Asmireen
©2024 by Jonathan Scott
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Chapter 11 - Poverty and Unseen Events
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Think
112.73 A woman, she walk on a road. The road, it go down sometimes, it go up sometimes, but it always go on. A woman, if she want to follow the road, she must go down when the road go down, but she must go up when the road go up too, else she cannot follow the road.
"JAKE! LOOK AT THIS!" cried Marie.
Jake jerked himself to his feet and stood there like a man who had just been given a full body anesthetic. He was not awake whatsoever. His body just seemed to be propelled by the shrill cry of the eight year old Marie.
"JAKE! ARE YOU LOOKING?!"
Jake's eyes finally opened, although his brain had not yet fully awakened. It was eight o'clock in the morning and Marie was leaning out of their third floor window in a very dangerous way.
"C'MON JAKE, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS."
Jake slowly stumbled to the window. He then looked out of it to see an eighty foot long red dragon.
Jake had been having a wonderful dream. He had been walking through a beautiful field of grass running towards something that he wasn't aware of. Quick was with him. The part of the dream that had been beautiful though was simply that there was nothing wrong. Jake's mind was fully clear of all the misery that he had been feeling over the past week. All there was, was Jake, Quick, the field of grass and the running. It was a beautiful dream. Towards the end of it though, as Jake and Quick ran, Jake had made the mistake of looking behind him. Behind him the sky was dark and foreboding whereas in front of him was only beauty. Had Jake only paid attention to the land in front of him, he could have awoken with a smile. Instead though, just the one simple look behind him had muddled his emotions so that Jake found himself unable to wake in absolute serenity. In Jake's dream he heard a roar, and so once again he looked behind him, but this time, rather than just an empty and foreboding sky, Jake saw a red dragon as well. The dragon appeared to be chasing him. But luckily for Jake, the dream began to end.
Jake came to his senses slowly. He smiled. He looked forward to waking and escaping the darkness and the red dragon. But then, as the darkness cleared, and the red dragon didn't, Jake came to the realization that the red dragon was truly real.
"WHOA! GEEZ!" cried Jake as he grabbed Marie and began to run away from the window.
"PUT ME DOWN YOU BONEHEAD! IT'S OK! THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT ALL MORNING!" exclaimed Marie as she struggled to escape from Jake.
Jake, unwillingly, put Marie down on the ground. She returned to the window. Jake though, still afraid, stayed back until he heard something that calmed him.
He heard laughter.
Jake, who had seen more strangeness in the last week than most see in a lifetime, had become accustomed somewhat to it all. He approached the window and looked out of it again.
This time though, there was nothing. Across the street from the apartment where Jake and Marie were was a section of land. The land had a high wall which encircled it. Within this land there was a collection of perhaps thirty people. Some sat at tables. A few walked around. One though, stood directly in the center of the land and looked very obviously terrified. All of these people though, each and everyone, was looking at something that was off to the left and out of Jake's view.
Whoosh.
A great rush of air blew Jake and Marie backwards and to the floor. They both stood and came once again to the open window. There, where there was once a bunch of people that were all looking left, the same group of people all now looked right. As Jake looked at them though, their heads began to turn again. All of them, all thirty or so of them, slowly turned their heads and began looking directly at Jake. Jake then backed away from the window out of fear. As he backed up though, Jake realized that the people weren't actually looking at him, but rather above him.
So, Jake, once again, stuck his head out of the window and turned his head upwards. There, perhaps twenty feet above him, hovering in the air, was a monster. Jake's vision was somewhat obscured; he could only see the monster's great neck, head and wings. But, from the shape and size, Jake immediately knew it to be a red dragon. Marie began to laugh and to point.
Jake grabbed Marie, ran out of the apartment, ran down the stairs with her, and then ran into the street next to Gideon and the wagon, both of which had miraculously not been stolen during the night.
