Those Were the Days... (Let Me Series Short Stories)

Harry

*Harry's Story*

England

1435 AD

I woke slowly to the feeling of warm sun beams heating the surface of my skin that wasn't covered by my rough woolen blanket. I opened my eyes and gazed out at the field which I had a perfect view of from the window that my bed faced. I smiled softly at the beauty of the luxurious green fields where our sheep grazed, leading up to the darker green of the forest.

A loud clanging from across the room quickly startled me from my thoughts and I looked up to see my mother working away at the pot over the fire. She glanced over at me and smiled brightly. "Good morning Harry." She went back to her task of tending the fireplace. As I got up from my bed and stretched, my sister, Gemma walked in carrying a large bucket of water from our well.

"Morning brother dear," she quipped before moving to the pot and pouring in the water.

I stretched, putting my hands together over my head, before getting up to start the day. As I walked over to the door to grab my shoes my mother came over and reminded me what I was supposed to do today.

"Oh Harry, I need you to go to market and barter these eggs for some flour." She pushed a small covered basket into my hands. I nodded and smiled at my mum and sister before heading out the door.

***

After mounting my family's horse, I started towards the town market, which was only a few minutes ride from my small farm. With the basket tucked tightly under my ragged coat I galloped into the town square. Once I was within the confines of the crowed stone streets I dismounted and began to look around for someone who looked willing to make a trade.

As I surveyed that crowd, my eyes caught on a man that seemed to already be staring at me.

He stood in a small alleyway between two vendors and his intense gaze caught me completely off guard. I stopped where I was, in the middle of the road, but was quickly jostled to the side and lost sight of the man. When I stood back where I had been before he was gone. With a slight shake of my head I continued on my way, leading my horse along.

Across the road I saw a wrinkled old woman who was selling bags of flour. I glanced down into the basket that my mum had given me to see how much I could offer. About a dozen eggs lay nestled in soft fabric. It wasn't much, but I had always had the ability to charm others into giving me what I wanted. As I was looking down, someone stepped in front of me and I bounced off them like I'd run into a solid wall. The basket slipped from my hands as I tumbled down and I heard the crack of all the eggs smashing against the cobblestones.

I gasped in horror at all the goods and then glared furiously up at the tall man who had stared at me from the alleyway. "What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted as I struggled to my feet and grabbed the reins of my horse. The man's expression, however stopped me short. "You... you need to come with me." he said sternly.

I gaped at him, wondering if he was attempting to rob me, and whether I should tell him that I had no money.

He grabbed my arm in a grip like steel and walked purposefully toward a darker and less used area of the square. "What the hell do you want?" I hissed, not even a hint of fear showing in my voice.

"You are in danger..." The man said gravely. I rolled my eyes and sighed, realizing that the man was probably just some crazy person mumbling about the end of the world.

"You've got to believe me." he pleaded. I left, thinking that he must be a lunatic. I angrily grabbed the reigns of my horse and snatched up the basket before riding away in a fury. My mum was going to be so disappointed...