Liberty's Heirs

Chapter 17

No money meant no food.  That was the bottom line.  He had meals for today and one more night's stay at the Yarborough Public House and after that, he would have no place to stay and no means by which to find one.  His stomach had been too upset for breakfast.  He wandered through the town hoping that an idea would occur to him.

He went towards the ocean and found fish mongers.  The piles of fish smelled terrible.  How sad to see their lifeless little eyes staring back at him, unseeing!  Farther than that were the docks where ships made of wood could sail out to sea and catch fish.  Some of the ships were not equipped for fishing, perhaps they carried goods from one place on the island to another.  The boats had sails on them, grand pieces of whitish cloth.  Very energy efficient, Blion thought, to use the wind to move the boat.  Much easier than using paddles to push on the water.

A sign was posted on one of the port buildings. It read: "Help Wanted. Join the Merchant Marines. See the Country. Good pay and benefits." As he was looking at it, a tall middle aged man with a rugged face but a neat appearance approached him. "Interested in joining? We need healthy young men like you. It's good money."

"How long would I need to work?"

"Minimum term is five years."

Blion nearly choked. He needed money much sooner than that. "Sorry, sir. I don't have time for that."

The man looked him up and down and grabbed his shoulder. "You know, military service guarantees citizenship. If you're in trouble with the law, you'll also get a full pardon at the end of your service and on these grounds, you're outside local law enforcement jurisdiction."

Being grabbed made Blion nervous. "Again, sir, I'm very sorry. But I have to go."

The man let him go and he walked swiftly off away from the port. He found a private spot where a stream emptied into the ocean and attempted to clean his clothes.  The sun was shining and the day was tolerably warm so his clothing dried much more quickly than previously.

Back into town, he saw the Mayor's mansion.  It was much bigger and much nicer than all the other buildings.  An tall iron fence separated it from the road and kept passersby out of its grounds.  A tall, imposing gate made it convenient to enter for those who were permitted by the sleepy-looking guard, a portly fellow in an interestingly colorful outfit sitting in a wooden chair blocking the way.  A strange concept, back home there were no fences, tall walls, or gates for keeping people out.  Parts distant from the road seemed to be bordered by tall thick hedges.  It looked like the only way in was the gate.

He made his way full circle back to where he'd started from.  A woman with long black hair was standing outside of Fernandos' Pawn Shop.  As if eagerly awaiting someone.  Blion stopped outside and looked in the stores windows to see what sort of "Pawns" might be sold in Pawn Shop.  The woman approached him.  "Looking for something in particular?" she asked with a carefree smile.  "Come on in," she invited with her hands. She was unusually tall at five foot seven inches and Blion looked down at her feet to see that she was wearing strange shoes with stiletto heels which made her look significantly taller than she actually was.

"Where is Fernando?"  Blion inquired.

"I'm Fernando.  Michelle Fernando." She said cheerfully without a trace of offence and began to relate her story.  "My husband and I moved here from Canterbury six months ago.  My husband was a scav, but he actually had more fun in the selling of the items he found than he did sorting through the ruins of London and he wanted to be on the other end of the deal.  We came here since there were already six pawnbroker shops in Canterbury and only none in this town.  Now what can I get for you?"