From small beginnings come great things

I am a travelling merchant. “I am", not “I was", since I’m still doing very well, thank you for the concern you've never had or will ever have. This story however took place in the past, hence the tenses. I suppose that's the correct way of writing. Nevertheless, cut the nonsense, let’s get straight to the point.

As I just mentioned, I was, at that time, a travelling merchant. I had my own carriage with which I was transporting goods from one place to another. What was I selling? Various things, mainly handcrafted goods like pottery, fabrics, even some decent quality jewellery. Why not high quality? Because knowing my luck, I would soon find myself laying down near the tall tree which would protect my freshly chopped head from the sun. I wasn’t interested in experiencing the afterlife yet, so I stuck to what I had.

I did enjoy what I was doing. Locals were always in awe of my travelling experience. That I’ve been in so many places, seen so many things. I was such a distinguished person because I’ve experienced so many cultures.

Mhm, my ass.

I’d noticed I had to be a magnet for trouble, or had one hidden somewhere. Something had to always happen to me. Usually something I couldn’t care less about, but also shit I would never even dream of because why would I in the first place. I was banned from one county because of shenanigans I was involuntarily put in, but that’s a story I swore to myself to never speak about. So sheesh, better forget about it. You’ve heard nothing.

Despite that, I really did like my job. It was much better than being trapped like a monkey in one building. Maybe I just liked that feeling of freedom? Or being my own boss? I guess both are correct. Yet sometimes this solitude hit me. I was travelling only by myself. Horse was my only companion, but even one-sided conversations with him got boring at some point. He may be named Horse, but he really isn't a horse, rather, he's a hybrid of griffin and horse named cursed beast, but that's besides the point. I didn’t want to take a total stranger with me just because I felt lonely. I was able to entertain myself during the ride, somehow, but I wouldn’t have minded some company. Especially on the long trips I’d been taken recently.