He stopped preparing the wagon and
I braced for an onslaught of verbal abuse.
I often times thought how useful
He would be as a diplomat in battle.
A kingdom could send him to their opposing enemy
To dampen their spirits with his stories.
The enemy would have no choice
But to surrender to the terms constructed by the opposition.
Then I imagined that his own kingdom
Would not request for his safe return.
I usually felt remorse after reliving the idea,
But I could foresee it happening.
I was so used to blocking him out and
Daydreaming about something else as he spoke
That I did not hear the first few sentences he had to say.
I was nodding uncontrollably at regular intervals and
Had no idea as to what I was agreeing to.
He ended his one-sided conversation and
Must have felt that I understood him
As he loaded up his wagon and headed towards the mountain
To retrieve another batch of ore.
I honestly could not recite one word
That exited his mouth if my life depended on it.
I was never the one to feel pity
Regarding the problems of other people.
I always lived by the concept
That I should not have to hear your issues
If I was not going to share mine.
Two days went by and Levi returned
With the sound of the brilliant, heavy squeaking wheels.
Anxious to see the quality of the ore,
I met him in front of the shop.
After a few of his standard solo conversations,
We began to unload the cargo.
I was eager to sort the ore
As I was beginning a massive battleaxe
For a local warrior prior to him heading into battle.
The design required a large amount of high quality ore
And carbon if I was going to complete it in time.
As I sifted through the ore,
I noticed that there was not a lot of high grade in the wagon.
The ore was light in weight and slightly dull in color.
I asked Levi about the cargo.
He explained that he had told me
During his last stay that the mine was running low.
He said he asked if he should mine the common ore and
That I nodded in agreement.
I immediately felt that vomiting feeling once again,
Instead of a mine wall, I was about to spew on
The batch of low grade ore.
I persuaded him to tell me his story again
Without him thinking that I ignored him the first time.
I listened to him intently
As he told me that the mine was emptying of high ore,
All that was left was the low quality.
My sigh at his words
Translated as frustration to him.
He followed up with an idea that I quickly took offense to.
He stated that the previous mine
He worked in prior to starting with me
Was filled to capacity with high grade ore of
Even better quality.
I knew what he was thinking,
I wanted no part of thievery against a fellow blacksmith.
He continued to say that he was aware
Of the new striker’s schedule,
That he could easily acquire the ore if requested.
I gave no such order and sent him back
To my mines to gather ore as usual.
To be honest, I did contemplate the special ore
Later that night as I looked to the useless pile I had acquired,
But the thought of stealing did not rest well with me.
Levi arrived earlier than usual for the next delivery.
The sounds of the wheels were a little lower than normal,
But the amount was of no concern to me
I was more interested to see if the quality of the cargo
Had improved from our previous encounter.
As always, Levi immediately started in mid-conversation
As if I had been traveling alongside him.
Lately, I had been trying to pay more attention
To what he was saying, but it was challenging
And I entered into the fold the fourth sentence in.
He never restated anything he said,
So I did not bother to ask.
His thoughts and topics were so rapid,
So random that I doubted he could remember
Any of his previous remarks.
I could tell he was excited about something
Through his mannerisms.
I was sure that he was explaining it to me,
But he had lost me the moment he approached.
It was very difficult for me to pay attention
To such long-winded stories,
Let alone several combined into one.
I sifted through the coal and was somewhat disappointed
In the quality as I was hoping that it would have improved.
I needed better ore in order to finish the barbarian’s axe.
I was never going to get it done in time with cargo like that.
Levi saw my frustration and assured me
That he had something that would challenge
My current emotional state.
From the back corner of the wagon,
Buried deep beneath the ore,
He extracted a bundle of black cloth.
He slowly revealed a piece of ore
That was perfect in all aspects
From underneath the cloth.
It was as if the relic had come
From Mother Nature’s secret haven.
I had seen many variations of ore in my lifetime, but
None matched the perfection of what I saw that day.
