So, the painting I based the last paragraph of this story on has two important details to it.
1.) It's set in Pavia, Northern Italy.
2.) It happens in the 7th century C.E.
Thing is, I wrote this story in my head with two important details.
1.) It's set in Sicily, Southern Italy.
2.) It happens in 541.
See the problem? I'm going to take some creative liberty and say instead of it happening here, it happens there. I think that's fair, besides, this is a fanfic, not anything important.
Also, instead of giving any of the character's names, to be more ambiguous, I use a lot of phrases like 'The man', 'The boy', etc. Just saying that beforehand for anyone who would think that's normally repetitive.
I was kind of scared about doing this, really any other completely original work. This isn't even based on Date A Live, it's all practically real history right now, but it's very fun to think out everything from start to finish. I wished I could do this for the first story I wrote, and I can't wait until I can start writing the later chapters.
Anyways, three days it took to write this. I'm proud. Enjoy.
\Unknown Entry 4\
Do You Regret?
The child raised his hand, "I remember clearly, the passage went, 'There is nothing living more agonizing than man of all breathe and crawl across the earth.'" Of course, to keep his reputation, the teacher stood up himself. "No, no you are mistaken, the line goes, 'There is nothing alive more agonized than man of all breathe and crawl across the earth.' Do not question my words unless you are correct yourself. Continuing on..." Letting out a groan the student lowered his hand, embarrassed as his fellow classmates snickered. The boring lectures of the man in front of him were hard to keep his attention on, but, luckily, the day was over.
When the bell rang, everyone got up from their seats before leaving the teacher's home. "What has your mother prepared today?" A boy behind him managed to catch up, stopping to a walk when they were side-by-side. "Ah, she mentioned that the pulses were especially good this harvest. The rest is practically the same. I never eat carrots like always, yet she always seems to add more and more." His friend giggled at the remark. "Maybe you should try them for once."
"Not in until Christ comes upon us again! Hard, and disgusting. Yuck!" They both laughed before splitting off. "I will meet you near the square when the sun is directly over us. Tomorrow?" He waved back to his friend. "Tomorrow! I will not let you beat me to it again!" The two boys turned away before splitting off towards their homes. Upon reaching the steps of his family's farmstead, the always familiar scent of her food and the boiling water hit him. He opened the door to find his mother standing in the kitchen of their small home. The oven had a bright flame coming out of its mouth. "There you are! Look, come here." The mother turned to her son, gesturing the boy to make his way beside her. When he saw the counter, her son wowed at the fresh and plump fish on the counter. "Did Father catch that?! We need to eat it before it spoils!"
"The lakes were filled with fish this day. That is what he said. Go now, make sure to be ready for your brothers and sisters. Tell them of the great news." She turned around, getting the bread out of the oven, as she dumped the vegetables into the boiling pot. Her son turned around with a grin on his face. Putting on his sandals before running out of the house. In the distance, she giggled when her son exclaimed. "The Lord has blessed us! Like he has when he fed the five thousand!"
The child rushed into the city, pasted the bustling square and into the west half of the city. In front of the tiny monastery, the boy heard the bells ring, signaling the end of classes. Through the horde of children, he found his two brothers and sisters. They were all eleven, three years younger than him. "We must come home quickly. Father has been blessed with a bountiful harvest." All of his siblings' eyes lit up, and they journeyed home. In the town square, the boy overheard a conversation between two sailors. "The boats have all returned, but many of the passengers look sick." The burly man spoke. The man across from him, who was leaner and without hair on his face remarked, "I've heard the last ship has a victim. 'He vomited twice as much as he ate' I quote." It was good that his siblings had not heard. The boy, himself, shivered at the imagery.
_
At the table, their family was situated around. In the center were fish, poached vegetables, and pulses. "Father father! Your net is old how did you catch this big one!" His second youngest brother poked the food from his seat. Their mother was quick to scold him for doing such before their prayers. At the center of the table, the father sat contemplating. At first, he did not register the question, but once the youngest daughter had gained his attention, he spoke up. "I had help from a precarious man." He did not elaborate further. "A man? But the only fishermen who go there are you and my friend's father." The eldest son pondered, looking at his father, perplexed. "That is what I believed. I did not recognize him either. A friendly disposition he had."
"Let us not squander anymore, lest food going get cold. We still have our prayers as well." Mother reminded the two gentlemen and the kids. "Ah yes, my dear. You are most certainly right. Now, let us feast upon what The Lord has bestowed upon us." They placed their hands together in unison then began chanting.
_
"The shops are filled with so many things I have never seen before!" His friend rushed to each of the stands. "So, these are the wares the people have been talking of. Carthage truly has the assortment, but they seem to just be jewelry. Maybe if there was new food." His friend laughed with a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you are looking at the wrong place, my friend. Would you want to head to the market? We could buy something small to the east as well. I have the money." Agreeing with the proposal, the two boys turned left, deeper into the district.
