Loaf Eater
In which I mine my source material to unearth the building blocks of my short story.
The characters
On the day appointed the Lord Abbot and some of the most active and prudent monks, attended by the sturdiest loaf-eaters of the abbey, all well armed, set out on their journey to steal the body of the saint.
‘Loaf-eaters’ just jumped out at me. What the heck is a loaf eater? Let’s ask Professor Google.
Old English hlafæta "household servant," literally "loaf-eater."
In other news…
‘Old English hlaford (lord)… literally "one who guards the loaves," Compare hlafdige (lady) literally "bread-kneader".
Lo and behold. The world has ever been divided into makers and takers.
So, there’s my protagonist: a sturdy loaf-eater. Bonded to the Abbot of Ely. As a protagonist, his job is to change. I sense a simple arc: from loyal self-righteous certainty to doubt, dilemma, and previously unthinkable action.
The antagonist will be the avaricious Lord Abbot. He seems like a rea…