Still the great and ancient red dragon hovered over their building. Everyone who had been walking down the street had stopped, many were pointing their fingers and smiling, but none were running away. Jake had only heard stories about these great serpents. He had seen a few illustrations as well. This though was entirely not what he expected. The sound generated by the flapping of his great hundred foot long wings was deafening. The dust that flew everywhere stung every bit of his exposed flesh. The smell of sulfur and sweat that exuded from the beast made him nauseous. His great dripping and burning fiery mane stained the roof and walls of Issac's apartment black. Even the air itself somehow tasted different just having this great beast so close.
The beast then rose up slightly in the air, breathed in a great breath, which all could hear for miles, and then dove straight towards the walled area across the street from their apartment, breathing fire as it went.
And in a flash, the great beast vanished.
Then, from the high walled area, there were loud cheers followed by a loud bell. Everyone on the street smiled and continued on their way. As two men passed by Jake and Marie, Jake heard one tell the other "poor guy."
Quick, who had slept in the wagon all night to protect it, climbed aboard the main seat and wagged his tail. Jake noticed a small trickle of blood that had stained the side of the wagon. Quick looked quite proud of himself.
"Good boy" said Jake uncertainly, as he petted Quick's head.
"What do you mean 'they've been doing it all morning'?" Jake asked.
There was a pause, and then Marie answered.
"There's something strange going on at that place across the street. I've been watching for about the last hour and a half and I've been seeing some weird stuff. It's ok though." she answered.
"What do you mean 'It's ok.'? That was a red dragon Marie!"
"Well, I mean, if it gets too dangerous. We can just run away, right?" Marie answered innocently.
"Marie. You can just run away. I can't. Not everyone can run a million miles an hour like you, remember?"
Then, a soft voice surprised them both.
"Well, we haven't been hurt so far, and it's been six months."
Hannah had walked down the stairs and joined them without their knowing. She now stood behind them.
"Good morning you two. How did you sleep?" asked Hannah.
Jake's skin still itched from the mites. He had spent most of the night in sick uneasiness after having watched the two men die. He hadn't gotten much sleep, and then the sleep that he had gotten was ended by a red dragon.
"Did you see the two men die last night?" said Jake blankly.
"Yeah, we both did. We watched it from our window." said Hannah sadly.
"Somebody died?" exclaimed Marie who looked scared.
"Yeah, a couple of guys tried to mug a boy, but the boy shot lightning or something at them and killed them." said Jake.
"A blue. Wow. There's not many of those." said Marie who looked nervous.
"A 'blue?'"
"Yeah. I'm a runner, and he's a blue."
Hannah then changed the subject. She no longer seemed to want to discuss it.
"Issac's off to work at the market. We thought we should let you two sleep in a little after your trip." Hannah said.
"What is that place Hannah?" asked Marie pointing to the building across the street where the dragon had come from.
"That's a restaurant. I think they call the place 'Da Bonz'. I personally have never been in it although I have watched it at length from that window you two were standing at."
"A RESTAURANT!? What's a red dragon doing in a restaurant?" exclaimed Jake.
"I think it's their entertainment. It's kind of like 'dinner and a show'." answered Hannah as she smiled her wonderfully comforting smile.
"Come on, let's go. I've got breakfast waiting for you. We've got some stuff to talk about." Hannah said.
"We eat a lot of fish Jake, I hope you like it."
Hannah, Jake, Marie and Quick had all returned to their apartment and were now finishing their meager meal of fish, rice and beans.
"Jake, Issac asked me to speak with you about something." said Hannah.
"We just don't have the money that we used to. We're going to need you to help us out. If you choose to, you can go back home, but if you stay, you'll have to work. Finding a job is kind of hard nowadays, but you are young, not like Issac was. You should be able to find something. Marie, we'll be asking the same of you. It'll be harder finding a job for you, but there should be something available, perhaps as a seamstress' assistant. Do you think that you are going to stay or go Jake?"
Jake had worked since he was very young. He had lived on a farm and, as the saying goes, "A farmer's child is never idle." He had never even considered not working. Honestly, he wasn't even aware that there were alternatives.
"I'll see what I can find today. Do you know any places to look?"
"Try the open air market. If you don't see anything, find Issac. He'll point you in a good direction." she said.
"I'm a runner Hannah. Maybe I can get my old job back." said Marie.
