Surely You Jest
Prologue
All the plebian boys were outside and so were you.
You didn’t know any of them, since you only just moved to town, leaving the countryside in the past. Its streets were mysteries, its people under a maddening spell. What were they all doing? The day was bright and hot and without any clouds. You went outside, so bored beyond belief you were, of looking at the white walls of your house. Out there in town you felt like a tiny mouse in a labyrinth, turning left and right, desperate to find some friends. Tormenting you, a pit in your stomach; perhaps you had eaten something foul the day before, causing cold sweat and anxious thoughts, overpowering you.