Fernleaf: In Search of Trade
May 29, 2024 0:29:54 GMT
Andy D, Beets The Beetle (Feenix), and 2 more like this
Post by Fernleaf on May 29, 2024 0:29:54 GMT
I must have read each of the three books a thousand times. A long diatribe on the methods to prepare, store and sell cheese. A journal describing many plants and their uses, filled with detailed sketches. And my favorite, a tale of a band of adventurer’s exploring a world so different from my own.
---
Even though all my cousins say I’m far too young, Grandpa is going to take me trading with him! At last I can escape the endless weeding of the garden! I wonder if the places he visits have more books?
---
Grandpa is always on time, and he insists we keep to his schedule.
“They expect us to be there Fern” he says “We can’t dawdle, and you can’t ask for something when you have nothing to trade in return. You don’t need books to learn, and books will teach you nothing about what is in front of you. Ask folk what they know, and often they’ll share a bit of wisdom with you”.
I don’t want to talk to people. Books don’t expect me to talk back.
I ask “What do you know, Grandpa?”
“I know there is magic in the world.”
Our campfire extinguishes. I am left blind, blinking into the sudden darkness. I have not fully comprehended what occurred when flames once more pushed back the night.
“Teach me Grandpa! Please?”
---
I’ve been walking this route for 14 years now, the last 8 on my own. The path is always a bit different, even though it looks the same. I am not as good at this as Grandpa was. Everyone (particularly my cousins) say so. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, and would always walk away with a good trade. I think my trades are fair, and the people I trade with seem to think so too. My eldest cousin has told me in front of the others that I’m being taken advantage of, and bringing our family into disrepute. I do not understand. Grandpa said you always had to trade for something you wanted. I want knowledge. I have little, so trade my skills. Building a fence in exchange for borrowing a book, trading herbs for the teaching of a new spell, or fixing a shed to get access to a set of notes allows me to learn a little bit here and a little bit there. Both parties get something out of the deal, which is the way trading is supposed to work.
---
I admit that Grandpa’s rigid schedule has slipped a bit as I linger in one hamlet or another household. I have found other ways to free up my time. Grandpa only knew one spell, but I have learned several others. With practice I’ve been able to create a force that can set up camp while I experiment. I can even conjure a chair for myself! It only lasts an hour, but that keeps me from getting lost in my studies. I only landed on my bottom twice, and now take more careful note of how much time has passed. I wish people wrote more down about the specifics of magic they have seen or done. “Summon your familiar…” the journal will instruct, without saying how! Even when they do have a set of listed steps, and I follow them, sometimes it is to no effect. I must have tried a dozen times, and never got magical armor, so clearly something important was missed in the writing. Other spells that get mentioned are clearly intended for nobles. The idea of buying a 50gp gem, just for a single spell is outrageous! It took me ages to save for the special pouch that actually will contain (and keep dry) the fine sand, down and other materials needed for some spells. I still write out spells in chalk first, to make sure I have them correct before I risk wasting parchment and ink!
---
The problem I have now is that I do not think I can learn anything further on this route. Even though talking to folk still makes my stomach twist, I've questioned everyone, and eventually they shared all they had. I’m not sure where to go next, and have no one to ask.
---
I have now walked the route with my cousin’s child twice, so they know the way. They are so talkative! I can not hear myself think over their inscent chatter. They are five years older than when I started, and are fearless when it comes to asking and offering. They will do fine in my stead. I look forward to traveling alone again.
---
I have reached the point where the path forks, when I must walk where I have never gone. My fingers clench the polished stone in my pocket. Cloudy white, with a delicate fern-like pattern in green. Turning the stone over and over sets my resolve. I want to learn, so this is where I must go. If I keep going, perhaps one day I will see the halls filled with books described in the story I read so much as a child.
---
It has been many days since I left the trails I knew. I am used to walking narrow dirt tracks, but now the road is wide, at least twice the width of the cart in which I ride. The merchant driving said he didn’t mind the company? I don’t entirely understand his reasoning, but am grateful for the rest. I can’t imagine the size of a city required to justify the expense of building and maintaining this broad lane!
