Ideas

It was dusk, the sun was just setting and a young man was crouching down among the squash in his father's garden. On his right there stood a small peasant’s hut. On his left and beyond the garden, the worn, decapitated fence was cooling after a hot day. Outside of its perimeter, pastured lands stretched for miles. Sitting on a small hill, the hut was nothing more than a mud plastered cabin with a thatched roof.

    The boy was diligently yanking out all the weeds that he could find growing among the garden's vegetables. It was still hot, even though the day was almost over, and his brow was damp with sweat. After finishing the eastern corner, he heard the hut door open. Turning around, he saw his mother walk a few steps out...looking for him.

   “Avien?” she called.

   He stood up so she could see him and said, “I'm here.”

   “I need you to wash for supper.” she turned, walked back to the door, then paused, “And please don't forget to clean your boots.”

   Oh, good, my back is aching. He thought. As he walked to the door he glanced at the cultivated fields beyond the fence. Starting at their garden gate, a path swerved around the fields and traveled to the town five miles away. Though the town was dirty and dangerous, he had always wanted to go there. Any chance to get away from the dreary farm and experience something new seemed delightful to him. He reached the door and grabbed the stick he used to scrape his boots. 

   Pushing his dreams away, he set his mind on the dirt stuck to the bottom of his shoe. I need to have a good attitude, he thought. His father was leaving the farm the next morning to travel to Taris, the neighboring town down the road. They had to restock on things they couldn't make or grow themselves, like sugar and spices. He didn't want his father upset right before a journey like that; it could make it a lot harder for him since it was always stressful for him to be around so many people. And the traveling itself wore him down like his legs wore the saddle. By the time he was once again home, he would be ready to pass out on the bed. But he wasn't going to let that happen this time. He wanted to go along with him, and he had an idea that could get him there; just maybe.........