Antaran's Journal

I finished the first book yesterday after writing the journal entry. I was still in bed next to Carana and my eyes were about to close when suddenly Carana's mother came in with two cups of tea and a broad smile on her face.
"Here comes something that will make you feel warm from the inside," she said and put each one of the cups on the ground next to each side of the bed.
"She's still asleep?" Carana's mother noticed with a worried look.
I nodded and put the finished book away.
"What are you reading, Antaran?" She came to my bedside and took a seat. I kind of felt uncomfortable, since I was naked under the cover. But I tried hard to hide that feeling, I didn't want to appear rude, and besides, she's my mother-in-law, so it shouldn't be a problem. Well, it still was.
I forced a smile on my face and answered. "I just finished reading it. Contained some stories, legends and myths of Insomida, written by Stam-"
"Durkenbarg?" she interrupted.
"Yes, do you know him?" I said surprised.
"Oh, Astatik is the town he was born in and where he still lives right now. He's one of the few people who are the reason our king's proud to be reigning this town," she explained. "He lives just two houses away from the market place, actually. Maybe, if you liked the book, you can pay him a visit. He enjoys talking to people who read his creations."
"I definitely will consider that," I said.
She smiled and looked at the book. Then she said that the tea was getting cold and I should drink it before sleeping. She went over to Carana and gently woke her up to give her tea as well.
After Carana's mother was gone I fell asleep rather quickly. This tea works wonders.

I told Carana that I was going to buy stuff we needed at the market and afterwards would visit the author of the last book I had read. She wished me good luck. I think her illness is about to be completely cured, she's looking better every hour now.
So after I've collected some ingredients from the market, I asked an inhabitant where I could find the house of Stam. The old man looked at me as if he had seen a ghost instead of me, but nonetheless he told me where to find the house. I walked there and knocked at the door. The house wasn't any different from the others next to it, so I still didn't know why the old man had stared at me like that.
Stam opened the door. Long, curly gray hair, an old face with eyes that were able to look right through you, and ears that could hear what you were thinking.
"Come in," he whispered. "Time is precious."
He dragged me in and closed the door behind me. "What brings you here?"
I tried to greet him formally and told him who I was and that I had read one of his books, but he didn't let me finish.
"You're all the same," he said. "You're not really thinking that the book was any good, you just say this so you could see how someone looks like, who would be insane enough to waste so much time thinking up myths and legends."
I blinked. I didn't expect something like that. And to my surprise, it hit the nail on the head.
"What do you want? My signature on your butt? Come here." He picked up a small bird feather and a small bottle of ink. "Undress."
"What?" I gasped. "No, I don't want your signature anywhere, I just wanted to meet you to, well, congratulate you on writing the book that kept me company for the last few days. That's all."
"Really. How nice. They all say this, but in fact, they all want my signature on their left butt cheek." He came closer to me and tried to drag my pants down. I still can't believe I actually experienced this situation. It could have easily been a comedy play.
"No!" I yelled and stepped back.
Stam raised his eyebrows. "No signature?"
"No."
"Not even on your right butt cheek?"
"No, for the king's sake. I just wanted to shake your hand, and leave. In fact, I believe I will skip the first part and get right to the end of my plan." I was about to open the door, when he suddenly ran to me and blocked the door with his body.
"Stay."
"Why should I?" I said through my teeth.
"I want to show you something. You seem to be different from all the others. I want to reward your individualism."
"What!?"
"Come." He took my hand and dragged me through three rooms, packed with more things than the Insomida Market would sell in one year, out of the house on the back into a small garden. "Here. You're the first to witness the revolution of book writing."
"I only see grass," I said with a bored voice.
"Do you know what I see? Books!" he said and smiled at me like a little child, which I believe, he actually was at that moment.
"Books? You mean, there will be trees that you will sell so that others can make paper out of them?" I said.
"Nonono, it's not trees that will grow, it's the books themselves!" He driveled and ran in a circle in the small garden. "You see, I sow book pages, I dung this place with my own urine to make sure they will grow and become a huge success!"
Disgusted I took one step back into the house off the grass.
"After some time, those books will grow, out of the pages I've sown, there will become all sorts of different books, they will write themselves, and they will grow, grow, grow!" He stopped running and looked at me with a stare that could easily have stabbed me. "You don't believe me."
"Well..."
"OUT!" he screamed. "GET OUT!"
He kicked me with both of his feet, first the left one, then the right one, until I was finally out of the front door. I stumbled and fell down into the dirt. I heard how the door was closed behind me and it sounded like a thunder that roared through the alleys.
When I got up I saw the old man who I had asked about the house. He just looked at me, shook his head and moved along.

From now on I will read books with a different attitude, I suppose...

My whole body hurts. Stam is possibly one of the most insane people I've ever met. I guess it needs a portion of insanity if you want to be a successful artist, or writer in his case.
When I told Carana's mother about my meeting she was rather surprised, and at first she thought I was kidding. I guess, she'll look at book authors from a different angle now as well...

Since Carana is getting better, we decided that we will drive back in two days, as planned. Otherwise we would have had to stay longer and that would've meant a lot of troubles (no reserved room at Mirnda's Inn, and Tartek would've been alone more days than promised, for example)...

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