Novel Treatments / Dreamer Part Three
The day of the Park Dedication, brought the city alive much sooner than normal. Shouts and laughter could be heard long before the ring turned yellow. Flint woke to the music of a flute playing somewhere close by. He groaned aloud, as he moved to the washstand to splash cold water on his face and back of neck. Last night had been long and tiresome. Sometime today a group of youngster would, on a dare, enter the old mine shaft. They would try to run the length of the shaft and back to prove how brave they were. What no one knew was one of the support beams, full of ants, had weakened to the point of collapsing with the slightest jar. Flint spent most of the night shoring up that section of the shaft. What bothered him now, was the man who had followed him. It proved that not all the other nights were his imagination. He was being follow though by whom or for what reason he did not know. The fact that the man said not one word upon entering the mine to give him a hand with the last support, only to walk away and disappear into the shadows, did not bother him as much as he first thought it would. Someone else now knew what he was doing and in his or her way was offering help. Help was not something he would turn away. The smile that crossed his face quickly turned into grimace as he stretched his arms and back. No, help would not be turned away.
The store would be closed today for the Dedication and that gave Flint time to start working on other things. Actually, it gave him an excuse not to go to the park until the very last moment before the ceremony. He did not want to go as all but the King would be the one to pull the rope that uncovered the statue and it was his duty to hand the rope to the King. He sat at the workbench and tried to decide what to build or make next. There were a couple of projects in the back of his mind he had put off until he could get the design on parchment and now seemed as good a time as any. As he reached for a coal stick, his eye caught the slab of granite he had found on the floor earlier yesterday. On the surface, as plain as day, Flint saw the portrait of the woman of his dreams. Fascinated, all thoughts of other projects gone, he ran his hands over the surface, felt where this place should be deeper and by cutting a slight groove here would bring out that feature. Not even realizing it, Flint had found his task. Four hours he worked without stopping as the image emerge from the stone. So immersed in his work he did not hear the knocks on his front door.
The knock on his back door however took his attention away from his work. Taking a rag and covering the slab, Flint opened the door to find one of the Kings messengers.
“May I help you?” Flint asks.
“The King requests your attendance at the open ceremonies. He then wishes for you to sit at his table.”
Flint suddenly realized he had lost all sense of time, “How much time before the ceremony?”.
“If we leave right now we can make it with a few moments to spare.”
“I’ll be with you in a moment.” Flint ran to the bedroom, removed his shirt and pants while one hand wet a rag, and he ran it over his face, neck, arms and chest. Luckily, he had already laid out the his cloths and was back at the door to shut it behind him on the run. Even though the streets were crowded, the two made it with moments to spare. Flint ran to the statue, looked at the rigging to make sure all was in order, then handed the rope to the King when it was time. One tug and the statue was revealed, as a lever turned, water sprouted from the statue and streams of water circling the statue jumped high into the air. The crowed shouted and clapped with an enthusiastic joy, that put a grin on Flint’s face. The King came over to congratulate him on making such a beautiful fountain. After he thanked the King, the last thing Flint wanted was to hang around, especially to eat at the Kings table but there was no way he could refuse.
He soon found himself enjoying the meal, because of the others that now sat around the table. Head Merchant Donial and his wife were there along with their daughter. It had been over a year since Flint had seen her and she was even more beautiful than he remembered. He caught her eye by accident and was the first to break away but he could not keep his eyes from straying down the table when he thought Brillia wasn’t looking. Flint stayed until the dessert was finished then made a hasty retreat back to his shop.
No one but the King and Brillia noticed Flint make his exit. Theopus understood the pressure the young man was under Brilla did not. The crowed around the table had started to thin, when a low rumble as if the ground itself growled, and the sudden clanging of alarm bells echoed around them. “The old mine shaft has collapsed.” Someone shouted. “I saw some kids around there.” Everyone including the King were on their feet running toward the abandoned mine. As the first arrived, they rushed forward as two small boys came through the cloud of dust as it poured from the opening. “Kyle is still in there.” One of the boys shouted as he pointed over his shoulder. The adults at the opening stopped just short of it, afraid of going in. One man who had just arrived passed them shouting, “Come on! We have to save that boy before the whole place comes down.” The man did not even stop to see if any one followed but made his way through the dust and dirt passed the first of the new beams. He found the child just passed the last of the new support beams, lying on his side, his head bleeding profusely. The man gently picked the lad up, and made his way through the still heavy dust to the opening where others were quick to take the boy. A healer arrived at that moment to check the child’s condition as the man made his way to where the King stood. He stopped, whispered in the King’s ear, shook his head at the reply, then quickly blended into the crowd. Some in the crowd claimed it was a miracle for the old shaft’s lumber was old and rotten. When questioned, the two boys, dirty but unharmed, claimed the wood in the front section was new, that was why they were able to get out.
