The magical journey of a countryside boy

As William enters the main room again, he sees John walking down the stairs, carrying two large burlap sacks. Noticing William, John pauses and asks, “So, what are you doing here, kid?”

​“I came to see you and ask if you bought the house,” William replies.

​“Yeah, everything was finalized yesterday,” John says, a look of lingering surprise crossing his face. “But it turned out to be more expensive than I planned.”

​William raises an eyebrow. “Is that why Mark is gloating, and why you agreed to turn the stables into a forge?”

​John nods, grumbling something under his breath.

​“Well, where is the house you bought?” William asks.

​“It’s the third house to the right on the opposite street,” John says. “I don’t want to spend too much time commuting between the house and the forge. That’s why I bought it, even though it was a little pricey.”

​“Do you need help carrying your stuff to the new house?” William asks.

​“Not really. I’m leaving my tools and work clothes here so I don’t have to carry them back and forth all the time,” John replies. “But you can come with me to see the house.”

​William nods his head in excitement, and the two of them leave the shop together.

​After crossing the street, they look for the third building down. William stops in his tracks as he finds a massive, two-story house. “You bought this?! No wonder it was pricey!” William stares at John as if the man had just bought ten hammers when he only needed one.

​“No,” John clarifies quickly. “I didn’t buy this house—I mean, not completely.”

​William blinks, confused. “What does that mean?”

​“I only bought the upper floor of this house,” John explains. “I actually got it a little cheaper than it’s worth because not many people want to buy half a house.”

​“But why would someone sell half a house?” William asks, looking thoroughly confused.

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​“Apparently, the previous owner’s son wanted to start a new business, so he sold his share of the property and moved away,” John replies as he steps up to the entrance and knocks on the door.

​A few seconds later, a soft, young voice calls out from behind the door, “Coming!”

​The door swings open to reveal a young woman with a gentle expression. She greets them with a warm smile. “Hello, John! So, you brought your stuff with you. And... well, you never told me you had a child.”

​William shakes his head hurriedly, his pride slightly stung. “I am not a child. I am going to be ten next month.”

​The young woman chuckles softly. “Still a child.”

​William glares playfully at her and counters, “I am not his child... at least.” He turns to look at John, who is watching the exchange with an amused grin.

​John steps forward to break the ice. “William, this is Cecily, the daughter of the owner. And Cecily, this is William, a kid from the same village as me.”

​Cecily bends down to look William in the eye, offering a warm smile. “Nice to meet you, William.”

​“Nice to meet you too,” William replies, his voice still a bit prickly from her previous remarks.

​She chuckles at William’s defensive reaction before stepping away from the door to allow both of them inside. John doesn’t waste any time. Without stopping, he immediately starts climbing the stairs to his new floor, and William hurries right behind him.

​John pushes open the door at the top of the stairs and steps inside, with William right behind him. The upper floor turns out to be much simpler than William imagined. It is built entirely of gray stone, feeling a bit cold and dusty. A couple of small windows are cut deep into the thick walls, letting in just enough light to see by, and heavy wooden beams run across the ceiling. Right now, the place is mostly empty, holding only a small stone fireplace in the corner, a large straw bed for John, and John’s old trunk sitting near the wall.

​John drops the two heavy burlap sacks onto the floor with a loud thud. He looks around the empty room and wipes his hands on his trousers.

​“So, do you like it?” John asks.

​“Well, it’s a bit smaller than I imagined,” William replies. As he speaks, he notices a door on the right wall. “What’s that for?”

​“That’s another room,” John replies, leaning down to open his burlap sack. “Apparently for future use, since I don’t have anything to put in it right now.”

​William runs over and opens the door to take a look inside. He finds a narrow hallway with two more doors—one leading into a small room, and the other leading into what looks like a storage space. Upon opening them, a wave of dust immediately breaks out. He slaps a hand over his mouth, coughing violently as his eyes water.

​He turns back to the main room to find John still unpacking.

​“Let me help you with that,” William says.

​“I will deal with it later,” John replies, looking up at him. “Besides, don’t you have a job now?”

​’Damn, I didn’t think it would take this long.’ William’s eyes widen as he remembers the sun’s position. ‘I hope Betty isn’t too angry.’

​William quickly thanks John, turns on his heel, and runs out the door, racing back toward the shop.