As Far as the Sun

Row the mile as far as the sun but remember you must come back before the sun farewells.

***

“Open the gates!” The gatekeeper shouted. Then, the tall wooden gate of iron-stapled logs creaked open. Like a pulley, five muscular men on both sides pull an endless loop of metal chain, cranking the hidden mechanism that opens the gate inch by inch. The gate continued to open, like sunrise, the sight from inside slowly revealed itself, the man was standing frozen cold waiting for the castle’s interior to be seen. At last, the gate is wide open, on the inside is a long and wide red carpet laid along the shiny floor made out of a material that the man has never seen before. Dozens of knights stand tall on both of the long spans of the carpet and each of them is spaced precisely as if they are wheat planted on fertile soil. Above is an elevated ceiling with the grandest chandelier he has ever seen. There were also stone beams with widths and depths longer than his wingspan. Flags are hanging from above, showing the emblem that boasts the greatness of the king. The floor is so lit, sunlight beams through large windows made out of stained glass in colours of purple, red, yellow, green and blue. In front is where the throne is erected, it is placed on a stage three steps higher than the carpeted floor. On the throne is the king sitting, his face is well dimmed by the light passing through the large window behind him. The king just sat there, his hand properly placed on the throne’s armrest and from his silhouette, the man observed that he sits differently from the way the people outside used to. 

“Come in. My nameless servant.” His voice echoed. The man walked briskly while forcing to keep soft strides, avoiding staining the flawless carpet. 

“Stop right there.” The king ordered him. The man, out of consciousness, kneels in front of the king. Toes, feet, knees, arms, elbows and palms flat against the soft and thick carpet. 

“Say your name!” The king said.

“My highness! My name is Richard, your lowly farmer.” The man answered.

“Well then. Richard, do you know why you are here?” The king asked.

“I could never foresee what you plan, your highness.” Richard respectfully answers. 

“I see that you have forgotten what you’ve done, Richard.” the king’s voice began to become more serious.

“Have you heard of the fire that devoured a village on the east farm?” He continued. “Yes, I do, Your Highness.” Richard quickly answered.

“Where were you during the fire?” The king asked again. “On the same place, Your Highness,” Richard told the king.

“What’s your intent on going to the incident?” the king continued to question him.

“To save your citizens, Your Highness.” Richard bravely answered.

“Well then, you have not forgotten any, Richard.” The king commends him.

The king stands, picks a scroll on top of a pulpit and declares.

“Here I am, Your Royal King, declares that this man shall own a quarter of the land that this kingdom had ordered him to labour. This gift is a reward for this man’s bravery, sacrifice and loyalty to our kingdom. This reward shall be granted to him whenever he sets foot upon the soil.”

***

The gate closes and Richard is left in front of the wooden gate. He stood still, up until he was sure that the gate was completely locked. Then, in a short while, a loud banging thud was heard - it was the gate being closed, and the cranking sound of the gate's mechanism came to rest. 

“Your Highness? Your Foolishness!” Richard squelched. 

“I land on my own? My plan has finally succeeded.” He cackled. “How gullible can this king be?” He hilariously mocked the king. “What a pinhead.” He continued. 

Richard was over the moon and he started to walk to claim his long-awaited reward. 

Along his way back home, Richard suddenly started to hear someone calling him out. He gazes everywhere to look for anyone and sharpens his ears to hear where the voice comes from. He is in the middle of a busy market, people are shouting here and there, selling their leftover products by lying to foreigners about how good the taste was or how fresh the products are. The sounds of animals, also layer the noise, overworked horses neighing, pigs squealing before being butchered and frisky chickens clucking to each other. 

Richard is in a dome of noise and can barely hear anything aside from the noises and so he just walks away, still hearing a whisper of the yell but now pretending that he didn’t hear anything at all. 

“Hey! You! Deaf!” Someone tapped Richard’s shoulders. Richard flabbergasted and jumped out of surprise. 

“My goodness! Can you not creep like that?” Richard said. “What do you want? Gerard?”

“Our fee, We’ve been looking for you for hours, when I heard that someone saw you enter the castle…” Gerard said. “Then what?” Richard cuts him off. 

“Do you have a reward? How many? How heavy?” Gerard was excited. “What reward?” Richard is persistent. 

