After the last rays of sun disappeared below the hills South
of the lake, I entered my cabin, allegedly to have some supper.
Once inside, I felt my stomach tense slightly and my breathing
change as I thought of what the night ahead held for me: tension
…fear …difficult work …danger - it made my blood
race.
I have always liked a challenge; maybe that’s what lead
me to a life of, well, let’s be honest: crime. Why should
I sweat in a field or slave away in a shop when, with a little
effort, I can make a living working only a few hours a week?
It’s not for everyone, sure, but for me, for those of us
who can, it’s the only way.
This night would hold plenty of challenge - and plenty of
reward if all went well. I glanced out the window to see if anyone
was still hanging around. No. Good. I quickly gnawed some dried
beef to carry me for the night as I undressed. I left my belt
to one side as I bundled the other clothes, including the hard
boots, into the old chest. I pulled a black sack from the secret
compartment at the bottom.
I couldn’t help but smile as I brought out my work clothes.
The memories of the jobs I’d done with this black cotton
shirt…the well-worn, dark, soft boots that had carried me
away from so much danger. The old, black tailed hood was a comfort
as I slipped it on, hanging it low around my neck for now.
Then there were the tools. First my faithful belt - I thought
of how I used it once in Warwick to hang outside a fat merchant’s
window for nearly an hour when he surpised me by arriving home
early one night. Then a good length of rope fit on the belt.
The picks that fit nicely in a slot behind the belt, out of sight.
A small blade for traps slid familiarly into the right boot;
poisoned dirk, a trusty friend in a pinch, went (with its envenomed
sheath) into the left boot. And tonight I’d need the small
spade and a small hack saw blade as well.
After depositing a half-dozen candles and my black face mask
into it, I tucked the sack into the back of the belt as well.
I wrapped it tight, so it would be soundless as I ran.
I paused for a nervous second, listening. Time passed; had
I heard someone? Then it was silence again. I proudly pulled
up my hood and slipped out into the night to meet up with my
nefarious comrades.
Yes, I was ready for the night.
