his grandmother had supposedly died, so he sniffed a little instead, as if he were struggling to hold back the tears.
He grabbed the box with the lute before the man could see through his lies and demand that he give it back to him, thanked him and left the shop, secretly wondering where he was supposed to hide his newest acquisition so that his parents wouldn’t be able to find it.
He’d managed to fool the old man, but he doubted that he’d be able to fool them!
~~~
Since his father was probably at home (he’d been let off the season before, and he hadn’t been able to find a new job so far), Devin decided not to use the front door, but climb through the window of his room that he’d left open for just that reason instead. His room was located on the ground floor, so climbing through it was fairly easy … except that …
Devin froze for a moment, realizing that he’d been a little too loud when he’d landed on the other side of the window. He was about to throw the box with the lute out of the window in panic even though doing such might damage it, when he realized that he couldn’t hear his father.
Wherever he was, he hadn’t noticed anything. Devin breathed a huge sigh of relief before he started to panic again because he realized that neither his wardrobe nor his desk were good enough hiding places. His mother regularly opened his wardrobe because she washed his clothes, and he wasn’t sure if the lute would even fit into his desk!
He needed to hide it somewhere else. But where? The garden shed? No, his parents regularly went there as well. That old barrel that they used to collect rainwater? No, that wasn’t a good idea either. Maybe he could dig a hole in the garden and bury it there!
He shook his head.
It was just then that his gaze fell on his bed. He remembered that one of the floorboards there moved a bit and made weird sounds. He set his box down the floor, moved over to the bed on his tiptoes, grabbed the edge of the bedframe and started to pull. The bed didn’t budge.
Pausing for a moment in order to check if his father had noticed anything, he pulled again harder this time. Finally, the bed moved a few centimetres. After what seemed like an eternity, he’d finally moved it enough that he could see the floorboard. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed it with both hands and tried to pry it loose – only to let out a loud scream.
“Ahhh!”
There was a splinter stuck in his right index finger, and it hurt like hell!
~~~
A moment later, he could already hear the sound of footsteps, and then there was a knock on the door. “Devin?” his father asked. “Is everything alright? I didn’t hear you come home from school!”
Devin’s heart began to beat incredibly quickly, and sweat started to bead on his forehead. His father would find out that he hadn’t been at school but joined a band of thieves and picked people’s pockets instead, and that he’d used the money he had stolen to buy a lute.
He’d never beaten him before, but he was sure he would do so now, and then he’d take his lute away and ground him until he died of old age! What was he supposed to do now?
He didn’t want to be grounded, he didn’t want to give up stealing because it was fun (even though he’d initially told himself he’d stop as soon as he had his lute), and he didn’t want to give up his lute either! He needed it. He wanted to become a famous bard when he grew up!
“I’m okay, dad!” he exclaimed and forcefully kicked the box with the lute under his bed so that his father wouldn’t see it just as the door was being opened a crack. He tried to position himself so that his father wouldn’t be able to take a good look at his room, but only see him. “I thought you might be sleeping, so I tried to be extra quiet. I was just doing my homework, and one of the questions was kind of hard.”
“Alright, son”, his father decided. “Let me know if you need any help with your homework”, he added before he closed the door again. Devin breathed a huge sigh of relief.
That had been close!
~~~
Devin removed the splinter from his finger very carefully with his other hand, gritting his teeth slightly as he did so because it felt kind of unpleasant, before he focused on his box again. He knelt down next to his bed, pulled at the floorboard with all the strength that he could muster up and finally managed to pry it loose and reveal the hole underneath. Taking a quick look around, he pushed the box with the lute into the hole, put the board back where it belonged, pulled his bed over it – and sat down on his bed for a moment because he was quite exhausted.
He was just not made for physically demanding work!
~~~
Later that trial, after his mother had come home from work, and they had eaten dinner, Devin’s parents went for a walk together. Going for a walk was one of their favourite forms of entertainment because it didn’t cost anyting. As soon as they were out of the house, Devin raced into his room in order to retrieve the lute – only to realize that he would have to pull the bed away and remove the floorboard again (and risk more splinters in the process). In fact, he’d have to do that every time he wanted to make music.
That was absolutely unacceptable!
He would move out as soon as he’d stolen enough money, he decided. He didn’t like his parents’ house anyway. It was old, it smelled, it was ugly, it was in need of repairs (his parents didn’t have enough money for repairs), and there was no basement. Instead, there were just dirt, rotten boards and weird holes under the floor. He’d become the best thief ever in addition to becoming the best bard ever, and then he’d buy himself a castle!
How much did a castle cost? He furrowed his brow as he pulled at his bed in order to move it. No matter, he’d make enough money for a castle within an arc – because his current living conditions were absolutely demeaning … except … except that he was ten arcs old, and it was unlikely that anybody would sell a minor a castle. That really sucked! Why couldn’t he just be an adult already? Being a child sucked! He wanted to be rich and famous and live in a castle now!
Part 2
Part 3
“Here’s the money!“ Devin proclaimed and dumped a bag full of shiny coins onto the counter behind which the kindly old man that owned the music store stood. “Can I have my lute now?”
“Please?” he added.
The old man didn’t reply immediately, but just looked at him incredulously for a few trills. He’d reserved the instrument for a few trials because something about the boy’s enthusiasm had moved him, but he hadn’t thought that he’d actually be able to procure the money.
“Of course”, he finally replied and retrieved the exquisite lute from the backroom. “May I ask you who gave you the money though?”
