Chapter 9: Have You Ever Had a Dream?
Chapter 9: Have You Ever Had a Dream?
The sound of a scrubbing brush scraping the floor echoed through the back room as the apprentice stood by the door, juggling a freshly baked, still-warm loaf of bread in his hands.
He looked at Lance with a trace of mockery in his eyes, as if to say, “Even if a chicken gets a rare chance to fly, it’ll end up back on the ground.” That was likely the gist, though the apprentice himself probably wouldn’t be able to express it so poetically.
Lance straightened up, holding the brush. “How’s yesterday’s bread treating you?”
The room still held a strong aroma of cheese and ham, and the grin hadn’t even faded from the apprentice’s face before it vanished.
His mouth began to tighten and his expression soured as if he’d tasted something awful. He looked like he had words to say, but over the past month, he had lost every single one of these exchanges.
He was always the one left in an uncomfortable silence. This time, he’d learned his lesson and, with a huff, simply turned and left, keeping what little pride he had intact.
The apprentice didn’t argue because experience had taught him that, no matter what he did, he’d end up feeling worse.
Everything in the world seemed against him, and the feeling of being rejected was even stronger as he tasted the dry, nearly inedible bread in contrast to the rich scent of cheese and ham.