Category: 2009 — 2.1 (Fall)

‘The amount of knowledge Faerwald possesses is too much!’ Col pronounced with authority. ‘He has too much influence over this village! Why should a man who has never stepped a foot outside of home be allowed to counsel our lord?’ As the crowd surrounding Col shouted their sentiments and clanged goblets of beer together, Col leaned into his friend standing beside him and spoke quietly, ‘We must do something now, Thornton. I hear our king is to be seeking counsel from Faerwald tomorrow evening. Are you not tired of our lord going to Faerwald for advice and not us? We used to be the wise men of the land! Do you not remember those times, Thornton?’

Thornton echoed his sentiments, ‘Folks! This is dangerous times when our leaders walk into one man’s home, takes councel from him, and obeys him! Our lord ought to be listening to us, the people of the village! It is our duty to the lord, our land, and our rights as men to steal Faerwald’s collection and kill him! And I propose we do this tonight and end this atrocity immediately!’

Aelfric rose as the throng shouted ‘here-here’, and ‘aye’ towards their leaders. The noise from the mob allowed Aelfric to slip out of the building unnoticed. He hurried across town to Faerwald’s home.

Aelfric rapped upon the threshold and was greeted by William, Faerwald’s servant and apprentice. Upon entry, the scent of books saturated the air and would overwhelm any newcomer to the home. Aelfric, on the other hand, was not a newcomer, and paid no mind to the scent nor the multitudinous amount of stacks of books measuring from the floor to the ceiling; which, not only spanned the length of the foyer, but the hall and every room within the home.

William led Aelfric to Faerwald’s study; and as usual, found Faerwald reading a book and taking notes with his quill and parchment. William left the two alone and resumed tending to his duties around the home.

‘Faerwald,’ began Aelfric, ‘we need to leave immediately!’ Faerwald held his hand up to his intruder, indicating he must wait. ‘This cannot wait, Faerwald. We must…’ Again, Faerwald indicated to Aelfric he must have patience.

Faerwald was not elf; he was pure human. Yet, the elfs of the land, along with the lords of the land, have gone to Faerwald for many years seeking wisdom and direction. Faerwald is a man who believed books hold more knowledge than any one man could posses; and therefore, he read books. Every book in his home he has read; and most, he has read multiple times. The last count William performed for Faerwald totaled over fifteen thousand works of literature that had taken him nearly two scores to collect. It is rumored he has not ever been outside of his home since first moving there thirty five years ago with, what was then, a small collection of only seven hundred works. What is not rumored and is agreed upon by all folks of the village is no one has ever seen the man other than elfs and lords over the years. Often times, Faerwald receives invitations to embark upon a journey with folks of the land; however, each time he declines with the reply, ‘My journeys do not consist of walking upon land. My journeys are within books and literature; and there is where I shall travel alone.’

After a few moments, Faerwald set his book and quill upon the end table beside his bed. He looked up to Aelfric and questioned, ‘Now what is so important that you came to my home unannounced, and screaming like a mad-man we must leave?’

‘I apologize for my rudeness, sir; however, I have been listening to Col and Thornton, and they have gathered a large mob determined to kill you. They are on their way over this very night to burn your books and take your life. You must flee my counselor!’

Faerwald responded to Aelfric’s advice, ‘You know these books are my treasure, Aelfric. I cannot abandon them. And you know I have never once left my home for a journey of any sort. No. I will not leave my home. I will die with my books.’

‘Faerwald, they are not intending to destroy your books. They want your knowledge. They seek to have what you have; the respect of your lord, and the wisdom of your intellect. Your books will be theirs once you are dead. You must leave and come with me. We, the elfs will protect you in our forest just outside of the village.’

‘I will not abandon my collection. I would rather watch my books burn before I have them ripped out from under me. No! I will not leave for those fools to rule this land from the makings of evil.’

‘I understand, counselor. But what you must understand is our land needs you! We need your guidance as long as you are with us; and it is the elf’s duty and privilege to protect you. I will not leave this home without you, Faerwald. We must go!’

Faerwald contemplated this in his thoughts. He spent a few long, hard minutes debating his options, and when he came to a decision, he spoke, ‘Ok, Aelfric. I will leave; however, these men cannot have my collection. We will burn my home to the ground at dusk, with everything in it, and I shall embark on a journey.’

For the next few hours, Faerwald, William, and Aelfric packed Aelfric’s horse and another two horses they had purchased from the kind couple living next door. Most of what was included were some of Faerwald’s treasured artifacts, pieces of literature, and his own writings. When dusk came, the two finished packing and began rigging the house to burn.

When they were setting up the final piece for the home to burn well, they heard a mob off in the distance. Aelfric looked up, ‘They are coming. We must hurry!’

Faerwald, in agreement, spoke, ‘You and William wait with the horses; I will finish this task.’ Aelfric left Faerwald to perform what had been asked of him. Faerwald walked to the front of his house, grabbing an unlit torch on the way, and waited for Col and Thornton to arrive with their zealots.

