farmer at the Lorec vineyard, of Lorec
“I prune vines faster than any bloke here and keep my eyes open for what the careless leave behind. A man has to look out for himself.”
Things Hynek had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
the Tuesday before Ascension, at None
Bloody hell, Adam is at it again, snivelling over his mother Magdalena's pottage while we eat. The war's harsh, the bread's dear, and weeping into your bowl won't change it. A man must harden up or the roads will take him.
the feast of St Mark, at Vespers
Finished my row before any of the old men today. If the bailiff had eyes in his head, he'd see my tally is the highest. But no, the wage stays the same. At least the evening light is good for spotting what's been left on the stumps.
Aye, always pays to keep your eyes open when the shift ends.
Nota scribaeDictated very fast, waving his arms about.
the Monday after Easter, at Terce
Saw Havel and Roger from the watch beating a beggar on the road today. Soldiers are quick with their sticks if they catch you poking around. I keep my head down and my hands quick. Bloody hell, I'm not ending up like that beggar.
the second week of Lent, at Compline
Nicholas is shouting his mouth off again about that pruning knife. He says he lent it. I say he left it in the dirt to rust, and I saved the blade. Finders, keepers. I use it every day, and I'm not handing it back to a man who'd lose his own nose.
I lent it to you for one afternoon, you thieving whoreson! Give it back!
It's safe with me, Nicholas. It'd be brown with rust if I hadn't picked it up.
Nota scribaeThe man laughed inappropriately throughout the telling.
Candlemas, at Sext
The foreman rang the bell early, but I was already walking the terraces. Found a decent pruning knife lying right there in the dirt. Bloody hell, if a man doesn't look after his tools, he doesn't deserve them. It's mine now.
That's my knife! I put it down to tie my boot!
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
It's easy to laugh when you've a heart like a stone, Hynek.
A stone doesn't starve, lad. Dry your eyes and eat your crust.