Old Friends and New Sights
“Theo? Is that you?” A familiar voice croaked, “It’s been far too long since I’ve seen you.”
“Fabian?” Crows could spell trouble, some of them tried to attack lone mice, but they could be reasoned with, giants wasted a lot of food after all.
“I knew it was you!” The crow poked his head into the helmet, “What brings you out this way?”
“Maurice’s ice shipment hasn’t come in from up river, I am going looking for the barge.”
“While I don’t know what happened to the barge, a sparrow told me that there was a violent storm up there a few days ago, I can fly up there to see if you want me too?” Theodore nodded enthusiastically as Fabian continued, “I can’t really help, not all mice are as cool headed as you so if I approach the barge I’ll likely make things worse but it’s not that far for me.”
“Could you fly me up there?” If he could make it upriver today he could still make it back by market day.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, We’d be up in the air at night and you know how hungry the owls get near Willowroots.” It was a good, if frustrating point. He could make it to Whitestone by evening and hopefully find a good spot to camp in one of the caves.
“I would appreciate it if you could get me any information, maybe we can meet tomorrow and I can have found something for you by then?” Theodore asked, he didn’t have anything to give Fabian yet, but he would find something along the river bank.
“Until tomorrow then,” Fabian withdrew his head and Theodore followed him out, looking up at the bird who batted his wings and with a short series of hops launched himself into the air. The gust of wind pushed Theodore over and as he stood back up to brush himself off the crow was already disappearing into the distance.
Theodore cut a few long strands off the helmet and, rolling them into a tight loop packed them into his bag. Picking up his walking stick he looked up the river and steeled himself. In the distance he could see the Giants Way a bridge and stone road they used. It was a big obstacle to cross as giants didn’t often see mice along the road. He would have to decide about how to get past it. Over or under the bridge? He mulled over the question as he continued his so far gentle day.
That gentleness was interrupted as the bank changed, from a gradual slope the riverbank steepened until it became a cliff of sorts, a straight drop into shallow water and a forest of reeds to the one side, and to the other a dirt path that with large stones on the side. The sunlight glinted through the reeds and crowned the grass in golden halos. The path’s usually brown colour seemed bathed in the soft yellow of corn. Theodore made sure to stay in the grass between the two; he had no intention of walking in the open or in the water. The lapping of the water running into the cliff below filled the air with a gentle hum. A hum that was very nearly like music as small stones were overturned and pushed and pulled along the river, casting ever changing reflections onto the cliff wall.
That hum accompanied him as he drew ever closer to the bridge. Its sides were tall and made of stones stacked on top of each other. Its colours running the gamut from grey to slightly orange tinted as they threw shadows across the road, he decided to head over the road, it was faster and he wanted to settle comfortably in Whitestone before sunset.
The road was a wide stretch without cover, and, as Theodore poked his head through the grass line he saw a giant riding along in a cart drawn by a horse. The giant wore a light blue jacket and yellow dyed boots. His battered hat was adorned with a sleek white feather. The cart carried bags behind it as the chestnut horse pulled the cart behind it.
The giant seemed shorter than others, but Theodore never had a good eye for the size of giants. What he did have a good eye for was when he was spotted. The giant raised his cap to him and locked eyes with Theodore, his blue eyes had a jolly light behind them as a smile peaked beneath his white moustache and beard. Theodore squeaked and ducked back into the grass. The giant roared, or maybe laughed, as he hid in the grass. Slowly, the sound of the cart disappeared from earshot. Theodore lay flat against a stone until he was sure the giant was gone, but to his consternation he heard another approaching. The Giant’s Way was a busy route, and he would have to head under the bridge if he wanted to not be seen again.
And so he headed for the arch of the bridge. As he approached it he felt a cold breeze wind its way downriver. Most of the bridge here was already cast in shadow and the ledge was narrow, barely a spit of dirt. It would be a tight fit, and all he could do was hope that it held. The drop wasn’t far but the water was cold and running the opposite direction of where he wanted to go. He steadied himself and set his first paw onto the wet dirt, he felt the ground shift and settle as he started to move.
The water was forced into a narrower space, more of it crashing against the banks. The sound it created echoed around the bridge into what nearly grew into a roar. As he walked along he could see dirt being stripped from the bank behind him. His ears folded back against his head as he tried to calm himself; the bank had held so far, it would hold for longer still. That reassurance didn’t slow the beating of his heart, he resolved to move quickly and dashed as well as he could across the bank, trying to ignore the sinking pit in his stomach.
