Homeward Bound
Elyon's parents resided in the town of Ael, located to the south of Aegsburg. Although dubbed a 'city', Ael was a small community where agriculture and pastoralism were the mainstays, and the population was not vast.
Every day, a steam train ran from Aegsburg to Ael, a roughly two-hour journey that on Earth might equate to a trip from a city center to its suburbs.
The train had three classes of accommodation. The first-class carriages featured private compartments, each with a single bed, a desk, and a sofa. The second-class resembled Earth's older "green" coaches, with long benches separated by small tables facing each other, allowing each passenger a designated seat.
The third class was akin to a bus, with few long benches and vertical poles as handrails. Ticket prices were tiered accordingly: one pound for first-class, five shillings for second-class, and two shillings for third-class.
After packing a change of shirts and a coat into a small leather suitcase and wrapping the newly acquired thirty-pound notes in paper to stash in the case's side compartment, Elyon dressed in his formal attire, donned his round top hat, and boarded a public carriage. The train station in Aegsburg was located in the city center, a rare fully steel-structured building with a large clock tower in its midst, its four massive faces embedded on the tower walls. On the hour, mechanical devices would trigger a giant bronze bell to toll atop the tower.
Securing a second-class ticket for the ten o'clock train, Elyon spent half an hour waiting before successfully embarking on the train. The massive black locomotive, puffing steam, pulled a chain of wooden carriages behind it.
As the train's whistle sounded, signaling departure, the journey toward Ael began with a rhythmic click-clacking.
After two hours of travel, Elyon stepped onto the soil of his hometown. Ael's main city area was structured around intersecting north-south and east-west streets.
His family's farm was ten kilometers east of the city, and without public transportation like tramcars in such a small town, one could either hope for a lift from a familiar face coming into the city or hire a carriage, haggling the price down to about one shilling.
Elyon suddenly remembered that today was Tuesday, and his two sisters would likely be at school at the Mother Goddess Church's educational facility.
Their mother, Liora, was a devout acolyte of the Mother Goddess, and her daughters followed suit with a lighter devotion. The church school imparted basic literacy and other general education, including grammar and arithmetic.
Though its quality couldn't match private institutions, it was significantly more affordable than private grammar schools.
The siblings usually walked to school together, but after an incident the previous year when a female student was accosted on her way home, their elder brother Darius began using his routine grocery runs for their mother's shop as an excuse to drive the sisters to school in a four-wheeled covered wagon. Elyon decided to wait for them to finish school before heading home together.
The Mother Goddess's church sat on North Street, a white structure exuding simplicity and sanctity.
After a quick lunch in a nearby diner, during which Elyon exchanged pleasantries with familiar diners, he entered the church's main hall, where rows of wooden benches lined the sides.
Directly opposite the entrance was the church's altar, behind which a carving of the Mother Goddess's emblem—a heart topped with a horizontal line—adorned the wall.
The domed ceiling was adorned with various religious paintings, depicting saints of the Mother Goddess' faith battling devils and demons. Stained glass windows allowed sunlight to cast sacred and solemn patterns across the room.
Elyon dropped a shilling note into the donation box and traced the emblem of the Mother Goddess over his chest.
"Thank you for your generosity. May the Mother Goddess bless you," the priest said kindly.
"It is my duty. May the Mother Goddess be with you," Elyon replied.
If any deities were watching, they might wonder at the Marxist with no trace of faith entering their house of worship, Elyon mused internally.
Exhaustion from his travels soon lulled Elyon into sleep, only to be awakened by the bell tolling from the tower.
The church school was housed in a single-story building adjacent to the church. After straightening up and wiping any drool from his mouth, Elyon thanked the priest and exited the church to wait for his sisters at the school's gate.
By five o'clock, students began to trickle out, their youthful exuberance reminding Elyon of his own age, a man of fifty if both his lifetimes were combined.
"Elder brother, what are you doing here? Look, our brother is here!" A girl of sixteen or seventeen called out. In her black dress, she looked slender and healthy, her short black hair reaching her collar, her round brown eyes as expressive as words themselves.
"Seraphina, it's been a while. Where's your sister?" Elyon tried to maintain a brotherly demeanor.
"She must be asking the teacher questions. But answer me, why are you here?"
"Oh, I'm about to graduate and start working soon. I wanted to make the most of my last days of freedom. What time does our brother usually come for you?"
