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High Adventure « Thread Started on Oct 1, 2010, 1:08am »
Adventure Seeker
“I have every interest in doing this the proper way” said the man to the guy behind the desk “I wouldn’t think of skipping out on my responsibilities”
The second man nodded, he knew very well it had been a bald face lie. This whole situation occurred because the petitioner hadn’t accepted his responsibilities. Indeed, he had fled from them at the first opportunity.
“What exactly are you asking for?” the minor official asked
The petitioner rubbed his hands together “I just need a little more time. Things have been hectic as of late and I haven’t been working full time”
The low-level bureaucrat knew the whole truth, of course, but knew he had to play his part.
“I realize that you have problems, everyone has problems. It seems that many of your problems are the result of your own actions” he said “This petition, in my opinion, contains false pretenses and absurdly unrealistic promises”.
The man looked defeated for a moment and rubbed his face with both hands. “My wife and child are staying with her parents. I’m living out of a tiny rental. Doesn’t this count as a good faith effort to reduce my expenses?”
The functionary couldn’t contain his exasperated sigh. Sometimes it was painful to hear the stories from petitioners and their debt burdens. This man in front of him, Sam Waterford, was by no means a sympathetic character even if his tale of woe was a good one.
“Let’s start from the beginning Mr. Waterford” he said leaning back in his chair “How did this mess start? It was your own fault wasn’t it?”
With a nod Sam Waterford started his tale again, just like it was written down in the petition document with the signatures of others to testify that it was true.
“I was not a very hardworking son to my father. I loafed whenever I could get away with it, I cut corners and I rushed the chores. I let my imagination stray at the slightest inclination and then there was the hope that I would have at least one great adventure before… well, before I gave in to real life”
........
The teenage boy was supposed to be picking the plums from the tree but his basket lay nearly empty at his feet. Instead he was looking at the clouds and the far off mountain and the birds and anything else but the work at hand. That is when the clip-clop rhythm of the hoof caught his attention and he turned to the dirt road that headed into town.
Two horses were pulling a wagon and in the back of the wagon was a teenage girl with luggage, including a large trunk. The wagon was being driven by an older man, probably a hack from another town. Sam ran to the fence to get a better look at this girl.
She was looking down at nothing in particular, likely just tired from the trip. She had the same brown hair and ponytail that a lot of girls had but Sam thought she just looked sad. It might have been his imagination but she wasn’t coming to this village out of choice.
As the wagon moved passed he imagined all the reasons a young girl would be arriving in the village of Shade Tree. Most of the fantasies involved her being sent away by overbearing parents but that didn’t really make sense. Who would send their daughter to Shade Tree? It didn’t have a boarding school and as far as Sam knew no other reason for the girl to have been sent.
Sam instantly decided to forego his chores and to get to the bottom of the mystery. He took off for town on foot since getting one of the ponies would have alerted his father to his “foolish shenanigans”. About halfway to town Sam wondered if the wagon was passing through and not stopping in Shade Tree at all. That would sort of make his whole trip pointless but at least he was getting out of chores even if he did have to endure the wrath of father later.
Shade Tree was not far and it was not very big. Searching the whole place for the girl didn’t take long but seeing the empty wagon heading away was a big clue. Soon he figured out that the girl was staying at the home of the Winston family. Now what relation could she be to those stuffed shirts? Even their kids were boorish and kept their noses in the air. Sam got it in his head that the poor girl was being pressed into servitude.
How to save her?
It occurred to Sam that he didn’t actually know the situation and before he did anything stupid he should simply ask. He knew Tolbert Winston and while they weren’t friends or anything, they weren’t enemies and Tolbert had a lot of those. He was always rubbing people the wrong way with his arrogant and snobby attitude but Sam never took it personally. That was just how that family was.
Sam walked the three blocks to the Shade Tree Pawn & Loan store and was able to locate Tolbert Winston looking through its books. This was as dirty as the hands of a Winston got, overseeing the jobs of the underlings. Tolbert’s father expected his son to work and earn his way just as Sam’s father expected him to work the farm.
“Lo, Tolbert”
“Eh. Oh. Lo, Waterford. Why are you always calling me by my first name?” the boy asked in his haughty style. “Always so dismissal of social convention, aren’t you?”
“Oh, alright then Winston, I have a question to ask” Sam told him Tolbert sat up straight “Is this a social call? You do understand that I am working here?”
“Let me ask my question before you get testy” Sam said while putting up both hands palms out defensively.
