Third-Person Writing Sample

[thetrudger]

Geoffrey Chaucer fingered the small leather coin purse attached to his hip. Only a few coins rested inside. How lonely they must be, all alone in that pouch, he thought to himself. He entered a rather seedy-looking pub. Seedy-looking pubs were his favorite kind of pubs, because at seedy pubs, there were bound to be seedy people. He heard the clicking of dice on a table. A man with a long beard sat at one end of a table, and a younger, tanner man sat on the other end, both staring at the small wooden dice as they fell to the table. There was a roar from both sides. The leather face unwillingly handed over a pouch full of coins to old beardy. Chaucer ordered a beer and sauntered over to the table. Old Beardy licked his lips absently, watching the dice tumble across the table toward his fat belly. Both dice turned to one. Old Beardy let out a laugh like a rumble of thunder.

“Better luck next time, boy!” he bellowed, snatching more coins away from Leather Face with a glint of greed in his eyes. Leather Face’s jaw tightened and he left abruptly to a chorus of laughter. Chaucer took a swig of beer and sat down in the young man’s place. The laughter died.

“Who the hell are you?” Beardy mumbled.

“A friendly opponent. I see you’ve been very lucky, sir,” Chaucer said, nodding toward the bulging pouch in Beardy’s hand.

The grubby man leaned forward. “You want to try your luck, stranger?”

Chaucer grinned. “I’ll make you a wager. I’ll bet you the three coins in my purse that when I leave, that raven-haired beauty at the bar will be holding one of my hands, and in the other I shall be holding double what I came in with.”

All of the men at the table craned their necks to see the woman. Chaucer had been eyeing her since his arrival. Old Beardy guffawed.
“The barmaid? Can’t be done. She’s never left with nobody.”
“If she’s never left with nobody, then it sounds like I will have no problem. However, I believe you mean, ‘she has never left with anyone’,” Chaucer corrected with a smirk.

“What is this?!”

“A simple wager, my fine furry fellow. Take it or leave it.”

Beardy bit his lip, thinking deeply. He looked down at his coin purse, then back up at the blonde man.

“Aye. You’re on.”

The other men murmured in excitement, watching the thin young man wander over to the bar. Still holding his beer mug, he began speaking to the woman.

“He’ll never do it,” a short man in the back growled. The woman gave him a questioning look as she turned, and leaned in closer. Chaucer whispered something in her ear. The woman laughed and said something that made him grin.

“I can’t believe it. How’s he doing that?” the short man asked. The others shushed him. The woman went over to the bartender, said something to him, and took her apron off. She went around the bar and took Chaucer’s outstretched hand. They stopped at the door and Chaucer strolled over to the table.

“Wh-what did you say to her?!” Old Beardy stammered.

Chaucer held out his hand. “The amount, please.”

The bearded man put three coins into the palm of his hand. Chaucer frowned.

“I actually came in with four coins, sir,” he said. The older man took another coin out and slapped it in his hand with a grunt.

“Thank you, gentlemen. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Goodnight, adieu- I only wish your pockets to be as full as mine, and your beds as warm!”

Beardy jumped up, sputtering, and his friends held him back. Chaucer hurried over to the dark-haired woman and took her hand. He held his other hand up with a grin and left the bar. The night air slapped him in the face, and he felt the woman’s hand slip out of his.

“Funny I should run into you here, Eve.”

“Drop it, Geoff. You knew I worked here. Cough it up.”

“Wouldn’t you rather a night of passion with a romantic and handsome writer?”

Eve narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, I would. If you ever find him, do send him in the right direction. Two coins, please.”

Chaucer rolled his eyes and handed over the coins. You won some and you lost some. He was a couple coins richer, and the night was still young.