When the crowd arrived a few moments after Faerwald began waiting for them, Col spoke up, ‘There he is! Get him!’

Before the crowd could advance upon him, Faerwald lit the torch he held, and held it near a stack of books standing beside him. The crowd stopped and listened to the words of Faerwald, ‘You seek my knowledge and respect from our lord by presuming you will receive both once you commit murder upon my soul. You fools live in folly. You can murder me, you can even gain my knowledge; but what you cannot have, is the respect of our lord. He will not respect you, or any other fool in your crowd for murdering a man he seeks counsel from. If you wish to seek me and my collection of knowledge and literature, then you are more than welcome to come into my home.’

With that, Faerwald lit the stack of books on fire and proceeded to enter his home as it began to burn. The crowd stood motionless in front of the home, watching it burn, unsure of what to do next. Faerwald walked to the back of his burning home and spoke to William and Aelfric, ‘Go! Tell the elfs and lord I cannot abandon my books. Take what I have given you and learn what you may. Goodbye.’

Aelfric jumped off his horse screaming, and pleading with Faerwald. There was, however, nothing Aelfric could do. With the thousands of books within the home, flames engulfed the house forcing any intruders to remain distant. The crowd, Aelfric, and William watched as Faerwald walked into his study where most of his books were gathered. He sat in a chair, opened a book and began to read. Just as the flames were surrounding him, he looked up from his book and to Aelfric. The last thing Aelfric saw before the flames consumed Faerwald’s soul, was a smile gleaming across the face of Faerwald, and then his head bowing towards his new journey.

He beat his wife. Yet he still had the gall to go for his morning jogs and wave at me as I stood in the yard with my dog. He’d smile at me, slow and sticky like golden honey. Did he think I couldn’t hear what he did to her in there? We lived in a duplex, for god’s sake. Our bedroom walls were kissing; I could hear everything that happened on their side.

The first time I heard them was a month after they had moved in. At first they were just talking, their voices blurred through the walls as if they were talking under water. I paid no mind, simply turned my TV up a bit. Then he raised his voice, and the louder he spoke, the softer she did. Just a fight, I told myself, turning the TV up a little more. Just a fight, every couple has them. No big deal. I won’t listen, it’s not my business.

Then a slap and a startled cry. I could hear it all, even over the TV set. I sat up, an urgency in my every limb. Do something! But I was frozen, my bed a block of ice that my ass was sticking to. I was afraid if I turned the TV down that they’d notice, maybe even realize I was trying to listen. So I left the volume up and instead just strained my ears. But they weren’t talking anymore. I imagined him breathing heavily on one side of the room, eyes wide in terror at what he had just done, while she sat on the bed with her open hand pressed against the blooming print on her cheek. She’d be staring down in wonderment, wondering if what had just happened was real.

I heard doors slam, first one and then the other. I could see through my open blinds as his car roared down the backstreet. He was gone. He hit her and left. And she was no doubt still sitting on the other side of the wall, still staring down, her hand like a ghost against her hot face.

I was afraid she’d hear even the smallest creak of the bed as I moved, so I ever-so-slowly turned and faced the wall. I placed my trembling hand against it, reaching out to her. We were under the same roof, living in two completely different worlds.

–

That was the first time, but of course not the last. It happened more after that, at least once a week. He’d get home from work and for a while it would be quiet and I’d think, He’s in a good mood tonight, nothing bad will happen. Then their voices would appear like smoke, wafting in through the vents, moving menacingly in swirls up near the ceiling. Sometimes she’d argue, try to defend her case, but it never worked. There would always be a crash, a lamp falling over maybe. And the slaps, sounds like glass in my ears. I could imagine her skin reddening under his strikes, as if his hands were covered with paint and leaving little fingerprints on any surface he touched.

He’d always storm out after. Doors would slam and his car would speed away. He wouldn’t come back for hours. She’d stay in the room, right on the other side of the wall, and she’d cry the most painful tears I’d ever heard. She tried to stifle them as if she were ashamed for the pain to escape her lips, but even crying into a pillow couldn’t silence her cries. I’d lay down in bed and wouldn’t make a sound, but I’d be crying with her, silent tears rolling down my cheeks.

–

I decided to go see her one afternoon while her husband was away at work. I made cookies, as lame as that sounds. I just wanted a friendly excuse to get into her world. I planned on being the oblivious neighbor girl, arriving on her doorstep with freshly baked cookies and no ulterior motive.

I never made it over there though. Her husband came home early from work, much earlier than I expected. I was in my bedroom, getting dressed, when he slammed into their house. I heard his voice travel from the front door to their bedroom, octaves rising by the second. When he reached their bedroom, there was a moment of deafening silence. I wondered what he saw that made him finally shut up for once.

Then a single gunshot. I barely had time to register the sound, because it came through the bedroom wall, finally splitting the barrier between us.

There is a king who rules his land with ruthless tyranny. He taxes his people for most of their wages, while the innocent remain in poverty. Most of the land is parched of water, and the poor people planting their crops are forced to give the food to the king for rations; while he, the king, lives in his palace with his close advisors in richness and health.

