Thanks for the advice Weathel. I'm assuming you meant my First-person point of view by 'FID'. Or does that mean something else? I'm glad you like it so far. Long passage today....
My guess down by the water side turned out to be right. Only a thin sliver of the sun remained showing over the horizon by the time I closed the gate of the sheepfold. Finally, I was finished![/fon Before I wasnt inside to wash up I dropped off my find in the woodshop. I set it on the table among the chisels, hammers, and sawdust. The mystery behind it captured my imagination for the moment; what if it held some great treasure inside the splintering boards? A map? An ancient artifact? The fix for my itching curiosity was sealed inside. Should I even open it? After all, it wasn't intended for me... or was it?
"Come ON, Reuben!" I snapped out of my trance at my cousin's call. Dianna was always impatient when something was keeping her from dinner. And tonight, that was me.
"Reuben! Why are you waiting?!? It's time to come in!" Her slightly whinny, slightly annoyed voice could take your attention off of anything in an instant.
"Don't worry, Anna. I won't let dinner get cold. I'll be ready in just a second or two." The box could wait, but Dianna apparently could not. I shut and latched the door before heading to get cleaned up.
"What were making this time? Huh, Reuben?"
"Oh it was nothing. I just found something while I was out with the sheep." My little cousin's eyes grew big.
"Really?!? What is it? Is it a treasure? What kind is it? Is it a necklace, or a big crown, or maybe it's a - "
"It's just a box, Anna..." I chuckled.
"Oh..." She wasn't too interested all of the sudden. Dianna ran ahead of me into the stone-walled house. The skill taken to build it had been exceptional; I admired it every time I walked through the solid wood doors. My uncle was very wealthy, but only because he worked for it. This house would be around for decades. The smell of frying garden vegetables and smoking meats greeted me as I entered, and so did Uncle Isaac. With his tough-skinned hands he enveloped me int his bulk. Though he was an admittedly large man, he was very strong. I was reminded of this by one of his crushing bear hugs....
"So how did things go today, Reuben? Did you lose all my sheep out there?" he joked with me.
"Not this time, I didn't," I replied with a grin. Uncle Isaac knew he could trust me with his flocks. His wife, Aunt Natalia, came in from the garden with a large handful of garlic cloves.
"I can tell; you sure smell like a whole flock of sheep," she chided. "Go wash that lovely fragrance off. And hurry, dinner's almost ready."
"Yes! Hurry, Reuben!" piped Anna. Uncle Isaac laughed. A few moments later, I took my place at the table smelling noticeably better. Asher and Simon, my other cousins, were there too. We began to eat, while sharing some idle chit-chat.
“Asher got attacked by a pig today....” Simon began.
“Well, sort of.” Asher said.
“Mr. Grant was taking his hog to that old butcher's shop It wasn't liking that idea so much, and it shot out of there at it's first chance. Asher happened to be in the pig's way, but it decided to simply plow him over.” Asher smiled in slight embarrassment. “The whole town thought it was hilarious!” Even Asher chuckled at the memory.
“Well, I'm hoping someone caught it.” Their father said.
“With a little help from me, yes.” Asher, the younger of the two answered.
“It sounds like you two had fun at the market today.” I commented after their other reports.
“What about you, Reuben? Did you get chased by any pigs out in the fields?”
“Nah, just a couple giant lizards. That's all.” I replied. We all laughed, though Dianna didn't seem too sure if I was joking or not. She didn't like those fairy tales. Uncle Isaac changed the subject;
“Dianna told me you found a treasure chest today. Did you capture it from those pesky lizards?” I shook my head slightly.
“Oh, it was just a little crate I found by that stream way out west. It looks like it had been there for quite a while.”
Asher asked, “Was there anything in it?” He was a little bit younger than me and had a stronger curiosity.
“I haven't opened it yet. It doesn't have a lid or anything, so I'll have to break into it. I'll probably wait until morning, though.”
“But how will we stand the suspense?” Aunt Tally asked, her voice dripping with drama. Dianna giggled.
“If you're finished, little lady, I think it's time for you to say goodnight.”
“Aww, but Daddy, I'm -” she gave a big yawn. “Never mind.” Anna hopped down from her chair, hugged her parents, and snuck off to bed. I noticed through the windows that the sky was already black. Stars dusted the heavens; some in patches, others far apart. Cricket chirping filled the night air. The sheep were silent. The house was cooler, but not chilly enough to bother anyone. It had been an unusually warm autumn so far. Even in the winter, the cold was never unbearable this far south of the mountains. A whole day had run its course. A few moments after Dianna, I left for bed as well. Tomorrow, I would rise with the sun.
Sunrise came and went. After several morning chores, breakfast, and the usual routine, I headed out to the shop. I needed to finish turning that bowl for Mrs. Creedy. And the chest I was going to sell at market needed a few more coats of finish. And then there was the box. I couldn't decide at first If I'd start with that, or my real work. Not wanting to procrastinate, I decided to tackle the bowl first.
When I reached the door, the latch was undone. That's not how I left you, I thought. Probably, one of Uncle's workers came in to get one of our tools. It happened somewhat often. I entered and opened the tall window, for light and air. The early morning sun shone through the dusty air and fell on the table. It was empty.
