One More Mug: Break a Nail

A lone carpenter nursed his ale inside a dusty tavern until another set of footsteps echoed through the room.

He turned toward the sound.

A man wearing tattered jester's clothes stood at the doorway, relief washing over his face.

"I... I'm not alone?"

The carpenter chuckled.

"That's my line."

The jester blinked before grinning.

"Hey! I'm the one making jokes here!... I think we'll get along just fine."

WEEK 1

The Jester joins in the Carpenter by the counter as he smiles with glee for an expectation of someone around.

“Hey there, I am a Jester, glad to meet you, when have you been here? How long have you stayed? Did you come alone? Di-”

The carpenter had to calm him down by patting the jesters back and chuckling.

“Woah easy there, we just met, I am a carpenter”

“Oh! Yeah, my apologies… it’s really been a while for me since I met someone here”

The carpenter poured the jester a mug of ale, and handed it to him as he went and pour on his too.

“Thank you”

He drank one down and finished it in a jiffy.

“I don’t know how long, but I have been here for more than half a year, and I don’t know if that's correct”

“Really? I just came here a few weeks or months ago, how come I never met you?”

The jester pulled out his sac and showed his trinkets and resources”

“I may have traveled time to time to find some materials for a show”

“Really now? What kind?”

The Jester stood up by the counter and began dancing pulling stuff out of his hat, a magic here and there, and a joke that got the carpenter laughing.

He looks proud as finally for once there is someone watching his show.

“Hahah! Thanks for watching, I will be honest, I never expected someone here”

And looks around the tavern neatly maintained.

“Let alone fix it… Wasn’t this place sup-”

“Supposed to be dusty? yes, but I been crashing here since you were gone and fix stuff”

The jester looks at the tables and chairs, the mugs and bottles, windows and doors, all neat and yet moving.

“H-how?”

“It’s weird to explain?? But best I can say we are in the same world but different world… well thats what my girl on the other side said”

“Wait, you get to talk to someone?”

The carpenter shows the letter he got..

“More of listen, but we found a way, look”

He handed the letter and its from a librarian giving her guess on where they are.

“So… we're alive?”

The Carpenter stood up and headed to the back.

“Yeah, but stuck here, best we can do is the letters here, see?”

He showed a newly made letter for the carpenter.

“I-is there one for me?”

“Oh, uhh I don’t think so” 

“Hah! Of course, my fan letters might be back at my home”

“Likely, I mean you can give quite a show haha!”

“But if I may ask, how did you find a way to talk to someone on the other side?”

“Well maybe because me and the librarian got lucky on finding each other in a room? I don’t know, to be honest, I almost gave up before stumbling here”

“Ohhoho!”

“I mean a literal room where we can meet, come!”

As the two head to a guest room, the Carpenter enters and disappears before the Jester.

“Hey! Are you there?”

Silence, and as he enters, the room is empty, no Carpenter in sight. So he went out of the guest room and waited for him for a few minutes then showed up.

“Where were you? I was scared that I thought I lost an audience again.”

“You didn’t follow?”

“I did, but you weren’t there.”

“I see, then it might be possible just me and the librarian meet”

“Meet? But why not exit this place? I mean I would have done that ages ago”

“It only works as a meeting room, but when I go out, back here haha!”

He pats the unsure jester in the back as he reassures him.

“Relax, funny guy, I already have front row seats to your show… if you are gonna be here every week?”

The two walk as the jester slowly smiles.

“Heh, yeah, and yes I’ll be here, you sure you’d be fine maintaining this place?... Then again, you did an amazing job taking care of this”

“Well, I am a carpenter, and this is just another house to build, so you know I am in my element.”

The Carpenter sat down but the Jester was packing his stuff.

“Oh you are not staying?”

“Well I will be back here as I said, but I am still looking for a place to get out… seeing what you and that book lady found, I think we got a possible exit.”

The Carpenter reached his hand and the Jester hesitantly reached but eventually shook hands.

“You are quite a funny one, and glad to meet you too, Jester. See you soon”

“Likewise here my friend”

The Jester waved goodbye as the Carpenter stood up as they both let the moving parts of the tavern continue as they did.

WEEK 2

The Jester finally came back and noticed that there's a huge space now on the corner of the tavern.

“Carpenter?”

He called multiple times, and eventually popped out of the meeting room.

“Hey! Jester! You’re finally here!”

“Yeah, uh what's all this?”

The Jester placed his stuff down the table as he pointed at the makeshift stage.

“It’s for you!”

“For me?” He looks at him confused.

“Well last time you were here, you did perform on the table, and I had to talk to the librarian about you.”

