Just Another Day

Colby Anser was an unapprenticed drifter who made his living as best he could as a jack-of-all-trades, which also earned him the nickname of "Jack", sometimes "Colby Jack" if he left a decent enough impression on those who hired him. His middle name was left a mystery to all but his mother, not because of the fear of being able to be controlled by a person who knew your full name, but because he really destested the thought of being known as "Ira". The full "Colby, I are a Jack Anser" just left a bad taste in his mouth. The village fool calling him "Jack Anser" or something a bit more inappropriate and then braying was bad enough.

His father had died when he was a boy. A terrible accident involving a frightened horse and a felled tree. His mother had strictly forbidden him from becoming a lumberjack, carpenter, or anything involving working with wood. Colby was the only child she and his father had managed to produce, and she cherished him dearly. She provided for him as best she could from spinning wool, sewing, washing laundry, and other menial work for families better off when tasks were available, otherwise, she and her son worked in the village farms and orchards. Naturally, Colby became a farming errand boy right behind her. It was better than begging or slavery, but not as decent as life as a servant, and left no room for advancement to a steady career.

His life was turned upside down a second time when his mother was believed to be possessed by a water demon, and shorty died thereafter.

Pages

Short Stories

• The Calling Mountain Winds

His name may or may not be influenced by cheese.