He made his way steadily under the bridge and emerged into the open again after a tense moment. A part of the bank collapse behind him. Still, he was safe, and as he stood to his full height he looked around. The area around the bridge had the habit of changing regularly, and this time was no exception. Someone had camped here, a large circle of stones had been erected and an area of reeds cleared away. Nothing seemed to be an immediate danger so he moved toward the abandoned site.
A log had been brought from the nearby forest and was sunken into the ground. He saw indents of different sizes around. He could only imagine how large the plates and mugs of these giants were. The coals in the fire place were long cold but would make a good way to start a fire in the future.
Theodore rolled a large piece of coal from the fire pit and took it toward the reeds. Some of them were snapped in half, and others yet were hanging between the others. As he pushed the coal into the dense stands of reeds he looked out at the bridge. A group of giants were passing over the bridge; they carried long poles with gleaming silver tips. Unlike the ones that they usually saw, these didn’t look around as they walked through; their eyes were locked forward as if on an unseen goal. Their helmets would be reflecting the sun downstream.
They wouldn’t be a threat to him he realised as his ears perked up again, happy that he was safe and began cutting the coal up. He didn’t have much space in his pack but this would be invaluable back home. Maybe they could organise a barge to fetch more coal once he returned to Old Mousebow.
Having cut the coal into a manageable chunk he stuffed it into his pack and picked up his gnarled walking stick. Whitestone was about two more hours away. He could make it by sunset, and so he set out once more, eating a small sandwich while he walked along the bank.
His sandwich had been eaten a while ago and he was making good progress along the riverbank. It had been a peaceful walk the rest of the way. Up ahead he could see the bend where Whitestone was. A small community of mice and marmots that were renowned for their gardens and were one of upstreams more sizeable trading centres. Theodore thought back to the coal, they might need it more here than back home. Old Mousebow had a lot of peat nearby, and even though he sometimes resented the work he had to do to get a fire started early in the morning it was never inconvenient.
It would be a good resource for Whitestone, they had far worse resources for fires. With a nod of his head he began the low climb up to Whitestone. The white marble bank that the river had exposed years ago had been mined and burrowed into by the intrepid community. Small doors of different colours made up entrances to various dwellings, while the moss covered slopes let Theodore make out the pathway up and down the imposing rock face.Right at the top of the hill stood a large and ancient oak, its roots were said to run deep into the earth, so that no burrow or store had found their end. Only some peaked over the edge and snaked along parts of Whitestone. As Theodore approached the foot of the hill he saw rows upon rows of flowers growing on the side of the riverbank, and among them a mouse that was waving to him.
“Welcome to Whitestone,” The mouse was young, “I’m Natalie. Are you going to be staying with us for a while.”
“I’m Theodore, and yes, I was hoping to spend the night at Osgar’s Boarding House.”
“Old Osgar? He has been struggling a bit, not many travellers coming by land anymore.” Theodore nodded as she spoke; foot traffic had decreased since the Giants Way was built.
“He still has beds right?”
“Yes – yes, only a few. He sold many of them in the last harvest.”
“I have something to give him in that case, I am ashamed to admit that I neglected my duty as his friend to come up here.”
“Where are you from? Golden Cove? Kingfishers Den? Or did you come with those mice in red? From Dommyszy?” Her eyes widened as she barraged him with names of far away places. Theodore smiled and shook his head.
“I’m from nowhere that exotic. Old Mousebow is just a days hike away, and I have another day to go until I make it to the foot of Frozen Peak.” They walked along the road, passing onto the moss covered marble walkways and wound their way into the town. Natalie frowned when he mentioned Frozen Peak.
“That will take you past Willowroots. Are you sure you can manage that?”
I may not be Roalnd,” Theodore laughed, “But I have made the journey before, and this time I have a friend that will help me.”
“Old Osgar?”
“Not at all. He has to look after the Boarding House.” They arrived at an old oak door, fastened to the marble with cedar hinges, a light spilled from beneath the door and out of the high windows. Theodore pulled on the door and felt it give. They climbed the short staircase into the Boarding House.
The inside was much as he remembered it, if a bit emptier. Booths of thin wooden planks lined either wall with doors for the privacy of travellers. In the centre of the room stood a large stone oven, adorned with colours and dried petals where food was stored and could be cooked, and that kept the entire room pleasantly warm in winter. The exposed marble floor eventually gave place to stone slabs and wooden walls.. Lanterns hung from the ceiling and stood in the windows to keep everything light. And just next to the entrance was a small sitting area, sofas and chairs alongside a few books.
Osgar was bustling around in the back. He was an older gray mouse with long drooping whiskers that nearly formed a beard. A few travellers had stayed the night before and he was hanging their bedding, even during these lean times he prided himself on keeping his Boarding House clean and hygienic. He spotted Theodore and Natalie and smoothed his white apron and fixed his shirt collar.
