and headed north. Soon, the Craftsmen houses turned into the dilapidated barracks inhabited by the industrials. A foul smell of unwashed bodies and dirt lay in the air, almost strong enough to be tasted. The shouting, tools, and moving feet, created a cloud of noise in this part of town that only ceased hours after the sun set.
In front of us loomed the lumber mill, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Windows were broken and the walls were crumbling, yet it had stood for years. Katrina banged on the door loud enough to be heard through the deafening noises from within. A bald man, old yet strong, stepped out of the door and greeted us. With little words he led us inside. Many of his sons and even daughters prepared the wood in an assembly line. One son, judging from his age had already returned from the Guard, held a big saw in his hand with which he cut whole tree branches into various lengths. Another, just my age with brown curly hair carried them to the storage room. The girls on the other hand sat hunched over at a table. Two were removing the bark from fresh wood while the others rasped the swarf off the cut wood. They stopped for a second as we entered and observed us. Somewhat ashamed they looked down avoiding eye contact.
“Well ya need somethin dark ya said. I only got walnut here for ya but that stuff ain’t easy to work with lemme tell ya. And it ain’t cheap either. Only got a little left for ya,” the man said. “But I can sell ya some white oak. It’s much cheaper and ya can paint it. It’s even easier to work with, and I swear the guy ain’t gonna notice.”
“Thank you for the suggestion,” Katrina said, “We will take the oak then, how much would that be?”
“Ah, lemme think. Let’s say 50, ya can pick it up tomorrow” the man responded.
“Let’s make it 75,” Katrina said. “Get those girls a nice dinner tonight.”
The man was baffled and uncertain what to say. The sudden smile that crept onto his face was a good enough response for us. In the Merchant District we were the uneducated malnourished worker children. But here we were nobility. Everything was relative.
They wished us farewell and we departed for Robert’s home, deep in the industrial district. Passing the flour mill, the miller greeted us friendly; even him we had to help get through the winter last year.
The air around the smelter was hot, thick and full of smoke. Robert and his wife stood in the doorway with the baby in her arms. Robert was rather intimidating by nature. His large muscular body could scare anyone off, which allowed him to make some extra money as a Merchant District night guard. He was the one that let us in and out during our heists for a share of the profit. Seeing us now, his whole complexion lit up, turning the intimidating warrior into a welcoming friend.
“He is beautiful,” Katrina said with gleaming eyes upon seeing the newborn. “What is his name?”
“Seth,” Robert said proudly. “I am so glad to see you two.”
“It is a pleasure. Eric prepared this for you,” I said handing him the basket. I waved to his other sons who were inside, not daring to catch a break from work.
“When are you two going to try it?” His wife asked.
“I want to wait till after the Guard,” I said caressing the few hairs on Seth’s head. I could sense Katrina’s disappointment. “I don’t want to miss ten years of my child’s life.”
“I don’t know my friend, you better lock this beauty down,” Robert poked at me. “A kid will keep her busy while you’re gone.”
Seth clutched my index finger with his hands and looked at me. His eyes, colored in such an innocent deep blue, had not yet seen much of the world. He was pure, and yet born into a corrupted world filled with pain. His path didn’t offer him any options, and yet he shone with optimism. I saw hope in him.
“I guess we’ll see. But there is something I need to do first.”
Chapter 6
I t was the night of the break-in.
In front of us loomed the lumber mill, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Windows were broken and the walls were crumbling, yet it had stood for years. Katrina banged on the door loud enough to be heard through the deafening noises from within. A bald man, old yet strong, stepped out of the door and greeted us. With little words he led us inside. Many of his sons and even daughters prepared the wood in an assembly line. One son, judging from his age had already returned from the Guard, held a big saw in his hand with which he cut whole tree branches into various lengths. Another, just my age with brown curly hair carried them to the storage room. The girls on the other hand sat hunched over at a table. Two were removing the bark from fresh wood while the others rasped the swarf off the cut wood. They stopped for a second as we entered and observed us. Somewhat ashamed they looked down avoiding eye contact.
“Well ya need somethin dark ya said. I only got walnut here for ya but that stuff ain’t easy to work with lemme tell ya. And it ain’t cheap either. Only got a little left for ya,” the man said. “But I can sell ya some white oak. It’s much cheaper and ya can paint it. It’s even easier to work with, and I swear the guy ain’t gonna notice.”
“Thank you for the suggestion,” Katrina said, “We will take the oak then, how much would that be?”
“Ah, lemme think. Let’s say 50, ya can pick it up tomorrow” the man responded.
“Let’s make it 75,” Katrina said. “Get those girls a nice dinner tonight.”
The man was baffled and uncertain what to say. The sudden smile that crept onto his face was a good enough response for us. In the Merchant District we were the uneducated malnourished worker children. But here we were nobility. Everything was relative.
They wished us farewell and we departed for Robert’s home, deep in the industrial district. Passing the flour mill, the miller greeted us friendly; even him we had to help get through the winter last year.
The air around the smelter was hot, thick and full of smoke. Robert and his wife stood in the doorway with the baby in her arms. Robert was rather intimidating by nature. His large muscular body could scare anyone off, which allowed him to make some extra money as a Merchant District night guard. He was the one that let us in and out during our heists for a share of the profit. Seeing us now, his whole complexion lit up, turning the intimidating warrior into a welcoming friend.
“He is beautiful,” Katrina said with gleaming eyes upon seeing the newborn. “What is his name?”
“Seth,” Robert said proudly. “I am so glad to see you two.”
“It is a pleasure. Eric prepared this for you,” I said handing him the basket. I waved to his other sons who were inside, not daring to catch a break from work.
“When are you two going to try it?” His wife asked.
“I want to wait till after the Guard,” I said caressing the few hairs on Seth’s head. I could sense Katrina’s disappointment. “I don’t want to miss ten years of my child’s life.”
“I don’t know my friend, you better lock this beauty down,” Robert poked at me. “A kid will keep her busy while you’re gone.”
Seth clutched my index finger with his hands and looked at me. His eyes, colored in such an innocent deep blue, had not yet seen much of the world. He was pure, and yet born into a corrupted world filled with pain. His path didn’t offer him any options, and yet he shone with optimism. I saw hope in him.
“I guess we’ll see. But there is something I need to do first.”
Chapter 6
I t was the night of the break-in.
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