Story fantasy themed writing practice series 0.1

[Ukko]

The sun was shining on a hot day of the drought season.

Despite that, the air on the bazaar was hazy. The air filled with various scents. There were hints of incense and cardamom, the rest was and indefinable mix of fragrances. After every few meters rays of sunlight sparkled through the canopies of stalls, selling all things someone could imagine and even more. Frail tunes were carried trough the hot air over the whole city. Every corner brought new but familiar sights. There were people eating the most exotic kinds of food, haggling over extortionate prices, guiding cattle through narrow streets or just sitting in the shadows of the awnings.

At the center of this pulsating, free market place there was a huge tent hovered over the central piazza. Exactly in the middle there was a small opening in the tent letting purposively in the strong light of the sun. Every little speck of dust and sand sparkled enticing in this light. At the ground laid an outworn but magnificently crafted, thin carpet.

A small band started playing at the edge of the piazza. Suddenly a figure appeared from the lively crowd, a young woman. She wore a light cropped top and a skirt made of the same floating fabric. Golden chains were draped around her bare hips, her wrists and ankles. A veil covered her face from the eyes down. With two light steps she stood in the middle of the piazza, directly under the hole of the tent.

With an upbeat in the music she started to dance. The light fabric of her clothes flattered her slim figure. With every crescendo in the music her moves got more tantalizing and the golden jewellery glinted mystically in the sunlight. Her hair and skirt wafting around in the air. The people which were busy with themselves until now, came to a stop to watch the captivating figure, twirling over the piazza. The crowd got more and more absorbed by her dance. Her feet moved quickly over the carpet. Every time her feet hit the ground instead of the carpet she steered up a small cloud of sand. Each dead of sand made it all the more magical to watch. The music stopped at a climax and she stood in the ring of light once again, like she never started with her performance.

After some time the people went after their business again and the whirled up dust faded to the ground once more.

The only thing left of this spectacle was the worn out carpet on the ground and faint tunes of a melody in the distance.

 

[Ukko]

The night got dimly lit by thousand oil lamps, but the buzz in the city didn't die down.

He walked through narrow paths which permeated the city like veins. The scarf covering his face was now only loosely hanging over his shoulders. He stopped in his tracks shortly, letting his head fall back, watching the nightly lit fronts of the houses, indulging in the sounds of the city. Starting to walk again we walked in the direction of the busier streets. The streets where you could experience the true Colours of night markets.

After getting a little snack at the fanciest stalls, his surroundings changed in no time immensely. With nearly no light and the skewers he just bought in one hand, his feet walked him into the darkest alleys. Those streets seemed like the spleen in the human body, almost forgotten. Still a vital part of the body, here a vital part of this quaint deserted landscape. He paused before the doorstep of a house. A house like any other here, maybe just a little bit darker. But like most houses it was a one-story building, with rectangular holes for the windows, which were covered from the inside with thin cloths. With one swift move he opened the door and went inside, letting the door slam closed behind him. He bit down on his last skewer, savouring the taste of the chicken. While strolling to the adjacent room he digged out a little something out of the depths of his Pelerine. A knee-high table came into sight, behind it sitting a dubious man on a luxurious pillow. With a skillful toss the something from before landed on the table before the strange man. The man only chuckled, placing the steaming cup of tea in his hands on the table and reaching for the object wrapped in a dirty piece of silk, which just got thrown down onto his table.

"You really got it!", was the first thing the man said in a raspy voice. So even the most exquisite tea in this delicately crafted cup couldn't work wonders.
Then he finally entered the room the carpet under his feet sinking a few inches under his weight, reminding him of the feeling he got while walking through the never ending desert.
"That´s why you are my favorite supplier. Besides I have another request. I´ll send you the details in two days same location, same time." The man who was just a moment ago so captured by this little wrapped object now didn't even look at it now.

He turned on his heel, leaving the room after those few steps he did out of consideration. He got the info he needed and wanted. As he was just about to leave he heard the raspy voice now a lot quieter, but still easily audible: "Don't waste my generosity!"

 

[Ukko]

These days heavy sandstorms terrorized the desert and it´s cities. Showing once again the cruel, remorseless beauty of nature.

The life here came to a halt, not just the humans but the animals waited out the storm as well. The Bedouins in the desert came to a halt as well, finding shelter in the few oases.
The sandstorms were feared by all, and still without them the life here wouldn't be the one people here knew and loved.

Days like this get most times spend in the houses, drinking freshly brewed tea and listening to the stories and myths told by the elders. Dreaming time away with adventures.

The so heavy sandstorm stopped clandestinely after the third night. Leaving the night sky clearer than ever, billions of stars where to be seen. A view not seen by anybody.
Except, except one boy. A boy around the age of twelve laying in the sand just one mile away from the furthest outskirts of the city looked up into to the stars. Wondering, about the most difficult things a boy of this age could think of. Seemingly happy about the peaceful, mild night.

He raised his arm following the stars of the star signs he seemed to know.

After a while his arm seemed to grab desperately for the starry sky, then his arm fell flat beside him not to move again.

On the next day the lifeless body of a child was found before the city. The body half covered in golden Sand. An old man found it on his way to buy carpets from the folks of the desert. People in the city pitied the young soul but nevertheless they wondered what a kid might have wanted so far from the city all alone, and wondered even more because no one in the city seemed to know this child.