“Can
I help you?” Lucas asked.
“I
wonder if I can help you,” said the cloaked figure in a hoarse
voice.
“What
do you mean?”
“I
heard you say you would give anything
to have a servant do the work for you.”
“I
did say that, yes, but I don’t have much money. My business–”
“Yes,
your wood shop doesn’t bring in a lot. I’ve seen it in town. I’m not asking for
money. You see, my son needs to gain experience in order to get a job before
anyone will hire him. If you teach him the trade, I’ll let you keep him around
the house to bring in firewood and do whatever else you might need.”
“Sounds
like a deal to me,” Lucas said.
The
cloaked stranger nodded to his left where another black cloaked figure stood.
The new figure removed his hood to reveal a handsome young man. His face was
red, most likely from the cold, and his black, wavy hair flowed loosely around
his face, giving him the appearance of a caveman.
“What’s your name, boy?” Lucas asked the young
man.
“Damon.”
“Ok.
Why don’t you start by chopping up more wood while I get these pieces?
Together, we’ll be able to bring more to the cottage.”
Damon
grabbed the axe, which was sticking out of the log where Lucas had left it, and
started chopping more wood while Lucas restacked the already cut pieces.
“I’ll
leave you to your work, then,” said the first cloaked figure
“And
I won’t have to pay?” Lukas said, looking up from his work.
“Not
as long as you let him stay at your cottage with you and you have him working
for you in your shop. I’ll count that as compensation,” the unnamed figure replied,
and he stealthily disappeared into the woods, almost as if he had never been
there at all.
It
didn’t take long for Damon to chop an armful of firewood, which he gathered up
and, grabbing the axe, followed Lucas back to the cottage. They returned the
axe to the tool shed and brought all of the wood inside to revive the fire.
“What
a handsome young devil you are!” Maureen said when Damon entered the house.
“Thank
you, Miss!” Damon smirked.
“Maureen,
you won’t believe what happened!” Lucas said to his wife and, while Damon tended
to the fire, he told her all about what happened in the woods with the mysterious cloaked
figure.
“Now
I won’t have to be doing all the heavy duty work myself! And I have help in the
shop. Maybe it will increase profits,” he said.
“Is
there anything else you’d like me to do tonight?” Damon interrupted.
“No,
I think that will be all. Why don’t I show you to the guest room? It’s never
used, so it’ll need a bit of dusting,” he explained apologetically, leading the young man
upstairs and pointing out the other rooms along the way. Since Damon didn’t
bring any personal items, Lucas lent him some nightclothes.
This poor family must really be in
trouble, Lucas thought, if they’re sending their son off to work
without any possessions.
When
Lucas went to his room, his wife was already lying down in bed, facing away from
the door. Lucas slide in beside her and put his arm around her, but she
shrugged it off.
“What’s
the matter?” he asked her.
“You
might have consulted me before bringing a strange man into this house,” she
told him.
“How
was I supposed to do that? I was in the middle of the woods, chopping wood for our fire! And besides, he’s a boy, and
this family seems to need help.”
“I
understand you were in the middle of the woods,” she said, turning towards him,
“and yes, it was a good thing you brought him here. But before agreeing that he
could live here, you could have asked them
if we could discuss it. They must live close by if they were in the woods.”
“So
what do you want me to do? Should I send him back home tomorrow or can he stay
here and help us, and learn my trade? It might bring more income if I have
someone helping me in the shop.”
Maureen
stared at the blanket.
“He
can stay,” she sighed, not looking up.
And
with that, the couple went silently to bed.