Tolbert Winston closed the leather-bound book on the desk in front of him and took a breath before saying “Very well, then. Let us hear your inquiry”
“I saw a wagon coming from out of town and it carried a girl to your house. Do you know anything about this? Who she is and why she’s there?” Sam asked
“Oh that”
“Yes, that”
Tolbert took a handkerchief from his blazer and wiped his forehead. He probably enjoyed making Sam wait for whatever delay he could muster.
“She is a cousin of mine. Her name is Julie and she has been through some rough times lately, her parents died when their home burned down. She was left homeless and penniless and she is coming to live with us for a while”
Well that explains her sad demeanor.
“I see” Sam said “That is unfortunate and I did get the feeling she was a bit sad”
Tolbert nodded and said “I suppose I should have been there to greet her. I just wanted to be somewhere else because of a tiff I had with my father. I’ll have to apologize to him. I should never have been so rude and insolent”
“You argued with your father?”
Tolbert smiled “You do it all the time. I’m not sure I have ever found myself in a situation where I would defy my father like this. I just hope the girl doesn’t take this personally, me not being there”
Sam could tell there was something he hadn’t been told, he also got the impression that Tolbert Winston was dying to tell him. The idea that Tolbert Winston had argued with his father and stormed off when he was expected to do something else was pretty shocking. It was very out of character for the guy.
“Why would she take it personally?”
Tolbert stood up and pretended to be examining some objects on a shelf. “My father has taken the notion that I should marry the girl”
That was unexpected. Sam’s imagination reeled through a hundred scenarios. Then he shook it off and stood up “Your cousin?”
Not that it was uncommon or anything but Sam never got the impression that it was something the Winston family would ever allow.
“Yes” he answered “I don’t think I want to have my parents choose my wife and I doubt this girl will want to be pushed into marriage either. She will be relieved; I’m sure, not crying her eyes out for someone she has never met”
Sam thought and thought. “What if your family insisted?”
Tolbert turned around to face him. “Impossible, I hope. I think the best thing that can happen is that meets someone else and falls for him. There is no way my father will insist if she is in love with someone else, don’t you think?”
Sam nodded. That was a good point. “Is she in love with someone else?”
Tolbert shook his head. “Not that I know of”
“So you don’t actually have a plan?”
“I was thinking of introducing her to Miles” Tolbert said. Cope Miles was an abominable snit from the next village. “What do you think?”
Sam shook his head “He is unbearable. Is she the kind of girl who has their whole life planned and spends their time trying to impress other high and mighty types?”
Tolbert almost laughed “You get right to the point. Miles would be insufferable for Julie, but you realize I don’t have many friends. Julie was never rich, her family produced apple juice, apple cider, apple sauce and apple butter for a living. It was a small operation that died with her parents.”
Sam almost laughed. “So she is definitely not the type to play along with the snobs?”
“Snobs?” Tolbert asked and then said “Look, if you’re going to be so rude.”
“Hold on Tolbert” Sam said “I would very much like to meet Julie”
“You would? Do you think you have anything to interest her? I am trying to get her to marry someone else, how do I know you wouldn’t be a waste of my time?”
“Well, if you would rather be forced into marriage” Sam said acting as if he would leave.
Tolbert put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Maybe we can come to an agreement, Waterford”
Re: High Adventure « Reply #1 on Oct 1, 2010, 4:11pm »
So Sam Waterford and Tolbert Winston began to develop a plan to save Julie Minter from the fate of being made to marry Tolbert. Sam got assurances that he wouldn’t have to marry Julie, just become her friend so she can see that a quick marriage wasn’t a refuge.
“All of this begins with me going home and apologizing to my parents and pledging fealty to my father and treating Julie with respect” Tolbert said “I hope my ego can take that”.
“You can bear with it. This is your future we are talking about” Sam told him.
Tolbert straightened his blazer and tie and bid the manager of the Pawn & Loan a good day and began his walk home. Sam Waterford also returned home in some haste trying to think up some excuses for the desertion of his chores. His father was sitting in the main room when he entered.
“Sam, we have to talk” his father told him, motioning to a chair across from the low table.
After Sam sat down his father gave him a look before he started talking.
“Sam. You might not understand how things work on this planet, so let me give you a refresher course in Primrose Life Economics” his father began. Sam slouched in his chair because this was going to be a long one. “When I was young and just starting out I didn’t inherit a thing besides a debt. You might not know that we have generational debt on this planet. I took on debt when I bought this land and I have been steadily trying to pay back what I owe for the last twenty years. When we harvest the fruit and the vegetables and eggs, we collect more than we need ourselves and the rest is sold, which helps pay down the debt that I owe, and which you will owe when I retire or die. Are you starting to understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Yes, father” Sam said automatically “I shouldn’t abandon my chores because it is important that we pay back what we can”
“When you let plums rot in a basket on the ground, that is lost money” his father said “When you allow fruit or vegetables to spoil without harvesting them, that is lost money”
“I know. I’m sorry. Something came up and I had to see Tolbert Winston about it” Sam told him.