Levi walked over and handed me the piece of ore.
I carefully grabbed it like it was a fragile child in need of shelter.
The ore felt at home in my hands.
My hardened fingertips felt around the edges and
I found no imperfections.
I am sure that Levi told me where he found it,
But I did not hear him.
Holding the ore allowed my creativity to soar like a black bird
Over a snow-capped mountain range.
Visions of new creations and possibilities
Tattooed my mind and gifted me with inspiration.
I soon came down from my cloud when I
Realized that I was only holding one piece of it.
I would only be able to make a fine goblet
From such a small portion.
My dreams of exquisite shields and swords
Vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Levi lifted up my spirits again
By stating that there was more.
I knew what he was talking about,
At that time I was only concerned
With rejuvenating my creative visions again.
I wanted my mind to flow freely like
A flooded stream seeking a new path.
My silence and lack of denial prompted him to continue.
He said the very piece I was holding
Came from the neighboring mine where
The abundance of it were not like anything
He had experienced in his striker existence.
He spoke of burrows with walls
That were speckled with the ore
Like a blossoming apple tree.
He said that the soil in the walls
Was so loose that the ore
Could easily be extracted from its core.
I felt my mind salivating over his description
As if he spoke of roasted boar ribs over an open fire.
I knew what he wanted me to say.
I knew he wanted my blessing to retrieve the ore,
But I did not have claim to the mine.
He continued to say that the owner of the mine
Was a trinket creator in the next town.
I flinched at the comment.
I was disgusted that such high quality ore
Was being used for trinkets.
It was a waste of earth’s most perfect resources.
Levi paused in his words to allow me to speak,
I offered him nothing in return.
My mind was tunneling through emotions
Both positive and negative.
The pressure to make a choice
In such an elegant situation was overwhelming.
His last words regarding trinket creation
Weighed heavy on my thoughts and
Brought about jealously towards the other blacksmith.
My envy was strong towards someone I had never met,
However, knowing that he was receiving
Large cargo of that precious ore clouded my judgment.
I could do wonders with the ore;
I could create weapons the world had never seen before.
The element deserved better than to be made into useless goblets.
The other blacksmith did not deserve the ore
As he did nothing to preserve its greatness.
I deserved it more than him,
I would respect it more than him.
Does that not make it right?
I wanted what he had.
Levi had given me the opportunity to acquire it.
I offered no words to justify my answer,
We communicated with only a smile.
I did not want to know the details
Of how he would obtain the ore;
I just wanted him to bring it to me.
We unloaded the lesser ore in the wagon.
Once completed, Levi took off towards the mountain.
I knew that once he was down the path,
I could not change my mind,
My desire for the substance was too intense to stop him.
The idea of his return with a full wagon
Interrupted my sleep that night.
My thoughts were comprised of perfectly created shields
That would defend their owners
From the most savage attacks and
Swords that could slice through solid stone.
The visions that raced within my mind
Tired me as if I was physically running the race myself.
The next day proved long and tedious
As I awaited the arrival of my striker.
I was unsure as to when to expect him back
Since he needed to mine the ore
Around the schedule of the other striker.
I caught myself staring down the path
In hopes to see the wagon approaching.
At times I even forged the sound of the wind
To reflect the squeaking of the wheels.
The excitement always prompted me to go outside
Where I was delivered the cruelty of denial.
I was growing impatient and
Had thoughts of Levi not being able to mine the ore.
Knowing that the other blacksmith
Would be the only one to have access to the ore
Churned my anger and brought it to the surface.
I pounded the molten metal hard that night
To release my frustrations
Until the faint whistling sound of the wagon penetrated my ears.
I was hesitant at first as
I was unsure whether or not the wind was playing with me again.
The whistling continued and pulled me outside
Where I saw the distant vision of a striker and wagon
Approaching from the path.
All my hatred for the blacksmith subsided as
I was about to receive my first delivery of his ore.
The wagon came to a halt.
Levi had a large smile on his face.
