Of the Lands of Ray and Hammer, Segment 3, "Urchin":
As the day's tasks came to a close, Lydighet departed from the Usikkers. Pamaus insisted that Lydighet stay for the evening meal. Lydighet declined. The Trassigs had asked him for a favor before they left. After scouring their home for anything he had left about, secretly counting all of the Usikker children, he departed. He never mentioned that the Trassigs presumed that one of the Usikker children had stolen something from their barn. Soon he would find for himself the troubler of the Trassig's possessions. Tonight would be the night.
Ere an hour passed, Lydighet reached the Trassig's farmhouse. By village standards, they lived on a vast estate of fifteen acres. They were grain and vegetable farmers, but Barsk had also established a successful business in metalworking. Most of this work, he carried out in his barn. The building was completely devoted to the storage of innumerable tools, mechanical devices, and metalwork materials.
Once inside the barn, Lydighet forged his way through the building. On the ground level, he came upon some shelves holding hammerheads, nails, saw blades, and other practical metal implements. Many of these shelves were cracked or disheveled. Barsk had probably left them the way he found them. Lydighet would do the same. Arousing suspicion in the culprit would just make the thief more careful. Before settling down to wait out the criminal, Lydighet searched the next two storeys. He found nothing to give away a recent theft. Picking a concealed spot behind some crates and a huge spool of barbed wire, he began his vigil.
Sleep nearly claimed the watcher when a creaking floorboard startled him. He clasped his staff tightly, readying himself for a confrontation. A stream of light peeked through several cracks in the floor. Pushing aside the floorboards, a pair of hands emerged. A body rose from the depths of the hole, seeming to scan the area, and then disappeared once again. The figure returned with an empty sack and a torch. Moving quickly to the shelves, it nabbed at a few items. Securing a hammer and some nails, the figure fumbled with a knife, dropping it. Lydighet used this moment. Stealthily gliding across the floor, Lydighet rapped the back of the intruder's torch hand with his staff. The fiery stick sputtered as it hit the floor. Again Lydighet swung the staff, swiping the startled figure's feet out from under him. The culprit snatched at the dropped knife, but Lydighet sent it skittering away with the tip of his staff. As he snatched up the torch, reviving it, Lydighet looked down on the stunned person's face. It was a lad.
“Who are you?” asked Lydighet.
No answer.
Lifting by collar, Lydighet spoke down the lad's neck, “I said, 'Who are you?' Answer me, boy!”
“Don't hurt me! I didn't mean to cause no trouble,” the adolescent said, whimpering somewhat, “I'm just trying to stay alive.”
Lydighet loosened his grip, “You talked. Good. That's getting somewhere.”
Lydighet released the culprit, shoving him to the ground and taking a seat on a barrel. He crooked the staff in his arm and held the torch out to get a better look the stranger's face.
Lydighet started, “Well, son, what's your name?”
With honesty and frankness, “Um, I don't actually know.”
“You don't know? Everyone's got a name,” he looked at the fire and back to the boy, “Tell me your name.”
“I'm telling you I don't know,” spoke the boy flatly, eyes staring right back at Lydighet.
“Well, I'll tell you this, son, you can come to my place, get warm by the fire, and then we can have a little talk. My place's not far.”
Lydighet got up, plucking his staff from the crook of his left arm, and stopped, “Oh. . . I forgot. Try not to fall too far behind. I've heard of some nasty, old men with clubs run 'round these parts.”
With that, Lydighet started out of the metalworks building without a single glance back. The youth was quick to follow.
Lydighet smiled, The squirt looks like a buck caught between two hungry foresters.
If you enjoyed this, check out Of the Lands of Ray and Hammer, Segment 1 (Topic 25233)!
