Dwellers of the New World Chapter Seven ( Pt 3 ) Rumours Are Rife

Outside the weather was beginning to cloud over and the fog began to return. Tables were moved undercover of the moisture that settled. In the yard everyone was talking about this man in strange clothing. Rumours spread quick regarding who he was and where he came from. Those that remembered the visitors from all those years ago, had a feeling he was from another world.

A young girl by the name of Cinnamon turned to her friend as they helped move the wooden tables. “I wonder who the stranger is...he's certainly not from around here.”

“I'm surprised the master hasn't had him killed. Old Gregor don't normally let people live, that don't do his bidding,” said her friend.

Once they were under the lean-to with the tables, they carried on with the preparation. The meat was ready, they just had to get the vegetables into the pot, which hung over a huge fire that burned bright just outside the lean-to, it also gave off some warmth that was really appreciated by the men and women as they worked.

Wooden plates and bowls were placed on the tables. One of Cinnamon's jobs was to go and inform the master the food was ready. She made her way over to the wooden building, to where one of the guards was standing. “Would you care to inform the master the food will be along in a trice.”

The guard smiled, for he had eyes for Cinnamon. “So would you care to meet me tonight after work? We could go for a swim down in the river.”

Cinnamon smiled back, but more in a cheeky sort of way. “Really...you never give up, do you Will Beck?” She turned to walk away.

“I'm going away on one of the ships, I've decided the land ain't for me any more, are you going to miss me?” he said waiting for her reply with a smile.

Cinnamon turned back to Will with surprise. “You never mention that before, how come all of a sudden you want to go to sea?”

“Bracus has returned from the North with brothers Jason and Varg and two young boy prisoners, apparently they had a girl as well but she escaped. The master was pleased, so he's given them permission to collect timber to complete the ship he's having built. Bracus has said I can go along when it's ready to sail.”

“So Will is off to seek adventure on the high seas...well I hope you'll all be very happy. Oh! By the way, who's that man that went to the cave?”

“Sorry...not aloud to tell anyone, it's all secret, hush...hush. The master has told me to keep my mouth shut, so that's what I intend to do.”

She turned and walked away in a huff, annoyed that she hadn't found out anything of the handsome stranger. She returned to her work and looked forward to going home and letting the family no of what she had seen that day.

Cinnamon was a pretty young girl, who at seventeen summers old, always looked on the bright side of life. She had two brothers named Rune and Brook and a sister named Rose. Her parents names were Lena and Jacob.

Running all the way home as soon as work was over. Cinnamon had so much energy, her mother often thought she would never stop running. As she entered their house, she was full of gossip and things to tell her mother, who was busy preparing supper. Her father was out the back chopping up wood for the fire, for it was getting cold at night and Summer was nearing the end.

“Mam...Mam!” she called as she burst through the door of their dwelling.

“What is it child? Calm down and tell me.” Her mother always stopped what she was doing to speak to her children.

“You won't believe what I saw...a very strange but good looking man came to the barracks today, but they took him prisoner.”

“What do you mean Cinnamon...strange? That's so rude, you shouldn't talk of people like that, haven't I brought you up to be better than that?”

“No...no Mam...you don't understand, he wore a strange kind of uniform, like I've never seen before. The guards took him to the cave, I've never seen anyone like him, a very strange sight indeed.”

“Well...and what else did you do today?” enquired her mother.

“We plucked chickens and prepared vegetables, I got to have a go at making some bread for the first time. Do you think I'll ever get the chance to be in charge Mam?”

“I really don't know child...it depends on the master and how much respect you give him, you know what his moods are like and I wouldn't want you to get on the wrong side of him.”

At that moment her father walked in, logs held in his arms. “So how was your day Child?”

“Oh...it was very eventful and do you know, I think I've just met the man of my dreams,” she swooned. “He was so beautiful except for his funny clothes.”

Her mother butted in talking to her husband. “Cinnamon informs me she has met a man today, who not only wears strange clothes, but looks different from any other man she has ever met.

“I heard about that. Lena can I have a word with you a minute. Cinnamon go and get your brothers and sisters, they're out playing down at the edge of the forest.”

“Okay...will supper be ready soon? I'm starving.” She said as she walked to the door.

“Yes dinner won't be long. Now run along and get the others,” said her mother. “What is it...why all the mystery Jacob?” Lena went to wash the smell of the onions off her hands, in a wooden bucket of water.

“The whole community is talking about the prisoner. You remember all those years ago when the children were very young? The visitors came from another world to put wrongs to right?”

“Yes I remember,” said Lena. “We celebrated for a long time after, didn't we?”

“Yes...well it looks like they've returned and the master is not pleased at all, he really hates this stranger so I've been told, but I've only heard rumours so I'm not sure what is true and what isn't.”

Jacob walked over to the fire place with the logs he had collected and built the fire up. Lena found herself feeling worried that her daughter was having feelings for this man. “Jacob you must talk to Cinnamon, I don't want our daughter getting involved with this man.”

“I don't think there's any fear of that...the man's locked up and shackled in the cave, so he'll not be troubling our daughter.”

Just at that moment the children came in starving, as Lena was dishing up the food. The large wooden table in the middle of the room, almost filled up all the space available. Around the sides of the room, were wooden compartments that went the whole length of the walls. Curtains made of skin hung from each compartment. This was where the family slept. Each child had their own little space, while Jacob and Lena had a domain all of their own, in a recess at the far end of the room.

The children washed their hands in a bucket of water outside, then sat down at the table on wooden benches. All the furniture was made by Jacob, the wood was earned by working in the forest. He knew a lot about trees and the saplings that he watched grow from the larger trees were protected, so that the forest would have an endless supply. But the master was taking more and more, in fact it worried Jacob that he was taking too much and not giving enough back, but he also knew better than to tell the master what to do. As long as they didn't make a fuss they were safe, so he said nothing.

Cinnamon was still curious to know more about the stranger. “I think this strange man is some kind of magic man. Some of the other women were saying he had a strange kind of weapon, but now the master has it.”

“I don't want to hear any more talk of this stranger, he is nothing to do with us and it's best we don't discuss him any more...do you hear me daughter?” her father was adamant that she heed his words.

“Yes father.” But Cinnamon was the curious type and rarely did as she was told. As they ate, she thought about her next move and what she would do the following day.

Dwellers of the New World Chapter Seven ( Pt 4 ) Day Moved into Night | ABCtales