"Usually, he picks up some goods for the store first, so he should be here around five-thirty. Why don't you tell us about Aegsburg? When will you take us there to live? It's so small and boring here, and all we do is study."
Seraphina, like a child angling for candy, tried to look endearing.
"If mother and father agree, sure, but you'll still have to study there," Elyon deflected his mischievous sister's request.
"We'll behave. Even if you go out drinking all night or find a wife, we won't snitch to our parents," she promised.
"I have no plans for a wife just yet. As for drinking, I'll take you along when you come of age, which will be after your birthday this year," Elyon replied, not quite trusting her promise.
"Okay, you can't go back on your word," Seraphina stuck her tongue out playfully.
"Don't pester your brother. Father just hopes we grow up to be fine ladies, perhaps marry into a wealthy family," a slightly melancholic voice said from the school entrance. Nyara stood there, her brown dress and long ponytail matching her sister's brown eyes, though she appeared even more slender and pale.
"Long time no see, Nyara. How have you been?" Elyon greeted his sister, who seemed more mature than he felt he ever could be.
"If you're waiting for Darius, he should be here soon. Though his hair's getting thinner and he's often lost in thought in front of the mirror, he's unfailingly punctual when it comes to picking up his adorable sisters. I bet he'll be turning the street corner with the family wagon any second now."
As if on cue, a rustically built cart drawn by two stout local horses appeared around the corner. The driver, a man clad in a leather vest, flax shirt, and weathered by the sun to a bronze hue, resembled a man in his thirties, with receding hairline and brown eyes inherited from their father.
It was Elyon and his siblings' brother Darius, who was only four years his senior and had just turned twenty-five.
"I heard you were back when I was at the market. How long are you home for this time? You won't have many chances for a long visit after this," Darius said as he halted the wagon, addressing Elyon.
"About ten days or so, then I have to go back for the graduation ceremony and to move," Elyon replied, assisting his sisters onto the back of the wagon.
"Lend me a hand so I can hop on," Elyon requested, and both brothers sat side by side on the wagon's front bench.
"How did the job hunt go?" Darius asked casually as they set off.
"Next time we meet, you'll have to call me 'chief,'" Elyon chuckled softly. "My mentor got me a position at the police station. The pay's not bad."
"Hmm, the old man might not be too pleased. He was hoping you'd snag a government clerk position, or at least become a lawyer," Darius shook his head with a smile.
"Why wouldn't a police officer count as a government employee? I'll be doing paper work, not out chasing criminal gangs with a gun. Aegsburg isn't overrun with such brazen outlaws or bandits to challenge the government's authority," Elyon shrugged.
"Let's hope the old man accepts your explanation," Darius replied.
"There shouldn't be an issue. After all, they offered me an annual salary of 200 pounds. Plus, the police department usually provides lunch, so my actual annual income should exceed 220 pounds," Elyon justified.
"Alright, knowledge does seem to pave the way to wealth. And Liora won't have to worry about your marriage prospects anymore. The women looking to matchmake their daughters with you could wear out our doorstep," Darius teased.
"I think Liora's more eager to sell you off. You're hardworking and honest but a bit too straight-laced for my taste, big brother. Isn't the daughter of our neighbor, Frey, still waiting for you to make a move? Why don't you muster up the courage to ask her out for a drink or to the theater? It's not gentlemanly to wait for a lady to initiate," Elyon deflected the conversation towards Darius.
"Hmm... I'll try," Darius adjusted his thinning hair. "Mother will be thrilled to see you back; she's sure to bake her famous fruit pie."
"Darius responded, changing the subject."
"How's the farm doing? Did father's workshop plan come through?" Elyon inquired, changing topics as he noticed Darius' resolution.
"Since the Parliament jacked up the tariffs, the purchase price for our wheat went up to 4 pennies per pound, and the price of live cattle rose as well. Thane's planning to build another steam mill, so we can process our wheat into flour for sale, which should increase the price by at least fifty percent. And during the off-season, we can process wheat for neighboring farmers for a fee," Darius explained.
"Do you need funds? Steam engines aren't cheap," Elyon prodded.
"It's manageable. The old man still has some savings, and he has connections that can get him decommissioned steam engines from naval ships."
It seemed their family had some capital to spare. Elyon's father was becoming aware that being a mere farmer wouldn't lead to wealth and was now evolving towards a more enterprising venture, Elyon thought wryly.
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