With a Keyboard Under My Fingers: A Collection of Short Stories

Story 2: Deserved Revenge

Varica was tired. His back ached from carrying the heavy stone tablet, covered in notes and odd symbols, which gave instructions on what the tasks were for the day. It was only morning, the sun had not even risen, but his tunic was soaked in sweat and he was panting heavily.
"It's as if he wishes to punish us", Varica thought. "Why must I carry such a difficult to lift stone when paper is accessible and easy to use?" He felt the fabric of his clothes and strands of his hair sticking to his skin, and made a mental note to talk to Salvius about using parchment from now on, just as soon as he had washed.

Salvius was tired. He had risen early to give Varica, his slave overseer, the stone tablet on which tasks for the day were written. Of course, he could have used paper, but Salvius thought it a great practical joke to continue to use stone, wood, and any other heavy materials. His wife and the mistress of the house, Rufilla, was awake as well, but did not sit and dine with him. Salvius knew that he had woken her early, but he cared not. After all, a woman's comfort always comes second, and he was the last person to care about his wife and her well being. Blinking away the muck that had accumulated in his eyes during the night, Salvius sat up straighter in his chair, and began to eat.

Rufilla was tired. Her head hung low, almost to her plate on which her breakfast lay, and her eyelids became heavy. She had been awoken early by Salvius, her husband, who had jostled the bed when he got up to give Varica the regular stone tablet. Rufilla found the use of the stone preposterous, for the tablets where the stone was soft and easy to write in were expensive, which didn't allow her to buy new jewelry and clothes. She pulled herself up off the table, and allowed her slave girls to ready her for the day ahead.

Bregans was tired. That morning, much to his dismay, he had been woken by a whip on his spine, dealt by Varica who reminded him that he still had to pray. Bregans wasn't particularly religious. He held a fairly serious grudge against the gods, especially Zeus, the king of the gods, who he blamed for his predicament. But, Salvius demanded it, so he complied. Bregans was disappointed at himself for continuing to follow Salvius.
"I bet that death would be a better alternative to following an abusive master who treats nobody right, not even his own wife." Bregans thought. From the beginning, Bregans had not been compliant to Salvius. Quite the opposite in fact, refusing to follow orders.  Even now he was not compliant, as he tucked a knife into the waistband of his britches and rubbed his eyes. Bregans walked with confidence toward the house, knowing that the morning would be filled with more than just prayers.