Sam knew his father did not like Tolbert’s father or their family business for that matter. He still blamed them partially for the debt that had been piled up. Technically though, the Pawn & Loan was purely small time, the real debts all belonged to the government. In fact, all banking belonged to the government on Primrose by design, because the planet had no actual taxes besides interest on loans.
Old Bismuth Winston had once served a term as Assembly member for the area and there was talk going around that he might stand for election again. It’d been many years but the old man had taken a real disliking for the current member of the Assembly Barium Bailey.
“Son, listen to me seriously. If this farm doesn’t produce it will leave both of us in a real bind. If I officially retire someday all of this debt becomes a burden upon you. You should really think long and hard about that prospect” his father said. “Now, what business do you have with that Winston boy?”
“His father is pushing him to marry his cousin Julie. They hadn’t even met before today and Tolbert is not going along. Tolbert doesn’t want to be made to get married, especially to someone he isn’t in love with his cousin” Sam told him “I don’t know what the Winston family will do but if I can help Tolbert out of this bind I will”.
Sam’s father seemed to think about it deeply for a moment before saying “Very noble of you, or is there another reason for your involvement?”
Sam Waterford just shrugged “It’s just not a nice thing to do to him. He has been nothing but a loyal son his whole life and this is an injustice”.
“Right, then why don’t you check the chickens and cows before dinner?”
“Okay dad” he answered, feeling liberated from the conversation.
Re: High Adventure « Reply #2 on Oct 2, 2010, 1:35pm »
(just adding a bit more, a partial chapter)
Chapter Two
Arriving at the stone-walled home of the Winston family made Sam a little nervous since he had only walked up this path a few times before. The large double-door entrance and the servants who would answer always made him feel out of place. The entire Waterford house could fit into their “Great Room” which seemed to be an entire wing unto itself.
The white-haired butler opened the door as soon as Sam had touched the doorbell’s faceplate and ushered him into the vestibule. From there Sam could see the entryway to the Great Room on the right, the kitchen farther back than the grand staircase and other doors on the left.
“Ah, Sam Waterford, I see you have arrived on time” Tolbert said coming down the staircase “I hope it wasn’t too tiring of a journey”
Sam shook his head “No, I’m fine. I’m pleased to be here, it’s been a long time”
Tolbert motioned Sam to follow and walked back up the staircase, halfway up he whispered “I don’t think you’ll be staying for dinner but that might change”
“I don’t mind” Sam answered. He followed Tolbert Winston to his room. It was spotless and bright with the curtains opened all the way. The room had a desk and a bookshelf in one corner and on the far side sat a telescope and an old computer. Sam wondered if it might actually work but pushed it from his mind, it really didn’t matter since there was nothing for a computer to do. There was also a globe of Primrose, facing him was the unpopulated red continent, a vast desert continental plateau raised far above sea level where the air was also thin.
Tolbert saw where he looked and spun the globe with a little laugh. “Like it? I remember getting it for my eleventh birthday. It’s not one of those cheap ones either. Of course the holographic globe at the Capitol Museum is much more impressive than this”
Sam pretended to read the titles of the books on the shelf.
“So, where is Julie?”
“You are as direct as ever, aren’t you?” Tolbert asked “Did you think she would be here in my room? Possibly chained to the bed?”
Sam laughed. “I guess not”
“Actually Marina, our maid, told me she heard Julie crying when she went to her room” Tolbert said quietly “I hope it wasn’t because I missed greeting her on arrival. I hope it was because of what happened to her parents, it hasn’t been that long”
“I think you are probably right” Sam said “I don’t think she’d cry over someone she hadn’t met”
Tolbert was thoughtful. “I hope that’s true. Although, in her situation she might have grabbed onto the irrational thought that marriage was her only chance out of destitution and a sad life”
Tolbert being torn on this was a bit touching, maybe he wasn’t the cold hearted meteor after all.
Sam shook his head “There is no way your family and whatever other cousins, uncles and aunts she has would let her live destitute. There is no reputation for charity there but I bet they take care of their own”
Tolbert nodded “That’s right! I don’t see my parents throwing her on the streets for not marrying me. I hope she wouldn’t think they would.”
Sam tried to get back to the original topic. “So Tolbert, will I get to meet your cousin today or what?”
He looked as if he had forgotten “Oh, right. She’s probably riding on Spartacus or brushing him. She’s taken to that horse very quickly. I guess we would go have a look, but don’t get ahead of yourself when you see her”
Sam wanted to laugh. Spartacus?