Along the way, the young man's friend could not stop me mesmerized by the exotic wares. "Look at this!...What is that?..." And so forth. With an amused smirk on his face, the boy turned around towards his friend. "Keep your eyes forward you or you will bum-" The boy accidentally bumped into someone, stumbling back a few steps. "I am very sorry! I was not looking-"
"No, no! It is I who should be apologizing, for standing in front of your-"
"Absolutely not-" The boy stopped himself. Looking upwards, the person he had bumped into was a tall man, just shy of twice his height. A dirty, stained, off-white cloth was wrapped around his entire body from head to toe. Not an inch was revealed, not even his face which had only two holes poked into it, presumably for the eyes to see out of. What odd clothing? "Sir, what makes you dress so funnily?" His friend asked, always with his jocular smile. "Do not word it like that. You are being disrespectful!" He pinched his friend is rude behavior.
"I could see why you would call this strange." The boy could see that under his robe, arms extended outwards, stretching the cloth outwards, revealing how massive the whole thing was. "In this time of year, the sun's rays do irritate my skin quite a bit. Yes is sort of troubling to move in, and it is quite hot. But is the summer season not inherently hot?" jested the mysterious man, chuckling. "Are you from here, sir?" The two boys asked. "No, I travel around the country. With no family to attend to, I find my world filled with thrill when I am in many places. I was going to head westward yesterday, but when the supply from Carthage came in, I decided to stay a little longer."
"I see. have you by any chance, seen the market?" The boy asked. "The market? No, I was about to head there now. Some of the people leaving held huge fish, by the pairs even. I have no clue how so many people can afford it, so it must be cheap."
"Big fish? We had a big fish yesterday." The friend said. "Did both you and my father catch one?" He questioned further. "Indeed, he said the lake was teeming with fish. My father even brought home a nearly ripped net! It was that powerful." The boy's friend waved his hands out to express the fish's size. My father said the same thing. A man apparently helped him catch our fish as well! So he helped both of our fathers." Turning around, the man, who was previously there, disappeared. "Odd person he is. I think he headed off towards the market." A shriek like no other came from behind them, as a woman ran from the crowd. The cause for all of this, a rat scurrying amongst their feet.
_
The man, in a bent posture, inspected each and every fish. "Get them quick! Get them quick! These do not last forever!" The salesman hollered. "Hey! Are you going to buy them or not?" His attention turned to the man in front of his stand. "Oh, no need. I am only inspecting." The man could be heard...sniffing the fish. "What in God's name are you doing?! Get lost before your dirty cloth ruins my products!" He screamed. "Oh if you insist. I will tell others of your products." Chortling, the man stood straight, taller than the salesman, and walked off. Shaking his head only rolling eyes, he turned back to hollering.
Walking down the aisle of stands, the man felt serenity within the crowd. He happily walked, proudly standing amongst the men and women. With his sight closed, he merrily stepped. And my brother said I couldn't- "Augh!" The man accidentally bumped into someone shorter than him. That does not go against me! "I am at fault for that. I simply was not looking where I walked."
"Oh, you're the man at the stand!" He remembered that voice. It was one of the boys. "Oh! We meet again. You both seemed to be in your conversation, so I decided to leave you be." He explained, to which the boy in front replied. "There was a rat within the square." A rat?! The man thought. "It made quite a bit of commotion. How are the fish? Are they big?" He did not respond for a quick second before returning to his senses. In response, the robed man chuckled. "Oh the salesman, a grumpy man. I think he did not get the sales he wanted, but the fish are mighty fine. I remember an encounter just as large fish at a lake the other day: this big I would say." The man extended his arms forward then out, quite a bit wider than his torso. The size was roughly as large as the fish the two boys had. "Big fish? Wait, were you...Did you happen to, help two men yesterday? With fishing to be exact."
"They are old men, roughly in their mid-thirties, both fishermen." Both of the boys asked the man. He fidgeted around under his cloak. "Hmm. Ah!" He finished pondering. "Yes, I have. They were both in a boat I remember."
_
"Come! Look this way." The first man called out. The second man, listened, looking into the deep lake. "My Lord. Fish after fish! It has been only a couple of hours! Quick cast out the net!"
"No, with so many fish around, our old net will easily tear if too many swim into it." The first man, the wiser and calmer, simply observed. The second man could his eyes dart from fish to fish, waiting for one or two to split from its school. "Ah, you are always prudent in your approach." The second man joked. "I will look the other way." The lake below then was crystal clear and showed a view of the abundance of fish.
Ten minutes of waiting. Not a single fish swan from its school. Looking at the sky with a sigh, the jolly man looked at his friend: a man who was no less than tranced with the waters. May you never be interrupted. Turning back, this time he looked towards the shore. Squinting, the man could make out a figure behind the trees. He carelessly walked down the steep path. With no equipment, why would he or she come here. There were much better places to walk beside this. Reaching the edge of the lake, the man looked into the great body of water. When his gaze was set on the two fishermen, he waved. "Hello there! Have you caught any fish today?!"
"No, not at all! There are too many fish for our poor net to catch! We're waiting for one to separate right now." The second man laughed. Turning towards his friend the second asked. "Have you seen anything?"
