Chapter Four
‘A state of mind,’ Adam mused. ‘But a thought is just a thought.’
Now Fontus laughed. ‘Of course it is,’ he said. ‘But doesn’t your mind give colour to the world? Doesn’t your mind choose to focus either on the rain or the rainbow?’
I suppose it does, Adam thought.
Fontus continued. ‘Life has given you everything you need to build that which you desire. The only thing stopping you—is you.’
‘Me?’
‘The person who changes their attitude can change their world.’
‘Is it really that simple?’
Fontus stroked his chin. ‘Let me ask you a question,’ he said. ‘What happens when I say to you that every time you see the colour red, you will receive a diamond?’
A diamond?
Only very rich people owned diamonds! Adam’s eyes instinctively started to search the room.
If only the colour red could bring about—
Laughing, Fontus said, ‘You see what I mean?’
‘What?’
Then Adam realised what had happened. It was true. Unconsciously, his attention had shifted to the colour red and he had begun searching for it, even though he knew Fontus had only been telling him a story.
‘Our lives are like this,’ Fontus said. ‘When we focus on being an employee, we will remain one. If we focus on being a business owner—’
‘—then we become one.’
It was now late in the day. Adam wanted to ask Fontus more about changing his attitudes, but the old man let it be known that it was time to rest. He was right. Adam was yawning by the time Kara showed him to his room. It was a tiny chamber at the back of the building. After all that Adam had been through, in his eyes it was heavenly. The mattress on the floor was firm but clean, and a single window allowed light into the chamber. Through it he could see the last light of day.
‘Do you like it?’ Kara asked.
‘Yes. Very much.’
Adam lit a lamp that was on a small table near his bed and slid gratefully into bed. He lay there, listening to the sounds of the city. At home, the night had been silent except for the sounds of owls in the trees and the occasional rustle of an animal in the undergrowth. Here, the city seemed to never stop. The sound was as if the city were whispering constantly to its inhabitants.
I will become a business owner, Adam thought. And I will be successful!
He awoke early the next morning to find Fontus and his daughter already eating breakfast.
‘Welcome!’ Fontus greeted him grandly. ‘The prince has arisen!’
‘Sorry,’ Adam mumbled.
‘I am not serious,’ Fontus reassured the boy, gesturing towards the table. ‘Please eat and tell me of your plans—if you have made any.’
‘I have.’ Adam had already decided what he would do for the day. ‘I will look around the city, learn what it’s like and get some ideas.’
Fontus nodded. ‘That seems like a good place to start,’ he said. ‘I will be working on the books to see how Kara has fared in my absence.’
‘Does she know what she’s doing?’ Adam asked.
‘Of course!’ Kara snapped, her eyes flashing. ‘Don’t you think a woman can run a business?’
‘No...I mean yes...’ Adam felt his face reddening. What he had intended to say and what he had actually said were entirely different. ‘I wasn’t saying that...I just meant—’
‘I run all my father’s shops while he is away, traipsing all over the countryside.’
‘You have more than one shop?’ Adam said to Fontus.
‘We do,’ Kara said, pointedly.
I don’t think this girl likes me much, Adam thought.
Fontus smiled. ‘We import pots and pans from across the sea. From faraway places such as Indara and Jopanina,’ he said. ‘We then sell them from shops here in the city and throughout the countryside.’
‘It must have taken a long time to build your business,’ Adam said.
‘It did, but you remember the lesson of the mountain?’
Adam did.
Great dreams are achieved by focusing on that which lies before you.
Fontus lent Adam some of his old clothing to wear. It was a little large for him, but would keep him warm, and was in a much better state than those he had been wearing when the old man found him. Adam helped Kara clear away the plates. While she washed, he dried. While trying to keep his attention on the plate, he couldn’t help but glance at Kara. She was really very beautiful.
‘I hope you will respect my father,’ she said.
‘Of course,’ he said, almost dropping the plate. ‘Of course I will.’
‘He always wanted a son, but it was not to be.’
‘Your father told me about your mother.’
‘It was a terrible blow,’ Kara said, looking away. ‘And most unexpected. Now,’ she said, glancing at the plate in Adam’s hand, ‘leave the washing to me. You’ll dry that plate into nothing if you keep wiping it!’