Hannah paused and looked at the tiny Marie with a look of shock.
"You used to work?" Hannah said with a look of wonder.
"Where did you work?"
"I used to deliver handbills for The Black Horse." said Marie with a small smile.
"The Black Horse! You used to work for The Black Horse! You're only eight Marie!" exclaimed Hannah.
"They didn't seem to mind. They just gave me the handbills and told me the neighborhoods to deliver them too."
"What's The Black Horse?" asked Jake with a puzzled look on his face.
"It's a restaurant, Jake. Quite expensive." said Hannah.
"How much did you get a day for working for them?" Hannah asked.
"They gave me sixteen anunanun a day." answered Marie.
"Sixteen silver! That's almost twice what Issac makes." said Hannah.
"How much is rent here Hannah? asked Jake.
"We pay 3, 2, 2 anun. 3 gold, 2 silvers, 2 coppers, and no tin a month." answered Hannah.
"How much was your older place?" asked Jake.
"30, anunanunanun." answered Hannah somewhat proudly.
"30 gold...that's 600 silver! You guys were rich!" said Jake.
"Yeah. We were doing pretty well."
"Well, if we're all working, at least we should be able to move out of here to a better place." said Jake.
"Can't we all buy some land rather than rent it?" he added.
Hannah looked at her feet and then back up.
"Nothing is for sale here Jake. Someone or some people already own it all and no one's selling."
"In all of Eastbrook, nothing is for sale?" asked Jake with a serious look of doubt on his face.
"In Old Town, no, nothing is for sale. Yes. There are homes available in the other boroughs, but they're quite expensive, and I don't think Issac can go that far to work everyday. If you want to buy something, be prepared. An average sized place costs about ten thousand gold. There's some farmland available outside of the city itself, much cheaper, maybe two thousand for a good sized farm, but it's not at all protected by the police or military. You're on your own out there." said Hannah.
"Is it dangerous?" asked Jake.
"Hmmm. Not often. But, sometimes. If you're rich though, it's definitely dangerous." answered Hannah.
"You guys were rich though, why didn't you buy anything?" asked Marie.
Hannah began looking as though she were angry. She looked down and then off to a corner. She then responded fighting back a tear.
"We never got around to it. We thought we were safe." she answered.
"We were saving up for it. We had enough for a nice small place. We were just hoping that we could keep saving until we had enough for a really nice one. Then Nahli came and took everything. Actually, we're lucky to be here and not on the street."
Jake looked at his feet for a second, and then raised his head.
"I'll leave right after breakfast."
The open air market of Old Town in Eastbrook was huge. Vendors gathered from all over the region to sell here. Eastbrook itself was such a large city that one could purchase anything one wished. There were a total of perhaps thirty or forty of these markets throughout Eastbrook; a fact which made Jake's small town mind reel in disbelief. With careful persistence, Jake walked through the open air market looking for a future employer.
There were a total of eleven boroughs in Eastbrook: Old Town, Audon, Glory, Newton, White Water, White Water Up, Industry, The three fronts (Safe Way, Up and Right), and Dankara. Old Town, as the name would suggest, was the oldest of all the boroughs and also happened to be the oldest known location in all of the country of Eastbrook. Although it is not written in any scripture, it is rumored to be the place where Papa Voice Himself placed Bahl and Frah after the first cleansing, and many believe it to be the place where He will one day return to begin His final sort. In fact, many believe the Mirrorball itself to be the place where He waits and watches until the time comes.
Jake walked and looked.
Jake was a farmer. He had learned about farming from Homer his entire life. In fact, Homer had begun teaching him all about farming even before his first birthday. Now, as you all may not realize, a person's first birthday is not when one is one. When one is one, that day is actually one's second birthday. Therefore, when I say that Jake had begun to learn about farming before his first birthday, I mean, that while Saja was busy carrying Jake about in her abdomen, Homer was also busy talking to him about farming. Homer was not crazy. It was just how he played with his children and his wife. Homer just thought that it was humorous to speak to a person that was hiding behind a belly button and to teach him all about farming. But nonetheless, the lessons did not cease once Jake had been born. Homer never seemed to even care whether or not the infant Jake understood any of the things that Homer was talking about. Homer just kept on talking. And it never ended. Jake knew all there was to know about farming by the time he was ten. Homer had seen to it personally.
