This is part of a series of shorts from last year that has since turned into a novel (work in progress) titled “Jar Merchant.” The very first story (found here) was also for a Sunday Picture Press and you can see the original photo that prompted it all. I’ve gathered all the parts together on the Jar Merchant tab.
I wrote this particular short Tuesday night as part of a challenge to write a story in an hour about “a cryptic tattoo.” I struggled for a moment on what to write but then decided this is a perfect chance to create a character I’ve needed for the novel, write my piece for this weeks Sunday Picture Press, and work on this ‘cryptic tattoo’ idea. This is the result of an hour, a challenge, a photo and some time to kill. Hopefully you will enjoy!
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Visual Prompt 3 -- Title and artist unknown
In the distance the dunes were dark against the new morning sky. Nh’o stood alone waiting for the sun to rise. As the first rays melted across the sands she turned so the sun warmed the black silk cascading down her back. With long strides she walked the red sands toward Kaw’Da. Her unmarked flesh covered by folds of silk.
By the time the sun was over head she reached the last peak and looked down into the valley where Kaw’Da and the market nestled. Tears into rain drops, rain into creeks, creeks flow into the oceans. The words he spoke to her heart thrummed in hers with her racing pulse as she quickly descended, half-sliding, half-striding, down the dune.
Kria turned to face the dunes as a dry wind blew her Chartreuse wrap softly behind her. She watched as a figured wrapped in black slipped down the sands quickly like the lizards run the sands in the heat.
Rev walked the parameter of the Portal, his black coat crisp, brass buttons shining. His usual pace, long, sharp steps from years of training, skipped a beat. The usual electrical sensation that hit him when the Portal was about to awaken was replaced with something different, unknown. He glanced at his counterpart who also seemed to miss a step. Instead of looking down into the waters he stared out towards the dunes.
Nh’o's strong, purposeful strides brought her quickly along the path that led through the heart of the market. Buyers’ and merchants’ eyes followed her figure as she moved passed, although their mouths never stopped negotiations. Nh’o kept her eyes focused toward the front of the market, heading towards the Jar Merchant.
Kria tacked open her tent knowing the woman in black silk was heading her way. Absently she secured the material over her face with one hand and ran the beads through the fingers of the other hand. Usually she was not nervous with customers but a fear rose up in her like when the Portal was in full force. Kria sensed the woman was as unpredictable as the Portal itself. Nh’o stopped in front of Kria, narrowing her eyes slightly, unblinking and unnerving to Kria. Rev braced himself knowing the Portal was about to be triggered.
Kria swept her arm towards the innards of the tent, ushering Nh’o inside. Like all of Kria’s customers, Nh’o walked instinctively towards the jar she required. It was a smoky colored bottle, with a smoke quartz topper carved into the shape of a feather quill. Carved on the glass itself was a label like an ink bottle. Nh’o picked it up, gently holding it in her hand, and it began to glow as if it were filled with a million fireflies.
Kria took a step back, held a hand to her collar-bone, felt the rushing pulse at the base of her throat. She chanted, softly, weaving the beads quickly through her fingers. Nh’o turned her head when she heard Kria chant and laughed. Without a word she placed the money on the table as she exited.
Rev was nervous. He stepped off the path around the Portal, into the soft grass, for the first time breaking his training. Nh’o stood at the edge, near the low slung wall, and held the bottle in both hands. The sky went completely dark. More than nighttime as there was no moon or stars. People screamed from the sudden blackness and the fear swept down the market and through Kaw’Da.
Nh’o's bottle glowed brightly, the only light, and anyone in viewing distance focused on the shimmering in her hand. Rev was the only one who saw the waters rise up, glowing like the bottle, blue-green pinpricks against blackness. When Nh’o lifted the topper the waters flashed a brilliant light so bright it forced eyes shut in pain. Nh’o stepped over the low slung wall, into the waters, and disappeared. Kria’s chanting was the only sound heard in the stunned silence. As quickly as the darkness consumed the daylight it dissipated. The Portal waters hovered momentarily, like a hummingbird before a flower, before falling quietly back into place. Despite the anticlimactic response of the Portal, Rev and Kria sensed something more ominous remained.
Nh’o surfaced at the center of the Portal, just under the bridge, her black silk wrap pooling like a lily pad around her. Rev ran back up along the bridge, lowering a rope down to help her from the cold waters. She held on as he pulled her up and she smiled in pleasure when she saw her skin.
Her once unmarred porcelain skin was branded with intricate marks. Deeply etched, like the bottle she formerly held, black ink markings covered her skin. Words. She ran her fingers gently along the newly printed words. She smiled brightly at Rev who remained silent. Her blue eyes shone through her black markings like the jar shone beneath the inky smoked glass. Now she had a second chance to regain her family’s status.
