The Monastery

Chapter 5: The Cobbler's Son

Susant opened his eyes to the soft light of morning. He sat up slowly, realizing that he had been dreaming. Taking a breath and turning to the window, Susant closed his eyes, finding the same image of the mountain returning to his mind. The lightning was unlike anything.

              Susant opened the window, breathing in the fresh mountain air of Nyima, his home. It was the only home he had ever known. He had never seen the desert or the jungles or the ocean, yet despite that, every morning he woke up happy to be where he was.

              Standing up from his thin bed on the floor, Susant stretched his arms, then struck a match and lit a stick of incense. Curls of smoke lifted a fragrance like jasmine, and the smell brought a little peace to his heart every morning.

              Susant began to hum an old melody, though he could no longer remember where he'd learned it. Idly, he moved around his little room. There wasn't much to see. A little bed lying only a few inches off the floor, a single wooden dresser with three drawers for his clothes, and a notebook with an ink pen on top that he used to sketch ideas for shoes amongst other things.

              Lying next to the notebook was a leather pouch he had fashioned himself, one that could hold the simple tools he needed to make it through his day as the cobbler's son and only apprentice. Grabbing the leather pouch, Susant opened his door and closed it behind him. Across the way, only maybe six feet from where he stood, was the door to his father's room, and directly to his left was a straight, thin staircase that led down and into the shop.

              Susant walked down the stairs and pushed through a cloth curtain at the bottom. There were no customers in the shop, but he could see his father idly working away in the corner workshop. He had slightly graying hair, a wrinkled face from smiling too often, and a pair of old glasses that sat just on the tip of his nose when he was concentrating. This was one of those moments.

              Susant walked quietly through the shop and out the front door. Taking another breath of fresh air, Susant took a look around. Kingdom was the only place he had ever known. Because of this, and the curiosity that all children have, Susant was led to explore all the ins and outs of the city when he was younger. Kingdom had been his playground for many years, and he had come to acknowledge all the little pieces of it that made it what it was.

              Although there were many different areas within Kingdom, the important thing to note was that there were roughly three main areas. The north, the center, and the south. In the north lived those who typically held heavier purses, while those in the south grew up with what some considered less. The center was where Susant lived, the merchant district, and it was here where all of those from both the north and the south came together, to buy, sell and barter.

              Susant turned toward the south and began walking. He walked for maybe forty minutes before he came to the area he had been seeking. Creaking open a gate, he smiled as about fifteen children saw him and came running over. He leaned down and gave them hugs and pats on the heads, then let them take him by the hand as they led him over to a little bench.

              "Susee, Susee," said one of the little girls playfully. "Have you come to tell us a story?"

              Susant looked around at the children, then down at their feet. He had been passing by this orphanage maybe a month before and had noticed that many of the children had no shoes at all, and the ones that did might as well have had none.

              "I've come to protect your little feet," said Susant. "Winter is coming, and your feet shouldn't be naked..." He quickly stole a glance at one of the littler boys who was smirking. "No matter how tough your feet may be."