He knew I was excited about the cargo,
He could see it in my eyes as I stared at the mound.
The ore was beautiful sitting in the wagon
With the moonlight glistening on the smooth surfaces.
That was not high quality,
Rather excellence that Levi had delivered to me.
My mouth salivated
Prompting me to swallow excessively
As we began to unload the wagon.
The ore was treated with the utmost respect
And not dumped to the ground like other deliveries.
Instead, we hand placed each piece on the ground
Like they would leak the plague if dropped.
After the wagon was empty,
Levi looked to me and asked if I desired more.
I laughed under my breath and said that I wanted it all.
My response pleased him as
He was anxious to return to the mountain.
I wanted that mine emptied of the ore
So that the other blacksmith did not have access to it.
I could not handle knowing that the blacksmith
Was creating trinkets from it.
The resource deserved better and
I was going to unleash its inner greatness.
Over the next few days,
Levi continued to deliver the high quality ore and
I smelted it as fast as it came in.
The new ore allowed me to finish
The barbarian’s axe prior to his arrival.
The axe was my first creation with the new ingredient.
The power that I was able to harness
Within the core illuminated the blade to perfection.
I imagined that nothing would stop that blade
In battle as it would easily cut through
All in its way including wood, stone, bone and other blades.
My next conquest was a large circular shield
With a serpent dragon etched on the front.
Any other time, I would not have been able to bend
The metal in such a way,
But the creative juices that seeped from me now
Easily processed the product.
Levi continued to deliver loaded wagons
Of the ore on a regular basis,
It allowed me to create some of the most wonderful items
My mind had ever conjured.
My increased creativity spread throughout the lands.
I envisioned every battle that was taken place
Involved at least one of my creations.
I often desired to watch my relics in action
Whether it was seeing an arrow
Bouncing off of my shields or
Observing the steel forged blades of my swords and axes
Crushing an enemy skull with a mighty swing.
The experience had to be beautiful to behold.
I imagined a successful warrior holding up my sword
As a sign of triumph on the battlefield
Prompting his army to follow suit.
I knew I would never witness those spectacles,
Regardless the visions were soothing to my creative soul.
With my stock running low,
I was on the lookout for the arrival of Levi.
My ears were always on attention
For the wagon wheels during that time and
The anticipation often forced me into a realm of panic.
My stress about cargo always subsided
With the first initial encounter of
The faint squeaking sound of the wagon.
I stopped working on my current project and
Headed outside to greet my striker.
By the time I exited the shop,
Levi had already traveled up the path.
His characteristics were different than usua
l as
He rushed around the cart nervously looking down the path.
He was not his talkative self and offered
None of his long-winded stories.
Instead he frantically paced about
While rubbing his hands together.
I asked him what had happened.
He mumbled a few words, but I could not understand.
I asked him to speak again,
He began to stutter and slur his speech.
Something had frightened him.
Deciphering it proved to be a challenging feat.
I decided to let him calm down first before
I pried him for information.
It seemed to work as he started to speak clearer.
He kept saying that they knew over and over.
I asked him who he was talking about.
His response rattled my emotions like a trapped snake.
He replied that the other striker knew;
That they had crossed paths as Levi was exiting the mine.
The fear and hesitation that I originally felt
When Levi offered the first piece of ore
All came back to me at that moment.
Any normal person would have felt
Remorse at the situation,
But I only felt envy towards the other blacksmith.
I took control of the situation and
Told Levi that he should alter his mining schedule
To avoid the other striker.
Up to this point, no other striker was utilizing the mine.
We had to be more cautious in our timing.
I reassured him that we could continue mining the ore and
He agreed with only a smile.
My words calmed his nerves and I could read from his face
That he was pleased with my reaction.
He said that he could mine at night if I allowed it.
At that point,
All I wanted was to deny the other blacksmith of the ore.
The new scheduling worked for quite a few days as
My stock continued to increase
Allowing me to construct more weapons.
The Sinner Page 21