The Carpenter disappeared to the back as he was still talking loud.

“You talked about me?”

The Carpenter returned with ale and two mugs.

“Yep, She told me why not give you a place to hang out and perform since we will be here for… who knows how long.”

The slight smile of the Jester disappears as he said about the indefinite time of them being there.

“She is right…sigh”

“Well, wanna try it out?”

The Carpenter cleared the way and showed some props, lights, and decorations, making him awe at what skill the man had just for a Jester like him.

“Well, gentlemen, hold on to your hat as I shall give you a show for tonight!”

The Carpenter went to the front stool and clapped as the performance started. The Jester had made new jokes, new skits, even some involving the reality they are in, giving the Carpenter noise and laughter in a once lonely tavern.

As the Jester bows for the finale, the Carpenter throws a rose at him, whistling and applauding.

“Bravo! Bravo!”

For the first time, the Jester genuinely smiles as he comes down the stage.

“Thank you, I forgot how good it feels to perform in front of a real audience.”

“You miss someone there, don’t you?”

“I-I… yeah, but I don’t think I even exist”

The Carpenter hands him a mug of ale.

“Well her loss if she can’t find what you do funny, let alone you are quite good”

“..Yeah”

Silence as the two rest but the Jester lost his smile a while back and questioned the Carpenter.

“Hey… how are you sure you haven’t been replaced by… the librarian?”

The Carpenter stopped drinking and went with a deep serious tone questioning him.

“Huh?”

“I mean you told me you have been here for a while. Don’t you think she would have moved on if you and her didn’t meet by the room?”

“I…huh… that's a good question… I just like to believe that she still choose me”

“But how can you be sure?”

He looked at him silent but the jester shook his head.

“Sorry, it’s just that I admire you for talking to her, and slightly jealous that you are able to.”

“Hey…” The Carpenter placed his hand over the Jester’s shoulder “Look, I don’t know who hurt you or what did, but don’t make one person your whole world.. It just really wastes your time if the others can’t do the same.”

The Carpenter poured them another mug as the Jester agreed.

“I guess you’re right.”

The Carpenter lowered his mug as he shared a bit more.

“But I get what you mean, I will be honest, me and her never became official. I planned to tell her but the day I was about to tell her, well…”

He makes a fart sound as he points at the place they are on.

“And I thought the world can’t make jokes like me hahaha”

“Eh you get used to it, so we haven’t agreed till we are sure I can get back.”

The clock chimes as it’s closing time, the Jester stood up and packed up.

“Well I guess that's time, oh also no dice, I haven’t found others yet, but I did hear some talks so might go back and check.”

“Oh also, thank you for making a stage”

The Carpenter waved him goodbye as he replied, “Anytime, friend”

WEEK 3

The Jester knocks again at the tavern, and as he does, the Carpenter was already there waiting for him.

The Carpenter welcomed him as he guided him to his chair and went to the back as he was going to get the same drink again.

While he was gone, the Jester was looking at the stage and was left untouched.

“So how was your trip, did you find others?”

The Jester took the mug from the Carpenter but he is weirdly stiff and quiet.

“N-no… it’s still nothing, everywhere I go, no one is there but I hear them.”

He sighs deeply in disappointment.

“Hey, is it ok if I don’t perform this time, I just returned to talk about you something”

“Sure, I mean performers like you are still human”

The mug slowly places down and without looking the carpenter he asked

“Have I done anything wrong?”

“Huh?”

“You, you have someone to go to, someone to talk to beyond, someone waiting for you… who do I have”

“I mean you said that people are sending you to your place right? Maybe someone is!”

“I… I need to be honest… I am not just someone that perform, I perform for the king… as the royal jester”

The Carpenter dropped his mug as he was bewildered.

“Wait, what?! Then that means you're important! People must have noticed you were gone or something!”

“But the librarian hasn’t mentioned that someone in the palace is missing, right?”

The carpenter fell silent as he realized he was right.

“I… yeah, she didn’t mentioned the palace is looking for someone”

The Jester drank all in his mug before slamming it down.

“If I may be selfish”

He kneels and begged the carpenter while the carpenter is shocked on what he is doing.

“Please!! I beg you to ask the librarian to check if I have been forgotten! If I have been replaced! Please check if the maid I have adored dearly is longing for me!... please tell me if I ever had fans”

He wept, but as he did, the carpenter kneels and consoles him as he calms down.

“Easy there… you might be a jester, but you seem full of tragedy… I’ll tell her, how about you rest… you seem to be carrying something a lot”

The Carpenter slowly helped him to a bench but the jester refused.