It is, by chance, the king suffers from a fatal heart attack before he had the chance to bequeath his power and stolen fortune upon another. There was an argument amongst the advisors as to of whom shall claim the throne.

A knight who was not pleased at all with the behavior of the king, marched into the palace with his raiding party and forced the advisors to submit to his claim as new king. The new king imprisoned the advisors who were unable to escape before the arrests were made.

The next day, after assuming power, the new king made a decree for the land, it read: ‘During the time before today, there was a king who ruled us mercilessly. While we lived in hunger, thirst, and poverty, he lived with glorious riches; riches beyond anyone’s imagination. It is unfitting for any man to acquire so much wealth without sharing any of it; which is why I say unto you – For those who are weary of the old ways, come to me; for I will give to you gifts from my palace. Bring your weary souls to me, and I will fulfill your heart’s desire.’

That day, and for days following, the new king’s courtyard was lined with folk from across the land. Most people asked for money so they could buy the things they needed. Other’s asked for rare artifacts from the palace. Some people asked for food and water; while a few asked for more property for farming.

Although many asked for things their heart’s desired – to which the new king did much oblige and deliver – only one person brought his soul before the new king. This man came and knelt before the new king when he spoke, ‘I am one of those advisors who escaped the day you took the throne. I have forsaken this land and am not worthy to kneel before you. I assisted the previous king in wickedness, and now my relatives pay the price while I live with riches in my estate. My relatives are poor and suffer from starvation. My nephew is nine years of age, and he slaves in the fields to earn money for my brother and his family. I beg of you, take my life for the wickedness I partook in; and for my life, give my relatives everything they need to not go hungry, nor worry for the remainder of their lives.’

The new king looked upon the former advisor and spoke, ‘Go home, my friend. Your wish shall be granted in due time. When that time comes, my servants will come for you.’

The man went home to his estate and sat at the window. From his window he could see his relative’s hovels. He watched and waited for a few days to see when the new king’s servants would come and deliver the promise made to him; however, no one came. Not to his relatives, nor to himself.

He went back to the king and questioned, ‘When, my new king, will you deliver to my relatives and come for me?’

The new king replied, ‘When the time is right I will. Trust me when I tell you it is not the right time just yet. Go home, and wait some more.’

The man went back to his estate and waited by the window some more. He let a couple of weeks pass by before he decided to go back to the new king once more. This time, however, the man was frustrated with the new king, and he bellowed out before the throne, ‘What is wrong with you, New King? You promise to deliver what I desire, and here you sit upon your throne ignoring my request! Do you not understand the brokenness in my heart? The desire I have for my relatives to prosper? Is something wrong with your ears, New King? Tell me! Speak to me! What say you?’

The new king patiently looks upon the angered man and replies, ‘I understand what you ask; and I know what you need. Go home and trust me; the right time is coming soon.’

The man goes back to his estate and sits by his window once again. Due to his anger boiling, and frustration mounting, the man decides his new king will not do a single thing for him. He thought to himself as he paced the room with the window, ‘Trust me’ is all he says. Trust in what? Lies? He ignores me! That is what he does! He ignores me because of who I once was. I begged for him to take my life so I cannot see my family suffer; and yet, he desires for me to suffer because of my sins against the land. Well I will not let my family suffer any longer! If the new king will not do anything, then I will do it alone!

The man left his estate, walked to his relative’s hovels and offered them to stay in his home. He helped them move in, and set a feast to welcome them. After that feast, the man set out for a job in the fields so his nephew no longer had to work. The man had sent his earnings to his family, keeping only what he needed to feed himself. He wore the same clothes every day, and slept on the streets. He bathed in the puddles from rain, and rested under the scorching day.

Finally, after living a couple of months in deep poverty, the new king’s servants came up to the man, ‘The new king says it is time. Come with us.’

The man followed the servants wondering what the king wanted from him as he had been ignored for so long.

The new king says to the man, ‘Good to see you, my friend. What have you been doing with yourself these last couple of months?’

The man, not out of respect for the new king, but out of exhaustion from working so severely, fell upon his knees, and as tears streamed from his eyes, he replied, ‘I gave everything I owned to my family. I got a job and gave them every piece of my earnings, only keeping enough to myself so I could eat one meal a day – sometimes not even that! I gave them my home, and I have lived on the streets since the last time you saw me. I figured, since you would not do anything, I did something myself. Can you please, take my life so I no longer suffer?’

‘You have done well, my friend. You seem to have forgotten from your times of loyalty to the old king, that from the palace, I am able to see all things across the land. I watched you every step of the way, and you my friend are an amazing person! Of all the people in the land who came to me requesting something, you are the only one who requested something for someone else; and yet, you are also the one who needed something the most. You needed to know forgiveness, patience, humility, and many other great characteristics you now possess.

‘You say you want your life taken from you; I can do much more for you. I will not take your life away; I will give it back. Come into my palace, and work with me. I will provide for you everything you need for the remainder of your time. I will also see to it your family is provided for. Come, my friend, I already have a room waiting for you.’