"Lord Albion must be setting up some kind of zoo at his estate, eh?"
"First the rats, then all of these animals? It must be costing him a fortune."
"Half of those animals aren't even edible… what's the point of keeping animals around if you aren't gonna eat them?"
This was the first time I had heard anything even slightly negative about August in town. These men were talking in shaky voices in a familiar alleyway, as if they had never said anything bad about someone in their entire lives. Rumors were indeed starting to spread about the strange menagerie of animals that were being delivered to August's estate. First it started with rats, then it was sheep, horses, cows, and many other animals. Suspicion of August was growing. He still came into town every once in awhile, and I was still making sure to keep my eyes on him. After all, something in his eyes was starting to change. He looked tired, and yet at the same time, he seemed more alive.
"My Lord, it's good to see you-"
"Oh! Oh… hello there, young Sidney," he started.
"Apologies, Lord. I didn't mean to surprise you."
"No, think nothing of it."
He spoke in a strange cadence. If you listened closely, you could tell he was speaking two words at a time.
"Pardon me asking, Lord, but what are you here for in town this time?"
"Simply, personal errands."
He began to walk away. I kept up.
"What kind of personal errands?"
"Matters of my estate. I hope you understand that I cannot disclose everything to you, Sidney."
"I'm sorry to intrude."
He suddenly stepped close to me and clasped my hands. His voice dropped.
"Do not worry. I know all too well of human curiosity. It is a quality that makes or breaks men, depending on their tenacity." Now that I was up close with him, I could tell that he wasn't tired at all.
"My, Sidney, your skin is so supple."
"Well, I don't quite know what to say to that, Lord. Thank you…?" My cheeks were turning red.
"That is what separates us humans from most animals, is it not? Smooth skin. Most of the creatures you see are covered in scales, in fur, or in feathers. And yet, their entrails serve similar purposes as ours. They respire with lungs, they pump blood with hearts, and they digest with stomachs. Rats are excellent models for dissection. As well as for other things…"
"Yes, if you say so, Lord..."
He took a step back and put a hand on his chin.
"I must be mentally repulsing you with this loathsome talk of innards. Shall we discuss more comfortable matters?"
"I think I would like that, Lord."
"Fair enough. Not much time remains for me here, so I will have you endure one brief inquiry before I leave you: do you believe in spirits?"
"You mean like spirits of the dead? Yes, I believe that they watch over us from heaven, the great afterlife."
"That is a popular belief. But no, my little waif. What I meant was those from beyond."
"I'm not sure what you mean, Lord."
"Spirits that are not strictly human."
"Oh, so you mean something like angels or demons?"
His eyes narrowed. "I suppose so, if those concepts help you discern my meaning. Except these spirits I am discussing are a third party, more powerful and more mysterious than those two groups you specified. We know that angels are good and demons are evil. Who does not? But what if, and I truly mean what if, there were other spirits that existed with a more ambiguous role in the universe than what we have assigned the angels and demons? Surely, not everything in the cosmos is within the realm of human apprehension."
"There isn't any proof that such spirits exist, Lord."
"And what if there was, Sidney? What if we could bring them over?"
"Then I would keep my mouth shut about them or the monks wouldn't allow me dinner that night!"
A small smile formed on his face.
"Well, if that ever happens, I'd be more than pleased to invite you to my manor for dinner."
"Oh, really? That would be such an honor, Lord!"
"Ah," he said, looking up. "We can deliberate on this another time, I must be off now. Farewell, Sidney."
"Alright, then…. goodbye, my lord."
He walked towards his home path, where a stagecoach awaited him.
"Lord! Not every animal has fur, feathers, or scales! You couldn't imagine how soft the skin of a newborn piglet is!" I shouted as he got into the stagecoach.
He looked at me, paused for a moment, and closed the door. His usual stage driver, wearing his thick glasses and frowning as always, excited the horses to a gallop and the stagecoach rolled off through the trees. I considered the idea of one day following him to his manor. I thought about borrowing a horse or maybe secretly clinging onto the bottom of his stagecoach. Simply walking there would take two hours, so I would have to leave early in the morning to get back to town before nightfall. Would he welcome me if I showed up without notice? Probably not. I wasn't some kind of royalty that he would entertain. I was just an orphan from nothing. However, he was one of few people he talked to. I wondered what what my redeeming quality was.
Horrible squeals reverberated from the covered wagon on the path to Lord Albion's estate. Each bump on the road triggered more screaming from the pigs. While the wagon was being loaded by the workmen, I had managed to scramble under it with some rope. I tied myself securely to the bottom of the wagon so I wouldn't have to waste my strength clinging to it. The road was awfully close to my face as I watched it whoosh by.
I had been working on this plan for a couple of weeks. Over those weeks, I had observed that more and more pigs were being delivered to August's estate. No longer were other animals being sent there. The shipment schedule was predictable, allowing me to execute my plan without a hitch. I wanted to know what August could possibly be doing with all of this swine. It could be that he was preparing for a feast of epic proportions. Perhaps he was starting his own pig farm. The pigs wouldn't stand for reason though. They shrieked as if they were going to a fate worse than death. But they were just livestock… just flesh, right?