Rumors: Diving Off The Edge Of The Known

The Letter

“Monsieur! The Rumors are true!” Cried a man in a worn out suit and bowler hat.
His stubby legs, barley clambering their way through the mucky roads of central London. The man to which he was calling, looked back with a side eye and glared at the tubby man from under his top hat.
“Did you get it?” He asked impatiently as the man stumbled to his side.
“Yes. It took some doing, but I got it.” He retrieved a small envelope from inside his jacket, and the towering man snatched it from him.
Grabbing his wrist, the Englishman scolded “Not here. He has eyes everywhere.”
The Englishman kept a tight grip on his companion as he pushed his red cloak back and rushed down the street.

What Are The Rumors?

The two were silent as they meandered through the back alleys of London. Passing maidens hanging their laundry and men stumbling from pubs. Finally, the Englishman threw open an old wooden door, and threw the Frenchman inside.
The room had a certain, ruggedness to it. With chains hanging from the ceiling and tables cluttered with tools, one could rightly assume this was a building created for the purpose of manufacturing goods. An assembly house is another good term for it.

Hastily, the Englishman slammed the door behind him and drew the envelope out of his pocket. He ripped open the casing and let his eyes fly over the carefully penned lettering contained inside.
“Is it what you were hoping for sir?” The Frenchman asked.
The Englishman continued pouring over the words, then paused. And smiled.
“I do believe, my dear Luis, we’ve done it. He cannot possibly escape our grasp.” His confident tone perfectly embodied his statuesque posture.
“Can you be certain sir? If the Swedes could not do it, and the Germans, who’s to say we can? After all, our Polish informant swears he had a beast with him the size of an automobile.”

The Englishman began pouring over the letter once more. Walking circles around the room with Luis following closely behind.
“And-and our Spanish informant spoke of his immense strength. And the Scots of his masterful plans. And the Swiss of his brilliant engineering. I do remember seeing the aftermath of that prison once he had escaped. And that was a prison of Swiss engineering especially built for him!”
“That’s enough!” The Englishman shouted as he turned with a frightful look from his chiseled face. “He will not slip through my grasp as he has the others who have been so little prepared for his trickery. Do you honestly think these rumors to be true? These rumors of beasts and a man with enough brilliance to avoid any disaster? I say, he is but a man. And every man, no matter how strong, can and will fall.”

Preparing For Battle

The Englishman placed himself atop an unopened crate. His slender figure never faltered in its posture as he sat motionless. Reading the carefully penned letter, and plotting various outcomes of the nights events in his minds eye.

“Have you arranged the boat?”
Sheepishly, Luis replied “I have sir. Shall I go ahead of you and inform the royal guard?”
“Not ahead no, I shall wish to have a moment alone with this mastermind. After I’ve left, you may alert the royal guard as to my whereabouts.” He added as he continued looking at the letter. “He may be a criminal collecting the crown jewels of the royal families of Europe, but I should like at least, to learn of his ways.”

Luis nodded, and awaited the Englishman’s next move.
As the rays of sun shining through the wooden slats in the windows turned from a bright lemonade to a deep honey, the Englishman stood, pocketed the letter, and made his way to the outside world. Luis remained inside.

Truth To The Rumors

The world had grown quiet as the end of the day had drawn near. The bustle from the traffic down the road had been reduced to a mere tapping. And the chatter of the crowds was now no more than a murmur within the warehouses that lined the shipyard into which the Englishman had just entered. He moved steadily and confidently as he made his way to the shipyard docks. He buttoned his coat over his black vest as dusk was nearly at its end. But before the light had faded from the world, a lone figure caught the Englishman’s eye. Its broad shouldered silhouette was adorned with a flowing coat that caught the breeze at the edge of the dock. The Englishman stopped and squinted at the figure.

“You must be the English charlatan.” he called out.
There was no reply.
“I’ve come a long way to find you.” The Englishman continued as he moved forward cautiously. “I’ll have you know, you’ve caused a great deal of worry to the royal houses of Europe. So much so, that they felt they needed to hire a merchant to stop you.”
Still no reply.
“I’m beginning to think the greatest rumor spread about you, is the fact that you’ve spoken.”
The figure held it’s hand back, then interjected “Should you come any closer, I’ll be forced to prematurely end your little speech.” Their voice was gruff and forced.
The Englishman stopped.
“And how would you do that?”
“I’ll simply jump.”

“And where would you go? I feel I must bring to your attention the simple fact that the royal guard will be here shortly to retrieve the gems you’ve stolen from England, and the numerous other places you’ve frequented.”
“Is that so? And you’re confident they can stop me?”
“Why yes. I am.” He began walking forwards. “After all, unlike the rumors that are so generous towards you, all I see, is a man. No beasts, no cunning, no tricks, no escape plans. You’re nothing but a thief.”
The figure sighed then continued “I had such high hopes for you. You seemed to have such a clear view of this situation. Yet, you’ve missed the obvious.”
“Such as?” He added, now several feet away.

“You have clearly forgotten to ask why, I’ve been stealing the gems. But honestly, that’s not what upsets me the most in all of this.”
This voice was beginning to sound unnatural as the Englishman came to the figure’s side.
“And, pray tell, what has you most upset in this situation? The fact that a man such as yourself couldn’t outsmart a business man like myself?” he prompted as he looked upon the figure hiding their face in a pilled up grey scarf.

The figure unraveled the scarf from their face revealing pure white smooth skin, long eye lashes, and a round feminine face.
“Bold of you to assume I am a man.”
The Englishman stumbled back.
With wide eyes and weak limbs he stuttered “M-Mother?”
She grabbed his coat with one hand and pulled him closer.
“There are rumors Andrew. Rumors that the world is changing. You, can either be a part of this change, or be swept away when it comes. The choice is yours.” She ended with a malicious smile.
He took short panicked breaths as he contemplated his choice.

The Choice

“Better answer quickly. I know you weren’t fooling around with your little, royal guard threat.”
“I-I….”
She peered into his soul with her icy gaze as she tightened her grip on his coat.
“I’ll join you.” He finally answered.
“Good.”
The ground crunched beneath the guards feet as they ran to the docks.
“Follow me.” His mother ordered as she grabbed the other side of his coat, and slung them both into the water.
The guards arrived and searched the area until no stone had been left unturned. The sun had all but risen, by the time the guards had reconvened on the dock. But no sign of Andrew or his mother were found.

As the guards began filing off the dock in an orderly fashion, Luis walked to the edge, and sat down. Dangling his feet off the edge. He stared into the watery unknown, with a saddened heart. For Andrew was now gone, and his life would lead him back to France. To his small, and uneventful family farm which housed his seven brothers and sisters…….Or would it?

A gloved hand reach up from the water, grabbed hold of Luis’s leg, and dragged him into the dark liquid.

That’s It!

Thank you for reading my first fiction post on the Welcome To My Shoes blog! I hope you enjoyed this mini adventure into the life of an Englishman. I will be posting new stories every other Tuesday so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of the adventures!

P.S. Do you think I should continue this story? If so, what would you like to see in the next installment? Or, would you like to see something different? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you again for joining me as I continue exploring the world one story at a time!