Days like this don’t come often enough to Rome. Normally everyone works all day long, barely seeing any of their family until night, when everyone is to drained to want to do much more. But today, oh today was different. All the crops were harvested, all the animals were fed, and even the sun was shining contentedly. “Oh Bomba?” My wonderful wife Piper calls to me, “It seems we have a new neighbor!” I look up from my porridge bowl and stand up to enter the room in which she stands “You don’t say?” I ask as I wash out my bowl, “Well why don’t we bring them over some fresh stew to help them get settled?” Piper agrees and begins preparing a fresh pot of her delicious stew.
As soon as the stew was done, we walk over with our small son, Dynamo, to the neighbor’s yard; Piper knocks firmly on the thick, wood door. “Coming!” A rough, manly voice yells. Not one minute later a meaty man opens the door, “What?” the man demands gruffly, I freeze for a moment to take in the sight of this man, he had scraggly brown hair, dark brown eyes, a large nose, and a large set of ears. My wife steps forward to the large man, “Hello! My name is Piper, this is my husband Bomba and my son, Dynamo, we came to welcome you to our quaint little village,” Dynamo steps forward and hands him the fresh stew, the man looks down at him and Dynamo takes a nervous step back. The man laughs a gruff, throaty laugh. “Well, would you like to come in to meet my wife and boys?”
“We would be delighted,” My wife says politely as we follow them into their small wooden hut. It is a short trip thru the house and into the family room where his wife and two sons sit quietly. “These are my twins, Yoshi and Moshi,” He says, gesturing towards two small, quiet children, whom which Dynamo rushes over to greet with a smile. He laughs, “This is my beautiful wife, Chami,” He says, smiling proudly, “And my name is Brova, we are the Shy’s,” Brova sits down, “Would you like to take a seat?” I shake my head, “We were actually going to town today,” Brova looks disappointed, “Well fine then, bye,” He dismisses us rudely, I take Dynamo’s hand and lead my family out the door of the hut. “What rude people!” Piper exclaims as soon as we were in the market. I nod, “What did you think Dynamo?” I ask, looking down at my quiet son, “I think Brova has anger problems, that’s why his wife and sons are so quiet,” I nod, my son is such an excellent judge of character, I think approvingly. We bought their fresh grain and fruit from market and went back home. As we arrive they heard many yelling voices outside of Brova’s hut just next door, “What’s going on?” Piper asks, looking out the window of the hut. “I don’t know,” I admit with a shrug. Suddenly a shrill scream interrupts the yells of the crowd. “Bomba go check it out!” I run out to the riot, “What is going on?” I ask the man standing beside me, a look of horror across his face, “Bomba, It’s horrible, Brova just murdered Jillian Frock’s husband!” I gasp, “Why?” He sighs, “Well it actually is our faults, we provoked him, knowing he has such a temper, we tested him and, well, we shouldn’t have,” I now hear a voice yell out, “Try me Mr. Shy! You are nothing but a new idiot here, I have much power and I can stop you!” I hear a throaty laugh and a fresh batch of screams pour from the crowd, “You all will obey me now!” He laughs again and people begin to run. “Disperse my people! You obey me! ME!!” He slams the door of the house and his laugh is heard throughout the village, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Piper, he has overthrown the emperor, we are now being dictated, worse news yet, the military have completely given up,” I sigh, “I am much too meek to enjoy confrontation, but I may be the only one left to be able to stand up!” Piper hugs me, “You know what you have to do, so go do it Bomba, for just once, be a hero,” she whispers in my ear. I nod; I do know what I have to do. I stand up from the table and go to the emergency shelter out back and un-wrap the old sword my grandfather used to own. The view of the old metal makes me smile and sends a shiver of excitement down my spine. I take down the box that holds my grandfather’s shield and armory. It slides easily onto my body and the sword easily fits into the palm of my hand. I was ready; I had the power of me and my army. Brova had to be taken down. I step into the hut and bid Piper and Dynamo a good-bye, giving out hugs and kisses, trying to make them last a life time, then I was out the door and heading towards the large temple in the middle of our village. “Brova!” I yell out once inside the temple, “Come out you coward!” I yell out again bravely, I hear large footsteps coming down the large steps, “Who dares enter my domain?” He calls out with a laugh, “Seriously, Bomba!” He calls happily, “What’s up friend?” He looks me up and down, “What’s with the get-up?” he asks punching my shoulder, “I’m not here to play Brova,” I tell him, looking him in the eye, “I’m here to save these people!” I say gesturing with my hand out the windows, “They are miserable, if you didn’t notice,” I grump, his eyes narrow, “I thought we were friends,” He says angrily, “We were, until you killed those innocent people!” I yelp, “They provoked me,” He growled, “I don’t care what they did, you won’t be here much longer,” He laughs without humor, “I would like to see you try, small boy, bring it on!” He pulls a sword from the wall and comes for me; his sword bounces off my shield and flies across the room. “You need to leave Brova, nobody wants, or needs you here,” I growl, proud of how strong I sounded. He gapes at me and at my sword’s tip pressed to his chest his eyes showed nothing but fear, which also made me proud of myself for being so heroic and not like how I normally am. Finally Brova drops, “I’m gone Bomba, this is your place now,” He says, then gets up and runs out the door. I drop my sword and gasp, just realizing how much fear I was feeling at that moment in time. I run out to the village, and scream at the top of my lungs, “Brova is gone!” I hear returning yells of joy, people dropping harvesting baskets, dancing, jumping and some crying. I was crowned a few days later and my family was moved into the temple, all ruling by my side. I never would have guessed all this would have happened, especially on a rare, calm, Roman day like that day had been.