Post Merged: December 27, 2010, 03:03:33 PM
For some reason, my heart jumped as I frantically began searching for the box. Who knew that I'd found it? Was it something really important? It was to me, or else I wouldn't have panicked as I did. I started searching under the mounds of wood chips when I realized I was looking on the wrong table... It was too early for this. With great care, though I'm sure why, I moved it to a 'safer' place on one of the shelves until I could get to it later. I laughed at myself while I carve out the bowl. My Uncle's wood turning lathe was amazing. Using a foot pedal, tension, and pulleys, it made quick and easy work for me. My tools were sharp, and the wood was soft under the blade's edge. This was a large bowl, about twice as wide as it was deep. Mrs. Creedy would be pleased. The wood seemed to dissolve as I worked my gouge into the middle. I loved watching my creations take shape. I ran my hands over the outside, my fingers into the hollow part. It was smooth. In admiration, I removed my bowl from the chuck and rubbed it with a beeswax finish. The light-colored spalted wood drank it in, giving greater contrast between the light patches and darker stripes. It was beautiful.
Before lunch, I would carry it to Mrs. Creedy's house, about a mile or two down the road. Maybe I'd bring Anna with me; she always enjoyed going on 'trips'. With my finished craft in hand, I left Uncle's shop. Dianna loved the idea, and Aunt Tally liked it too. My little cousin darted ahead down the hard dirt road, and the wind threw her hair wildly behind her, like a golden banner. My short brown hair didn't so much as ruffle.
“You're slow today, Reuben!” Dianna taunted, stopping ahead of me to look back with her hands on her hips.
“Well, you see, this is really heavy...”
“Really? Let me see!” She raced back to check my load. I let her hold it momentarily. “Hey! This isn't heavy, HEY!” She wasn't too pleased when she saw I'd left her as I ran ahead. I gave her a shoulder ride to make up for my great offense and Anna decided I should wear the bowl as a hat. Whatever... I could handle that. Mrs. Creedy owned a smaller house, closer to Cherry Grove. A long walk to town was too much for her old bones, she'd tell us.
“Hello, Children!” Mrs. Creedy called in her delicate voice. I hadn't noticed her tending to her flowers. “I see you have a present for me, Dianna. Tell me, did you make this all by yourself, child?” She gave me a wink.
“Not me! Reuben did it! He's the best.” The elderly lady rubbed the surface of the bowl, much as I had done earlier.
“Yes, he is very good. Why, I haven't seen such fine craftsmanship since I traveled to Blizzard Pass as a little girl.”
Blizzard Pass – it was the fabled stronghold of our people's legends. According to the tale, it was there that the evil reptile hoard was first defeated. Monstrous creatures they were, the 'Skayles' of ancient folklore. Larger than horses, in all shapes and sizes, they had crawled from the blazing desert sands where no man traveled, and wrought terror on every town they passed. The tales were horrible; they could climb cliffs and stone walls, they could spit blinding venom, bite a man in half with their vicious jaws, or slowly crush the life out of their victims. That was a dark age for our people. Then a man stood up and spoke to the band of survivors. He was just the warden of a small northern town, a governor. He spoke of unity, of courage, and hope. The Warden's words strengthened the hearts of his fellow countrymen, and they followed him north, to the mountains. There, at the fabled Blizzard Pass, they were safely out of the monsters' reach.
That was the history of Blizzard Pass (or at least the history I knew), though it was little more than a tourist attraction now. Many traveling merchants sold their fine wares there, taking advantage of the rich past that drew visitors every winter. I was grateful for Mrs. Creedy's kind compliment.
“Thank you ma'am. I'm not quite that good yet though.”
“Nonsense! This here is fit for the Warden's table!” Dianna giggled.
“That's silly! All of the Wardens lived long, long, long ago. We haven't had a real Warden in, like, a thousand years!”
“It has been a long time.” Mrs. Creedy said. “One day, when my grandfather's grandfather was a little boy, the Warden went hunting. Not for Skayles; it was just a normal hunting trip. He went by himself, without telling anybody where he went. When he didn't come back that night, his people went out to search for him, but he had disappeared! Not even his horse was found. And no one ever saw him or his Medallion again!”
“Oh, how terrible!” Dianna gasped. “Who would protect the people?” Mrs. Creedy continued her tale.
“We’ve always been safe in our land, ever since those horrible Skayles were chased away.”
“I don't like them.” Anna interrupted with a young child's worry. “They're scary....”
“Your cousin here will protect you from those nasty lizards! Thank you both for delivering this to me. It's always nice to have visitors!” We walked to the her doorway and waited while she placed her ish on the table. She returned with several small coins for me. I nodded my thanks and Dianna added, “Thank you for your story. You're a good story teller.”
“You're welcome, sweetheart. Now you stay with Reuben, all right?”
“Yes ma'am!” came her reply. “Goodbye!” We made it home a little after noon. Aunt Tally had set out several bowls of fruit and nuts, and served some flat bread with thick, creamy sauce. She was a master in the kitchen; Uncle Isaac was very lucky. With a handful of goodies, I left for the shop. It was time to crack into that crate. Fate was against me, however, for as soon as I opened the door our neighbor Joel came jogging through the gate. And he was looking for me.
“Rueben! Am I glad to see you're home! It's good to see you're doing well... Hey, listen. I was out in the fields harvesting with the others, and wouldn't you know, both of my sickles broke! The head just snapped off the one, and, well, I stepped on the other. You've got the time to fix these up for me, right? Great! I know I can always count on you! You're spectacular, man! I'll come back to pick them up this evening, all right? Thanks again!”
He was gone almost as soon as he'd come. Apparently, I had agreed to this project without even speaking a word. That was fine, though; Joel's orders were always 'extremely urgent', and he expected a little extra charge. I sighed to myself... my curiosity was going to kill me before I could rip into that wooden mystery box. Tonight, I decided. I could wait til tonight.