{"id":2914,"date":"2015-12-01T07:23:35","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T12:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=2914"},"modified":"2015-12-01T07:23:35","modified_gmt":"2015-12-01T12:23:35","slug":"touched-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/touched-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Touched, Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click here to read part one.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Touched<\/strong>
\n-Part Two-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The scowl seemed etched onto his face.\u00a0 He still muttered under his breath as he worked on the drawstring of his bag.\u00a0 Tied tightly, it would not relent, daring him to continue looking like a fool.<\/p>\n

The mule brayed below, but the merchant\u2019s apprentice was focused on the task at hand.\u00a0 The straw on the second floor of the barn would serve well enough as bedding, but a blanket he kept in his bag would make it all the more comfortable.\u00a0 He worked on the knot with his teeth, the leather drawstring too tightly bound to unravel.\u00a0 With that plan going unwell for a few moments, he took it in his hands once more, growling away his displeasure.<\/p>\n

A loud snap delivered the news before he even realized what had happened.\u00a0 The knot was released, but only because it ripped fully from the bag.\u00a0 Its contents spilled out, rolling off the platform to the floor of the barn below.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gods hate me,\u201d the apprentice bemoaned.<\/p>\n

When he crept to the edge to see how his belongings fared, he was surprised to see the mule pulling away, the cart in tow.\u00a0 The farmer\u2019s lad was there too, urging the beast of burden on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, what are you doing?\u00a0 Those are my things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once again, the boy only offered silence in return.\u00a0 He stopped following the mule and the wagon, though, averting his gaze as the apprentice fumed on the second floor.\u00a0 Hands and feet thumped against the rungs of the old wooden ladder, and the boy was face to face with the merchant\u2019s companion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had enough of you,\u201d he seethed.\u00a0 \u201cJust leave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his head bowed, the boy stood his ground.\u00a0 \u201cLeave,\u201d he said meekly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I don\u2019t plan on staying long,\u201d the apprentice returned.\u00a0 \u201cI know where I\u2019m not wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the boy lifted his head and made eye contact, the apprentice felt the muscles in his body tense.\u00a0 He clenched his fingers into fists, ready for another altercation.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave\u2026 now,\u201d the boy pressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the middle of the night.\u00a0 Do you see how dark it is out there?\u201d\u00a0 As he spoke those words, he considered how quickly time had passed.\u00a0 Even he thought it was early evening at worst.<\/p>\n

In no mood to be argued with, the farmer\u2019s son grabbed his arm.\u00a0 The apprentice pushed the lad away, ready to be pounced upon like before.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t try that again.\u00a0 I\u2019m warning you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen,\u201d the boy said.<\/p>\n

One of the shutters on the second floor burst open, and a furious gust of wind roared through the barn.\u00a0 The farmer\u2019s son hadn\u2019t severed eye contact in all that time, sending a shiver up the apprentice\u2019s spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeed to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

A plaintive nod was set to the sound of the wind shrieking into the barn.\u00a0 \u201cFine.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just go and get my\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could offer up any more thought, the farmer\u2019s son had bent low and picked up the blanket.\u00a0 The apprentice reached for it, but the boy spun away and stepped toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d the apprentice asked.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s mine.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you dare do anything to that!\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s small, fleeting steps grew larger as the older lad grabbed for his prized possession.\u00a0 In a moment, he burst into a sprint the apprentice couldn\u2019t hope to match.\u00a0 But with the blanket dangling behind as the farmer\u2019s son ran, he charged after, despite the odds of catching the thief.<\/p>\n

Wind roared out in the field, and beneath that rumble, the apprentice could hear another call.\u00a0 He looked toward the farmhouse, where his master frantically waved his arms and called his name.\u00a0 Undeterred, he continued after the farmer\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet back here, you contemptible little\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could even finish his thought, a loud snap resonated across the area.\u00a0 He spun on his heel and noticed one of the barn\u2019s shutters rip from its hinges, flung from the building into the crops on the end of the field.\u00a0 He understood, then, what was happening.\u00a0 The towering grey funnel advanced on the barn like an angry titan.\u00a0 With debris already swirling inside it, the apprentice knew how formidable the storm had become.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome!\u201d he heard, a soft yet stern voice breaking out over the wind.<\/p>\n

The farmer\u2019s lad was by the old stone well, still clutching the blanket.\u00a0 Needing no further coercing, the apprentice sprinted in that direction.<\/p>\n

