The Façade of Quad in Nimrod ✓ | Satire, family drama, dark society

XIV

By now, one would think surely the dates had changed, but it was still Tuesday, and we find Henry in front of a wall that stretched left and right and up high, separating the doomed Mourning with the territories of Tringold, the royal grounds. There wasn't a single crack in the wall as far as Henry could see. 

Bored and looking for something to do, he carefully studied the wall face, searching for cracks, pretending to be an expert on cracks. With his limited knowledge on what professions were out there, he dubbed himself for ten minutes, a 'Crackologist'—one who was an expert of cracks and fissures in stone walls.

But because he was not a boy anymore, he quickly found his little world of make-believe as stupid and silly, and returned to the seclusion of the forest. He found a spot comfortable enough to sleep on using the few clothes he owned to make a makeshift bed.

"Beagley, yes, this is a grand idea! My clothes will make the best bed-in-a-forest yet! I knew I could trust you." He smiled and lay down. As he lay there, he thought of home to comfort himself.

"The fireplace. I'm imagining the fireplace is right there," He pointed to the left, "behind you Beagley. Then, the stairs will be there, and the kitchen will be there." He pointed all around him dubbing trees and bushes as the stairs, the kitchen, the dining table until his eyelids began to droop, and exhaustion weighed down on his body. 

With a final sigh of contentment, as best as he could feel, he drifted off to sleep. Unbeknownst to him, Mourning residents were expecting a light snow that night.

While the clouds readied themselves to snow down on poor Henry, Valerie was enjoying the last bits of evening on the balcony of Lord Sorientto's mansion. Being late autumn with a touch of winter frost, it was slightly chilly outside, and the sun was going down fast and barely hanging onto the sky. In about thirty minutes it would be dark.

At this moment, there was still a touch of deep blue sky over the evergreen mountains and on the fringes, the indigo began to show little diamond jewels of stars. Valerie basked in the beauty of Crockensham, leaning her elbows on the railing. 

The wheat fields that stretched before her were golden in the last few drops of evening as the sun still peeked a tiny bit over the horizon—it reminded her of a red jewel. A cool but not too cold breeze caressed her cheeks and Valerie sighed happily.

"Where on this earth could there be anywhere as beautiful and peaceful as Crockensham?" she wondered out loud with another contented sigh. 

Behind her, Fernando was reading a classic that he had told her about on their way. He also told her he never brought books with him on his business trips. Business was business, home was home. She liked that about him. He would make the perfect husband, never bringing his business home like her father did.

As though he felt her gaze he looked up from his book. "Would you like to go down to the market? I've just come to a good stopping point."

"I would love to!" Valerie said overjoyed.

She felt free being level to the fields of wheat, corn, and evergreen forests in Crockensham. Now it was lit up with the golden light from lanterns as those who were less fortunate celebrated the night for her. 

Fernando told her that upon hearing of her visit, all the folk were eager to meet the young fiancé of The Honorable Fernando Sorientto—as was his formal title though no one called him by that name and only addressed him as "Mr. Sorientto" as was proper. His father to the residents of Crockensham was "his lordship".

Unlike those mean, pushy less fortunate ones in Nimrod, the residents of Crockensham were kind and happy and they showered her with handmade gifts of potpourri, scarves, and food. Her favorite of all the foods was cornbread. It was crunchy and sweet on the outside, and fluffy, warm, and buttery on the inside.