Woodseller

spoilers: manga vol. 2
characters: The... woodseller!
chapters: 1/1
retrieved from: Bunnyhat

I reach the entrance to my old, run-down house. The floor is covered with a thin blanket of dry dirt and dust, and the beams of sunlight pouring in from the broken shutters of my window hit the wooden furniture in my room. Same old, same old. I step inside, each footstep making the floorboards beneath me creak. I've been living in this house for years, but I look around anyway, inspecting the environment I live in. Heh... It's sadly clear I'm the only one who lives here. Two rooms, one being a bedroom with a single bed, a chair and table in the other. Nothing special here.

I brush away some of the dirt off the table and put down my bottle of sake, bag of red bean buns, and sack of money. I slip off my empty wood rack and place that on the floor by the table, taking the weight off my back. Stretching out my shoulders, I wander over to the window that looks off into the streets of Chouka. Chouka... what a dump. This place's gone to hell. Everyone is miserable here. I see the dry, dead leaves picked up by the breeze and dancing across the equally dry and dead roads. A homeless beggar sits helplessly by the side, a dirty rag put out for generous citizens to donate their money on. A fly lands on his face, but the poor old guy is too lifeless to flinch or bat it away.

Upset by that sad sight I see too often everyday, I close the shutters and grit my teeth. If our King and Queen weren't so damned careless about their country, this wouldn't be happening. I turn to the objects on my table I was given today in exchange for all my wood. A bottle of cheap sake, some buns... I step towards the table and pick up the small sack of money, spilling its contents. I quickly count the coins. Yep, 120 mons... it's all there. I haven't done business like that in a long time. Selling wood isn't the most profitable business, but with my lack of education and money, this is the best I can do. It's not too bad, but at this rate, I hope I can start and support a family someday. Whether I'll have one here in Chouka or not is the real question. Chouka... it's my home. I was born and raised here. But, dammit, I'm not going to put my wife and kids through this kind of lifestyle. They deserve a better home -- someplace that isn't run by evil tyrants who leave their people dying.

I sit down on my chair and uncork the bottle. I take a quick swig of sake to ease my mood. Idly, I count the coins again. The tax collector will come by tomorrow to take most of this money away. Thief. It's as if all my hard work is done so that everyone in the imperial palace can waste away their days in luxury.

That weird-looking doushi-sama I met today... It's because of him, I was able to earn this money. He was pretty amazing. After he helped me, a few others were able to run into good fortune thanks to him. There's something about that guy... It's as if he was sent down from above to help us. Many people are calling him their savior now. He pretty well may be... or maybe we're just too desperate. With the way things are going, we all become slaves to any ounce of hope we receive. We've become too dependant and bored. Any sort of excitement pops up, and we grovel for more. But hey, I'm part of that herd of cattle, too. That doushi-sama may be our last hope, and I'm willing to go running to him for help any day.

I relax in my chair and sip from the bottle again. I've really got to stop worrying. For now, I should enjoy my food, and hope that karma doesn't stop by to take away my measly source of happiness.