The Blacksmith

Not a man of many words, the barn owner mumbled something about the blacksmith having to decide, and pointed young Thom the direction to go. When young Thom arrived at the blacksmith’s house, a bit of smoke rose up as a hot glowing horse shoe was put in place. Two men with their hands in their pockets were quietly observing the blacksmith hammering in a first nail. As young Thom approached, the two bystanders looked up for a brief moment and quickly returned to watch the work.
Young Thom took of his hat, greeted the men and explained he had a question. The blacksmith still bent forward, snarled back to have some patience. While waiting, young Thom took the opportunity to look around the street. He could see the bakery where quite a few people were standing whispering to each other. It appeared they had noticed young Thom watching them and so they quickly dispersed. Also the baker who’d been standing in his doorway took one last look and turned back inside the house. Young Thom was aware that he would be considered a stranger for still quite some time.
Suddenly the blacksmith impatiently asked what was at hand and as young Thom turned around, all three men where now facing him. The blacksmith laughed quite loud when he saw young Thom upfront and remarked that the boy was his father’s spitting image. It appeared the blacksmith had learned the trade from young Thom’s father. As this was the first friendly remark he’d heard from a villager, young Thom felt encouraged to ask the question about the Inn. The blacksmith saw no problem but consulted the two other men, as he hadn’t lived in the village long enough to know the full story about the Inn. Both men looked at each other but remained silent. Impatient again, the blacksmith asked if there was any problem and since none of the men could come up with something, young Thom’s proposal was therefore granted.

Next : The blacksmith's Son