14-07-2008 04:42 : You have earned 8.05 pounds.
Day 5 – Charity is its Own Reward
Ah, blissful sleep; too soon interrupted. I awoke to a new day with fresh possibilities. Needing a break from mining, I’d resolved to spend some time working for the local church. Many fellow citizens have mentioned the transcendental benefits of church work. Everyone seems to agree that it will make me a better citizen. Through relentless toil in the mines and frugality of diet, I felt I’d finally saved enough pennies to afford more altruistic labor.
The local church friar waisted no time in putting me to work. My morning consisted mostly of cleaning. The work was hard, but not as much as mining. Around noon, I was instructed to help the kitchen prepare for lunch, and scrub pots afterward.
The afternoon involved still more cleaning. (How does such a small church get so dirty?) After cleaning, I assumed I was done for the day… but I was wrong. The friar informed me I was to accompany him on his trip to the local “beggar’s corner” – a place where the wretched congregate and beg for charity. We stayed for about 2 hours as the friar gave a (supposedly) short sermon, listened to the people’s troubles, and prayed with them for deliverance.
Afterwords, we gave out the few coppers that the church could spare, and the crowd began to disperse. I confess I don’t think on spiritual matters as often as I should, but after seeing the sorry state of those folk I pray I’ll never wind up in such an awful way.
Upon returning to the church, I was given my last task; to sweep the entrance hallway. Once I’d finished, the friar took me aside, said a prayer for me, congratulated me on work well-done, and (finally) paid me my day’s wage – 5 pounds.
I don’t know which was hurting most: the hunger in my belly, the ache in my limbs, or the pity in my soul for those poor wretches. Some folks might have sprinted to the taverns after a day like today, but not me. I bypassed them and made straight for home. I just wanted to get to bed as quickly as possible and put that day behind me.