Thanking her, Adam made his way out and onto the street. Before anything else, though, he carefully took note of the location of Fontus’s house.
I don’t want to be so lost that I never find his home again!
Then he started through the city. He remembered from his climb down the mountain that Prosperity nestled against the harbour like a baby to its mother. Adopting a methodical approach, he started a grid search through the city, starting at the northern end.
It seemed there was something new and different everywhere he looked. He realised for the first time how lonely his life had been, living just with his parents. While they had certainly done their best to raise him, his life had essentially been solitary and friendless.
Despite the early hour, the streets were already busy. People were hurrying to work. Merchants were setting up their tables and wares for the day. Children skipped or trudged to school, and women leant from windows, selling freshly cooked food to passersby.
Veering towards the west, Adam finally reached the harbour. The early morning breeze washed against him. It was hard to believe that he had been in his little home by the river only a short time ago, and now he was in a huge city on the edge of a sea.
Sailing ships jostled for position at the docks. Wooden cases and baskets were being loaded or unloaded, and men were yelling instructions to each other. Passengers were boarding ships. Strange animals in cages were being placed onto carts to be taken away. Some of the creatures were parrots and lizards, and others were unlike any he had ever seen before.
‘What’s that?’ Adam asked one of the sailors, and pointed at a cage with a particularly ferocious looking animal.
‘A lion,’ the man said. ‘It’s being taken to the castle. The King has his own zoo.’
The king has his own zoo, Adam thought. Incredible.
The beast roared as its cage was loaded onto a wagon and taken away.
Adam continued his walk, heading towards the point where the river met the harbour. He could see a place further along the river that appeared particularly congested. Nearing it, he realised it must be the market that Fontus had mentioned the previous day. Hundreds of small stallholders were shoulder to shoulder. The clamour was almost deafening. Stallholders yelled out to passersby, attempting to entice them with their wares. Families wove in and out of the chaos, trying to make themselves heard above the racket. Buskers played music. Beggars asked for money. People sold food, jewellery, pots, clothing, parchment paintings, potted plants, raw meat and fish, books, spices, headscarves...
It made Adam dizzy as his senses tried to take it all in. Finally his attention was caught by a man sitting at a table. A black cloth covered the table. People were grouped around, peering at paintings laid out carefully on the cloth.
Adam drew his breath sharply. The man’s paintings were similar to ones his mother had done on parchments at home. Several of them had adorned the walls of their house.
The man h
ad painted seascapes that featured great sailing ships, their bows carving a way through the water.
I can do that, Adam thought. I can make the same paintings.
He hurried through the city back to Fontus’s street. By now, it was very late in the day. Fontus and Kara were just arriving home.
‘My boy!’ Fontus said, seeing him. ‘Your face is red! What has happened?’
As the three of them made dinner—a meat and vegetable stew—Adam shared everything he had seen. Kara remained quiet, but Fontus spoke up as they served the meal.
‘You can paint?’ Fontus said.
‘I am my mother’s son,’ Adam said. ‘I’m sure I can do the same thing. And there is clearly a market for the paintings.’ He stared at the old man’s face. ‘Is there something wrong?’
Fontus had fallen into deep thought as he ate. ‘There is nothing wrong,’ he said. ‘You must do as you see fit.’
‘I think it’s a foolish idea!’ Kara said. ‘Just because your mother could paint, it doesn’t mean you can!’
Adam bit back an angry reply. It didn’t worry him that Kara had no faith in his plan, but he felt concern in the face of Fontus’s silence. They ate the rest of their meal without speaking. Before going to bed, Adam found the old man reading a book in the living room.
‘Fontus,’ Adam said. ‘Kara seems to think that I’m making a mistake. If she thinks I’m wrong, then maybe I am wrong.’
Carefully, Fontus closed the book and set it down on the table beside him. ‘Adam,’ he said. ‘You will never have complete consensus. There will always be those who think you are wrong. Those who will stand against you. Those who will mock or jeer you.’ He gripped his arm. ‘You are the one who must decide your fate.’
Lesson 4: You are the one who must decide your fate.