Ashtium: City of Sun

GRETA

Enoch has been gone for days. The day after he left, I picked up the food he brought and hid it all under my bush. Someone else has been visiting the fountain in the mornings. I think it’s the lady who called for Enoch one of the first days I found this place.

I think it’s his mother if I remember right. Enoch told me the statue on the fountain is of her.

I didn’t mind her visits at first. It was nice having someone else around to watch and observe. She didn’t always stay near the fountain though and sometimes would walk around very close to my hiding place. It made me really nervous, but I am well prepared to fight for my life.

I never needed to though, she stopped coming about a week ago. She would always throw rocks at the statue of herself and sometimes jump on it like a wild animal. It was funny at first, but she would cry shortly after and hog up my time around the fountain because she would just sit there for hours on end.

Then, four days ago, I woke up and found her silvery form kneeling down right beside me again. She was right there – next to my face.

It’s the second time now I woke up to her watching me.

I screamed naturally and scurried away from her, but she just stayed there while I ran and hid from her far away on the other end of the courtyard.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so scared. More scared even than the night Enoch left two weeks ago.

So I’ve abandoned my old hiding spot.

I haven’t slept since that event. I’m too scared to wake up and find her hovering above me. It still makes me shiver to think about. It’s night now again which doesn’t help my case. I really am starting to despise the new dimness that comes with it. I feel like the god of the sun is mocking me because I want to sleep so badly, but I can’t risk it now.

I don’t know what I’ll do if I wake up again and find her watching me like that.

Not only did I have to abandon my hiding spot, but the new pile of urkmink I saw on the ground near the fountain. I really am happy for the animal that keeps digging them up, but I haven’t gone over to the fountain since I woke up to that woman.

I’m scared of her as silly as it may be. The false god and city guards are another matter. She is a different kind of scary I suppose. She talked to herself too, it’s how I was able to recognize her voice.

“I want my statue fixed up. It’s cracked on the left leg, dear. Don’t you see?” I curl up in a ball on the ground hearing her voice in the distance.

“Yes,” a familiar voice replies, but I’m not sure where I recognize it from.

It does not belong to the false god. This voice sounds more sincere and pleasing. I think it is one of the city guards. I crawl forward, closer to the fountain and the direction of the voices.

“Ugh! Disgusting, what are all these bugs doing here? I thought I had kicked them under a bush and out of sight!” Enoch’s mother yells.

I make it to my old hiding place and pull a branch in the bush to the side. A larger man stands next to the woman, the pile of urkmink between them.

“I have been feeding a cat back here, my dearest,” the man soothes.

She kicks the pile, sending my precious food everywhere and out of sight. “A cat? I’ve always wanted one to call my own. Why haven’t you brought it to me yet?” Enoch’s mother asks in a nicer tone.

“I have yet to see it myself.”

Her voice turns sharp, “Then how do you know it is a cat?”

I gasp seeing her storming over to my bush. Abandoning my hiding position, I crawl backward with haste. The bark of a tree meets my back just as the woman’s silver form rounds the bush. I freeze seeing a radiating crown on top of her head just like the false god wore.

Her hand goes to her side where the shape of a hanging coiled rope rests, but her hand stays on her waist when she sees me not behind the spot she found me sleeping in.

The other person comes up behind her and stands quietly. I do the only thing I can think of, crawl further away knowing neither of them can see me in the darkness beneath the foliage I hide behind.

The woman’s voice breaks, “Urdmin t-told me of a street whore living back here. What if it’s true? Such repulsive beings lurking back here will mark our family a disgrace,” I hear her sniffling as she turns into the embrace of the other. “Don’t you agree?”

The man sounds somber, “Yes, Femke, but there is no whore living back here. Urdmin is delusional. He takes every chance he gets to kill off women you feel threatened by. You and I both know he is pinning for my crown...and your favor.”

“Pfft! Urdmin is not capable of such scheming. You are far too of a challenge, he’d never dare!”

“Whatever you say, my dearest. I’m no longer worried about it. It is only you and I here, let us enjoy the rare moment.”

I watch them walk back around the bush to the other side where the fountain is.

“What makes you think it’s a cat anyway?” Enoch’s mother probes in a quieter voice. “I thought you hated animals. I had a pet monkey once and you fed it to the wolves after poaching it in a barrel for a year!”

“Enoch was the one who forgot to take the monkey out, my dear Femke. He was testing his silly chemicals on it. He had forgotten about it in there and the chef had covered the lid. It was an unfortunate accident.”

“I want the cat,” she repeats quickly. Then she raises her voice almost sounding hysterical, “When do you think you’ll be able to catch it?”