“Gold! You fool, treasures! Jewels!” Gerard is ecstatic. “I have nothing, the king just told me to continue the good deed and be an inspiration and said that good things will follow me.” Richard acted.

“How stingy!” Gerard grouched. “Then, just pay us what you promised.” He continued. Richard draws something from his pouch and gives Gerard seven pieces of silver. 

“This is not enough. You promise us fifteen pieces!” Gerard complained. “I told you that I will give you fifteen pieces if someone gets hurt but nothing was hurt right?” Richard rebutted.

“Come on Richard, give us some extra.” Gerard coaxed. “We went into the fire so that you can play a superhero! And what do you mean no one’s hurt? My elbows are burnt as you know and it stings!” Gerard retaliated. 

Richard was shocked at what Gerard had stated and realized that some people are starting to stare at them, probably for hearing the truth that his heroism and valour are all ploys. And so, he grabbed Gerard by the hand and dragged him into a tight alley and stopped from walking when they are behind all of the store tents, there, Richard talked to Gerard.

“Can you just lower voice? Can you?” Richard insisted. Gerard, being an empty head, whispered to Richard saying “Okay.”

Richard remained to stare at Gerard, thinking how he became friends with a true pinhead and contemplated if he’ll just leave him alone or settle the issue. “Here you go, here are your eight more silvers.” Richard handed a pouch of additional silver. “That’s eight silvers plus the seven more I gave you earlier, in total that’s fifteen. Are we good now?” He added.

Gerard, cluelessly grab the pouch Richard handed him and counted the coins inside while scratching his head with his eyes daydreaming. 

“You can count. Right?” Richard asked him. Gerard nodded and swiftly went away.

The cunning hero, also, gone his way until he has returned to his small house right beside the farm where his future land lies. From afar, at the front of his house, he sees two tall knights, one riding his horse and the other continuously knocking on his door. Richard, in the suspense of what he is looking at, halted from walking and hid behind the closest tree he can see. With half-face showing, he peeked a glance of the scene while juggling in his mind the possible reasons that can bring two knights to his estate. His mind goes back and forth between good news and bad news, good news is that maybe they were sent by the king to give him the land and the other is that maybe someone revealed his cunning drama to the king and that the knights are in front of his door ready to arrest him. He doesn’t know what to do, thinking that the small scene Gerard had caused at the market increases the chance that the knight’s appointment is to arrest him. 

***

“Have a good day sir.” The knights told Richard. Richard huffed as he closes the door. It turns out that the knights are visiting Richard’s home to give him the sealed document for the land given to him and not to arrest him for his secrets. 

“At last, I finally own my land.” Richard talked to himself. 

Months have passed, Richard, even with his secret still buried have been blessed by good crops. He planted rice, corn, and a variety of fruits. He now has his dissipatest work for him with his land and also to his new house. Aside from that, he also becomes friends with the king and even became his sole supplier of rice for the castle. Everything is going well for Richard that now have a good life to live. It’s been also a long time when he despised his cunning self and he has just forgotten every little secret of his past. Richard, now, without looking at what he is before, is a very good man.

One morning, when Richard is watching over his farm on his horse, he saw a travelling merchant with his caravan from afar. Richard, being intrigued by what the merchant sells and where he comes from, spoke to the merchant and inquired what was at the store for him. 

“Good day sir!” The merchant cheerfully welcomed him. “Do you fancy anything?”

“Merchant, where do you come from? I want to know if your products are worth displaying.” Richard asked. “I’m from the far west, pass the ocean you’ll never cross.” The merchant answered.

“Can you tell the exact name of your place?” He continues to insist. “I am from a place that doesn’t have a name, sir.” The merchant puzzled Richard. Richard surrendered from asking and just bought a couple of vases from the merchant. When Richard is satisfied with what he bought he paid the merchant with gold coins. When Richard is about to hand in the money the merchant stopped him and said: “I don’t sell for money, I sell for something different.”

“What do you want?” Richard asked. “Your land.” The merchant answered him.

Richard grew angry and shouted at the merchant that he cannot give up the farm for a couple of vases and that he’ll rather pay thrice for how much he wants to be paid.

“Of course, I know that.” The merchant answered. Richard was puzzled as to where his conversation with the merchant will fly. “Give me your land, and I give you my land plus these vases.” The merchant added.

