A Bad Day In the Life of a Rogue, Part 2

Hiding back in the shadows of the cell, propped as comfortably as possible in a corner with my legs stretched out in front of me, I contemplated my toes and tried to imagine how the day could get worse. My best lock pick had been confiscated and was currently locked in the “illicit items” drawer. And I was trapped in this cell with no idea how long I would be here.

I heard the quiet jangle of his keys, and I knew the constable, settled at his desk, was snoozing in the calm of the afternoon. Great. I was locked away, and the only person who knew was taking a nap. If only that urchin hadn’t found my lock pick…

I must have dozed off too in the peace of the afternoon because the next thing I remember was being awoken by the deputy as he brought a basket to my cell. “Complements of the mayor. She didn’t want ya to be hungry.” The mayor? I couldn’t recall ever hearing of the mayor sending dinner to anyone in jail, but I wasn’t going to ask questions; the mayor’s cook made the best bread. Seated on the floor with the bounty of my basket dinner spread out on a blanket around me, it was almost possible to forget the miserable events of the day.

If I used my imagination, it was like a nighttime picnic. But my pleasant alternate reality lasted only as long as my meal, and then I was reminded of how bitterly lonely I was.

Around this time every evening, the town’s residents gathered in the main square to enjoy a concert. If I sat quietly and focused, I could hear strains of the music. Of course, with the mayor out of town, the music wasn’t quite as spectacular, but the other musically-inclined residents were still entertaining. Even without the mayor and her lute, the show went on. Without the mayor…..

A thought sparked in the back of my mind. How would the mayor have known I was in jail to send me a basket dinner… when she was supposedly out of town visiting her family. It had been a set-up!

This day just kept getting better and better.