Read The Spaces Between (A Drunkard's Journey) for Free Online Page A

looked around. All I saw was the turnips and pumpkins. And the big hill by the end of the pumpkin rows. There was a large rock stuck in the hill. Maybe he came out of the rock. How could a man come from the rock? Did he fly here? Can he fly?
    “Is this your farm?” he asked me. He did not smile. He was shorter than Fa. He had a very large backpack on and I think it was going to tip him over. I thought about him falling on a pumpkin. There would be a mess of orange. We could toast the seeds. I love toasted pumpkin seeds. I laughed.
    “I’m sorry, what is so funny?” his voice was bad and it scared me.
    “You are very strong.”
    He nodded, but his eyes were dark and mean. “Yes. And I am in a hurry. Please! Is your mother or father home?” His hands kept tickling themselves, and his head seemed to not want to stay still. Why was he bouncing so much? And I did not see where he had come from.
    “Y-yes, Fa is by the fire. Ma is sleeping again.”
    The strange man’s head bounced like a rabbit. Then he ran to the house. He did not say thank you. Maybe he did come from the rock. A rock person would be mean and not be nice.
    It was colder. I went to the house. Fire sounded good. Maybe Fa could make his hot spicy drink, and we could all share. We had not had visitors in so long. Not since the man came to see Ma. Now she sleeps more.
    When I took my coat off and went inside, Fa and the visitor were talking fast.
    “But I need to get to the University now!” the strange man was saying.
    Fa put up his arms. He was a big man. He was very nice to everyone. He once lifted a whole wagon cart off of a man. A whole cart! With the wheels on! And one time a bad man was on the road and Fa only looked at him. The bad man ran away. “Now, now young man, you have traveled countless miles and you are tired. You have never been to Vronga?”
    “No.”
    “Then you have no idea where you are going. Sit here and rest, and –”
    “But I need—”
    Fa sounded angry. “Let me finish! No, you rest here. Get some sleep. I will run to town and return the person you need. Who is it you are trying to contact?”
    “A mage. A mage at the University. But, I cannot—”
    “Yes, you can. You can trust me. I know why the city does not encroach on my land. I know that stone slab and where it leads. Ah! Do not worry, I am not one of them. I can be trusted to send the message and not to repeat it.”
    For a long time the man did not speak. He lost his voice. Or he was scared. But who is scared of Fa? Fa said sometimes his eyes scared people. Like mine. His were blue-gray. He said they “pierced” but not like a sword. Fa never hurt anyone. He was big and strong and sometimes people were scared. Nobody should be afraid of Fa!
    I thought the fire would go out. But he finally said something. “There are no more Protectors.” He said this very quietly. Fa may not have heard him, because he didn’t say anything either.
    “Please…” the stranger said finally.
    Fa made that noise in his throat. It meant he had decided something. “Aye. I will go. You rest. Hello, Bimb!” he smiled. I like his smile. He roughed up my hair and I smiled. “I have to run to town. This man has had a long journey and he needs to rest. See he gets what he needs. Spicy cider is on the stove.”
    And he left.
    The stranger looked at me funny. People look at me funny. It is probably my eyes. Ma says they are a “stunning blue”. Stunning means to stop someone. So people stop when they see my eyes. I smiled at him.
    “Aye ... Bimb, is it?”
    I nodded happily.
    The stranger made a noise. It sounded like a dog. A mean dog. But we don’t have dogs. Not after Blackie died. “I see. Well, I need rest. You won’t mind if I sleep here?”
    I shook my head. “And afterwards we can have the hot spicy drink. I like it. Fa makes it real good.”
    He made that noise again,; then he lay down and slept. He snored loud.
    I sat watching him for some time. He looked very tired.