Quoted By:
You return to the church, first to see your father's face one last time before he is buried, and then to wait beside the wooden coffin to answer any who would claim debts of him. Your father, whatever his failings, avoided the common vices of men: drink and dice, and even the vice to which he was otherwise entitled, being a widower, that of pleasurable company. And so there are not many in the village who could claim money of him he had not already paid. But there is always a louse or two looking for a handout and the rare souls who lend money without the thought of its return and only remember the debt when the debtor himself comes to pay it. These are the kind come to ply your silver and it is a credit to your father that they can take no more than a handful of it altogether. No more eight pieces leave your purse when all's said and done.
Then comes your wretched uncle, your father's elder brother and his counterpart. A drunk, a gambler, a lecher--and a widow, and a man who had bury his only son. He would often beg a coin or two of your father when his own had run out, and your father, try as he could to convince him from his sinful pursuits, would inevitably end up contributing to them with his charity.
You did not see him during the funeral service, but now he has come to "pay his respects". He goes first to the body, looking at it a long while. No tears in his eyes, no strong sentiment, merely a gentle kiss upon the brow, and some words whispered in his ear. Then he comes to you and mumbles something about money that's owed. You think at first that he wants a handout, like the others, but, in fact, he's speaking of his own debts, money that he owes your father. He asks for a season to pay it back, if you'll grant it.
You decide:
>To free him of the debt, seeing that he is family and that your father has passed
>To give him not only the season but to the end of the year, and however much he gives at that time, you'll consider the debt paid
>To refuse and have him work as a hand on your boat for a season to pay off the debt instead
>Write-in
