Interviewing Gerrik Carte

Cheryl POV

It was a year ago a senior, who used to work at the press with me lost his job. And then it was a few days ago that tragedy struck again, as his corpse was found on the rive Rhind. Rhind that started from the mountains went through various cities of the Armille Empire, including the capital city Marchen, before flowing into the sea. The authorities found his carcass floating on the river. They ruled it as suicide after talking with all the witness including a bartender who reported on how he had to kick him out because he was obstructing with closing down the bar.

It was not like I was close to the senior, but for a healthy man to kill himself all of a sudden was depressing. There were rumors however, that he was suffering from some mental ailment. But they were still mere gossips without any proof.

All things aside, I was excited. My dream job was to be a journalist and I was moving closer to my dream. After a few years of working in various low level positions, the higher-ups have now allowed me to carry out an interview. I was going to interview Gerrik Carte, a general in the army. He is also known to be a hero for many of our generation; since he ended the war against the neighboring Kaldrass kingdom ten years ago.

“Hello there Ms Cheryl,” Gerrik greets me as I was guided to him by his servants.

He was an old man of around eighty from my research, but he did not have the same old appearance as an eighty year old man. He had a smug smile on his face that tended to give the feeling of revering him. His deadpanned eyes expressed the boredom and contempt he held towards me. Probably because I was simply a lowly junior apprentice journalist, it was not worth his time. However he had to keep the act for his appearance’s sake. My first impression of him was absolutely negative but there was no way for me to express it since I had to write good things about him in the interview.

“Nice to meet you Lord Gerrik,” I reply while nodding politely.

We sit down, opposite each other, on a long rectangular table. One of the servants come and serves tea while another brings in the heavily luxurious looking plates of cakes, which were embedded with stones of unknown value.

I look around the lounge that stretches far. From the outside, the mansion looked merely impressive but the luxuriousness and the lush interior of the mansion leaves me gawking. From what I knew most people in the military tended to live far more humbler. He sure is having a lavish lifestyle.

We talk a bit over the tea and all the while he keeps on boasting about how he took on enemy soldiers with limited ammunitions. He went on saying how the ‘rotten kingdom’ did not stop at anything in order to win the war and even resorted to underhanded tactics. But he, the hero that he was, led his team to triumph over the kingdom.

While hearing his ‘stories’ with a smile- I notice a boy peeking at Gerrik from one of the pillars. He was a young boy of about five or seven years of age. He was listening to Gerrik very intently with same sort of reverence found in people only when they worship their God.

Gerrik notices my stare and looks at the direction I was staring at. He smiles seeing the boy.

“Come Gerome come to Grandpa,” He calls out smiling kindly. His kind smile pales out the smugness and boredom in his face.

Gerome approaches his grandfather and sits down on his lap.

“This is my grandson, Gerome. He is five years old.” Gerrik exclaims.

I say nothing but look at the child. He was a little stout but that only made him even cuter. Although I did not spend much time with young children before I had to say, I have a soft spot for children.

“His father, my only son, is a lieutenant in the army. When he grows up, Gerome to is going to join the army. Is that not the case Gerome?”

Gerome nods-his face as bright and red as a tomato. Gerrik keeps on chuckling like a young boy inspecting his toy, while ignoring my presence.