As I made my way with Myra to meet the other kids, I noticed she was a very curious and energetic girl. When we arrived at our usual meeting spot under the big tree, I noticed that there was an air of awkwardness around us.

Myra had always been sitting alone before I met her, but now I could see why. The other kids seemed to be afraid of her, probably because of her father's reputation in the village.

As they politely greeted her and kept their distance, I was the only one left to talk to her. They clearly didn't want to offend the Vogt by being too friendly with his daughter.

I could see the sadness in Myra's eyes as she lowered them to the ground, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she felt the weight of the rejection from the other kids.

I knew that I had to do something to cheer her up. So, I started telling her about my trip to the city and all the amazing things that I saw there.

As I spoke, I could see her eyes starting to brighten up and a smile slowly spreading across her face.

We spent the day exploring the village, running through fields, and playing games. When the sun started to lower itself to the horizon, I knew that it was time to escort her back home. I said my goodbyes and headed back to my own home.

As I fell asleep, I couldn't help but smile as I reflected on the day's events, satisfied that everything had gone well. Myra was a kind girl, and I knew that if I could befriend her, I might have a chance to learn how to read and write.

I then spent the rest of the summer playing with her in the village. She seemed happy that someone was with her.

One day, as we walked through the fields, Myra and I talked about our dreams and aspirations. She was full of enthusiasm, and I found myself getting caught up in her excitement.

"I want to explore every piece of this land," she said with a grin. "I want to see everything there is to see and eat everything delicious!"

I chuckled. "That's quite a lofty goal."

"I know," she replied, "but my father said that when I'm older, he will send me to the city to train to be a proper lady, but I don't wanna! "I'd rather stay here with you!"

I hesitated, unsure if I should share my secret with her. But something about the way she looked at me with genuine curiosity and interest made me feel like I could trust her.

"Well, I don't want to stay in this village forever; I want to learn more about the world and explore it," I admitted.

"Really? But what about your parents? "Will they let you go?"

"Well, they let my brother Konrad go to the city for his apprenticeship, so I'm sure I can convince them somehow."

I decided that this was my best opportunity to ask her about the reason I approached her in the first place.

"So I was thinking, I'd like to learn how to read and write; would you teach me?"

Myra was surprised by my request. "What do you need that for? You won't need it in any job your parents choose for you."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I think it might come in handy; have you heard of a blacksmith's son who can read?"

"No?" She said with a perplexed face.

"Precisely, that means I will have an advantage," I said smugly.

She looked at me strangely and said, "You're weird; nobody thinks like that around here."

I couldn't deny it, but that didn't bother me. "Yeah, I got that a lot," I admitted. "So, will you teach me?"

She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. "I suppose I can," she said. "I'm not that good at it myself, but my father hired a tutor from the city to teach me."

Great! Now, the biggest hurdle that kept me from pursuing magic will be gone. As the sun began to set, we started to make our way back to Myra's home. Along the way, we talked about everything we had seen and done that day.

"I had so much fun today," Myra said as we reached her doorstep. "Me too," I replied with a grin. "We should do this again soon." She nodded, "Definitely."

In the following days, Myra showed me her tablets where she practiced her letters, and for the first time, I got a glimpse at our local language.

To my relief, it was quite a phonetic language, which meant that if I could remember all the sounds of the letters, then both reading and writing would be quite easy.

As we sat together, working on our letters, the other children would often throw us weird looks, but I didn't pay them any attention. I was grateful for this opportunity, and I wasn't going to let anyone else hold me back.

Days passed, and my friendship with Myra deepened. We spent our mornings learning together and our afternoons playing in the fields and exploring the village. Myra had an unquenchable thirst for adventure, and I didn't mind joining her.

Summer was slowly coming to an end, and I had finally memorized all the letters. But knowing the letters were useless unless I had something to read, so when Myra mentioned one day that her father had a book in his office, I perked up.

She had never been allowed to enter the room, but sometimes, she could catch a glimpse through the open door. "I definitely saw a book there!"

"Really? I wonder if we could somehow read it."

"I know! We could sneak in when he is away and have a look."

I couldn't believe what Myra was suggesting. Sneaking into her father's office to look at his book? It was reckless, dangerous, and downright stupid.

But I couldn't resist the temptation of this mysterious book, not just because it is the first book in this world that I know of, but what if there is something about magic in there?

I quickly agreed, and then we waited in front of her house until we saw her father going out into the village.

We snuck into the house. The house was dark and quiet, but I could hear faint footsteps upstairs.

We froze, afraid that we would get caught, but the footsteps grew fainter and eventually faded away.

We moved silently through the hallways. Myra led me to her father's office.

When we reached the door, Myra hesitated. "What if we get caught?" she whispered.

"We won't," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

I pushed open the door, and we crept inside. The small room was dark and musty and filled with shelves of wooden tablets.

In the corner were a big chest and a table under the window, on which lay our prize, an old, leather-bound tome. I could barely contain my excitement as I opened it.

[Agriculture is the foundation of our society. Our crops are not just a source of food but also a source of power. We sow our fields with seeds that have been blessed by the gods and tend to them with diligence and care.]

[Agriculture is not merely a means of survival but a sacred duty, a bond between mortals and the forces of nature. For without the bounty of the earth, our kingdoms would surely fall.]

'It's a book on agriculture?' I thought with frustration

What a bummer, but what was I actually expecting to find here? Of course, a Voght in a farming village would have something like this!

I released a deep sigh, closed the book, and carefully returned it to its place. Myra, who was looking over my shoulder, seemed to have quickly lost her interest, too.

As we were about to leave, we heard footsteps outside the door. My heart raced as I looked for a place to hide.

We snuck behind the chest and held our breaths. But the footsteps eventually faded away; it was only a servant going about his business.

We quietly snuck out of the room and ran out of the house to the garden, where we laughed that we managed to pull it off.

Days turned into weeks, and before I knew it, the harvest season was upon us once again. The fields were ripe with crops, and the villagers were busy preparing for the harvest feast. And my second trip to the city was approaching.