Posted in Posted by Jules Verne

I wrote this when I was studying about Medeival guilds.  The assignment was to write a short story about a guild using some facts I had learned. 

"But, surely, Master Otto," cried the old man pitifully, "Thou art an influential man in your guild! Wilt thou persuade them to lower the prices? Sixpence and three pounds for a candle? It’s outrageous!"

Giles looked up from his candle molds and sighed. His uncle Otto was trying to convince this old man that there was no way to lower the prices set by the guild officers.

"I’m sorry," said Otto, "but there’s nothing to be done about it. However, I will appeal to the guild and ask them if it is possible to lower the price a little."

The old man’s shoulders sagged, but he nodded his head and continued with his purchase. After he left, Giles sighed again. How his uncle planned to get the guild to lower the prices on candles, he hadn’t the slightest idea. There were many other candle makers in the guild that wanted to raise the prices even higher. It was getting so bad that many of the townsfolk stopped buying candles altogether.

Uncle Otto heard Giles sighing and nodded his head. "Today, I am calling an emergency meeting of the candle makers guild. Go you now to deliver the message to Master Giovanni Valenti. I will send Ben to spread the word to all the brethren." Guild members called each other brethren.

Giles laid down his half finished work, put on his gold and scarlet cloak, which was the livery of the Candle Makers Guild and started out. Giovanni Valenti was the chairman of the candle makers guild. Lately, Valenti had taken ill with a fever and had not been able to attend the meetings, but his spokesman, Benedetto de Sora was there to preside over them in his place. It was also de Sora’s idea to raise the prices.

When he was halfway down the road, Giles heard a commotion coming from the marketplace. He hurried over to see what was going on. A group of people were gathered around a cart of fruit that had been overturned, and all the fruit was dumped into the mud. An angry man was trying to put it upright, but the cart proved too heavy for him.

"You," he shouted to another man, who Giles noticed was wearing a red and black cloak, which meant he was a shoe maker, "You ‘ave no business goin’ aroun’ and dumpin’ me goods into the street!"

"When it comes to that," replied the shoemaker cooly, "You have no business selling fruit in town, without paying a toll. You are a distraction to our customers."

"Seems a body carn’t do nothin’ without you merchants demandin’ a toll," said the man. But then he sullenly fished in one of the many pockets sewn onto his ragged tunic and brought out some copper coins. " ‘eres your toll." He said, throwing the coins in the mud. Then he turned his attention to his cart. Giles turned and walked away.

When Giles reached Valenti’s house, he paused briefly to gape at the towering building. Standing at the corner of town, and taller than any other house, one could see it from anywhere in or around town.

He walked up to the large oaken doors and lifted and let fall the iron knocker. A resounding thud echoed, but no one came to answer. He knocked again, but still nobody came to the door. It seemed that no one was home, so Giles turned to leave. But a noise from inside caught his attention, and he stopped.

He walked quickly back up to the door and entered. The house seemed empty at first, but Giles thought he heard someone talking upstairs. He slowly ascended the staircase, and followed the voice to a slightly opened door. He raised his hand to knock, but then he dropped it to his side. He put his ear to the door and listened. This is what he heard.

"De Sora, I refuse to be thus detained any longer! Release me, and I will give you whatever it is you desire."

"Do you think me so foolish as to do that? You would go telling everyone about me. But be still, I want to hear what this man, who has not revealed his face even to me, has to say. Who are you, and why do you go about with your face covered in a black hood?"

Then a strange, deep voice said, "Call me Phillip. My face is covered for I wish none to see it. I came to you, for I know your story well. It is my business to know. You are searching for something. The thing you search for is revenge, revenge against Loffred de Anagni. You long for his demise, and it is just within your grasp now. I can bring about his ruin."

Here, Giles stifled a gasp, and sent a silent prayer to St. James, the patron saint of the candle maker’s guild. Loffred de Anagni was the mayor of the town, who, it was said, expelled de Sora from the town council, thus taking away from him many privileges. Giles felt that something bad was afoot.

"H-how do you plan to do that?" said de Sora after a moment.

Phillip laughed. "Mine is the way of the hunting cat, of the spider that waits patiently in its web until its prey is caught in the invisible traps the spider sets, the way of the serpent by the pathway that sits until some careless passer-by steps near, and then snaps out with its fangs. That is how."

Giles hadn’t noticed that he was leaning on the door a little, but all of a sudden he fell into the room. "What is this!?!" screamed de Sora.

Giles barely had time to recover himself and run out of the room again before Phillip and de Sora were after him. He went down the stairs two at a time and fairly flew out the door. He bumped into a man on the front steps, and to his relief he saw that it was the sheriff. "What’s the matter, boy?" the sheriff asked.

"de Sora . . . hooded man . . . danger," he managed to gasp. But when he saw that the sheriff didn’t understand, he pointed inside and said, "Help Giovanni."

The sheriff drew his short sword and entered. Presently there was the sound of a scuffle, and the sheriff emerged holding Phillip by the collar of his cloak and de Sora in front with the sword pointed at his back. Giovanni Valenti was right behind them.

"It’s a good thing I happened by," said the sheriff. Then he nodded to Phillip. "We’ve been trying to catch him for a long time."

"Aye," said Giovanni, "And we’ll have no more nonsense about raising the prices on candles, right de Sora? You are officially no longer a member of the guild. Now," he said to Giles, "Tell your uncle that I am well, and everything will return to normal as soon as possible. I say, it was a piece of luck that brought you here wasn’t it?"

Giles nodded and turned to leave. Phillip caught his eye for a split second, and Giles shuddered. He was glad that Phillip was caught.

Uncle Otto was glad at the news. "Finally," he said, "No more complaining customers."

Yeah, I know. . . terrible ending.  Anyway, please tell me whatcha think!

Jules Verne