“Theo! It has been decidedly too long. How have things been downriver?” His voice was gravelly and held a deep warmth within. The two mice embraced for a moment with smiles at their long awaited reunion.
“It has, it has. Old Mousebow is thriving, and Rosalia might be passing through this week.”
“Then why aren’t you home, preparing treats or helping wrangle up some sausages?”
“Our ice hasn’t come and I need to find out what happened and how to fix it.” He pointed upstream, “They set off from Frozen Peak’s base and I reckon that would be the best place to look, unless I find the raft beforehand.” Osgar fixed him with a serious look.
“The burrows at Willowroots collapsed last summer, it will be dangerous to pass by there.”
“Nonesense, I’m going during the day,” he leaned in and whispered, “besides, Fabian will help me on.”
“That is perfectly reasonable then.” He paused, “But where are my manners. Both of you sit. I have a pot of water boiling away, we can have tea.” Natalie smiled at the invitation and the three of them made their way to the sitting area.
“I can’t stay long, tomorrow is my turn to find firestarters and the hill didn’t yield anything today.”
“Nonesense,” Theodore smiled, “I can tell you the ideal place to find some. Just upstream of the Giant’s Way there is an abandoned fire pit. Lots of coal there. I even brought some for Osgar.” He pulled the coal from his bag and handed it to Osgar.
“That’s too kind Theo. In that case I insist that you don’t pay while you stay. This can start fires for half of winter.”
“And if we launch a barge in the morning we can manage two trips and I can spend more time with my flowers.”
“Especially if you get Cadogan to help you, he has a strong back and is always up to help. Now more than ever, he finished another burrow yesterday.” Cadogan was a young marmot that lived at Whitestone. It was his work that carved new burrows into the stone as he was diligent in his work, taking great pride in the collection of marble he acquired that he squirreled away in his burrow. Theodore however didn’t know this but enjoyed the tea he was drinking regardless. Seeing Natlaie and Osgar speaking so animatedly made him happy, and already got him to missing the little house and the community of friends he had at Old Mousebow.
Once the tea was drunk and the cups packed away Theodore and Osgar got to cooking supper. The sun was setting now and they prepared a full meal. Natalie in the meantime went home to her burrow, and prepared to recruit Cadogan for the next day. As they sat eating supper at one of the windows they got to talking. They talked through the usual pleasantries and caught each other up to the goings on in their lives. The conversation did, as it must, turn to other discussions as well.
“Why is it so empty here? It can’t all be because of the Giant’s Way.” Theodore looked to the rest of the large open space, he remembered a time when it was full and he had to be lucky to find a bed to sleep in.
“Not only. Since the Willowroots owls became more aggressive there have been less travellers to us as well. The ones that come by boat or raft don’t stay the night because our docks are too exposed to the river,” Osgar sighed, “and when adventurers start going downriver on their adventures they don’t come back that often. I still make enough to get by.”
“Natalie told me that you sold your beds.”
“Nobody had used them in a while and I thought it best to give them new homes.” The mouse looked deep into his bowl.
“I’m sure we can breathe some new life into this place.” Theodore stood up and stepped away from the window, “First things first, you could put a nice bar in here, a place for others to rest after a long day’s work. Move the beds to the back and have an open space for others to relax in. Is the Burrow still the only inn in town?”
“It is,” Osgar smiled at him, “but they seem to be doing very well.”
“They also don’t serve as good drink as you do,” he tapped his chin, “you could make a deal with them. I know Rosalia comes up here, other traders must too. Take the Burrow and make it into a place for travellers to hawk their wares from.”
“But they’ve always done it on the riverbank.”
“That’s because you don’t have a market square. Burrow has a large space in front of it, you can run the square.” Theodore smiled, his ears standing tall as he stopped pacing and looked at his friend.
“I guess I can ask – but I don’t know why people would stay here then.” Osgar had always been cautious but Theodore wasn’t going to be dissuaded.
“If they can sell in town they will stay in town for the night. You can accommodate merchants and boats. I’m sure the docks aren’t that bad. I remember some staying in for days on end.”
The two friends smiled as they hashed out a plan, if they could work with the Burrow they could make Whitestone even more popular, maybe even as a place to overnight. In their excitement they made chalk marks on the floor. The bar would go here, the beds would be moved to here, this seating area would expanded, they’d put a rug there. With that they laid their plans late into the night, until, well after midnight they stumbled into their beds and fell asleep.
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Apologies for the delay. I have this entire story written out. Must just remember to post it piece by piece.
That said. I hope you enjoyed it :>