Donial had noticed the way the young Merchant’s eyes kept sliding toward his daughter, though he had seen the young man try to hide the fact. He could not blame him very much because his daughter was a beautiful girl much like her mother had been. He would have to see how things went in the next few weeks. It’s possible his daughter had someone else in mind and that too would be okay. Now though, it was time to figure a way to take some of the load off the shoulders of young Flint. That he could see the future was itself remarkable. To be able to change the future, to be able to save a life almost every day was something bordering on a miracle. So engrossed with his own thoughts, he failed to hear his daughter approach.
“Father, is it true that he can foretell the future?” She asks. “The man that saved the boy today works for you and I heard him tell the King it would have been much worse had not Flint saw what was going to happen and shore up the mine shaft early this morning. Is this true? Does he have the ability to see the future?”
“It never ceases to amaze me how much you actually know about things no one is supposed to know about.” Donial said with a smile.
“Father! Is it true?”
“Not in the way, I think you mean, no. He dreams at night and sometimes those dreams show him that something bad is going to happen. Young Master Flint will get up, go out a fix what ever it is that will help save or prevent the injury to someone. How or why this is possible does not matter now. It is the fact that in the last six months, young Flint has saved the lives of countless people. Yet not one of those saved know about it and he is not talking. He carries a great weight and greater responsibility, yet asks for no help. A remarkable young man.”
“Oh, you are going to help him aren’t you Father?”
“Yes I am. The king has asked me to help remove some of the weight off his shoulders by providing him with help. That is why I am going to his shop this evening. As head of the Merchant Guild, I can make this a business meeting first. You did notice the artistry of the statue did you not? I know of no one in the city who could have done a better job.”
Flint unlocked his front door and to find a small crowd waiting outside. He held the door opened, as they filed in the small shop filled quickly.
Through the “Oh’s and Ah’s” he could hear some of the patrons say, “Oh, I wish I had come here before now.” “If I’d known he was this good I would have been here earlier.” He tried not to let the praise get to him but he could feel his spirits rise and the smile on his face was one of contentment. With in the first hour of opening, the stocked shelves were no longer full. As the crowd thinned, it gave him time to run to the back and restock a few of the faster selling items. Most of the music boxes and about half of the figurines were gone as well as the miniature statues. By lunchtime, Flint realized he had sold more this one morning than he had the previous three months.
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Dreamer part 3
I have no idea what the ring is and why it turns yellow-assume that precedes this
Youngsters-missing s-I assume you want typos
Mention how dark and creepy-spider web filled mine shaft is
Ants or termites/dry rot
By whom and for what reason is a little murky-sounds more like legal jargon-by a stranger with motives he had yet to learn?
Mention sound of water and if it splashed anyone/thing-perhaps mention water christening the fountain-or breaking it in
Describe what makes the fountain so beautiful-cascading water-figurines?
I like as much detail as possible-what did the meal consist of-well prepared or raw?
Anytime a beautiful woman enters I want to know what makes her so pretty-especially hair and eyes-her refers to daughter, but way worded it could also refer to wife-uncertain?
Brillia-nice name
Describe the crowd better-who was the center of attention?
Wouldn’t they hear a rumble from the shaft collapsing before the alarm or are they too far away?
Boys running from mine should be coughing from dust-gasping for air
Describe ominous cloud of dust and doom better
Passed-pass-typo twice
Better descriptions of king, healer, boys would help-I like my stories to paint pictures for me-I’m lazy
Describe common traits between mother and daughter
Elaborate on ESP more-X-Files fans will love it-when he first got the gift-in dreams-whatever-did any other relative have similar gifts
Describe shop better-clutter-displays-Ohs and Ahs over what-describe artwork/crafts
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