"Yes, I have. Look at that one. Right there." Pointing at a large fish, it swam a little farther from the rest. "It has been like that for some time now. Grab the net. We will lower it a little way in front of it. When I say 'now'," They lowered the net into the lake. "pull up as hard as you can. This one we can split amongst both of our families." As the fish swam, the two men waited. How professional those two are. The man at the shoreline stood, his attention caught by the fishermen.
"Now!" The first man ordered as the two hauled the heavy net up. When the two men pulled, they immediately sense something off. Even with their combined strength, the force of the fish was too great. "Why is it...so strong!?" The first man looked down, and there he found the answer. As they were pulling the net up, another fish, equally as large, darted into the trap. "Our net will snap anytime soon! We need to let it go!" The second man's voice was drowned in worry and panic. "No, no. Not this catch. Both of them are bigger...than anything we have ever caught! This is...a once and...a lifetime gift from God!" The two kept tugging as their hands burned worse than the fires down below. The ropes of the net began to snap. "We must...let...go!"
"I have an idea! Listen to what I have to say!" The first man heard the voice in the distance. "What is it?! Quick now!"
"Do no try to fight against the fish! Use them to drag your boat" The robed man called back, no sarcasm in his voice. "Let the fish drag us?! Are you mad!" The man replied back. "Yes! Even better if you paddle along their movement. Lure them to the shore! I can help haul them out of the water!" Though the idea sounded absurd and risky, both men could tell, whoever this was, he must have been remembered by his teacher of rhetoric. "Very well. Then, you take the paddle. I will tell you where the fish is heading."
"I can't believe we are riding them like chariots!" The bow began moving. Only minor tension was pulling against the net. It would not break any time soon. "Yes yes! You want to guide the fish! Try forcing the fish into the path—not too much though! Your net won't be able to handle much more!" Guide the fish, eh? The fish moved left, deeper into the lake. The first man yanked the net. The fish reacted as if they saw a great predator, quickly turning towards the right. "Now! Paddle towards the right!" The second man began, and they moved with the fish. "Once the water becomes knee-deep, the fish will retreat! That is when we will have to haul them onto land!" The robed figure yelled. Right as the water did so, the two men lept off. The man at the shoreline, rush to join them. As three, the men grabbed the flailing fish and the net and drew them from the water. A heavy thud sounded when they let go. The first man caught a glimpse of what was under the robe, pitch-black...as if his clothes were also black. The hands that came from under the were gloved in an equally dirty pair as his cloth.
"Sir, you have saved us and our catch." The second man, with heavy breath, thanked them with his hands on his knees. The man himself was practically unfazed, granted he didn't do much. He did seem to have a bit of excitement in him. "It is no big deal. I feel more alive than ever helping you there!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "What brings you here: in these parts of the wild: far from the city, and certainly not the most tranquil roads?"
"Simple. I've never been here before. And when I am anywhere, I love to be everywhere. In other words, I get quite bored being in one place. Besides, I have no clue how you believe these roads are treacherous." The three of them all laughed. "What are we going to do all of this? Even for each of our families, the amount of meat is too much for a single meal. We could maybe butcher some parts and put them for sale. They could fetch a price."
"No, the ships are coming in the next day. With all the new products, fish will not catch anyone's attention." The mysterious man remarked. "On the topic of the ships, have any of you heard? Carthage and the land further down are being plagued by a horrible epidemic. I was there before I returned back here a couple of days ago. Once I heard the news I rushed out of there. Who knows what the sailors will bring once they return." The man brought up, worry in his voice. "A plague you say? So some of the sailors might bring it back with them."
The man nodded. "With how bad I heard it is, I suggest you both preserve your fish, salt, or dry it, just in case." Halfway through the sentence, they heard the shift in the tone of the man's voice, his deep dread. A plague? They were both far from the city, no it would not affect them—pray the Lord it would not. "You would not have come back with such plague unknowingly, would you?"
"It may just my suspicion though. I haven't seen any victims to be infected. Do stay cautious though, I hope the Lord sends his divinity over the empire...good or evil." The man trailed off, stopping himself. "I'm sorry for rambling. Anyway, I do not intend to stay for long, and I am to get going now. Have a great day...both of you." A hesitation was in the young man's voice. Pray to the Lord that I have not terribly sinned.
_
The boy was still shaken by the last bit of the recollection, his friend as well. I hope the plague does not spread here. Falling into bed, this night seemed to pass slower than the others.
With his clothes adjusted and his sandals below his feet, the boy set out for school. "Be careful along the way!" His mother bid him farewell, and he returned with his own. As he walked down the town square, the boy saw a crowd in front of him a couple of people away. "What is happening? Excuse me, do you see anything ahead?" He asked a man taller than him. "No, not at all. The crowd is thick." The boy's curiosity grew, as he wanted to see what all of this commotion was for. Sliding past many people, the boy reached the front of the gathering. He wished he didn't. In front of him, a man, a gravedigger, madly rocked on the ground, his hand clutching his side, and with a pile of vomit at his face. In the opposite end of the crowd, was the man, also observing. As always he was cloaked, top...to bottom. But behind the dirty robes, the boy saw the man. He was cloaked, top...to bottom...in a pang of guilt more despairing than Cain himself.