Norbert once more returned to consciousness, the sounds of crying echoing from outside. Once more, Norbert looked around, eyes resting on a woman sitting on the chair; his clothes once were on knitting something and singing a tune he did not recognise.

Slowly sitting up once more, a drummer in his head banging against his skull Norbert looked up at the woman, painting a smile on his face and waving to her, “Hello, thanks for helping me.”

The woman’s head jerked up, looking surprised as she exited the room. Coming back a moment later, she returned with a wooden bowl with steam dancing around the top of the liquid.

Coming down in front of him, the woman held the spoon up, filled with the thick soup and touched it against Norbert’s lips. Blowing a bit to cool it down, Norbert opened his mouth, leaning forward and swallowing the liquid. The taste of chicken soup filled his mouth, remembering the times he was in the same position with a fever as a child, his mum spooning the liquid in and making sure he would eat every last drop.

A tear trickled down his face, a smile breaking it, for Norbert would be able to see her again.

RMMMBLE

A wave of hunger consumed him, the taste of food kicking his stomach back into overdrive. Not remembering the last time he had a decent meal, Norbert slowly reached out again for the soup, not wanting to be embarrassed and fed anymore. Gesturing with a give me motion, Norbert reached out for the soup, looking up at the woman. A stern look was received back; Norbert looked pleadingly back, but the woman did not budge an inch. Giving up, Norbert leaned back, a smile forming on the woman’s mouth as she began to feed him.

Warmth consumed his body, starting from his stomach and going to the tips of his toes, radiating out in bursts. Content, Norbert lay down in the bed once more, sleep consuming him, eyes fluttering. Norbert looked out across the room, the woman smiling once more and exiting; with the soft close of the door, Norbert drifted off to sleep.

***

Norbert woke up again, feeling the rumbling in his stomach; looking around, he was once more in an empty room. Looking outside, the shadows lengthened, supposing Norbert had slept through the day.

Slowly feeling around, the last of his aches had gone. Flexing his right hand, Norbert was surprised to find it was moveable after the abuse he had put it through. Clenching his fist nearly all the way, Norbert sat up, not feeling any dizziness or new residents banging on his skull. He carefully moved each leg out of bed, the cold biting into him as he left the warmness and comfort.

Slowly standing, Norbert felt his feet on the smooth wooden floorboards, a lighter wood, but not knowing the exact type. Norbert continued, gliding his feet across the smoothness; looking around, Norbert found his clothes once more, sitting neatly on the chair. Carefully he took his clothes off and changed over, feeling good once more being back in his proper clothes.

Feeling in the pockets, he ensured the coin and the emblem with the stone were still there. Feeling around, Norbert took out the coin to exit the window and slip into the night or great the people of this house, hearing them talk outside the door. About to flip it, Norbert chided himself; what would his mother say if she found out about his current behaviours, she would be appalled.

He exited the room. Norbert stood at the doorway. Inside was the woman, the little boy and a man, eating the same soup he had with them at the dinner table in the middle of the room. The man looked and indicated the new arrival, the spoons slowly stopping their magical dance as all eyes turned to Norbert. Norbert looked around at the eyes staring back at him. Norbert went and did a slow bow in thanks, not wanting to burden this family any longer. Looking at the wooden floor, only a separate room there. The room not looking that of a town hall, of a prosperous family able to flaunt their wealth. Coming back up, painting a smile on his face, his lips reaching under his eyes, knowing he could not tell them with words the thanks he wanted to give them.

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With that, he started to leave the house, heading for the door.

A sound escaped out of the rest of the room; not looking back, Norbert placed his hand around the doorknob and opened it onto the cool air, watching the sun set in the distance.

Slowly stepping out, Norbert looked to the porch outside, and there, sitting on the rail, was Obsius.

Reaching down, Norbert pattered the bird, cooing and telling him of the journey, sitting down on the porch, legs dangling off the side and looking at the place he was at.

Houses, all of wooden construction, dotted the hills, following a meandering path next to the river. Looking up the river, Norbert spotted a waterfall spewing water from above.

Squinting in the half-light, Norbert could see the tops of the trees; with a shudder, he realised what he was looking at, the massive trees that were once up there, surrounding his field of view.

Eyes travelling back down to the ground, the waterfall came off a plateau, holding the entire forest above. All around, a natural divide, the forest was cut off. The creator comes in and raises it with his fist. As far as the eye could see, the plateau could be seen, only the waterfall on the side breaking it up.

Eyes wandering back down to the village, Norbert looked to the fields on the side, packed with vegetables and saw the occasional animal grouped up.

Everything looked familiar and yet different; seeing the sun slowly set, the town once more awoken with lights.

All along the streets, lamps turned on one by one. Norbert saw them light up, creating a sparkling look in the atmosphere. Looking around, Norbert was happy that such a place could exist so close to the forest of trees.

Slowly the door behind him creaked open; turning around, Norbert was looking at the little boy, black hair tussled with eyes red. He opened it before, dropping a package off before scurrying back inside, the voices within slowly getting quieter as the door closed.

Moving towards the door, Norbert looked at the package, unwrapping it. The wrapping, Norbert realised, was a wolf’s pelt, the same stone grey as the last he had seen the wolf. Opening it further, he saw bundles of meat and a couple of bronze coins. Wrapping it back up, Norbert went around the town, seeing the little shrubs, the voices escaping from windows, mostly laughs and a few cries, feet on the dirt road, slowly cacking up dust going towards the denser part of the town.

As Norbert walked the houses slowly turning from one story to two, signs appeared hanging at the front of doors. Looking around for something that could be an inn, or a pub, hoping to find a stein with liquid on one of them, but sadly for Norbert, he did not.

Looking back in the town centre was a stone frame leading to nowhere. Resting on the smooth stone, Norbert placed the meat next to him, wrapping himself in his cloak and the wolf pelt, depositing the bronze coins in his pocket with the other coin. Norbert went to sleep, Obsius looking out over him from on top of the portal.

***

Norbert woke up surrounded by voices. Getting up and picking up his things Norbert looked around, people going to and fro from one place to the next. Animals pulling carriages and birds flying around the town were now alive. Looking behind him, Norbert saw the sun well and truly in the sky; looking back at the town, Norbert looked for the next place he could find. Somewhere to sell the meat he has. Walking down the stores with the items on the outside, Norbert passed many until he found what he was looking for, the smell of meat permeating the building and people exiting with small bags wrapped up.

Upon entering, Norbert could smell the meat, all hanging up, full racks of animals in the process or already butchered, sitting in neat little piles.

Walking up to the only other person in the room, his knife rising and falling, the sound of bones breaking and meat sliding, placing the knife down, and wiping his hands on his apron at the front, Norbert unable to recognise the original colour. The butcher talked to Norbert, who said sell in return and pointed to the meat on the pile to the coins he put next to it.

A perplexed look overcame the butcher, trying to figure out what it could be. Pointing towards the meat and himself, then towards the coins and Norbert, after adding dozens more to the pile. Norbert looked up and nodded.

With understanding, the butcher took the items away and began wrapping them up, adding them to a pile of meat around the shop.

Bending over, Norbert picked up the coins and counted them; now having forty-five little bronze coins, he placed them in his pocket, now bulging.

Once more, outside the store, Obsius came and landed on his shoulder; looking back at the little bird, Norbert whispered to himself, “I hope that I didn’t just get ripped off on that deal.”

The bird looked down at him from his shoulder, looking like he was a fool.

“Oh well then, guess I’m just doing some community service then”.

And with that, the pair left the shop, looking at what to do for the rest of the day and earning more coins if needed.