Benjamin Jarvis

“The urban legend of Yellow Oak Town had it that Benjamin Jarvis, born Benjamin ‘Jaja’ Jarvis, was a former tribal chief or a cult leader or something of that sort that came to this land seeking a place to settle after he was exiled by his own people. But it seemed that he didn't enjoy this new identity and the community, as he wouldn’t obey the civil way of living. There was one thing he enjoyed though, the beer.”

“Benjamin Jarvis would sat down at the bar and order a beer. He was the typical hairy guy you'd met in a bar, he had a beer belly round as a baby and a cherry smile like a girl, his face was red and his beard was long and white. There was a stench on him that everybody was afraid of, even the bartender had to slide away immediately, or just pass him the beer with a hard push from the other side. No one dare to talk to him, nor did he talked to anybody, it was the most awkward situation every Friday night.”

“The usual customers just ignored him by sitting away at the corner or went to the other end of the room. Normally there would be some new guy who was visiting the town and wanted to grab a drink but didn't know about our good old Benjamin here, and would provoke him after he or she got drunk. Those were the moments the bartenders and the crowd most afraid of. Not that Benjamin would do any harm, no, he would simply walk away and never look back until next week.”

“Benjamin seldom speak for his speech was low and harsh, and totally odd because it didn't fit in with his childish face. Under the hair, people suspected that Benjamin could be as a cheesy character as any teenage girl.”

“Benjamin lived in a house by the riverside which was well maintained. For him, a presumed tribal man that hadn’t picked up the art of modern technology, was pretty amazing. He had a bulldog on leash by the backyard, the kids heard him called it something like ‘Buzz’ or ‘Bush’, they weren't sure because he talked low. There was a little garden in his backyard but a very lifeless and sandy front porch, which was once occupied by some very beautiful and oily grass. Also, there was no electricity cable or water pipe ran into the house, he lighted candles and got fresh water from a well some fifty minutes walk from his place. It was like he still lived a raw life.”

“When he was not drinking, he would be seen on his boat in the river, sometimes a little bit into the lake at the downstream fishing. He was a skilled fisherman, every time he would return with at least a quarter full of fish in his tiny boat. There was some words carved on the side of the boat, too, but it was not readable or any language that we could understand, but it looked masculine, had pointy ends and strong curves.”

“Sometime he would go into the forest hunting with a knife that he would sharpen every once in a while on his front porch with a piece of black stone, and some clearly custom made bow and arrows and some other hunting tools. The kids and teens would gather at his place every time he returned, because not everyone could get something from the forest when they came out.”

“Now, let us gather around and pray for our friend, Benjamin Jarvis’s soul and bless him a peaceful afterlife as a faithful servant in the kingdom of the lord.”