“Hmmm, I can’t say for sure. It’s a wild animal, dear. It will come out when it wants to. If we wait a little longer it will come out on its own.”

“Well, it’d be a shame if an unfortunate accident happened to it.”

I hear a heavy thud and the sound of something clattering onto the ground.

“How dare you push me!” Enoch’s mother shrieks and I tense up hearing the sound of a slap echo around the courtyard. Her voice turns softer and I almost feel sorry for her, “I just want the cat. What’s wrong with that? You’ll bring me it, won’t you?”

“My dear, Femke,” the other voice croons, “I will bring you it as soon as I find it.”

The sound of footsteps walking away in the distance follows shortly after. Hungry, I silently crawl back under the bush and stop short seeing the other person still lingering behind near the fountain. I watch with intrigue as they walk around the fountain picking up the urkmink. They put them in a pile near the base of the fountain where their lantern sits.

I hold my breath watching them walk away from the fountain with the lantern. In a rush, I back away just in time to avoid being seen and go underneath the shade of the branches. Their tall silvery form stops right in front of the bush I hide under and pauses.

I catch sight of a similar torture device on their waistband and hold my breath. One of their hands rests on top of their head as if troubled by something as they turn in a slow circle as if looking around for me, the “cat”.

It makes me wonder if they believe Enoch’s mother, but I’m no street whore and I’m certainly no cat.

Suddenly, his head comes to a still. It’s directed downward as if looking right at me and I gulp, but there’s no way they can see me back here huddled down on the ground. Going off of the dimness surrounding me, it’s pitch black out and their lantern light in their hand doesn’t reach me in my corner.

Their other hand leaves their head and returns to their side as they bend down and set the lantern by their feet.

My breath catches as I go still feeling them touch the side of my face with their rough callused hand. “Come out, little pearl. I know you’re no cat,” they whisper, tugging my face gently forward.

A sharp breath escapes me when their grip on my face tightens and they use their other arm to grab underneath my armpit and tear me out from underneath the bush. I whimper when I land right on top of them and I try to move back, but their arm latches around me.

Their other arm picks up the lantern, and with amazing strength, they carry me with just one arm over to the fountain. They set the lantern down on the ground and then sit down on the ledge with me flush against their huge chest. I tremble against them as tears fall freely from my eyes. I can feel their heart pound against my chest, and feeling ill, my body lulls forward in their hold with my hair dangling below my face.

Somewhere above my head, I sense their own head moving to the side as if to look the way Enoch’s mother left.

“Why haven’t you been eating your food?”

I sit up straight with a wince feeling him stroke my arm and rub over the big healing sore cut on my right arm.

“What’s this?” his voice rumbles behind me. I squirm feeling him trace over the cut with a finger. “It’s okay, I know what you are. It’s why I’ve been taking care of you, little pearl. Enoch can only help so much.”

“Enoch?”

“Yes, he is my son. I know he brought you here, but he hasn’t been around much, has he?” he asks in a knowing tone.

“You’re...you’re the man from the other day. Do you know where he is?” I ask with new hope.

I relax a little when his touch leaves my arm.

“No, but I’m sure he will come to you soon. Also, I’m sorry you had to hear my wife and I arguing. I know you’re not a whore,” he chuckles and lowers his voice, “...or a cat.”

New relief floods into me, but it’s so strange how different Enoch’s father is from his mother. Enoch said his father was awful like the false god, but he doesn’t seem nearly as terrible as Urdmin. I don’t think Enoch knows what awful really is. He’s lucky to still have his parents around even if his mother is kind of scary. When she came to him here she seemed to talk to him in a loving voice.

I miss that from my parents. I miss their voices. I never lived to see their faces. After their efforts, I finally made it here, and to thank them, I did the unspeakable...

“What’s wrong?”

I crane my neck around, wondering if they could be the god of the sun. However, they lack the crown the god of the sun is said to have. I don’t remember the god of the sun having a wife either. But how could he have seen me hiding out in the dark? No normal person would have been able to see me.

“I’ve done something horrible. I need to find the god of the sun and ask for forgiveness,” I whisper in a tight voice remembering the sound of Enoch’s mother falling to the ground. He had pushed her down from what I gathered listening to them fight. I tremble feeling his hand return to my arm.

I don’t really know what happened, but the god of the sun is supposed to be gentle and would never do such a vicious thing. Then again, I didn’t actually see what happened. I could only hear.

“You’ve already been forgiven, little pearl. I’ve heard your prayers and screams in the night. You wish to see in color, don’t you?”

“Yes!” I whisper in shock while searching his blurry face.

If I can just find his eyes, I’ll be able to somewhat see him again like before.

“Let me give you some hope.” Heat fans across my face as I feel his breath tickle the side of it as he draws nearer.