placid, small and stupid. He took it outside, holding it gingerly, and let it go.
One of the miners found it. David heard a cry of "Look here!" as they began to trickle in, returning home. "Found myself a chicken just wandering around out in the street. Luck is shining on me today!"
"Wandering around in the street?" Alec's voice.
"I swear by all the saints. Must have gotten away from a nodding housegirl, eh?"
Alec laughed. He was still laughing when he came in.
"So I guess we'll be going out to dinner," he said.
"I didn't know I'd have to kill it," David said. "I can't--I don't want to do that."
Alec started to say something, the smile still on his face, but as he looked at David his smile faded. "You can get fish tomorrow," he said quietly. "Already cleaned and ready to cook. I'll show you where after we eat."
David nodded. "Thank you," he said softly.
"Sure," Alec said. "So where's the gingerbread?"
***
David tried to do laundry a few days later. He was able to handle the washing part well enough--
he purchased soap at the square, a creamy white bar that smelled nice and lathered up thick suds when he rubbed it over Alec's clothes -- and rinsing them was easy. But he wasn't sure about drying them and after an hour draped over a chair they were still dripping on the floor. David pulled the chair a little closer to the fire and then a little closer still. And then Gladys came and knocked on the door and had biscuits shaped like stars and by the time David got back it was dark and Alec's clothes were decidedly dry, his pants speckled with tiny holes, round blistered burns.
"Oh no," he said, staring miserably at them, thinking of how few things Alec owned and how he'd ruined one of them, and the fire sputtered and hissed and then froze over, shattering on the floor. Out in the hall he could hear the returning miners muttering about how it had suddenly gotten cold, like it might snow. Alec came in and looked at the shattered pieces of the fire on the floor, at the pile of his clothes next to it, and then at him.
"Hey," he said softly. "What happened?"
David handed him his pants.
Alec looked at them for a moment. When he looked back up at David the gentle expression on his face made David's heart skip a beat.
"You know what?" he said. "I never liked these pants anyway." He climbed up into the loft, opened the window and tossed the pants out. He turned back and the smile on his face made David laugh delightedly. Alec's grin grew wider and he said, "Let's go out. I'll buy you an ale and dinner."
"Really?"
"Sure," Alec said. "All you have to do is promise you won't ever do my laundry again."
David laughed again and the ice on the floor began to melt.
Alec disappeared when they were at the tavern. One moment he was sitting across from him, laughing as David told him why he'd forgotten to check on the clothes, shaking his head and saying, "Biscuits shaped like stars?" and the next he'd pushed away from the table, a stricken and almost panicked looked on his face, and said, "I'll pay the bill. You go on back," before he disappeared into the crowd.
David didn't leave. He saw Alec talking to a fat man wrapped in a heavy cloak in the corner, watched as the man rose and pushed his way to the door, Alec following close behind. He took a deep breath and followed.
Outside Alec was standing in the alley, the fat man next to him.
"This? Won't buy but two lungfuls. You'll be back here before you know it," the fat man said. "It really all you got?"
"No, I have six invisible bits here too. What do you think?"
"I think," the fat man said slowly, pausing to spit on the ground, "that instead of two lungfuls, you just talked yourself into one."
"Fine," Alec said sharply. "Just give over already. All it has to do is last long enough for me to go back in and drink enough to forget about going home."
"Grief waiting there?" the fat man said.
"Something like that," Alec muttered, mouth set into a thin
One of the miners found it. David heard a cry of "Look here!" as they began to trickle in, returning home. "Found myself a chicken just wandering around out in the street. Luck is shining on me today!"
"Wandering around in the street?" Alec's voice.
"I swear by all the saints. Must have gotten away from a nodding housegirl, eh?"
Alec laughed. He was still laughing when he came in.
"So I guess we'll be going out to dinner," he said.
"I didn't know I'd have to kill it," David said. "I can't--I don't want to do that."
Alec started to say something, the smile still on his face, but as he looked at David his smile faded. "You can get fish tomorrow," he said quietly. "Already cleaned and ready to cook. I'll show you where after we eat."
David nodded. "Thank you," he said softly.
"Sure," Alec said. "So where's the gingerbread?"
***
David tried to do laundry a few days later. He was able to handle the washing part well enough--
he purchased soap at the square, a creamy white bar that smelled nice and lathered up thick suds when he rubbed it over Alec's clothes -- and rinsing them was easy. But he wasn't sure about drying them and after an hour draped over a chair they were still dripping on the floor. David pulled the chair a little closer to the fire and then a little closer still. And then Gladys came and knocked on the door and had biscuits shaped like stars and by the time David got back it was dark and Alec's clothes were decidedly dry, his pants speckled with tiny holes, round blistered burns.
"Oh no," he said, staring miserably at them, thinking of how few things Alec owned and how he'd ruined one of them, and the fire sputtered and hissed and then froze over, shattering on the floor. Out in the hall he could hear the returning miners muttering about how it had suddenly gotten cold, like it might snow. Alec came in and looked at the shattered pieces of the fire on the floor, at the pile of his clothes next to it, and then at him.
"Hey," he said softly. "What happened?"
David handed him his pants.
Alec looked at them for a moment. When he looked back up at David the gentle expression on his face made David's heart skip a beat.
"You know what?" he said. "I never liked these pants anyway." He climbed up into the loft, opened the window and tossed the pants out. He turned back and the smile on his face made David laugh delightedly. Alec's grin grew wider and he said, "Let's go out. I'll buy you an ale and dinner."
"Really?"
"Sure," Alec said. "All you have to do is promise you won't ever do my laundry again."
David laughed again and the ice on the floor began to melt.
Alec disappeared when they were at the tavern. One moment he was sitting across from him, laughing as David told him why he'd forgotten to check on the clothes, shaking his head and saying, "Biscuits shaped like stars?" and the next he'd pushed away from the table, a stricken and almost panicked looked on his face, and said, "I'll pay the bill. You go on back," before he disappeared into the crowd.
David didn't leave. He saw Alec talking to a fat man wrapped in a heavy cloak in the corner, watched as the man rose and pushed his way to the door, Alec following close behind. He took a deep breath and followed.
Outside Alec was standing in the alley, the fat man next to him.
"This? Won't buy but two lungfuls. You'll be back here before you know it," the fat man said. "It really all you got?"
"No, I have six invisible bits here too. What do you think?"
"I think," the fat man said slowly, pausing to spit on the ground, "that instead of two lungfuls, you just talked yourself into one."
"Fine," Alec said sharply. "Just give over already. All it has to do is last long enough for me to go back in and drink enough to forget about going home."
"Grief waiting there?" the fat man said.
"Something like that," Alec muttered, mouth set into a thin
Similar Books
