hired hand at the weigh-houses, of Kuttenberg
“I run messages and fetch ledgers for the foremen. A clever man uses his feet and mouth, not just his shoulders.”
Things Walter had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
the eve of Whitsun, at None
Fritz will not shut his mouth about his brother Hynek. The man marched off to Hungary four winters ago. He is dead in a ditch, Fritz. We have work to find and coin to make before the sun sets, and weeping over ghosts pays no groschen.
Nota scribaeThe speaker waved his arms so much he nearly knocked over my ink.
the Tuesday after St Mark, at Prime
Another day at the lower gate, another German foreman offering copper pennies for silver work. How is a Kuttenberg man meant to buy ale when these starving farmers from burnt villages do the fetching for next to nothing? Bloody hell.
Ay, it is a foul time. Even Elishka's watered ale would cost more than what they pay us now.
the third day of Easter week, at Sext
Christ almighty, if Kunz does not give back my wood saw, I will break his nose. A man needs his tools. It cost me a month of errands to buy that saw, and he has had it since Candlemas. A thief is what he is.
I told you I am not finished with the boards, you loudmouth.
Finish them with your teeth, just give me my saw.
Nota scribaeHe spoke this very loudly, looking over his shoulder toward the mill.
the Monday after St Matthias, at Prime
Woke up shivering in a hayloft again, brushing straw out of my hair. Elishka the ale-wife is resting in heaven now, but I miss her cellar. A penny a week for a dry hearth was a godsend. Now I must sleep with my tools tied to my belt.
I miss her stew. It was mostly water, but it warmed the belly.
Nota scribaeHe checked his belt three times while dictating.
Candlemas, at Vespers
John is making a great fuss over a heavy iron mallet he lent me. I only need it for a few days to finish a fence, but he stalks around the timber yards demanding it back. Let a man work, John! The spring mud is not even cleared yet.
Give it back, Walter. You have no intention of returning it, and you cannot even lift it properly.
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
You have a stone for a heart, Walter. I just want word sent eastward.