Ancient Times #32

byKRoache

753 followers

4 years ago

Ky shot out through the front door, a piece of toast clenched between his teeth, still dressing himself.

An must have shouted at him a dozen times or more to try and get out of his pit. Ky was going to be late for work, again.

Ky arrived at the wagon as it was leaving for the site. He slowly roused himself to full consciousness as his workmates teased him about why he was late again. His hair was a mess.

Aby had awoken that fine morning with an overwhelming desire, not all that uncommon, to do what she did best. Aby heard the creaking of the gate and simultaneously caught the smell of fresh bread. Her thoughts instantly turned to Jem, and killing two birds with one stone.

Just intending it to be a quickie, Aby headed for the barn and intercepted a very surprised but delighted Jem. Due to a mixture of surprise and excitement Jem was a little taken aback.

After much coaxing and teasing events did finally result in a satisfying conclusion. As a consequence, however, the show did overrun a little. Aby eventually came hurtling out of the barn aware of her own lateness, and moving at pace.

Arriving at work just in time, Aby, because of lots of this type of practice, was outwardly calm and serene. Her hair though was a mess.

Jem, usually the epitome of style, apart from Im that is, currently had a coiffure that resembled somebody who had just had frantic sex in a barn and neglected to comb their hair afterwards.

“Is this a new fashion?” remarked Tej as he poured another cup, trying to stretch brew-time a little longer.

“Is what a new fashion?” asked Zem as he stretched out resting his eyes for a moment.

“This hair thing. Y’know, not bothering to comb it,” said Tej.

“Buggered if I know,” sniffed Zem.

Twenty-four hours later, every person in the village between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five hadn’t combed their hair that morning. Some had even made it stand on end with the aid of grease and similar stiffening agents. The more adventurous had even experimented with colors too.

Is it really that easy to start a trend?

*****

Ky decided to give The Grapes a miss one particular evening and catch up on some well needed sleep.

Hory and Irikara had just introduced the latest craze. They called it ‘tavern questions.’ Ky couldn't understand the fascination of teams of three or four people wanting to answer obscure questions asked by an elected representative.

The reasoning behind its popularity was all the more bizarre considering only one cask of ale was the prize for the eventual winner. Ky could never see that trend catching on.

Ky did retire early, and he nodded off almost immediately, his dreams though were troubled. Perhaps drinking at home and taking copious amounts of drugs hadn’t helped. Awakening, in a cold sweat, unrefreshed and still tired, Ky could clearly remember the same few images of his recurring troubled slumber.

A strangely dressed man with a short beard, after a frenzy of killing, would shout ‘ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?’. There were many other parts of the dream that made absolutely no sense at all. Ky put it down to his father’s ale and Aby’s stash. He tried to put it out of his mind.

Giving The Grapes a miss became a regular occurrence for Ky. The fact that he was at a complete loss to even understand most of the quiz questions, let alone answer any, had absolutely no bearing on why he preferred his own company of late.

*****

“The acquisition of knowledge must eventually become an instrument for action, not simply to be used for disinterested contemplation,” said Mai. Ky would probably have agreed if he had known what she was talking about.

“The gaining of any kind of knowledge can be and end in itself,” insisted An.

“I don’t think so,” rejoined Mai. Mother and daughter were having another one of their conversations, and everybody knew to keep well clear. “And another thing, as knowledge is the improvement of the mind, our other senses surely cannot help but automatically improve.”

Whilst folding the washing An continued calmly, “On the contrary, our experiences, when they differ from what we are accustomed to, add to our growing comprehension of our surroundings. We cannot help but stimulate our senses. No improvement of them takes place though.”

“Nonsense,” countered a flabbergasted Mai, as she washed the dinner plates, “the stimulation of the intellect is the true gaining of knowledge, understanding or new experiences.”

“My daughter is a snob,” smiled An.

“No, I’m not,” insisted an annoyed Mai.

“Yes, you are,” joked An, still smiling.

“No. I’m not,” insisted an even more annoyed Mai. Why did her mother always resort to these tactics when she was losing an argument?

“Hurry up you two, the quiz at The Grapes will be starting soon,” said Zem popping his head around the door. “Are you bothering with The Grapes tonight, Ky?”

“Oh yes, I can’t wait,” said a facetious Ky doing a little excited dance, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, not”

*****

“Garden’s coming on nicely, Zem,” said Tej conversationally.

“Thank you, I’m glad someone appreciates all my hard work,” replied Zem.

“Another brew,” said Tej, quickly trying to change the subject, wishing he’d never mentioned the garden.

“Y’know,” said Zem, Ignoring Tej’s subtle ploy, “I nearly packed the whole thing in when it went pumpkin shaped. But after some good advice from Mani’s gardener, I’m proud of the results I’ve achieved up until now.”

As work was more-or-less on schedule at present, Zem and Tej had decided to spend an extended lunch break in their workshop. With a little luck there was every chance that they could hang out there all afternoon without being disturbed.

“Mmm,” was Tejibi’s vacant reply.

“It’ll be another twelve months before we see any real results. Then longer still after cultivat…”

“GUESS WHO’S HOME AGAIN?” Shouted an excited Mai, to Zem’s annoyance and Tej’s relief, as she banged open the door and came rushing into her father’s and neighbor’s workshop.