This is a series of short stories based in the same world as the book series A Life in After World. Instead of telling the life story of one character, these stories tell the story of one day in the life of a person in After World. The stories should be able to stand alone but together they tell of a bigger story.
After World is a world in which due to a catastrophic solar storm, all electrical technology on Earth failed. Because of this, most of the world’s population died off. This period in the history is known as the Red Sun Millennia. Those that did survive had to fight, struggle, and evolve to survive. When the storm was over, the sun dawned on a new world with many different races of humans.
Electrical technology is now possible, but it is forbidden by most because of the damage it did when it failed before.
If you enjoy these tales, please purchase the books in the series A Life in After World.
Brach sat in the market place watching everyone pass by. He was a very unassuming person, he made sure of it. The last thing he wanted was for someone to pay attention to him. He looked like any other normal human: average build, average height, brown hair, and brown eyes. But he was not normal.
Brach was a witch. His father before him was also a witch. They both had power to manipulate things over a distance. He could even pick them up and move them around. It was not even so much moving it as getting it to agree with what he wanted it to do. Inanimate objects were easy. They would never disagree with him. Moving something alive was much more difficult, not impossible, but difficult.
Brach was also a thief. His father preached against it and finally their beliefs are what separated them.
His father Sanul told him numerous times that their power was a gift, and they should not abuse it. Brach on the other hand considered it an advantage to be used at any opportunity.
Brach left his father in Freeport and had come to St. Ellwood to find his fortune. Lately he had taken an interest in the ladies around St. Ellwood. A couple of them in particular he had noticed and could regularly find in the market place.
The first was a merchant and was usually here most days. Her name was Jesh. He talked to her several times. She was a leather worker and a tinkerer. He had bought several items from her just to get to talk to her. He had not really gone beyond that though.
The other girl he was interested in was a petite little thing that visited the market on a regular basis but she never bought anything. She usually sat and people watched. Neither was here yet this early. He could wait.
To pass the time he practiced his art while at the same time keeping it very discrete. He found a small round rock against the wall of a shop and started it rolling back and forth along the bottom of the wall. Little exercises like this helped him hone his ability and become focused.
He could hear the carts rolling up the street. Brach decided in the last moment before they arrived that he should check to make sure he was fit to be seen by Jesh so I got up and walked back to the Market Inn.
“Excuse me!” The innkeeper stopped Brach as he started up the stairs. “Are you checking out, or you have another night’s rent? I need to know if I need to send a girl to clean up.”
“Oops!” Brach said as he looped back to the counter. “Slipped my mind.”
Brach slapped a gold coin on the counter. “Can you change this, Lue?”
Lue rolled his eyes and slid the coin off the counter and into his money tray. “You don’t ever carry anything smaller?”
Brach shrugged and smiled innocently.
The innkeeper counted out the change and handed it over to Brach. As the witch took it he ended up dropping a couple of the coins to the floor which made a bit of noise.
“Don’t worry!” Brach stated, “I’ll get it!”
Brach ducked down in front of the counter and picked up the coins and as he was down there a gold coin came rolling to him from around the end of the counter. He casually picked it up with the rest.
It had been 13 days rent so far on the same gold coin and he always got change.
“There we go!” He stood upright and put the coins in his pocket.
Lue scowled at him and waved him away.
Brach bounded up the inn stairs two at a time and then came to his room. Inside he checked the mirror and made sure he did not have any stains on his shirt and that his hair was presentable. After changing through two different shirts and adjusting his hair half a dozen times he finally felt he was ready. Today he would talk to Jesh and not just buy something, though he might buy something just to get rid of some of this change. It did tend to get bulky after a while.
He locked the door back as he left and took his time going down the stairs and then stepped out into the bright sun of the market place.
He strolled over to Jesh’s cart but she was chatting with Franz and Black Jake. He picked up a knife holster from the counter and admired its craftsmanship. Jesh really did fine work. He was in need of a sheath so this would not just be a frivolous purchase to get her attention.
“Oh Hey Brach!” Jesh greeted him she noticed him picking up her wares. “You missed all the excitement.”
“Oh?” He tried to act unconcerned and aloof.
“Yeah, it seems Drew ran into the wrong constable this morning.”
“Sargent.” Black Jack corrected her.
“Yeah, Sargent Dill.”
“Drew?” He feigned interest. “Is he that cat fellow?”
Jesh nodded. “Nice choice you have there, you have a knife for it yet or should we add that to your shopping list too?”
Brach pulled out his knife from his pack and slid it home into the sheath. It mostly fit but the handle strap was aligned with the hilt so it would not tie down.
“Here, let me see that.” She said and she took it from him, her hand grazing his as she did. It was a very soft hand for someone who worked with tools all day.
“I can just make a couple of adjustments for you.” She explained. “Won’t take but a couple of minutes and then you will swear this was made for your knife.”
“That would be great.” Brach said. “I may go get something for lunch, did you want to –“
“This knife is awfully dull; you want me to put a new edge on it?” She interrupted him.
“Yeah, I have been meaning to have that done.” He lacked the courage to ask her to get something to eat a second time. “Just add it to my total.”
Brach was very upset with himself and he was trying not to show it. He had finally gotten up the courage to ask her and chickened out halfway through.
“I should have it done for you in a short bit,” she said, “go ahead and get that lunch and come back and see me.”
Brach nodded and thanked her as politely as he could and then turned on his heal and walked away.
Several doors down from the inn was an open air food court. The food was edible though a little expensive. Money was not a big thing for him as long as it was not more than a gold coin since he knew he could just call that coin right back to him.
He bought himself a pork sandwich and some wine to wash it down. It was not until he was halfway through his food before he got a chance to call the coin back. A worker was clearing off a table and was carrying a tray of dishes back to the kitchen when Brach convinced a chair to move into her way and spill the dishes everywhere. At
that same moment the gold coin slid out of its tray and onto the floor, completely unnoticed. While everyone was trying to help up the waitress, the coin made its way back to Brach. It stopped at his shoe and he bent slightly to retrieve it.
There she was. He just noticed the other girl of his fancy across from the inn. She was sitting on a bench with a melon in hand and was splitting it with a small knife. She did it very gracefully and even took the time to clean the seeds out into a bin without getting anything on her dress. She was a very petite woman but handled herself with pose and grace.
Behind him a conversation caught his attention because he heard Jesh’s name mentioned. He reluctantly turned his attention towards them and a couple of guys sitting a couple of tables away were eating some soup and chatting.
“So I kept having her check the stock below the cart so I could see them better.” The speaker on the right said.
Right as that speaker reached again for his spoon, Brach convinced it to tip over the side of the bowl very quickly which tossed a blob of soup at the person. It landed square on his chest and left a long streak down his shirt that promised to be very hard to get out.
The guy on the left had a good chuckle at his partner and threw his head back laughing. At that same moment Brach convinced the chair to tilt back ever so slightly. It was enough that he fell straight back and made a horrible clatter as he hit the floor. Everyone in the restaurant was now staring at him.