Chapter 40

This continued in village after village.

“Welcome back, Lightbringer!”

Until Ham and his companions came to a village named Rise.  As always, they went to the center of the village to sit on the logs by the well.

But there were no logs.  Instead, there were benches and small tables.  And the ground was well cleared, and there was a clean shelf by the well with some cups on it.

As Ham and his companions sat on the logs, one of the Huddlers of Rise came to them and said “Welcome to Rise.  Let me go fetch one of the Lamplighters for you.”

Ham was dumbfounded, and just sat staring.

In a short while, one of his former traveling companions, Rod, came to greet him.

“Why did that Huddler call you a Lamplighter?”

Rod chuckled, and said “Will you wait until evening, so we can gather and explain to you?”

Ham, with a bit of frustration, nodded his agreement.  With that, Rod went off to gather the others, and Ham and his companions sat in silence on the benches by the well, drinking the fresh well water and munching on fresh apples that one of the Huddlers of Rise brought to them.

Rod returned.  “May I show you to a place where you can rest until evening?”

With Ham’s assent, Rod led the small group to a house.  Not a hut.  Not a shack.  A house.  It had a door on simple hinges.  It had shutters over the window openings.  It had wooden floors and a fireplace and a chimney.  And it had two separate rooms, each with a bed in it.

Ham was unable to speak.  He stomped on the floor, listening to the sound of the wood booming and creaking.  He opened and closed the doors and shutters.  And he went and lay on one of the beds.  It was the most comfortable bed he’d ever been on in his life. Ham was astonished.  It had not been all that long since he’d been in Rise, and yet the changes were unbelievable.