Somehow on the way to the back field where the barn and horses were kept the topic turned to the Red Plateau. “It’s not totally unpopulated actually. There are several science stations out there, each only active part of the year. There are also a lot of unmanned weather stations too” Tolbert was saying.
“I’d like to tour the world before I settle down” Sam said “Then I’d happily spend my life farming or whatever”
Tolbert nodded “My father owns lands and cabins in the mountains of Granola and by the Great Lake of Beatrice. He’s been talking about buying an island and having us spend a summer there”
“That sounds awesome” Sam said “Your family vacations almost sound like adventures”
Tolbert laughed “Nah, especially not while dad is with us. We know everything is well organized and well supplied if he’s in charge. That is not an adventure. An adventure is where you don’t know if you’ll have food or transportation”
Sam supposed that was correct. “Still I think it’d be a great adventure to just run off one day and start a journey around the world. Especially a world that has so much empty space like Primrose”
They passed another fence-line and Sam could see a large barn nearby. Finally he noticed a white blur before it came into focus trotting across the field. That must be Spartacus and riding him. Julie. She was wearing jeans and a sweater with a vest and her hair was balled up on the back of her head and she was smiling. She rode right up to them and stopped the horse like a professional.
“Lo Tolbert!” she said laughing. Sam smiled involuntarily because he liked her voice.
“Lo Julie, this is my friend Sam Waterford” Tolbert said “He’s a trustworthy person”
Julie climbed off the horse and walked right up to Sam and took off a glove and held out a hand to be shook “Lo Sam Waterford, how are you? My name is Julie Minter”
“Lo Julie, I’m fine as rain” Sam said “I hope you’ve settled in well” She nodded and looked to Tolbert “Kind of. There are some weird things going on in the house sometimes but it’s basically okay”
“Weird things follow the Winston family wherever they go” Sam said and she laughed slightly.
“Are you hungry? I have some sandwiches from the kitchen, we could have ourselves a little picnic next to the pond” she said to Tolbert who looked rather uneasy.
“No, I’m fine I’ve eaten already” he answered “But Sam here hasn’t, why don’t you two have a picnic? I can put up Spartacus before doing some things I need to do in the house”
Sam was seriously thinking of kicking Tolbert in the shin, what a way to turn the girl off from wanting to have anything to do with either of them. Tolbert was already heading to the barn with the horse and Julie was standing there holding the basket looking a little lost.
“He’s not real comfortable with girls I think” Sam stuttered out.
She shrugged “Well, I can’t force him to eat a sandwich or anything”
Sam stood there awkwardly for a moment before she seemed to perk up a little “Why not! Sam Waterford, would you care to join me for a little picnic by the pond?”
He was a little surprised but they were soon sitting on a blanket not far from a pond and they were thankfully nowhere near the barn or any horse droppings. The barn was with its own fenced in pasture and the pond was not in it.
“What is this?” Julie asked of a wrapped sandwich and took a sniff “Roast beef or corned beef or something. Do you want it?”
“I’m fine with whatever you give me” Sam said and accepted a sandwich, then an apple and watched as Julie pulled some kind of thermos from the basket and two glasses.
“Pomegranate juice or something” she said after sniffing it “Let’s just pretend it’s wine”
“Right”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that they gave me two glasses and enough food for two?” she asked “I guess they really thought Tolbert would come here with me”
Sam tried to look surprised “Oh really? Why would they think that?”
Julie got a funny look on her face and said “Well, his parents want us to be married”
Sam smiled “Congratulations”
Then she shook her head “Not really. I don’t think Tolbert is interested at all. I wasn’t too sure about it myself of course”
Sam munched down a bite before saying “If neither of you want to do it, then I don’t see where the problem is. They wouldn’t force you to get married would they?”
“I didn’t think so but his father is making noise about it” she said with a slouch and a distant look “As if he’d disown Tolbert and kick me to the streets”
Sam was astonished. “No way”
She sat up straighter and smiled a bit “Maybe he’s all bluster. I’d sure like to think so”
Re: High Adventure « Reply #4 on Oct 17, 2010, 5:43am »
This was interesting.
As far as governments being financed by loans, it opens up the possibility of loan sharking. All a government would have to do is skyrocket the interest rates to keep people perpetually indebted, and with less money to spend on things like ammunition and food...
Re: High Adventure « Reply #5 on Oct 17, 2010, 1:27pm »
That is true, I guess it would be a bit like that. Especially since this debt can be passed on to the next generation. The only check on that is it is an elected government. That is sort of what is happening in the beginning before the flashback, he's trying to negotiate the payments he missed so he doesn't default. lol.
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