The Mudlark

[Martyna Z'muir]

Originally posted February 22, 2020 by EM Malachi on the Official Great Lakes Forum:

It had been the mudlark's lucky day. Finn bit the gold coin as he looked over his haul. The gold would buy him dinner. The pile of rusted scrap he would trade to the smith, and an old hammer would go to Iolo so he could fix the poorhouse door. Finn had even found a broken basket to carry everything in!

The small child considered a nap on the river bank, but decided to try his luck again. Finn waded into the river shallows and started searching the bottom with his bare feet. Pebble. Muck. Rock. Plant. And there it was, a strange shape that didn't belong. Finn reached down carefully and pulled up a strange glowing cylinder that looked expensive. “What is it?”

“It’s a piece of a larger device that sits asleep under Castle Blackthorn. Flooding and the river currents washed it here,” answered a stranger on the bank. He wore a unusual cloak, and his face was hidden.

The mudlark waded back to his basket and put the cylinder on top. “Well, finders keepers!”

“I’m afraid the previous owners will disagree.”

“I’m not worried. Iolo will protect me!”

“I have no doubt the bard would get involved, but perhaps, we can find an alternative solution. You could give it to me.”

“What are you offering?”

“Offering?”

“For trade!”

“Oh. I think I understand, but I don’t have a frame of reference. What do you want?”

Finn considered. “Um...fifty gold!”

“Is that all?”

“That’s two months of dinners! And a new hat! Should I have asked for more?”

The stranger considered for a bit. “I can meet your price, and then some. However, I need to go and collect it. Please do not run off while I'm gone.”
***** The sound of a bag hitting the ground woke the mudlark from his nap. The sack was worn, and a starfish nestled among the many glittering coins. Finn examined the gold. The coins were larger than standard Britannian currency and had a symbol he didn’t recognize. He looked over at the stranger. “You didn’t steal this, did you?”

“No, the ship it was on sank long ago. This lost gold was fated to be ground to nothing before the next epoch.”

“That’s good. Iolo says stealing is wrong.”

“May I have the device now?”

Finn stretched and stood up. He handed the improvised pillow to the stranger. “It was good trading with you. I’m going to get dinner, if you want to join me, Mister… Oh, I never got your name.”

“You can call me Tim.”