---
I am no longer moving, no longer in a cart. There is a cacophonic hum of humanity around me. What has happened? Where am I?
Fern casting Prestidigitation
Source: Own work
---
Even though all my cousins say I’m far too young, Grandpa is going to take me trading with him! At last I can escape the endless weeding of the garden! I wonder if the places he visits have more books?
---
Grandpa is always on time, and he insists we keep to his schedule.
“They expect us to be there Fern” he says “We can’t dawdle, and you can’t ask for something when you have nothing to trade in return. You don’t need books to learn, and books will teach you nothing about what is in front of you. Ask folk what they know, and often they’ll share a bit of wisdom with you”.
I don’t want to talk to people. Books don’t expect me to talk back.
I ask “What do you know, Grandpa?”
“I know there is magic in the world.”
Our campfire extinguishes. I am left blind, blinking into the sudden darkness. I have not fully comprehended what occurred when flames once more pushed back the night.
“Teach me Grandpa! Please?”
---
I’ve been walking this route for 14 years now, the last 8 on my own. The path is always a bit different, even though it looks the same. I am not as good at this as Grandpa was. Everyone (particularly my cousins) say so. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, and would always walk away with a good trade. I think my trades are fair, and the people I trade with seem to think so too. My eldest cousin has told me in front of the others that I’m being taken advantage of, and bringing our family into disrepute. I do not understand. Grandpa said you always had to trade for something you wanted. I want knowledge. I have little, so trade my skills. Building a fence in exchange for borrowing a book, trading herbs for the teaching of a new spell, or fixing a shed to get access to a set of notes allows me to learn a little bit here and a little bit there. Both parties get something out of the deal, which is the way trading is supposed to work.
---
I admit that Grandpa’s rigid schedule has slipped a bit as I linger in one hamlet or another household. I have found other ways to free up my time. Grandpa only knew one spell, but I have learned several others. With practice I’ve been able to create a force that can set up camp while I experiment. I can even conjure a chair for myself! It only lasts an hour, but that keeps me from getting lost in my studies. I only landed on my bottom twice, and now take more careful note of how much time has passed. I wish people wrote more down about the specifics of magic they have seen or done. “Summon your familiar…” the journal will instruct, without saying how! Even when they do have a set of listed steps, and I follow them, sometimes it is to no effect. I must have tried a dozen times, and never got magical armor, so clearly something important was missed in the writing. Other spells that get mentioned are clearly intended for nobles. The idea of buying a 50gp gem, just for a single spell is outrageous! It took me ages to save for the special pouch that actually will contain (and keep dry) the fine sand, down and other materials needed for some spells. I still write out spells in chalk first, to make sure I have them correct before I risk wasting parchment and ink!
---
The problem I have now is that I do not think I can learn anything further on this route. Even though talking to folk still makes my stomach twist, I've questioned everyone, and eventually they shared all they had. I’m not sure where to go next, and have no one to ask.
---
I have now walked the route with my cousin’s child twice, so they know the way. They are so talkative! I can not hear myself think over their inscent chatter. They are five years older than when I started, and are fearless when it comes to asking and offering. They will do fine in my stead. I look forward to traveling alone again.
---
I have reached the point where the path forks, when I must walk where I have never gone. My fingers clench the polished stone in my pocket. Cloudy white, with a delicate fern-like pattern in green. Turning the stone over and over sets my resolve. I want to learn, so this is where I must go. If I keep going, perhaps one day I will see the halls filled with books described in the story I read so much as a child.
---
It has been many days since I left the trails I knew. I am used to walking narrow dirt tracks, but now the road is wide, at least twice the width of the cart in which I ride. The merchant driving said he didn’t mind the company? I don’t entirely understand his reasoning, but am grateful for the rest. I can’t imagine the size of a city required to justify the expense of building and maintaining this broad lane!
---
I am no longer moving, no longer in a cart. There is a cacophonic hum of humanity around me. What has happened? Where am I?
Fern casting Prestidigitation
Source: Own work