Mr. Chubs had decided to give his personality an overhaul when he moved on from the Tully debacle. Whatever Tully had said, instead of pushing him into the bowels of despair, had lifted him out of the rut he had made for himself. And once his self-respect had risen, he hadn’t been able to squash it. Albeit, he hadn’t tried all that hard.
He also realized that the continuous usage of Mr. Chubs was now anathema. So he made a compromise and went as Arthur Chubs instead. There were enough Arthurs in the empire for it to remain a harmless name. He needed a new backstory and unlike how carelessly he had created the persona of Mr. Chubs, he spent some time coming up with a profession for Arthur Chubs. He no longer wanted to be a pitiable character, someone who had left his usefulness far behind.
He knew his pride may well be his downfall but he also realized he didn’t care. He had become a travelling librarian in an ill-conceived bid to right a wrong that couldn’t be righted, no matter how hard he tried. So all that was left to him now was his pride, and the rest of his life.
He had enjoyed being master to Tully so he decided Arthur would be a teacher. But he also knew he needed to leave Mr. Chubs far behind. So he travelled via horse, then a ship and stopped at a bustling town at the outskirts of the empire. It was called Lovinale. It had two schools but neither required a teacher, especially one who was clearly an outsider.
Arthur shrugged it off. He focussed instead on establishing himself as an upstanding citizen of Lovinale. He took up a house not far from the school. He spent some time turning it into an inviting home. He worked part-time in the town library for coin. He tried to resist but found that though he had given up on books, they hadn’t given up on him. The only thing he had carried from his wagon had been the harmonica, which was now concealed in a special pocket inside his shirt.
It was a peaceable existence. Yes, it wasn’t as grand as court life, but at least it was a far cry from his nomadic wanderings.
Two months, two rescues and three pencils later, Arthur had firmly established himself as a trustworthy fellow. Another month later, he was invited to the school and given a position as an apprentice. He snorted at the offer but instead of saying no, accepted it almost as soon as it was offered. His first day, he told his students a story.
*
There was a boy and a girl who decided to run away from their houses because they were angry with their parents. They never let them go on any adventures and every time they stepped out of line, they were given three lashes each. The parents insisted that it was a simple case of discipline and that they had their best interests at heart.
But Tiny and Tina couldn’t abide by the rules and they simply had to find out what was beyond the compound of their homes.
They were young but they were not foolish. Since Tiny’s mother was less prone to check his belongings, they took his bag. Tina’s father ran a grain shop so it was her job to acquire food. Duties thus divided, Tiny and Tina hoped to avoid suspicion for as long as they could.
When the weather turned sour two days away from their date of departure, they realized how wholly unprepared they were for all the challenges that were to come.
“Do you think mum and da are right? Are we safer here than out there?” asked Tiny in a tiny voice. They were under a tree just inside the boundary wall of their houses. It had only just stopped raining but the leaves were still dripping from their burdens.
Tina put her hand on her chin, like she had seen her mother do countless times when she was deep in thought. “I know it seems scary but…I want to know what is out there. Your da and my da go out don’t they. Why can’t we?”
Tiny mirrored her posture but added a bit of a chin rub as he had seen his father do when he had to decide between two impossible scenarios. “I think…” he looked here, there, quite pointlessly because there was no one around. But he lowered his voice nonetheless. “When our das go out, I sometimes follow them, hiding behind the bushes of course. Just before the gate shuts, I catch a glimpse of what is out there…you know?”
There was a sharp intake of breath and there was fear and awe in Tina’s eyes. “What do you see?”
“Colours Tina…so many colours. I don’t even have words for all that I see.”
The awe won and the fear became a tiny pinprick. “If we do this together,” she said holding out her hand which he promptly engulfed with his own, “we can face anything.”
Tiny squeezed her hand and nodded. They could do this. “Together,” he said. With Tina, he knew he could face anything, even the colours and everything he saw but had no name for.
*
When Arthur stopped, the students groaned, making him chuckle. He had to admit, he was rather enjoying himself.
“But what happens next!”
“That can’t be the end of the story.”
“Tell us more, come on Mr. Arthur, you have to finish the story.”
He smiled, shivering at how the boy addressed him. He could get used to this. “The end is up to you. I want to see your penmanship and this is a test of your imagination. So you tell me how it ends. Make it happy or sad or angry or horrible – it is up to you. I have given it to you, now it’s in your hands. Make it count.” His students grumbled but he could see them already discussing it, deciding which was the “right” version. He breathed a happy sigh. Lovinale was going to be a joy, he just knew it.
This is Chapter 10 of 26 of The Travelling Librarian series. Written as part of #BlogchatterA2Z.
Psst: I also have 2 ebooks on Kindle – and if you’re on Kindle Unlimited, they’re free!
- Read The Gunslinger here.
- Read 23 Letters of Love here.
tales of Suchita 
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