November 20

Glenn had gotten an early start that day, waking up at the crack of dawn. A quick breakfast of fresh fruit, bread with butter, and green tea was eaten quickly, then he threw on some appropriate working clothes: his black cloak, knitted cap, leather working gloves, canvas carpenter's pants, and his trusty work boots. His tools were mostly already in his knapsack and toolbox, so it was simply a matter of grabbing them and heading outside to the street. He quickly hailed a carriage.

?Where to, guv'nor?? the carriage driver asked. He was dressed smartly in black dress pants and a black vest over a white dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up around the forearms. The gentleman favored Glenn with a lopsided smile as he adjusted the ebony cap on his head.

?Well, it's kind of tough to describe. It's outside the city, about...15 minutes or so. I know it's a little past the glen. It's a barn. I haven't actually seen it yet, but this-? he handed the driver a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it - ?is supposed to be the address.? The driver scanned the paper briefly, then handed it back to Glenn with a smile.

?I'm sure I can get ye where ye need to be. If ye're ready, hop aboard.? Glenn did as the man instructed, and the familiar clip-clop of horse hooves on cobblestone roads soon lulled Glenn half-asleep.

***

Glenn woke up when the rumbling of wheels stopped. He stepped out of the carriage, paid the driver, and thanked him. He stepped off to the side of the road as the carriage turned around and made its way back to the city. This far out of the city, the forest that dominated the landscape closer to RhyDin had been stripped away. There were trees here and there close by, but they were mostly windbreaks, and almost all of them were on or near the road; the fields only stopped where the forest had been too thick to carve out more land for growing, further east and west. Otherwise, it was clear and flat all around. What Glenn guessed were fields for farming lay fallow now, covered sparsely by weeds. Come spring, these fields would be cleaned up, plowed, and fertilized. All manner of crops would be planted in the soil: corn, wheat, soybeans, oats, and who knew what else? There were plenty of other farm buildings nearby as well. Farmhouses, other barns, stables, and corncribs dotted the landscape nearby. His barn was on the smallest segment of land, on the right side of the road heading south. His land was clearly fenced off on either side by much larger farms. One farm seemed to be of the crop growing variety, while the other one had a large field of grass growing and some horses milling about. There was a small field behind Glenn's barn, but he guessed he would probably have to let some one else farm it for him. What did he know of farming, anyway?

At some point, there had been a farmhouse here, but all that was left of that building was a concrete foundation and some scorched timbers. How the house had burnt down, and not the barn, Glenn didn't know. But the barn was a beauty, if somewhat dilapidated. It was instantly recognizable as a barn, and yet, the architecture was unfamiliar to Glenn. First, the barn had been painted red, a fact that was plain even as some of the paint had started to fleck off from weathering and decay. The only barns Glenn had ever seen were painted white, or simply treated without painting. Second, and far more interesting to Glenn, part of the second story cantilevered over the ground. Below that overhang were various feeding and drinking troughs, along with a stable door and openings to stable windows. It was evident that at some point, the barn had been converted for human occupation: the glass windows put up near what were once simply shutters were crudely fitted, if serviceable at keeping the elements out. Glenn couldn't tell too much about the second story from outside, other than the fact that it seemed huge, and had only a pair of tiny windows. He wasn't sure, if he decided to fully convert the barn, what he would do about that. The roof seemed intact, though, thank goodness. Most of the work he would have to do would be ensuring the ground floor walls were fully intact and sealed against the elements, and probably cleaning out the inside as well. Of course, he didn't have the key to unlock the barn yet. He would have to wait until Rena arrived to fully examine and determine the work that needed to be done.

Glenn had been crouched near the door, examining one of the boards that made up the barn's exterior. He pressed on it, feeling the wood give a little under his gloved hand, and frowned. I'm gonna have to figure out how to replace these boards, I guess. Just then, Rena spoke to Glenn. He straightened up and turned around to face her. He smiled, faintly, before reaching up to tuck a few loose strands of light brown hair under his cap.

?The carriage drivers around here really know their way around,? Glenn said, as the key was handed over. He took the key with one hand while the other fished through his pockets, looking for the simple metal ring he put his other keys on. Only a couple of keys were attached to that loop now, but soon, Glenn hoped, that would change. The barn, first, then hopefully a store in the marketplace. And someday? Perhaps a nice apartment, or even a small little house. He chuckled lightly to himself, as he put the new key on his key chain.

He braced himself for what might await him inside the barn. Sure, the outside seemed mostly intact, but he had no idea how long the barn had been out of use. Would there be piles of rotten hay inside, souvenirs from its past as a stable for animals? What about mice or rat droppings? Cobwebs? What about the floor? Glenn half-shut his eyes as he unlocked the door. The sight and smell that greeted him was surprising. Sure, it was a bit musty inside, but there was no odor of decay at all. There were cobwebs throughout the interior, but a quick glance at the floor (which was made of hard-packed dirt and seemed perfectly fine, other than a thin layer of dust) revealed no leftover hay, no rodent or insect infestation, and no animal droppings. The reason for this soon became clear as soon as he stepped inside. An orange and white tomcat, missing part of its right ear and about half of its tail, hissed at Glenn when he entered, then fled through a hole in the wall on the other side of the barn. He shook his head. ?Great, that's two problems I've got to fix now.?

A brief examination made his earlier fears about finding remnants of stable usage seem ludicrous. Sure, there were still a couple of stables intact inside. A closer examination of the ground also revealed slight indentations where other stables might have been. However, the signs of habitation were clear. Abandoned furniture was scattered throughout: a dining room table, chairs (one of which was missing a leg and splayed haphazardly along the ground), and a bed whose mattress (if the springs popping out of it in places were any indication) had clearly seen better days. There were other, more pleasant surprises elsewhere in the barn, though. Opposite the remaining stables, a black wood-burning stove sat. The previous owners appeared to have properly ventilated the stove, and time didn't seem to have taken too much out of it. Glenn would have to test it first, but he had hopes that it could be used for cooking as well as heating the place. Additionally, there was an old, wooden icebox that still seemed mostly intact. He wasn't sure how much time he was going to spend out here, but it appeared that he wouldn't have to purchase too many things to make himself at home. A smile crossed Glenn's face again, as he turned to face Rena.

?So, I guess we should start cleaning up some of the dirt and dust first, right??

At Rena's words, Glenn made his way over to the doorway and leaned outside, trying to catch a glance at who was coming. He hadn't really expected any help besides Rena, and maybe Carley at some point, but the sight of four workers? With a wagon that seemed completely loaded for the task of repairing anything that needed fixing with the barn? It was enough to take the words out of his mouth for a few moments. When he finally responded, it was with quiet awe.

?Th-thank you Rena. I really don't know what to say.? Glenn beamed, as he stepped outside to greet those workers, this time with a louder voice that, while not entirely authoritative, seemed more confident than normal from him. ?You guys know what to do? I'm sure you do, but I'll go over it again just in case. I think we need to check and make sure the foundation and all the exterior wood is intact, and replace whatever isn't. We shouldn't have too much problem cleaning up all the mess inside, but we still need to remove a couple of the old stables. And feel free to suggest we fix anything else; I basically need to set up a workshop, a bedroom, and maybe a place to cook and eat?? He paused, tapping his forehead with his forehead, deep in thought. ?I'm guessing we don't have running water, so hopefully we have an outhouse, and I'll have to see about getting some sort of bath tub and something to heat larger amounts of water in here.?

Glenn continued to jabber on much more than usual as the clean-up process actually began. Even as he sweat and strained, that large smile never left his face the entire time he was working.