1.6 Even Nights Like These Come to an End

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Anna took a seat at the tavern. The wooden building has got a cozy vibe going on. The people present only add to it with their loose and friendly attitude. Even the folks that never really speak to one another, greet the ones giving the bell above the door a jingle with a nod and a smile.
Her usual spot is the one furthest away from the counter, but closest to the rear end window. Evidently, it’s close to the fireplace as well. Seated there, she played with the corner of a piece of paper. Bending it backwards until it popped back up from underneath her finger, then bending it the other way. Over and over again. She sighed after a while, moving her eyes away from her hands, through the window, where she saw her two usual buddies heading towards the tavern.
She stared at the piece of paper until the two arrived at her table.

“If it isn’t miss penny picker! How did you fare today?” One of them said.

She folded the image of Leith she had teared off a poster into her pocket. “Good day, good day.”

“Sure, dear,” the other friend said as she booped her nose, “that’s why you’re not cracking a smile.”

She let out a sigh, “Don’t worry ‘bout me, am doin’ fine, really.”

The two decided to not pry any further and join her for a good meal. After munching the food down with her pals, she left for the city hall—taking the longest route possible. Checking if the poster help lad was still around on the corner of every street.

Once she arrived, she talked to the capital herald to receive her reward.

“I hung up the posters,” she told them. “Under the name Anna.”

“Anna… Anna…” the herald was looking through the mission reports. “Anna Ferchias, found it.” She quickly scanned through the report and said, “Great! Here’s your reward.”

The reward was handed over in a small drawstring bag. On her way out she opened it and counted them. A total of sixteen silver coins.

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Underneath the large tree’s crown, I stared at the starry night sky. It would be even more beautiful further away from the city, as the light it emits takes away the purpose of the stars.

A clear sky sure is beautiful to look at, though it means it’ll be colder when I wake up tomorrow morning. If I could, I would’ve kept walking until the sun rose again, but my legs have different plans, they’re knackered.

I stretched my body out, the good kinda stretch that relieves all the stress on your muscles and joints for a couple of seconds. When I placed my hands behind my head again, I saw a fly heading to my arm. I slapped it away, but it came back in no time, then another joined. The both of them persistently circled around me.

Do I… stink?

I clenched my flimsy excuse of clothes, brought it to my nose and sniffed. Then I sniffed both my arm pits, but didn’t feel like I was sweaty at all. I suppose a skunkerling wouldn’t say it smells either. Half convinced I smelled at least fine, another fly made its appearance.

I do stink, don’t I?

I jumped up and headed to the nearest lake. There I washed myself, my shoes and emptied my bladder in a nearby bush. Washing my clothes wouldn’t have been the best idea, since I have no convenient way of drying them.

Once all that was done, I headed back to the tree and stared out at the night sky again. It was still as beautiful, of course, but this time it reminded me of how far away from my bed I am, and how much further away from home I must go.

It’s cold tonight. Dark and cold. It wasn’t just the weather that made me feel uneasy… I couldn’t fall asleep at all. Though even these type of nights eventually come to an end.

The moment my eyelids feel too heavy to lift back up, when my thoughts get silenced out and my body gently thuds itself against the grass bed. That’s right, even nights like these come to an end.