The tornado tore through the barn like a shear through a sheep\u2019s wool.\u00a0 Wooden panels, shutters, and the rear doors flung through the air, some inhaled by the behemoth, others cast aside like playthings.\u00a0 In moments, the barn could no longer support its structure, collapsing under the weight of so powerful a disaster.<\/p>\n

Without wasting a moment, the farmer\u2019s lad climbed onto the well, offering up a hand as the apprentice reached him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we doing?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The boy answered with a nod, clutching the rope in one hand.\u00a0 With that, he leapt into the well, disappearing within, taking the blanket with him.\u00a0 As the twister barreled toward him, the apprentice knew there was only one way to go.\u00a0 He grasped the rope and slid down as fast as he could, until his feet landed on the old wooden bucket.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown,\u201d he heard.<\/p>\n

The moment he hopped from the bucket, it was ripped up out of the well.\u00a0 All was bright as the eye of the storm peered down at them, casting its sinister gaze their way.<\/p>\n

Snatching the blanket away, the apprentice lifted it high over his head.\u00a0 \u201cCome on then, help me!\u201d he bade.\u00a0 The farmer\u2019s lad did as instructed.\u00a0 No sooner did they have the blanket above them did the rocks fall down.\u00a0 Caught above their covering, though, they were safe from the storm\u2019s wrath.<\/p>\n

The roar went on for some time, deafening in their small sanctuary.\u00a0 The farmer\u2019s son tightly closed his eyes, rocking where he stood.\u00a0 Even after the tumultuous funnel had moved on, the echo remained.\u00a0 They could feel in the air, though, they were no longer in peril.\u00a0 The apprentice lowered the blanket and saw the sky had grown bright again.\u00a0 The farmer\u2019s lad averted his gaze once more as that light filled the well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d the apprentice said, clapping the boy on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHey.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d\u00a0 He kept his eyes locked to the boy\u2019s until he had his focus again.\u00a0 For the first time in a long while, he allowed a smile to stretch across his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou boys all right?\u201d they heard.<\/p>\n

When they looked up, they saw the farmer and the merchant peering down at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo worse for wear,\u201d the apprentice said.\u00a0 \u201cThanks to your son, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The autumn air was crisp and cool, but the quartet worked to a sweat.\u00a0 It required some backbreaking labors, but not one of them complained, considering the luck they shared.<\/p>\n

As he reached the top of the loft, the farmer looked out of the open side of the barn.\u00a0 The farmhouse stood strong in spite of the disaster that had swirled through the area weeks before.\u00a0 A scar had been left upon the field that would not mend for some time, but his home remained, and that was cause for celebration.\u00a0 A shrill whistle left his lips, and the three folk below lifted the final side of the barn.\u00a0 He aided them with a strong length of rope\u2014the same one that had pulled the two younger lads from the well as the twister moved on.<\/p>\n

Wiping his brow with his wrist, the merchant leaned against the wooden wall while the farmer lined up the joists.\u00a0 He looked to Tess, who grazed the grass outside the fence without concern.\u00a0 The cart was on that nearby dirt path, empty of many of the goods he and his apprentice had arrived with.\u00a0 A grin stretched his lips, for he knew they had gone to good use, assisting those in Sungarden affected by the tornado.\u00a0 Those provisions had not sold at an ideal price, but the merchant was never happier with barter than with those.<\/p>\n

Though the twister had ripped through the farm and the barn, not one of them saw it for the disaster it was.\u00a0 The apprentice was filled with an abundance of mirth since his encounter with that deadly funnel, wearing a smile his master had not seen so prominently displayed in some time.\u00a0 He leaned against the final side of the unfinished barn, looking at his new friend, who stood just beside him.<\/p>\n

The farmer\u2019s son stared off to the north, the same way he did whenever he painted.\u00a0 He lent his weight to the crew, and as his father hammered the joists into place, the barn supported him rather than the boy holding up that side.\u00a0 He felt a hand on his shoulder, and though he didn\u2019t spin on his heel to acknowledge the apprentice, he did turn his head just enough to declare, in his way, he was present and aware.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll done,\u201d the apprentice said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click here to read part one. Touched -Part Two- The scowl seemed etched onto his face.\u00a0 He still muttered under his breath as he worked on the drawstring of his bag.\u00a0 Tied tightly, it would not relent, daring him to continue looking like a fool. The mule brayed below, but the merchant\u2019s apprentice was focused […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[349,145,146],"tags":[1096,1114,149,61,1094],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-L0","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2914"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2915,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914\/revisions\/2915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}