The day started off strong, with songbirds performing a ballad for all members of the Kamikan tribe. Workers were just now entering the fields. Flowers from nearby Crepe myrtles lended their fragrance to the morning air while ragged trees swayed with the cool breeze, wiping away dense fog from the paths of travelers going to and fro. Bit by bit, the presence of the warming sun grew, as it became ever more radiant on its throne–the welcoming horizon. Nature was in full bloom.
Tomi started down the beaten path from his home to Kamika Village while making subtle detours to kick rocks and pull at invasive tree branches sticking out here and there. He whistled, mimicking the sounds of the songbirds around him, and they answered back with their mating calls. After accidentally breaking Mother’s favorite hand-painted vase the day before, Tomi was determined to make it right. “You don’t care, because you didn’t pay for it. Look at all the copper you’ve wasted,” Father had fussed at him. This time, it really was an accident, he thought, and today, he would prove he did care by finding work in the village, earning money, buying a new vase, and bringing it home to his mother.
He passed all the usual landmarks on his way–the things that were routinely available to him–without thinking twice. The small crevices he used to find insects in. The road signs, some in languages of his own, and others in languages he could not understand. The attempts to build things that never manifested. Dreams unrealized. Buildings of men. Sandcastles of his own. It was all of no interest to him any longer. He had his mind set on greater things.
His trip to Kamika was halted, however, when he suddenly came upon a mysterious white shape loitering in the bushes just a few yards off the path. His first instinct was to turn and run, but not today. He had a mission. In full control, he compromised with himself by backing away slowly until he felt he was a safe distance away from the threat. Craning his neck left and right, he tried to get a good look at whatever was hiding in the bushes. If it was an animal, it wasn’t one he had seen before. It was furry and somewhat small, but too big to be a rabbit. He had heard of the occasional albino deer being spotted in the area, but not any time recently.
Obviously, it hadn’t heard him, or else it would have spooked and run off by now. Worst case scenario, it would have tried to eat him. He surmised this much. After reminding himself of the heroes of old, who had single-handedly fought off deadly creatures in the Kamikan hills, he found the courage deep down to proceed and get a better look. After all, he had chased off creatures larger than this before. With a stick.
The young boy grabbed a nearby branch that looked sturdy enough and readied it for use as a poker or weapon. He slid one foot forward, keeping his hands steady and ready for action. His sword extended in front of him, he continued with another step. As he started to take another, a small branch was suddenly flung from the shrubbery out of nowhere. It flew towards him, twirling like a clay saucer through the air, and landed with a soft crunch just a couple of feet in from of him. He paused, petrified. The rustling grew louder. Oh boy, he thought.
Little by little, Tomi made his way forward. The few steps he took stretched into eternity. Finally, he got close enough within range of the creature to make out what it was. And, to his surprise, it was no creature. What he thought at first was fur was actually very smooth, and it was extremely difficult to tell this until you got up close. Nearly impossible, even. The sun had initially obscured his view in a magical way. He felt tricked. “Hey,” he shouted at the form that was now just a few feet in from of him. The white shape suddenly grew larger, morphing and raising above the height of the shrubbery. It now towered over him. Catching wind, the ghoul-like being eloquently spun, shedding the illusion to reveal a tall bearded man dressed in a shabby white robe.
“Oh, hello,” he said, dusting himself off and extending his hand to Tomi. “My name is Orin. Nice to meet you.”
Surprised, Tomi considered all he had seen for just a moment. The man, now known as Orin, smiled at him, and Tomi committed to the handshake. “My name is Tomi,” he uttered.
“Fancy meeting you out here,” said Orin. “Tell me, Tomi, what are you doing this far from home?”
“I’m looking for work,” Tomi replied, feeling much older now.
“Work? You look pretty young for work, kiddo. And the next village…Well, don’t worry about it, but, I’ll tell you what. You’re in luck. You’ve come to the right place. I’ve got something I need help with right here,” said Orin. “You see that radish over there on the ground? I’m gathering those to take back to my village, Tomi. My people are having a very special ceremony in a few days, and we need lots of those radishes. You think you can help me? I’ll pay you.”
Tomi looked back at the branch that had been tossed earlier and realized now that it wasn’t a branch, as it had first appeared. It was a radish. He had been mistaken. “Okay,” he agreed.
“So how much is it going to cost me, Tomi? Name your price,” insisted Orin.