When Richard heard his answer, he suddenly became persuaded, knowing the mystery of where the merchant came from. Richard’s imagination, again, being aroused and he comes to juggle in his mind the things that the merchant can give him.

“Let me think of it,” Richard demanded. Richard is close to giving up what he has earned, thinking that the land is still not safe to have. Knowing that his secrets can still be revealed and so disposing of any traces of his past is a good move.

“I agree,” Richard called the deal. “Then, tomorrow morning come to the beach, bring every document that reads your ownership of that land and we’ll swap hand in hand.” The merchant ordered him.

That night, Richard stayed being cunning, he sold off the house that he owns, sells his stock produce and fired all of his servants, kept every earned money in his pocket and only spares the document for the farm. Morning came, Richard hurriedly travels to the beach passing every market and anyone that greets him “good morning”. Just before the sun has fully risen, he reached the beach and saw the merchant is already there. “Did you bring the documents?” the merchant asks him. Richard quickly handed the documents.

“Well, then, I’ll now give you my land.” The merchant said. “Where’s your land?” Richard asked.

“It is not here, and you need to row a boat to reach it.” The merchant answered him. Richard, seeing that the negotiation is falling away from his side, grew angry. “What? Do I need to row a boat? Can’t I just ride a ferry?” Richard demanded. 

“No, because you are the only one that I will allow to see.”

Richard is impatient and he just quickly agreed to the deal and set forth the bay and ride the boat that the merchant had given him. There is nothing in the boat aside from three paddles.

“Is there anything? I need to know? Landmarks? Directions?” Richard assures himself. 

“Ah, yes.” The merchant exclaimed.

“The last thing to remember is to, row the mile as far as the sun but remember you must come back before the sun farewells. If you do so, then, every land you have stepped on will be yours. If not, then, nothing will be yours.” The merchant added. 

Richard was shocked at what the merchant had said and deep inside of him he cheered himself to get as much island as possible.

The merchant quickly pushes the boat against the current and sent Richard away, to find his land.

He rowed and rowed, it is still morning and morning fog is still thick, Richard cannot see anything but he stayed in line and rowed until he passed through the fog or when the fog dissipates, whenever comes first. 

Hours have passed and Richard still cannot get through the fog to see where he is going. Right then, from afar he saw a silhouette of an island. Excited about what he saw, Richard speeds up to reach the land quickly, knowing that he has a mission to get as much land as possible. He docked his boat on a beach and saw that the island is barren, with no grass, no trees, no streams. The land is just a waste and none can settle on it. 

So, Richard rowed again. Now being more inspired knowing that the merchant is all right to what he told and probably also to what they have agreed upon.

He quickly found another island, now the island is much better. It has trees, grass and even flowers. However, the soil is full of pits and when Richard tried to look inside of it, he was surprised by a snake crawling out. The island is infested by snakes, even though the island is vegetated it is full of deadly snakes, none can still live there.

Time passed longer when he saw another island, he docked and saw that the island is even better than the two, the soil is extremely vegetated however the island is so small for him. The island is almost perfect if only the area is a bit wider, none can still live there.

Hours have passed, Richard saw another island, now the island is way better than the three. The island is full of vegetation, there is no snake, and the island is sufficiently big. However, half of the island is mountainous. It will be very hard to build structures on the island because of the unevenness brought by the mountains and so Richard decided to, again, look for another island, none can live easy on that island.

Richard rowed faster and vigorously. He deduced that the further he went the better the islands and so he just rowed, passing other islands along the journey. Richard confined himself to just row until he reaches the best island he can see. However, Richard has forgotten that the merchant told him to return before the sun farewells and when he remembered it the sun is already setting. Richard, after his realization, grew in fear, knowing that he’ll have nothing if he cannot go back in time and so, even though he still didn’t find his perfect island, he rowed back as fast as he can and because of his vigorous paddling, he broke all of his paddles.

The sun is quick to set and Richard watches as the darkness creeps along the waves, stranded and with nothing to do and nowhere near to go. Richard laid flat on the boat, hopelessly staring at the starless sky that quickly greeted him. He stifles a laugh as he looks across the emptiness of the night and whispered to himself while the waves cradled the boat. 

“I have nothing left, nothing, except this boat.”