The boy was thin, he noticed, and his clothes were old and cheap. He didn’t look like someone who had twenty golden nels (minus a small discount).
“My … my …” Devin stammered because he hadn’t thought the man would actually ask. “My grandmother died and left each of us a few nels!”
“My condolences”, the old man remarked before he carefully placed the lute into a box so that it wouldn’t get damaged as easily. “Hopefully this beauty here will help you cope with your loss.”
“I’m sure it will!” Devin assured him. He was about to smile because he was just so very excited to try his new lute out, but then he remembered that his grandmother had supposedly died, so he sniffed a little instead, as if he were struggling to hold back the tears.
He grabbed the box with the lute before the man could see through his lies and demand that he give it back to him, thanked him and left the shop, secretly wondering where he was supposed to hide his newest acquisition so that his parents wouldn’t be able to find it.
He’d managed to fool the old man, but he doubted that he’d be able to fool them!
~~~
Since his father was probably at home (he’d been let off the season before, and he hadn’t been able to find a new job so far), Devin decided not to use the front door, but climb through the window of his room that he’d left open for just that reason instead. His room was located on the ground floor, so climbing through it was fairly easy … except that …
Devin froze for a moment, realizing that he’d been a little too loud when he’d landed on the other side of the window. He was about to throw the box with the lute out of the window in panic even though doing such might damage it, when he realized that he couldn’t hear his father.
Wherever he was, he hadn’t noticed anything. Devin breathed a huge sigh of relief before he started to panic again because he realized that neither his wardrobe nor his desk were good enough hiding places. His mother regularly opened his wardrobe because she washed his clothes, and he wasn’t sure if the lute would even fit into his desk!
He needed to hide it somewhere else. But where? The garden shed? No, his parents regularly went there as well. That old barrel that they used to collect rainwater? No, that wasn’t a good idea either. Maybe he could dig a hole in the garden and bury it there!
He shook his head.
It was just then that his gaze fell on his bed. He remembered that one of the floorboards there moved a bit and made weird sounds. He set his box down the floor, moved over to the bed on his tiptoes, grabbed the edge of the bedframe and started to pull. The bed didn’t budge.
Pausing for a moment in order to check if his father had noticed anything, he pulled again harder this time. Finally, the bed moved a few centimetres. After what seemed like an eternity, he’d finally moved it enough that he could see the floorboard. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed it with both hands and tried to pry it loose – only to let out a loud scream.
“Ahhh!”
There was a splinter stuck in his right index finger, and it hurt like hell!
~~~
A moment later, he could already hear the sound of footsteps, and then there was a knock on the door. “Devin?” his father asked. “Is everything alright? I didn’t hear you come home from school!”
Devin’s heart began to beat incredibly quickly, and sweat started to bead on his forehead. His father would find out that he hadn’t been at school but joined a band of thieves and picked people’s pockets instead, and that he’d used the money he had stolen to buy a lute.
He’d never beaten him before, but he was sure he would do so now, and then he’d take his lute away and ground him until he died of old age! What was he supposed to do now?
He didn’t want to be grounded, he didn’t want to give up stealing because it was fun (even though he’d initially told himself he’d stop as soon as he had his lute), and he didn’t want to give up his lute either! He needed it. He wanted to become a famous bard when he grew up!
“I’m okay, dad!” he exclaimed and forcefully kicked the box with the lute under his bed so that his father wouldn’t see it just as the door was being opened a crack. He tried to position himself so that his father wouldn’t be able to take a good look at his room, but only see him. “I thought you might be sleeping, so I tried to be extra quiet. I was just doing my homework, and one of the questions was kind of hard.”
“Alright, son”, his father decided. “Let me know if you need any help with your homework”, he added before he closed the door again. Devin breathed a huge sigh of relief.
That had been close!
~~~
Devin removed the splinter from his finger very carefully with his other hand, gritting his teeth slightly as he did so because it felt kind of unpleasant, before he focused on his box again. He knelt down next to his bed, pulled at the floorboard with all the strength that he could muster up and finally managed to pry it loose and reveal the hole underneath. Taking a quick look around, he pushed the box with the lute into the hole, put the board back where it belonged, pulled his bed over it – and sat down on his bed for a moment because he was quite exhausted.
He was just not made for physically demanding work!
~~~
Later that trial, after his mother had come home from work, and they had eaten dinner, Devin’s parents went for a walk together. Going for a walk was one of their favourite forms of entertainment because it didn’t cost anyting. As soon as they were out of the house, Devin raced into his room in order to retrieve the lute – only to realize that he would have to pull the bed away and remove the floorboard again (and risk more splinters in the process). In fact, he’d have to do that every time he wanted to make music.
That was absolutely unacceptable!
He would move out as soon as he’d stolen enough money, he decided. He didn’t like his parents’ house anyway. It was old, it smelled, it was ugly, it was in need of repairs (his parents didn’t have enough money for repairs), and there was no basement. Instead, there were just dirt, rotten boards and weird holes under the floor. He’d become the best thief ever in addition to becoming the best bard ever, and then he’d buy himself a castle!
How much did a castle cost? He furrowed his brow as he pulled at his bed in order to move it. No matter, he’d make enough money for a castle within an arc – because his current living conditions were absolutely demeaning … except … except that he was ten arcs old, and it was unlikely that anybody would sell a minor a castle. That really sucked! Why couldn’t he just be an adult already? Being a child sucked! He wanted to be rich and famous and live in a castle now!