Reading the Dice: Fantasy Edition

Story 12: Lost & Found

Dice Roll: cat, fairy, Charon, forest, castle, ship, jester hat, mace, harp

The man stood by the boat, leaning on his oar. The last two people he'd given a ride to slowly gathered their packs and stepped ashore.

"Bye, Eldric. Thanks for the ride," they said as they left.

"Yeah, sure," Eldric mumbled. He sighed and looked over the boat. Messy again. Why do people always leave things behind? Can't people keep track of their belongings? He stepped into the boat and gathered up the lost items. "Need to start asking people to search the boat before going ashore," he mumbled. He added the items to a small crate in the back. Messy scrawl on the side of the crate read:

                                                                             Lost 'n' Found

                                                                  Claim it or Lose it forever

Shaking his head, he turned and walked up the bank to pitch camp.

The next day, he greeted more passengers, carefully noting where everyone wanted to go, mentally mapping an itinerary.

"Hey! Boatman! You still got room?" a voice shouted as a small winged creature ran up.

"Hey, Izai," Eldric greeted the imp. "You're small, so yes, there's room for ya. Though," he grinned roguishly at the imp, "I thought, since ya gained your wings, ya didn't need boats or carts or anything anymore?"

"Flying is tiring," the imp snapped. "And I have a long trip."

"Fine, fine," Eldric said, waving the imp aboard. "Take a seat."

"What?! You let that dirty imp on board?!" a high-pitched voice demanded.

"So?" Eldric asked as he slowly turned, eyes searching for the voice's owner. "My ship. I can give rides to whoever I want."

"Hmph!" With an explosion of glitter, the fairy jumped into the air and disappeared.

Eldric just shrugged, muttering, "Well, if that's how ya feel about it... go ahead and fly your own way."

"Ugh," the imp complained, brushing madly at its fur, no longer sheer black but silver and sparkling. "It'll takes weeks to wash all this glitter out."

Eldric just chuckled, noting how all the passengers were brushing off shoulders and laps of the shimmering particles. He glanced back to the road, ears straining for the sounds of any footsteps or the creaking of wagons. "Last call!" he shouted.

After waiting a few moments, he shrugged and pushed the boat out into the water.

From the trees, a dark shape surged down the bank, along the pier, and leapt from the end of the boards to the boat, landing with a thump.

Eldric looked down at the cat. "Welcome aboard. Cutting it pretty close there, friend. Where ya headed?"

The passengers chuckled.

The cat mewed and rubbed itself against Eldric's legs.

"Well, find a place, then. But I'm busy steering the boat, so don't expect me to pet ya."

The boat followed the flow of the water, Eldric carefully maneuvering it around rocks and logs.

After awhile, he bumped the boat up to a pier.