Skylos, for the first time in many days, slept comfortably. Safety was upon him and despite Jack's adamant insistence the boy slept in a bed, Skylos assured him he was far more comfortable on the ground. Jack adorned the boy with many furs that kept him warm and sheltered.
He awoke in the morning, still warm in his cocoon of pelts. The smell of beans and bacon with eggs filled the air and Skylos blinked himself out of sleep, rubbing the remains of his dream from his eyes as he emerged from his bedding and padded to the small kitchen on bare feet.
"Mornin', lad," Jack said cheerily, standing at a stove and flipping an egg. He slid it onto a plate, complete with a few cuts of bacon and a scoop of beans. "Hearty breakfast for ta start te day, aye?" he grinned. The boy smiled, took his own plate and sat down at the table.
They ate in silence, though it was companionable. Both had a second plate, wolfing it down just as quickly. Jack was quick to pick up their plates and bring them to the sink, beginning to clean them. Skylos stood from his seat, silently beginning to take over the cleaning.
"Lad, ye have a workin' spirit," Jack said with a humorous sigh. "I'll do te washin', yer job will be dryin', aye?" he suggested.
"Aye," Skylos said with a smile. A handshake was shared before they took up the appropriate positions.
It wasn't hard work and they finished quickly, both working efficiently. They resigned to the table once again and Skylos noted his pruney fingers with a small smile. His hands were clean and he hardly recognized them. He traced his fingers over his skin with wonder, avoiding the waterlogged bandage.
"Would ye like a wash-up, lad?" Jack asked softly. Skylos looked up at him, startled, to see that Jack had a fondness glinting in his eye at the wonder of the boy.
"Yes sir, if it isn't too much bother," Skylos grinned widely. Jack could see the poorly-veiled excitement and led the boy to a small bathroom with a large bathtub and a shower head above.
"Leave yer clothes outside te door an' I'll wash 'em for ye. Oh, an' unwrap yer bandage an' I'll redress it when ye get out," Jack told the boy, handing him two large and fluffy towels. Skylos nodded and once Jack closed the door, he undressed himself and laid all his clothes outside the door along with the gauze from his hand.
He looked himself over in the mirror, counting each rib and tracing over the neatly stacked scars that riddled his torso. He frowned at the dirt that covered his entire body, a fine grit that couldn't be scraped off with a cloth and some snow.
Unwilling to bother Jack anymore than he already had, the boy decided to take a shower. A quick one, at that. The water was lukewarm and he arched his body towards it, sighing happily. His eyes closed as the water ran down his face.
When he opened them, his eyes laid upon a bar of soap and picked it up, getting the soap all over his hands though it stung his wound something terrible and began to scrub his body and get all the dirt off. He was relentless, turning his skin red with the violence he used against the persistent mud.
When at last he was clean enough for his own standards and the water was so cold that he shivered under its stream, he stepped out and quickly wrapped himself in a towel. His clothes were neatly folded and clean, set upon the floor.
He got dressed swiftly after drying himself and opened the door, finding Jack sitting at the table with a large parcel of jerky which he promptly insisted on giving to Skylos before redressing his sliced hand with care that seemed unusual from his calloused, strong fingers. They checked the position of the sun quickly, seeing that it was nearly noon, and they set off on their journey.
"Ye best leave yer guitar wit' me," Jack said gently before they walked out the door. "The seas, they aren't kind ta te wood," he explained. Skylos nodded and set the guitar back against the wall reluctantly. "I'll take good care o' her, on me word," Jack crossed his heart with dramatic seriousness, drawing a smile from the boy's lips. "When ye return from yer journey, ye just stop by Ol' Jack's place an' I'll turn 'er over. I'll keep 'er clean an' tidy, lad," he promised, patting the shoulder of the boy in comfort.
أنت تقرأ
A Trek of A Storyteller
المغامرةThe second part in my trilogy of the young boy. A Tale From Before is the first, and now that our young Storyteller is freed of his captor, he has the whole world to explore. At long last, he is able to settle into a life that erases his past from h...
