literature

Tall Tales: Purpose

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Before the door was bolted, the village folk could be seen stretching their necks, trying to catch a good glimpse of the stranger.
"Where is your instrument?" the stranger inquired.
The bard threw his head over the side of the chair and started to throw up.
The stranger looked patiently at the bard, only asking "Well?" when the bard had finished and once again had his attention focused on him.
The bard looked at the stranger as if he were seeing him for the very first time. "I sold it." He finally said; the bard's simplicity and honesty surprised at the stranger, who was ready to hear any wild story. The bard was beginning to slowly sober up.
"Disgraceful. You were once one of the most-travelled bards of the known worlds. What happened to you?"
"Writing was invented, we became obsolete."
The stranger strode to the bard and slapped him. "You gave up." The stranger slapped him again.
"I gave everything up, in order to become a bard." The bard replied to the accusation. "There was nothing else left that I could give up."
"And yet, despite the high price, you still gave up on being a bard." The stranger replied.
The bard shrugged. "What is it to you?"
The stranger was taken aback by this question.
"I see, you offer no satisfactory reply. Perhaps you can tell me who you are?"
"Why don't you tell me who you are?"
The bard laughed with the reply "I cannot tell you that, my identity was one of the things that I have given up in order to become a bard."
"Ah, but you have given up on being a bard as well. So where does that leave you?"
"I'm a nobody," the bard said, "just this village's fool."
"You are only a village jester because you allow yourself to be." The stranger said gently.
"That's some great advice there." The bard said sarcastically. "Once you're down, you can't get up."
"The question is: do you want to get up?"
"Do I?" the bard asked, "Of course I do, anyone would want to."
"Good, that is the first step."
"Will they let me though?" the bard asked as he indicated the common area.
"If you let your life be dictated by others," the stranger said, "you will not be able to live."
"Is the life of a bard, in fact, a life?" the bard wondered aloud.
"Debatable, but you'll be living more by your terms than by the terms of others."
"But what about the bard's dogmas?" the bard asked.
The bard sensed the stranger smiling, even though he could not see him smile. "The bard dogmas became a part of you when you became a bard." The stranger offered.
"What if I stop being a bard? What happens then?"
"You have already stopped being a bard, and look where you are now." The stranger replied. Then, as if his point was not clear enough, he offered a more concise explanation: "The lowest of the low."
"So, what do I do? I have no instrument." the bard asked.
The stranger looked at him, as if feeling pity for him, then he put his hand inside his cloak and pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment. He then set the parchment on the small table and proceeded to unroll it.
"A map?" the bard asked. "What good would that do to me?"
"You, my friend, are going on a journey." The stranger said to him.
The bard laughed out loud, a genuine laugh that betrayed his heritage a bit. "I like your sense of humour."
The stranger ignored his jest, and proceeded to point at several points on the map.
"You will travel to six places," the stranger said, "either alone or in the company of others. By the end of the journey you would have hopefully regained some of your former self."
I was feeling lazy, but I decided to post this anyway. It's my attempt at a continuation of the Bard's story
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Salute to The Bard fans that have made themselves known; namely chirpilittle, TwistedHarbinger, OrangeMonkey42. You three are the reason why I have posted this now :)
© 2010 - 2024 4th-guy
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TwistedHarbinger's avatar
Sweet! The only thing is the format. I love this so far! Don't push yourself- but thanks for writing more!!

:iconsobeautifulplz: