- PLANS -

After a while, he left. His slow, heavy steps, guided him through the old path to the river. And his cabin. The road was still coming down. The works were up to schedule, with no notable stops or delays. Now, he’d also sell the workers some wildpith olives, pickled herring, white goat cheese and cheap wine. He’d also sell them bread by the slice, and was quite happy with the newfound profits, his first ones from the road. But more than anything, he’d fantasise about the other profits awaiting him, the larger and permanent ones.

On that end, things seemed to be going well. His way of reaching Crassus, even if it wasn’t the cleanest one, proved to be effective. Now they’d frequently sit down and talk, openly and properly. He’d shown him the evidence he’d been holding secret all this time, and what had to be done. Crassus then began working on his end of the deal, tying up Sparrow on a piece of paper so long, it could be stretched all the way to Guttport.

Mister Thess also went to his friend the inkman again, and convinced him to write once more to his friend at Guttport, to get a hold of the situation. The replies came quickly. All was going well.

He was now finally done with old Sparrow, and a feeling of relief came over him.

The neighbours were a bit surprised by the leader of our town’s Cavalleria frequent visits to mister Thess’s home. Rumours began to spread. They’d remember quickly however, that mister Thess was a proper and respected member of our society. Proud and pious, and would never let the “General”, as they called Crassus, inside his home, unless he had the most honourable of intentions. The “General” was young, wealthy and single, and they fully expected they’d soon hear about Crassus’s marriage with mister Thess’s youngest daughter. No one felt any surprise. It was an open secret that the “General” had his eyes on her for a while now. And since the matter of honour was apparently secure, there was nothing else to be said.

The situation with the Belir was a bit more delicate. He couldn’t risk revealing him the truth before the official orders arrived from Guttport, and Sparrow had been properly tied up by Crassus. But, in general terms, when he’d approached Alleth about the riverbank and told him about some generic plans he had for expanding his business there, he’d found him willing to assist with anything he needed.

With that front also closed, he finally relaxed. He went to the Temple, and with tears in his eyes once again, he thanked both Dolvet and Riviel for blessing him. For giving him his fair and just reward he’d earned through his frugal, humble and god-fearing life.

It was nearly the middle of spring, during the late dawn of yet another beautiful day, that a well-dressed man happened to pass by the two cabins. Mister Thess wasn’t there yet, and old Sparrow was leisurely walking around. The man didn’t stop to greet him, but went straight to the end of the shore. On his way back, he reached further up the little hill above the cabins, looking here and there. Then he went inside the little forest, and stayed there for some time. Sparrow looked up, and saw him just sitting there and looking around, admiring the view.

When the foreigner was finally done, he came down and sat at a half-broken table in Sparrow’s cabin. He called for the old man, and ordered an herbal. Sparrow gave him a mug of hot water with some dry thyme, lemon flower and honey. The man found it quite refreshing, and asked for the recipe. He then thanked Sparrow, paid for the drink and left. Nothing else noteworthy happened that day. Sure, some unknown man observing the area was odd, but not particularly interesting. Perhaps he was an engineer working on the road. Mister Thess never saw him. Old Sparrow quickly forgot about him.

The next day, he returned. This time with another man, perhaps a friend, perhaps not. They’d arrived in a horse, and brought a small chest with them. Sparrow had just finished taking a bath in the river. Now, resting in some fresh, clean clothes, he’d laid down on the shore in front of his cabin, and was lazily enjoying the sunny morning. He noticed the cart, and began observing them.

They’d go up the top of the little hill again, near the beginning of the forest. The first man took out of the chest a small, square, wooden board, a piece paper, ink and some pennas. The other took out a small ruler made of wood, and the two of them would begin counting and recounting the whole area. Writing and rewriting stuff on the paper. It was clear they wanted to build something there – perhaps the extension of the road Belir Alleth was talking about… That's what old-Sparrow thought. Whatever, it wasn’t his problem. He half-closed his eyes and let them be.

Around noon, mister Thess had finally come down and opened his own cabin. He then stood by the door and looked at the two men with curiosity, scratching his head. He knew the road’s plan did not include reaching so far out on the hill. And as for the extension Belir Alleth had mentioned in his speech, he’d heard nothing of its construction beginning so soon.

The two men would finally finish up their work late in the afternoon. They’d collect their rulers and papers and put them back in the chest.

Sparrow had gotten up by then, his cabin ready and waiting. The two men sat at the same table.

“Hey!” said the man from yesterday.

“Welcome! What can I bring you?”

“Got any food?”

“Trouts.”

