The second morning in Amos Aquila's body felt different than the first. Bailey had picked up on Amos's routine from the previous day. He spent some time exploring the fields around the farm, inspecting the animals, and covertly watching his new parents complete their chores.
He now had a semi-competent understanding of how to milk the cows, toss hay, and could name the basic tools of the trade.
It was with confidence - perhaps unearned - that Bailey tossed aside his patchy blanket and jumped out of bed. He changed into Amos' work clothes.
Bailey spared a glance for Yakob's bed. In contrast to yesterday, it was an image of order and cleanliness. The scattered papers were cleared away and rumpled sheets straightened out.
Three weeks until I can start learning to read with Yakob.
Until then, I'll work hard to keep up my appearance as Amos. I can also learn about the world around me from Kien and Leila - my parents - while I wait!
From this point forward, I will be Amos.
Downstairs, Bailey - no, Amos - met his parents for breakfast. They chatted about one of their cows, Clover, who was going lame. It was a dreary topic, and, in the coming months, the Aquila family farm would have to debate letting her live in pain or putting her out of her misery. Amos had no input.
Amos and his parents said the same prayer before eating, Praise Progress, but the eggs weren't as good as they were yesterday. The breakfast table felt like a crucial piece was missing, maybe two, considering Amos' state of being.
Just as Kien and Leila were getting up to leave, Amos smacked his head like he had forgotten something simple. "I can't believe it! I've totally forgotten the Emperor's name!"
Amos' parents froze. They both turned slowly to look at him with concern.
"Our emperor?" they clarified.
Was I that obvious?
"Uh, haha, no. I meant the other one?" Amos attempted a recovery.
Amos' father thought for a moment, "There's a heretic filled Empire south of the glacier, is that what you mean?"
"Yes! Those heretics!"
"I believe the Empress there calls herself Carmine," Kien looked to his wife, who nodded in confirmation. Her expression of worry had faded by now, changing into a look of concentration, "Yes, Carmine of the Bosuric Empire. Yakob's better with this stuff than we are. You should ask him about it when he gets back."
Amos nodded, "I have a lot of questions for Yakob."
"I never knew you to be interested in politics, dear," said Leila.
"Everything connects to everything else[1]," Amos said, "it's important to understand the world around us."
"He has been talking to Yakob!" exclaimed Kien, "I'll have two genius sons by the end of the month, no doubt!"
Leila took the opportunity to exit the conversation. She went into a side room and returned with two buckets full of what appeared to be wheat seeds. She handed one to Amos and kept the other.
"Amos, we'll start seeding the east fields today since we finished fertilising them yesterday. Your father will see about that heifer, then come join us later."
Amos nodded. He was pretty sure there wasn't much of a science to seeding. Maybe just sprinkling the pods in a certain pattern, but even that wouldn't make too much of a difference. Amos resolved to randomly throw the seeds with confidence.
They exited the front door together. Leila touched the bronze icon hanging there. Amos noticed a polish on what would be the base of the 'bottle' from many hands rubbing it. The Aquila family were clearly pious - or at the very least, patriotic.
Why wouldn't Yakob want them to know he's working for the Trenmir if they seem to value the Empire so much?
Amos followed his mother to the east fields while thinking on such problems.
I need to be less obvious when gathering information.
It seemed like a blunder to ask the name of our Emperor, but not another country's... Maybe it's common knowledge here.
Amos was dragging his feet in the dirt as he walked and, consequently, tripped on a hardy tuft of grass.
As he fell, he put out his arms to break his fall, but dropped his seed bucket in the process. The wheat spilled into the grass and dirt. Amos tumbled into the mixture of earth and wheat, protecting himself from the worst of the fall with his forearms. The wooden bucket bounced in front of him and came to a rolling stop at Leila's feet, spilling whatever contents were left in it along its path.
She turned to observe his prone body. Amos groaned.
"There's something weird going on with you," she said with a sigh.
Fuck.
Amos remained silent, heart pumping.
"You fell over yesterday morning. Fell over today," she began listing, "You're forgetting important things and asking such strange questions."
Is she putting it together already?
Is my second life over so soon?
"I know," she began again, "I know you said you weren't sick yesterday. But are you absolutely sure there's nothing going on?"
Oh. Of course. She wouldn't just assume her son has been replaced by a stranger from a different universe.
"Yeah, I actually haven't been feeling good at all. I don't know what's wrong with me," Amos said, relieved to have an excuse for his behaviour. Then he remembered Leila's reaction when he apologised the day before and added, "Sorry."
