Collin just wanted to have a quiet meal and sleep in a bed for a change. Unfortunately, the tavern was crowded tonight, the common room was loud, and all the rooms were occupied. He had managed to correlate his arrival with a group going to some festival somewhere and an unusual number of itinerant workers. Well, at least he knew his bad luck was still reliable.
“Excuse me,” one of the many patrons passing by addressed him. “May I join you?”
Colin looked up at the weathered man in front of him. “Sure,” he blurted.
The man sat with the contented sigh of one who had been on their feet all day. “Hot food. Hot food I don’t have to cook. It’s the nectar of the gods to a weary traveler.”
Colin grinned and raised a spoonful. “Nectar of the gods,” he agreed before placing it into his mouth. He had never heard food described this way, but it definitely fit the situation. “Too bad the rooms are all full. It’s been a long time since I slept in a bed.”
“I see you are a seasoned traveler as well.”
Colin shook his head, “only about a month.”
“Well, you have the complaints down,” the stranger said with a smile.
Collin shrugged. He was having a hard time meeting the stranger’s eyes. They were unfathomably dark in the lamplight, but that was not the problem. You got the sense these eyes could see you. Not just the outside part you showed to everyone, but all of you. Colin was beginning to wonder how dangerous this man was. His survival instinct went to high alert, but there was another, deeper part of him that felt safe. He mentally shook his head. Strange.
Strange strangers generally led to trouble and were best avoided. With any luck, he would never see this one again after this meal. He began to eat a little more quickly.
“You know, I have a place to sleep tonight if you are interested. A family here keeps a small guest room I use when passing through. If I ask them, I’m sure they will let you stay as well.”
This genuinely shocked Collin. “Without knowing me?” he blurted, “I might be a thief for all they know.”
“Are you?”
“No, well, once, but that was because I had to get medicine to a friend who was dying, and no one would believe me . . .” He trailed off after realizing he was babbling. “Why would a thief admit to being a thief anyway?”
“They often admit it to me.”
It was a simple statement without any hint of threat, but it made Collin squirm anyway.
“Well, if you’re sure it’s ok.” Best to humor him for the moment and look for a chance to politely go his own way.
“Excellent. I’m glad I can give you a place to sleep tonight,” the man smiled. “By the way, my name is Shapur.”
“Collin”
“I travel a lot for my living. I take jobs where I find them and lend a helping hand where it’s needed. Where are you heading, if you don’t mind telling me.”
“Nowhere, I guess,” Collin sighed, shaking his head. “I just drift wherever misfortune takes me.”
“That’s a tragic path. What set you on it?”
Collin did not trust this stranger but was afraid of angering him, so he began his tale. He summarized how helping someone resulted in him being blamed for the crime he prevented, and how, ever since, he always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He ended with, “and so, it seems the only consistent thing in my life is bad luck. Although, I suppose it is something to rely on.”
Shapur nodded, “I suppose, but I think I now see what your problem is.”
“What!?” exclaimed Collin.
“Your problem,” Shapur said slowly, “I think, is that you are surviving.”
For some reason, this did not clear up anything for Collin. “So I should have died?”
“No,” Shapur said chuckling. “It’s just that we humans were never meant to survive. It keeps us from living.”
“So, what are we meant for?” Collin asked.
Shapur beamed with the expression of a teacher whose student exhibited a rare moment of brilliance. “That — is an excellent question.” Then he pushed his plate away and leaned back with a sigh of contentment. “Since we’ve both finished, how about we go see about finding a place to sleep?”
Colin gave Shapur a very puzzled look and then shrugged, “Sure, sounds good.”