“Four copper pieces. I need four copper pieces for a vase. Is that okay?” asked Tomi.
“Four copper pieces? Hmmm…let me think,” said Orin. He stroked his chin for a moment, considering the offer. His eyes receded, turning into those of a thoughtful wise man. He considered the offer very carefully, making Tomi nervous. Tomi began to think maybe he had asked for too many coins.
After a short verbal banter with himself, where he debated the pros and cons, Orin finally gave his answer. “You know what? You drive a hard bargain, Tomi. I don’t usually do this, but I’ll do it for you. I’m in a good mood today, so four copper coins sounds like a deal to me,” he said. “And I’ll tell you what. If you do an excellent job, you might be eligible for a bonus. So do we have a deal?” Tomi had never made a deal with anyone before, but it sounded like a fair deal to him. “Okay,” he answered, and they got to work.
Once Orin taught him the proper method for pulling radishes from the ground without tearing off their stalks, he was well on his way to success. Even during the hottest part of the work day, the heat didn’t bother him all that much. The labor load was light, but gathering enough radishes to supply the needs Orin described took the better part of a day. There were patches of good crops hidden everywhere, but picking them oust amongst all the other greenery–common weeds, tangled limbs, and poison ivy most of all–proved difficult. Tomi had not expected this, and this forced him to rethink his plans. He would have to settle on earning the money today and making the trip to Kamika village to purchase the vase tomorrow. Either way, the four copper coins was all he could think about now that the job was underway.
As the work day neared its end, Tomi began to grow excited. With the end in sight, he felt a surge that pushed him to work even harder. He was in peak performance shape. A mountain of radishes had been assembled, and the four copper coins he had been promised were waiting for him just around the corner. He imagined the prize in his hands and how they would feel. He thought of how he would wake up early tomorrow and come back the same way. And then when he made it to Kamika village, he could pick out any vase he wanted. He might even be able to bring back two vases. Maybe three if he was lucky.
Finally, Orin took a tally of the radishes collected from their harvest and began nodding his head. “Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven in all. All right, that’s enough,” said Orin. At last, Tomi thought. He had accumulated a cocktail of scrapes and cuts from digging around the shrubbery. Small speckles of blood were painted up and down his bare arms and legs. The job had taken all day. He was tired, hungry, and thirsty, but now it was over. He wanted to go home, but more than anything, he wanted those coins.
Orin pulled four copper coins from his pocket and handed them to Tomi. “As promised,” he said. This was it–the moment he had been waiting for. The rusty coins seemed to take on the form of diamonds in his hands, and he marveled at how real they felt. He had been trusted to handle Mother and Father’s coinage from time to time, so he was no stranger to the cold, metallic texture of copper. Yet, somehow these felt even more real. He closed his fist, clutching the coins tightly, and smiled. This had been the perfect end to his day.
The silhouettes of the two workers stood in front of an all encompassing sun that was now swallowing the earth whole. “And before you go, how about that bonus I told you about?” Tomi felt exhilarated; all the hard work had caused him to forget. Orin reached down into his coat pocket and pulled out a golden medallion. With it resting on his palm, he extended his hand to Tomi, allowing him to see it fully. “Take a look,” he insisted, and with slight hesitation, Tomi reached for the medallion and secured it with his thumb and index finger. He analyzed it carefully.
It was a circular medallion unlike any he had seen before, laden in solid gold. On the front, a ringed border hugged its outside edge with little decorative notches spaced evenly all the way around. The border framed the head of a fox, which was engraved deeply into the medallion’s pure metal. The design on the back was nearly identical; however, the inscription “FABRE EST SUAE QUINQENNIAL FORTUNAE“ was written in place of the fox. Nicks and scratches corrupted the delicate design of the medallion here and there, but this only added to the coin’s aesthetic. It was apparent the coin had seen better days, but it had aged in a way that brought out a natural beauty that was difficult to replicate.
A huge grin grew on Tomi’s face as he marveled at the idea of owning the medallion. How much could it be worth? Where did it come from? All sorts of questions began popping into his head. “I can have it?” he asked. “Oh, no no no…wait a second, there,” Orin retracted. He smirked and took the medallion back into his possession before continuing, “Just wanted to show it to you.” Tomi didn’t understand. “However,” Orin continued, “if you can guess the winning side in a coin toss, I’ll double your money. No tricks. You can only win, kiddo. I made it easy on you, so you’ll walk away feeling like a winner no matter what. If you call it right, you get eight copper coins. If you call it wrong, well…you still get the four copper coins I promised you. Sound like a fair deal?” Orin asked.