Leila sighed. "Pick up the seeds you just dropped. Every single one. Then, give me the bucket and go to bed. I'll seed the fields myself until Kien gets here."
"Straight to bed?" Amos sat up, "but what about my farm chores?"
"You can't do any chores if you drop from plague, you goose."
Amos felt immediately guilty. Though they weren't his family, and he didn't truly have any responsibility towards them, he felt an inexplicable urge to ease any of their pains. He had taken their son from them after all. Also, Yakob had made it sound like the profits from the Aquila family farm were declining. Could Amos really hasten their bankruptcy so?
"Can I do..." he began, trying to think of a plausible way a sick person might help around a farm, "something else?"
Leila paused before responding, "You can pick up those seeds for me first. Leave them in the bucket there, then go clean the house if you have to do something."
"Got it, clean," Amos nodded, already trying to pick out the seeds from the grass.
"Then, if you're feeling any better, you can check on the animals. Your father's already been looking at Clover so there shouldn't be too much to do, but they might need feed and water. You know how the cows like a scratch, too."
Amos nodded.
"But take it easy, boy. The work will wait for you, I promise."
Amos finished collecting the seeds and stood up straight. He dusted off his work clothes and saluted his mother. He turned around and walked away stiffly like a soldier. He heard Leila chuckling behind her back and imagined her shaking her head at his antics.
...
The house was a simple enough job for Amos to clean. The work was comforting and familiar. Something he could do for the Aquilas without causing even more problems for them.
Amos took this time to explore the house in its entirety. He felt it was best to do his snooping while he was alone, so that no one asked why he was investigating the pantry so thoroughly, for example.
It was a simple two-story house with a thatched roof. All the windows in the house were constructed using beams of wood without any glass. When the wooden shutters were opened to let in the sunlight, the inside of the house met the exterior fresh air.
Amos noticed cobwebs in the high ceiling of the central room, but couldn't find a ladder to reach them. Instead, he picked up a long pole he discovered in the eastern storerooms. Then, he found one of Yakob's shirts in their shared chest and wrapped it around the end of the pole.
Amos used his makeshift duster to wipe away the cobwebs in the ceiling. He grimaced to think of Yakob's reaction if he saw what his shirt was doing right now.
After completing a few chores around the house, Amos went to clean the bedrooms in the western wing. He first went upstairs and made his bed. Then he shook the dusty, web-covered shirt out the open window and returned it to the chest.
Downstairs was Kien and Leila's room. Amos stopped at the door. He felt like an intruder here more than anywhere else.
Leila told me to clean the house...
She would be upset if I cleaned everywhere except for her room.
Amos held his breath and pushed open the door. The shutters were closed, letting only thin spines of sunlight through cracks in the wood to illuminate the room. Amos cast a glance around in the gloom. Small tools hung on pegs in the walls. The double bed was made up neatly, with a chest similar to Amos and Yakob's at its feet. A simple desk and chair was huddled into the far corner.
Amos walked up to inspect the desk. Immediately, he noticed there was a map unfurled on its surface.
Yes! This is what I've been looking for!
He went to the window and flung it open to let the light enter the room properly. Hurrying back to the desk, Amos sat at the chair and began examining the map.
It was vertically oriented, and not particularly large. The label at the top was illegible to Amos, but not for lack of trying. Next to the label was the same icon that hung above the door of the farmhouse. The paper itself was a sort of parchment with a yellow tinge, and the map was crudely drawn with charcoal. A line across the centre denoted, in Amos' estimation, a river. To the south of the centre of the river was a little star - home?
There were a few labelled circles dotted around the map. Only two drew Amos's immediate attention. There was a smudged line in the charcoal, originating from the farm. It followed northeast along a dotted line by the river to a small village. From there it went east and stopped at a slightly larger circle.
Without even being able to read the labels, Amos understood what this map was showing.
It's our immediate surroundings!
The smudge must be where Kien or Leila traced Yakob's route... Then that means this first town is Botre Village, and the second is Tarton!
I can also see many other farms around this river, and a few forests. There are mountains to the far south as well, apparently.
The Bosuric Empire I learned about this morning must be south of the mountain range, which provides a natural barrier between us.
But I still have to learn about my own country...
Amos' musings were interrupted by that damned rooster, crowing for attention. In all his excitement to gain more information about his new world, he had totally forgotten he was supposed to tend to the animals as well.
Amos left the map on the desk, then tidied up whatever miniscule mess could be found in his parent's room. He closed the window shutters around the house and made his way outside with a bucket of feed.
[1] Amos is referencing a quote from Leonardo da Vinci here; "To develop a full and complete mind, study the art of science and the science of art. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else."