1 Unfamiliar Place (2/2)
”Where the heck am I?” I blurted out loud.I looked down at my chest and saw that my clothing was changed somehow while I slept.Instead of my favorite blue and orange New York Mets baseball tee, I was wearing a drab green colored loose, long sleeved tunic.The shirt was tied in place with a brown leather ring belt, attached to a sheath on my left hip, with a dagger in the sheath.Instead of black sweatpants, I was wearing gray tights!My blue slippers were replaced with short, black shoes that rose just above my ankles.I had to admit, though, that these shoes were more comfortable than my slippers.Never mind that!Think Mc Fly, think!How in the world did I end up . . . where?
I started to pull myself off the ground, but my body betrayed me as I was assaulted by a wave of nausea.I slipped and fell back on the ground with a hard THUMP!
”Hey lookee here!This man is still stinking drunk!” a haughty, male voice said.
”Should we toss him in jail to sleep it off?” another male voice asked, with a hint of eagerness.
”Nah, hauling in a drunk won't help us meet our quota for today as members of The Watch,” the first man replied.”If we tried to puff him up as some dastardly scoundrel, we'll be laughed at by our captain.And the time spent on the paperwork for this drunk will pull us off the street if a wanted outlaw is running around.Nope, he's definitely not worth hauling in,” the man concluded.
”But we can't just leave him here.Let's make him move away from this area at least.Our captain would reprimand us if he saw us leave this guy next to the road,” the second guard suggested.
A moment later, a hard stick was shoved into my ribs.”Ouuff,” I blurted out as the pain shocked my body awake now.
”Move it you lousy drunk!” the first guy yelled into my ear as he pulled my right arm.My leg was kicked for emphasis.
”Ow!Alright, alright!I'm up!” I replied as I slowly rose off the ground.My head was no longer spinning.I felt a rough shove at my back.I did not resist it but simply kept moving.
I didn't know who the men were, as I didn't even get a chance to look at them.However, I heard that they were members of The Watch, the local law enforcement, and that was good enough to for me.”Don't go looking for trouble,” as my momma always said.
I saw something floating in the corner of my eye.When I concentrated on this mysterious object, a small, white message screen appeared in front of me.In big black letters, I saw the following words: ”-1 Health.-1 Health.”Once I read the message, it dissolved into nothingness.Huh?What was that about?I stared for a moment at the spot where the message had disappeared but nothing happened.”Let's keep moving,” I said to myself.
I looked around as I walked on the sidewalk.The city block was filled with shops and small houses.Some were a single story house, others two or even three stories tall.The houses were mostly wattle and daub homes, or houses that had timber frames and twigs and dried mud as walls.There were also houses made of cobblestones and timber.
I saw many people on the streets, dressed in clothes from the medieval ages.Most of the men wore dirty looking, long tunics that fell to their knees, hoses, and shoes.Some wore coifs as well.The women wore gowns that dropped to their ankles and flat shoes.Some women also wore veils over their hair.Did I end up in a Renaissance Fair somehow?
I looked up at the sky and noted that it was still early morning.Now, where could I go for information?I looked around and saw what I was looking for—an inn!