Benjamin looked at the river
in disgust dead fish floating in oily unhealthy looking water. When a breeze
blew across the water the smell nearly gagged him and he backed away. Turning
around he was confronted by an officious looking townsman with a sheaf of
papers in his hands looking somewhat angry. “Juvenile delinquency is a crime in
this town youngster, take me to your parents so they may pay the fine!” Benjamin could feel his rage boil over after
two days of being treated like a child he wasn’t going to take any more.
“Listen and listen good you inbred cretin-like halfwit I am a halfling not a
child, furthermore I don’t care for your attitude so I may very well run to the
7 foot 330 pound barely intelligent mass of muscle who also thinks I am a child
and under his protection. When I get there I will tell him and his two
murderous female companions you tried to do naughty things to me it is my guess
at least half to ¾ of this miserable town will be in flames in the next 20
minutes. You want to try greeting a traveler to your town again sir?” Benjamin
had not raised his voice through his whole speech but there was no mistaking
the venom and hatred in his tone. “I I I am sorry sir I apologize for my
mistake and welcome you to Glimmerdale enjoy your stay and the beheading”
stammered the shaken villager as he turned and quickly walked away.
Whistling he turned to make
his way in search of alcoholic refreshment and noticed 5 or 6 human boys around
the age of eight standing a little ways away near a small building. “Dude that
was epic! We never saw Pomcus run away from a kid before. You want to play with
us? We were just going to bully you like we do to all the new kids but your
cool” said the apparent leader of the group a lanky blonde boy. Benjamin
pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed and then decided to hell with it,”Sure
guys that would be swell.” Several minutes passed as they introduced themselves
before Benjamin could start digging for information. “What is wrong with the
river it looks and smells nasty?” Benjamin asked. “Well Bennie mostly it’s the
plague killing the fish, us in town too” Sim (the leader) answered in a matter
of fact tone. “Plague?” Benjamin asked in horror. “Don’t be a sissy it only
kills old people mostly, hey want to go see if the baker has Pox Sickles?” this
from a brown haired boy named Kelk. “Pox Sickles? What the hell is that?”
Benjamin was becoming uneasier the longer he talked to these small lunatics.
“Bennie’s a girl” chanted the group in a sing song voice. “Aw its just cornbread
with dried cherries in it, looks just like the dead people’s skin!” Wick (the
smallest boy) said with eyes shining bright with eagerness. “Umm, sounds yummy
maybe later though. With the town suffering from plague why is everyone so
upbeat?” Bennie inquired fervently hoping to change the subject.
“Tonight is going to
totally rock! The traveling headsmen got to town last night, which means
tonight’s the beheading.” Sim said obviously anticipating the event.
“Errr is
that some kind of game or folk ceremony or do you really cut someone’s head
off?” Benjamin had a sick feeling he knew the answer. “Well we haven’t had one
in a long time, the guys and I have never seen one but tonight it’s a triple
de-header!” Sim enthused. “All the parents keep saying it will help everyone to
take their mind off their own problems for awhile” added Wick. Kelk was
motivated to add “I heard Ol’ Simmons say it is giving the economy a boost too
with all the people coming to town to watch.” “Alrighty then what did these
three do?” Benjamin asked. The boys looked blankly at him. Benjamin tired again
“Why are they cutting the three men’s heads off, assuming they are all men of
course.” “Oh I see what you mean well one is Mr. Grisby he is really poor and
has got the plague so he volunteered to serve as warm up and the town is going
to look after his wife and 4 kids after that. We are going to give them the little house by the church. The other man is a pirate as is
the dwarf with the rock in his head.” Sim was a veritable goldmine of
horrifying information. “You asked for volunteers? Never mind where did the
pirates come from?” Benjamin found himself missing Tragonothor and his
conversations. “They sailed up to the dock in a boat.”
“And you knew they were
pirates because?” Benjamin asked with trepidation. “Well the boat weren’t
theirs so they must be pirates otherwise they wouldn't have had the boat. Besides
it’s all good; they was taken to the court and declared guilty;
given a night
in the church to review their sins;
a professional headsman is going to do ‘em;
they get burnt up in an abandoned house
and their ashes go in the
creep-o-torium over there” Simon ticked these points off on his fingers as the
other pointed to the various landmarks he mentioned. “Do you mean crematorium?”
Benjamin asked as he was trying to process all he was being told. “Nah,
Creep-o-torium it has these creepy torch things that light up with a scary
green flame all on their own now and then” Kelk said with a tone of derision.
“Me Da says it means someone is going to die when the light up” this from the
previously silent boy named Bokum. They all looked over and as they watched the
eerie flames appeared as the boys had said. “I gotta go” Benjamin said faintly
but the others paid him no mind as the hooted and hollered on their way to fool
around with the corpse candles.
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