Tomi perked up, staring at the precious medallion and what it symbolized. Fixated, he took on the appearance of a grown man, considering the two options laid out before him. It didn’t take him long, however, because the answer seemed clear. Just as Orin had pointed out, there was only the possibility of earning more than he bargained for. He had nothing to lose. And, he had won plenty of coin tosses before. In fact, he had won almost all of them. “Okay,” he finally agreed. “You sure?” asked Orin. Mind completely made up, Tomi nodded his head and said, “I’m sure.” “Call it before it lands,“ Orin instructed, just before rolling the coin onto his thumb and flicking it into the air.
Tomi stood mesmerized by the flying medallion, it’s brilliance on full display. It hung in the weeping wind for a moment, dizzying itself in a picturesque scene, where puffy clouds collided in the blue expanse above. The sun struck its edge, spraying shards of light like shattered glass that pierced Tomi’s eyes, blinding him for a split second. He flinched, breaking away from the coin’s hypnosis and called out “Heads!” nearly choking to get it out. The medallion then began its descent and tumbled back down to the hand of its master. On Orin’s palm, it crash landed on it’s side, failed to strike a balance, and bounced off. Tomi’s eyes widened as he watched it fall once more before it hit the ground, rolled in a spiral several times, and finally rested flat on the dirt path. Orin smirked, looking slightly embarrassed.
They both moved to where the medallion had landed and stooped to survey the result. Beneath their shadows, Tomi could make out the words “FABRE EST SUAE QUINQENNIAL FORTUNAE“ glaring back at him. “Tails,” said Orin. He put the coin back in his pocket. “Well, like we agreed on, you lose nothing. Keep working hard, kiddo. It was a pleasure doing business with you.” Tomi stood silent, complicit with the terms of their agreement. He was taking in everything this strange man was saying.
“Thanks for all of your help today, and please be safe on your journey home!” said Orin. Tomi helped Orin bag the radishes in a large knapsack just before the two exchanged one final goodbye and went their separate ways. Tome felt that he has never met anyone like this man.
The journey home seemed to drag. It had been a long day, and after losing the coin toss, Tomi felt like the energy had been sapped out of him. He somehow managed to feel like a loser even though he had come out ahead. The hottest part of the day was supposed to have been earlier, but the heat seemed more intense than ever now. He squeezed the copper coins in his pocket tightly.
Midway through his trek back, he saw a few men from the village carrying loads of crops in from the fields, and something from within brought out a placid smile that faded soon after. Just beyond the men, he could see a whole section of the field now completely cleared away, evidence of the hard work they put in. This small portion juxtaposed against the remainder of the harvest made him think of how much more work there was to be done. Those fields seemed endless, and for all he knew, they could be.
As he continued, one of the signs in an unknown language standing on the side of the path stood out to him. The words seemed to take shape in a way he couldn’t explain. In disbelief, he saw that the language was now one he recognized. It said “FABRE EST SUAE QUINQENNIAL FORTUNAE.” A small translation below in his own language read “every man is the architect of his own fortune.”
More strange thoughts began to enter his head, and they irritated him. One thought led to another. Strange. They compounded in complexity to the point of meaninglessness. Every man is the architect of his own fortune? Strange. Meaninglessness evolved into senselessness. His brain was turning to mush. He had earned everything he was promised, but something still didn’t feel right. He was left wanting. There was a hole that needed to be filled.
As Tomi walked that evening, ragged trees hung like wet cloths, tired from their work wiping away the fog that played with travelers’ perceptions of reality each morning. That same threat would be there to lead travelers astray tomorrow, so their work was not yet done. The sun was starting to fall out of the sky. He thought about tomorrow. How long would it really take him to get to Kamika Village? He thought he could make it there and back within a day, but now he wasn’t so sure. He decided he could sleep on it and make new plans in the morning.
A stillness began to pervade his surroundings as a new tune to wildlife’s soundtrack began to set in. It was an eerie chirping with melodic undertones. Tomi was too exhausted to whistle along even though the insects begged him to join in. The only music to be heard that evening was orchestrated by the souls of singing crickets in their hidden domains as the day came to a close.