Bestiary: Slice of Life Fantasy for Men by Mason Kirk

Author:Mason, Kirk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-12T00:00:00+00:00

We made an odd group. Holly, short, blonde, and cute, followed by the tall, dark witch, made even taller by her pointed hat.

And me behind them, overseeing them both.

“Morning, Holly!” the matronly market stall tender said. “My gosh, you look outstanding! And what company you keep! It's nice to see you’ve made friends.”

Holly smiled back, going bright red.

“Don’t embarrass the girl,” I said jovially to the vendor.

“My apologies dear,” she said. “You three look to be off on a voyage. Might the bestiary still be open? I was hoping to take my grandson.”

We had put a sign up just before we left, saying we would be closed for a few days, and I told the vendor as much.

“The goblins,” she marveled. “Why would the gods wish to make such a thing, evil creatures such as they?”

“They're not so bad, once you get to know them,” Piper remarked.

“Couldn’t be me,” the market vendor said, shaking her head.

“So you wouldn't want to learn about them at the bestiary?” Holly asked.

“You'd get those magic paintings of them?” the vendor asked. “In a heartbeat! I've never seen one up close, and they always have those helmets on, don’t they?” She shook with excitement. “I bet it would be scary. I got the shivers when I saw those tigers.”

“But completely safe,” I assured her and wished her a good day.

We headed through the market, everyone seeming to turn their eyes on us, vendor and buyer alike. Was it the point-hatted witch walking amongst their midst? Or sweet, endearing Holly in her brand new outfit. Perhaps it was me, leading the duo.

I found the market equally as intriguing, with its cacophony of fresh vegetable smells, fabrics far too fine to belong in a simple town, and a stall of swords I wondered if Holly helped make. She kept her eyes away from the stall as if the mere existence of them was enough to draw her back into her old life.

We got to the tailor’s tent, a large thing that had me more in mind of a proper shop. There were plenty of clothes already hanging up, and a changing room in the corner.

“I would’ve preferred to make you some,” Holly said. “I wish I would have thought of it,” she scolded herself.

“Hey!” My voice raised, too harshly. “We don’t think that way about ourselves anymore.” I turned to Piper. “Do we?”

Holly was looking at me all doe-eyed, making me regret the shout. Piper held her hand out, gingerly at first, then patted her back. It made Holly go wide-eyed at the surprise of it.

Holly smiled, realizing her intentions were good. “Thank you. Sorry.”

“What did he just say?” Piper said, shaking her head.

“Go on girls, go pick out something for me to wear,” I said. “I’ll look after the bags.”

The girls put their bags down and Holly said, ”Nobody is going to steal them in Cobbleton.”

They looked at each other and smiled at my ignorance. Usually, I would have minded. Not this time.

I stayed outside, watching the two contrasting girls go into the tent together.

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