Helpless: Day 1

Word Count: 6,011

Summary of Events:

Late in the workday, Mikolaj saw some knights ride past whose heraldry looked familiar to him. On Sunday he overheard a neighbour tell that one of them had come to his place and offered him a significant amount of money for just one third of his land. During the week, Mikolaj saw two men laying stones at intervals in the area where the land had been bought, but he had no idea what the purpose was, nor did he particularly care. Instead, he went out to check the traps he'd set in the forest to see if he'd caught any game to help sustain his family over the winter . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Songbirds sang in the trees as the bulk of them prepared to depart for warmer climes than Lasnaród offered in the wintertime, although some hardy ones meant to stay over winter — none of which were large enough to yield more than a mouthful of meat.

Before he had fully entered the trees, Mikolaj heard the honking of geese overhead and immediately sought around for their formation. A goose that had fattened up in what were hopefully better-moistened northern reaches would be a welcome treat.

Seeing the formation, he quickly strung his bow, nocked an arrow, chose which one he meant to take down, and fired.

To his dismay, the arrow hit the wing of the bird, which flailed wildly as it plummeted from its place in the formation.

Nevertheless, Mikolaj ran toward where the bird was falling. Needles tore at his face as he entered the forest and he ducked to avoid them, colliding with a coarse-barked tree before he staggered a bit.

He heard the sound of something crashing down through the branches before finally it landed solidly on the ground, the whispering of leaves the only sound to be heard.

Forging ahead, Mikolaj wished he had a dog — much less one that could seek — so that he would be better able to figure out where the goose had landed.

Before long the trees came to a stop, revealing a small clearing that Mikolaj was quite familiar with, for it was a place he’d called on frequently over the summer, albeit to no avail.

It was a shrine devoted to Swiȩty Danek — for whom the village also was named — as the village had been founded by a man who had, reportedly, prayed to Swiȩty Danek at this very spot for help and been granted it.

Laying at the base of the mortared stones which sheltered the handsome lion that represented Swiȩty Danek, was the goose, unmoving, suggesting that its fall through the trees — and potential landing on the shrine itself — had done the fatal damage his arrow had failed to do.

As for his arrow, Mikolaj uttered an oath in upset to see the shaft of it was in pieces, with only the head still lodged in the wing of the goose.

Nevertheless, he took up the pieces and then took the goose up by its legs to carry home. 

Looking at the lion, Mikolaj felt uncomfortable, for the stone creature’s expression seemed to have changed from its typical stoic gaze to a snarl, as if to suggest that Swiȩty Danek was upset at him for having uttered an oath in anger.

“Forgive me,” he whispered. “Even if you cannot hear my petitions for bounty.”

Turning away, Mikolaj headed back through the trees homeward to give the goose to Mama.

He heard another flock of geese honk overhead as he walked, and was tempted to try shooting another one to see if he could improve his aim — whose failure to strike where he’d wanted it to was rather disappointing to him, if he was honest — but he figured it wouldn’t do good to be greedy. The goose he had should last them at least two days before he’d need to seek out another one.

Pronunciation:

Swiȩty: sveeahtih