They asked for some bread and wine as well. Sparrow went in and prepared his pan. He made his trouts fried in butter with some rosemary and lemon.

Mister Thess would look at them from the inside of his cabin the entire time. When the food was ready, Sparrow came out, left it on the table alongside the bread and wine, and took the money. Then he stood above the table for a moment.

“If I may, what were you doing up there, kids?”

“Sit down mister. Have a drink.”

They were hungry, wolfing down the trouts. Sparrow poured some wine in their glasses. The one from yesterday looked at him for moment, swallowed and let out a smile.

“We’ll bring you some company.”

“You’ll build on the hill? You can’t. It’s too steep.”

“We’ll flatten it!” Said the second man. “That’s why we’re here. We have a permit from the Ministret.”

“Large plans need large pockets they say.” Sparrow responded. He pointed to the hill, where they wanted to build. “Yours?”

“No, they hired us.”

“Really?” Sparrow paused for a moment. “So, who’s the crazy one that hired you?”

Crazy? No. The man that sent them did not seem crazy. Not at all. Now that the road was near its completion, an inn, a proper inn mind you, not a half-built cabin like theirs, no offence, would be an absolute goldmine. People could take their walk down the shore and then easily come back up for a proper meal, on proper tables.

It would be a sight to behold. They’d build it up on the flattened hill, a bit further down from the main road, one could easily come in and admire the view from there. They’d light it up beautifully, with lots of little red and blue lanterns on the outside. They’d make an open outer stage for musicians and would have lots of different foods and drinks. Families could come there every day in the summer. Listen to some music while eating. Dance, have fun, maybe make some new friends. No one would be excluded from this new inn.

“Good, good…,” said the old man. His eyes were laughing, like those of a child.

“Maybe I’ll also come by someday. See them kids have fun. It’ll be nice… But what are they gonna do in the winter?”

The men then explained to him they’d thought about that as well. They’d thought about everything. Since there were so many carriages passing by that spot through the main every day, in order to cross the Long Bridge in Riviella, they’d cater to them. The inn would be transformed into a road stop during the winters. With lots of hay and water for the hoses, cheap beds, maybe a carpenter’s shack for small repairs, you get it mister?

“I do. And who knows? Maybe they’ll want trouts.”

“If they’re like the ones you gave us, you can count on it!”

All three of them laughed.

Thess kept looking at them from inside his cabin, couldn’t bring himself to stop. He desperately wanted to hear something, anything, of what they were saying. But a gentle breeze made the lead tiles on his roof rattle again, and he couldn’t hear a thing. For a moment he thought maybe the men were indeed engineers, planning on expanding the road, and he should be happy. But still, he’d heard nothing of their visit today, and he’d follow the subject religiously. There would have been rumours. There would have been announcements. There would have been something. He began to worry.

When the two men left, he stood outside. Near the door, as if waiting for Sparrow to come and tell him everything. But the old man simply went back inside his cabin, before coming out again, his fishing net at hand.

That was it, he could not stand waiting any longer. He took a deep breath, and, for the first time ever in his life, began walking towards old Sparrow’s cabin.

“Good evening neighbour.” – by the Gods, he’d also called him neighbour.

“Hello mister Thess.” Responded the old man.

“Who were they?”

Old Sparrow looked him in the eyes for a moment, then lowered his head. He suddenly felt ashamed about laughing earlier, for the lanterns and the music. He felt like this new inn was his fault.

“What can I say mister Thess… They weren’t good news.”

“You mean?”

“A store, they want to build one.”

“What? Here?”

“No” he pointed at the hill. “Up there they’re gonna build it.”

And he sat down and told him the whole story. He told him everything. About the little red and blue lanterns, about the road stop and the music and the trouts they’d buy.

“All these down here on our shore?”

“No, not here I told you. Up there on the hill.”

“And what are we going to do?”

Old Sparrow shrugged his shoulders. “What can you do?”

“We have contracts! We go to Belir Alleth!”

So angry was he with Sparrow’s stance, he’d forgotten how happy he was about his future misfortune.

“Our contracts don’t extend all the way up there. And we’re not in Riviella, we’re outside. The main road and its sides here belong to the Ministret. They belong to the Emperor,” said the old man. He was calm. “They have a permit. They’ll flatten the hill, and build a workshop and a music stage, all legal.”

Old Sparrow then shook his head. He also wanted to tell him something else, but didn’t. He simply began going up the boulders again, next to the waterfall and the river trouts.

Mister Thess just stayed there. The maples were spinning above his head.

Everything had fallen into chaos. His mind stopped. His eyes were dim.