Only for Four Weeks

Bannel ran and searched for the barn where Mr. Abiri said he'd be waiting. It was roughly 12:15 pm now giving Bannel plenty of time to arrive before he made his boss upset. Mr. Tobi Abiri had been his boss since he was only a child. Over time the two became best friends. He ran all the way to the edge of town, not stopping for anything. As he reached the plantation, he was met with a more intense smell of cattle and hog. Though it wasn't an unfamiliar smell. He came here three times a week to deliver the animals he had hunted to Mr. Abiri. He typically brought back rabbit and fox but on the rare occasion he brought a well-fed elk which the chef would skin and cook up for a town get together. After that, they'd bring the pelt to the merchant.

Bannel was highly underpaid but he didn't mind. He knew that the smaller the catch the less it sold for and Mr. Abiri needed the doushed to take care of the horses. Without the horses the town would have no form of travel besides on foot.

Bannel sprinted across the field, being careful not to step into any of the mud puddles from yesterday's morning rain or the freshly potted crops that the women had planted a few weeks before, when spring first began. His boots squished into the dirt but thankfully none of the mud splattered onto his coat.

"Mr. Abiri!"He shouted as he entered the cold and dusty red barn. His eyes adjusted to the new light, squinting as he tried to distinguish the features inside the old building.

"Bannel! There's the man of the hour. How's it going, my friend?"Mr. Abiri asked as he walked slowly towards Bannel and gave him a brotherly hug.

"It's great, I know I'm a bit early but it's better to be five hours early then five minutes late," Bannel said, stepping away from the older man's embrace while Mr. Abiri rested his left hand on Bannel's shoulder.

"Words to live by. Now, I have Bramble all ready for you, and a sizable wagon attached to the back to store the supplies. She's a good horse, just like her mama, doesn't mind if you ride her, that's why I decided to go with the wagon instead of the coach."

"Thanks, sir. I promise to bring everything back in one piece."

"There's a map in the back too. I drew which path you'll take. We wouldn't want you getting lost out there."

"No we wouldn't," he laughed.

"I also put in a few of the rabbit pelts, trade them to the man I've ordered you to meet."

"Sure. You never told me what the name of the man I'm meeting is?"

"He doesn't have one. The locals of the town will know 'em though. Just ask the bartender at Amelia's Tavern. He'll point you in the right direction."

"Amelia's Tavern?"

"The town's number one source of profit. Run by Amelia's great grandson, AJ Morgan. He's an old friend of mine, I wrote him a letter a few weeks ago. He's expecting you."

"Great, anything else?"

"No, I believe that's all you need to know."

"Brilliant, be back as soon as I can."

"Yep, take care." Mr. Abiri started to walk away but turned around, remembering he had more to say to his friend.

"Bannel?"

"Yeah?" he replied, looking back to his boss.

"Stay away from the mountains in the Northeast. The path I've created for you does not require you to go that far but if something goes wrong, don't look to the kingdom of Epikindynas for help."His face was serious as he said these words. Bannel had heard of the stories, but he didn't fear them. He was confident enough that nothing would go wrong. He just gave Mr. Abiri a warm smile as he watched him leave the barn.

Mr. Abiri didn't smile back and stepped out of the barn through the back door, grabbing his slightly damp coat from yesterday's rain off of the hanger, while Bannel got acquainted with the new horse.

"Hello Bramble, we got a long road ahead of us." He got the map out of the wagon and mounted Bramble with ease. She swatted a few flies away that swarmed above her head. He's never rode a horse before. Never been on a journey. But he had a strong feeling that this trip was going to be fun. Full of excitement and new memories.

"Okay Bram, let's go."He tapped lightly on Bramble's side with the heel of his boot, and they slowly left the barn as the mare got used to the weight of the empty wagon. The road was bumpy leaving town but it smoothened out as they got on the public dirt road as it was commonly used by traders and merchants. So many agonizing thoughts rushed through Bannel's head but he ignored them and focused on the positives. Like how this would benefit his family. What it would mean for the next generations. Bannel was promised 25% of the profit from the supplies that would be sold to his town's clerk and 30% of the supplies sold to other towns. He knew the worth of the supplies was high, if it wasn't Mr. Abiri wouldn't have sent him. Or would he? No, Bannel was not about to think badly about his best friend. He was determined to enjoy this trip if it was the last thing he did.

On the map Mr. Abiri marked different locations where Bannel could spend the night. The first was Aprotite, a town run solely by women of all races in Haldin. He had heard of the stories of Aprotite and was honestly nervous about visiting there. They rarely accepted men and when they did it was obvious they didn't trust them.

Bannel let go of his thoughts and focused on the road ahead. By now he was at least ten miles from home and the world already looked magnificent. He had never taken this path before but was in love with everything about it. There was so much wildlife out here and if he had brought his bow and wasn't in a rush he just might take the opportunity to take some home, not just for Mr. Abiri but for a nice family supper as well. He made a mental note to come back here after his trip, that is, if Mr. Abiri was willing to lend him a horse again.

A few more miles up the road he came by a new town. He read it on the map as Fontarium. He knew it just was another simple town, one like his. He had no choice but to ride through it because that was the way that Mr. Abiri told him to take and he was not about to risk getting lost.

As he rode through, he could feel the eyes of many villages glancing back at him. Some looked scared, others simply looked deadly. No one dared to say anything and eventually got back to work still glancing back every so often. A few feet more and he had passed through the town without making any unwanted conversation, specifically unwanted conversation with the chief.

It had already been five hours on the road and Aphrodite was still a ways away, it was only a matter of time until the sun started going down. He wanted to get there early so he'd have time to eat supper and purchase a room for the night with the extra droushes Mr. Abiri had given him, specifically for nightly housing. Though he was in a bit of a rush, he had to stay patient. Bramble couldn't run considering the weight she was pulling. Bannel knew that the trip home would take even longer under these circumstances.

As he trotted along, he took this time to escape into his own reality. He had always had a problem with getting lost in his head but sometimes it was a blessing. His children enjoyed hearing about stories that never really happened but still were mesmerizing. He worried about his children. He worried about his wife. He had seen many dreams where his peaceful, quiet town gets attacked by the monsters from the tall tales, and he prayed that the dreams would never come true. He decided to think of happy thoughts. Like, how they would design their new home once it was built. The meals they would have and fun they would share. The kind of education his children would now be able to afford to go to. The kind of men they would grow up to be.