“I-its ok, I need to go and look for a way out, I don’t want to rely much on you and the librarian, I want out of this place.

He packs his stuff and slowly exits with neither of them saying farewell, just leaving the carpenter to clean the place.

WEEK 4

While time passes by, the door suddenly opens startling the Carpenter.

“Jester?”

The Jester, silent, walks towards the makeshift stage the Carpenter made.

“Is everything ok?...buddy?”

“...”

The Carpenter slowly walks towards the Jester, seeing a wound by his cheek, leaking dust.

“JESTER! Hang on, let me find something to patch that!!”

He quickly took action but the Jester finally spoke, but protested.

“Don’t… I don’t think it’s worth it”

“Hey, you know it’s bad to say that, come on, let me help you”

Then suddenly the Jester looks at the Carpenter with a stare that realizes everything.

“She’s replacing you…”

The Carpenter stopped moving and slowly looked at him.

“What did you say?”

“She’s just writing because she feels guilty”

“Hey, if you are talking about the librarian, I assure you she’s-”

“You don’t want to believe it, don’t you?”

The brows of the Carpenter twisted as the annoyance is slowly showing in his face, making him stomp towards the Jester.

“Now you listen here, ‘friend’. She won’t replace me”

“And what makes you think she won’t? What if she’s playing a game”

The Carpenter was unable to answer huff and turn his back.

He heard a loud crash, and as he looked back again, he saw the Jester tearing the stage he made for him.

“YOU!!”

Instead of the Jester shouting back, he spoke like nothing matters to him in a monotone voice.

“No one waits forever, it’s better if we just give up.”

A mug flew towards him, knocking him, Then the Carpenter tackles him down.

“What’s your problem huh?!”

The Jester spoke with spite and a hint of hatred towards him.

“My problem? My problem is… even if I go back, the only audience is the king… no one watches me aside from him… the maid leaves the hall, the prince plays knight outside, the queen doesn’t smile…”

The face of the Carpenter slowly eases up as the Jester explains while lying motionless on the tavern stage floor.

“My problem is, why am I even trying to find a way back, when nothing waits for me. I have no fan, no love, no family…”

And the Jester slowly sat up, picking up a piece of wood.

“While someone likes you, you seem to have everything even separated.”

Wham!

Carpenter luckily shielded himself from the blow, but was shaken by what he just did.

“Hey! That can really kill someone!”

Then a wound opened up by his shoulder, causing it to leak blood.

“Even your wounds, they are blood, while me… I don’t even think I am human, I don’t even think I belong anywhere”

He slowly walks towards the carpenter, then tried to whack him with the wood he is carrying, barely hitting him.

“Stop it!! Ok I am sorry for tackling!! But you don’t have to destroy the stage!?”

“Why… no one watches”

Wham! The wood hits the table.

“I am here!”

“Yet you mock me with your girl”

“I don’t!”

As he was about to dodge, he stumbled, and seeing the nail by the wood of the Jester, he screamed.

“What did I ever do to you?!”

“...”

The Jester holds it up against him, unable to answer.

The Carpenter slowly lowered his guard and looked again as he saw the Jester backing up and picking up his things. Tears were streaming down his eyes as he realized what he had done.

“Just don't ever come near me, you know well I am out of jokes…”

As he exited, the Carpenter sat alone in the trashed tavern, and a letter came…

He silently walks towards it, knowing well there’s nothing else for next week.

Slowly he checked the letters and the librarian wrote two this time. She instructed the Carpenter to give the other to the Jester.

He hurried and took the letter, exiting the tavern, and yell his name searching.

“Jester!!”

“Jester! Where are you!!”

As he kept running around, he saw a lone man sitting in the middle of the road.

“Jester!! Buddy! Look!! I got something for you!!”

As the Carpenter runs towards him, “I got something for you too!!”

The Jester greeted him with a hook, causing a tooth to fly out of the Carpenter.

“MAH TOOTH!! WHYTH! I GOTH LETHER FOTH YOU!!"

Startled, the Jester looks at the letter as the Carpenter is tending for his tooth.

He slowly opens it, and for the first time in his life he gets a letter from a fan, the Librarian has been listening to them through the Carpenter, and she hopes to hear more soon if it's ok with him.

The Jester laughed in joy as he celebrated and he tried to get the attention of the Carpenter.

“BUDDY!! I GOT A FAN!! Can you belie-”

WHAM!!

The Carpenter hit back so hard that it knocked the Jester out, causing him to bleed blood while he yells at the knocked out Jester.

“THATH WATH MAH TOOTH!!”