I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back

[damien_dw]

Saturday, the twelfth of June [day three hundred seventy seven]
Late afternoon in the Market

Winter is long gone and summer is here, and it's making me feel a bit restless. Makes me miss the endless days on the road that was my life for the last three years. Never thought I'd actually miss them as I spent far too many of them missing Manhattan. Even

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[nunaunet]

Been a busy sort of day heah at market, ayuh. Had lots of custom, an' my stall's nearly empty. Pretty sort of boy who was busking earliah walks by.

"Nice songs," I say. "Hope you managed to make some coin out of it." Plenty of people'll stop to listen to a buskah, ayuh, but not open their purse-strings.

[damien_dw]

As I pass by the stall with the fish, a voice calls out to me offering a compliment on my music and the hope it brought me some money.

I turn my head and smile at the very large and very dark figure. "Thanks. And yes, I did get a few coins."

The stall is nearly empty and I add, "I can see you have had more success on the money front than I did."

[nunaunet]

I snort.

"Ayuh, people pay for what they can't get othahwise; they think music like youah's is a gift for the empty air, something they don't need to reward."

I have big sides of fish smoked in a little smokehouse on the rivah by a funny toothless old man, though if I'd known we was going to be heah so long maybe I'd have looked into building a smokehouse myself. Got a little piece of smoked trout left, an' so I wrap it in papah an' hold it out to him.

"Heah," I say. "In thanks for your music." I put my money wheah my mouth is. An' that fish don't need cooking, if he ain't got a home with a kitchen.

[damien_dw]

With one sound the fish seller lets me know their opinion about what I just said, then adds, Ayuh, people pay for what they can't get othahwise; they think music like youah's is a gift for the empty air, something they don't need to reward.

I try to shrug like I don't care about people's selfishness but I've had too many hungry nights on the road not to care and I'm both surprised and guiltily pleased as I watch the little piece of fish being wrapped up and held out to me.

Heah, in thanks for your music.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this. Glad you liked the music." I smile and hold out my empty hand. "My name's Damien."