Before it had gotten too dark I had managed to learn the words for eye, nose, lips, teeth, tongue, ear, face, arm, leg, foot, toe, finger, ground, wood and stone. These 15 words plus water, hair and thank you are what make up the basis of my vocabulary for… whatever it’s called here. Still have to figure out a way to ask Elde that question but I’m sure I’ll get there.

When we had woken up the next morning it was early enough for a trip to the river. So, after I reassured Elde that I’d be back soon enough, I quickly headed off to the river for a quick dip and a good chug of water before I filled up the waterskin and made my way back to the shelter. Once there, I managed to work out the words for Sun, cloud and dirt before I had to go off to work.

18 words now. Slow and steady.

During the day, between making my appeals, I would repeat the words I knew making sure that I memorised them by heart so that I wouldn’t forget them and also so I became familiar with the way to say them. It might have actually thrown off some of business, me, looking like a madman repeating water, hair, thank you, eye, nose, lips, teeth, tongue, ear, face, arm, leg, foot, toe, finger, ground, wood, stone, Sun, cloud and dirt over and over all day. Luckily enough, I still managed to make enough coins to get enough food for Elde and I to last another day before I made my way back to the shelter.

When I got back, Elde was still in the same spot I left him so I gave him his food while I took a drink from the waterskin before we got down to business.

Before that though, I helped Elde stand up to see how ready he was to start making his way back to the docks and get back to his begging again. He wasn’t too bad. He could manage to make it a few steps on his crutch and single foot without falling over, but he was much too slow. Not to mention that, by the end of it, he started getting tired and I had to practically carry him back to his spot in front of the shelter.

I don't know how long it’s going to take but it's safe to say that with the speed that he’s recovering at, including the subpar nutrition he’s receiving, it might take a few weeks at the least until he’s developed enough of his own strength.

Once he’s caught his breath though, I start badgering him for words. He seemed to be expecting it. I suppose he had nothing else to do all day except think over what we were doing and with nothing else to alleviate his boredom plus his debt for saving his life, he took to helping me learn as best he could.

***************************************************************************************************************

“Up”

“Tul”

“Tul?”

“Tul.”

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Okay. That should be enough for one day.

I’ve spent all of the evening with Elde figuring out words to ask him about and him giving me the translation in what I had eventually been able to decipher is the language of Cali.

There’s still some light but I don’t think I can handle learning anymore words tonight. I’ve added 32 of them to my repertoire, but now I’m struggling to hold them all together in my head. Altogether now that’s 50 words. A good enough amount for two days of learning and memorisation. Tomorrow I might just try going over it all in revision with Elde. He shouldn’t have a problem with it.

Besides, Elde seemed to be getting into helping me learn Cali.

I think it might have something to do with his circumstances resulting in him not having talked to anybody in a long time. Now, with a less intensive routine, with someone to share it with who gave some sort of shit about him, he was feeling better than he had in who knows how long. More like a person again I presumed.

Anyhow, now that I’ve reached my limit I put my hand up to stop. He looks at me questioningly and I manage to communicate that I’ve reached my limit for today adding on that it will soon be too dark anyway.

He seems to agree with that and so, after I nip off for a quick piss, I come back to find him with a thoughtful expression over his face that then molds into determination as he sees me come over to him.

“Barde” he starts off hesitantly.

I nod for him to continue.

For him to then break out into a river of Cali which I can in no way understand. It’s clear to both of us that I have no idea what he’s saying, which he tries to remedy with as much hand waving and body language as he can, but nevertheless it’s still going straight over my head.

I have to say though, it’s the most I’ve heard him speak, scratch that, it’s the most I’ve heard anyone talk to me in weeks (maybe months now?) and it's a bit overwhelming for me.

It’s soon clear to him that he is not making any headway with me so he stops trying to speak to me soon enough. He then beckons me to come closer and sit right in front of him. Interested to try and figure out what he’s saying, I do what I’m told.

Gathering up a sizable pile of mud from next to him he then puts it between us and flattens and smoothes it out. After that, he picks up a strip of wood by the side of the wall and then holds it up in front of me in a strange, yet familiar way.

“Barde.” he says, with no question in his tone and demanding my absolute focus, which I indicate with a quick nod.

“Water”

“Water?”

Water.”

He says, starting with the first word I asked from him, before he then begins to lower the stick to the ground and does something astonishing.

He begins writing in the mud with the stick and though I can’t decipher what it says, I understand what it is. It’s letters! It’s this world's letters!

I look back up to him in amazement. How does this dirty old man who lives in a gutter with me know how to read and write?

Though it may seem normal back on Earth, this is not Earth. Sure it’s a magical world but it’s still in a medieval state of society and knowing how to read and write has to be a valuable and high tier skill here. Obviously I don’t know this for certain but I was fairly confident. I’ve walked around the city and had lived here for a while and I hadn’t seen any evidence of lettering. I mean, there was the clocktower but that was numbers. As for lettering or any script I hadn’t seen a wisp of it. Not one sign or notice that had any written word on any shop or building. Only symbols depicting a bakery or a potter or a seamstress or something, but never words.

How does Elde know this? Who was he before this? How did he fall this low?

Seeing the look on my face a bit of smugness creeps into his own but he pushes past that and hands me his stick. It’s obvious what he wants so I copy what he’s written.

It seems to satisfy him before he then bends down and wipes away what we’ve written. He looks at me again and I now know why the way he held that stick looked familiar to me before. So, I take the stick and try to write down the word for water again as Elde inspects my work.

I don’t know what the odds of this were but somehow, in the inexplicable odds of things, I had unintentionally saved the life of a strict and demanding school teacher.

Damn.

Maybe there is a God, and seeing what had happened to me he decided to send me some help.