So, Jake had some confidence as he walked amongst the vendors and customers. He had knowledge, youth, some strength and plenty of discipline. He knew what he was capable of and he knew that it was valuable. So, when he walked up to the first vendor that he saw and stuck out his hand, he was able to do so with a large friendly business-like smile and wide bright intelligent open eyes. He had the responsibility to help out his family. Somehow, his confidence had managed to convince him that it would be easy.
"Hello, I'm looking for a job. I'm intelligent and hard..." began Jake.
"What's your gift?" asked the man behind the table, not bothering to shake Jake's hand or even bothering to look at him. The man continued to rearrange his wares as though Jake had not even spoken to him.
"We need another fifteen of the red. Send the blinker." the man said to another man off to his left.
"I don't have a gift." Jake said proudly.
Jake began to think to himself.
"Surely a devotion to Papa Voice must somehow prove my honesty and integrity. This man must need honest people to work for him."
The man raised his eyebrow and looked briefly at Jake with a look of mild contempt and pity. He then looked back down at his stacks of shirts and other clothing and continued to work.
"I need a runner and I need a brick. Go get yourself a gift and if you happen to be a runner or a brick, come back and talk to me. The pay is 1, 7 anunanun a day." he said and went back to work.
Jake's eyes opened slightly, he turned his head and began to walk away in mild surprise.
"Hey kid. The world just changed. You better change along with it or you're going to die. Papa Voice don't live here no more. You better just get used to it." said the man again.
Jake stood there, and was amazed at the oddness of the meeting. He then began to look around.
At a fruit stand nearby, Jake saw an old man levitating a box of oranges from one location to another. He then saw the man do so again. And again. And again.
At another stand, Jake saw a tall man lift a large wagon filled with wares and begin to walk with it down an overly crowded road, over the heads of other pedestrians and out of the market.
Above Jake's head, there were perhaps twenty people flying back and forth carrying items, or advertisement banners, or even other people.
It seemed as though the world had become the most magical of places, but that the magic itself had turned to lead. Powers that once could have been used to change the world were now used to push back and forth boxes of cucumbers and to paint large fences quickly. The world was still just the world. It was now faster, stronger and busier, but it was still just the world. The new magic had not made the world more magical, just more complicated. The new magic had not made people happier, just more frantic and more competitive. The new magic had not made people safer. Ironically, it had actually made them less secure. The world was more powerful than the world could tolerate and it seemed as though the seams which held the world together had begun to burst.
A man sat by a vegetable stand with a large banner over it that read "The Freshest Vegetables in Town." Rather than having crates and crates of produce though, there was nothing but row after row of potted plants. Jake saw a man walk up to the stand and ask for a dozen ears of corn. The seller simply walked to one of the potted plants, a cornstalk, touched it and a dozen ears of corn grew within a matter of five seconds. The seller then cut off the ears, placed them in a paper bag, handed them to the man, said "Sixteen anun," collected some money and then began sweeping.
With this, Jake realized that all of his farming skills and experience were absolutely valueless here. It was then that Jake realized that he was nothing here and that, were he even able to find a job, that he would only be paid as much as his uncle and probably less.
Jake stood still briefly, allowing the reality of this reality to solidify in his mind. He then tensed his brow and began to walk again in mild anger.
Jake would spend the rest of the day speaking with different vendors and different shop owners. And each time, the first three words of the conversation were always the same.
"What's your gift?"
Jake had heard these words spoken to him almost a hundred times that day. And with each time, Jake began to feel more and more shame for his lack of one. It was even worse to see the looks on the faces of the men that he spoke with each and every time he was forced to say the words "I don't have one." Most men simply exhaled slightly through their noses and slightly shook their heads when they heard it. A few though laughed out loud. One man even began to throw garbage at him as he screamed at him "Don't waste my time you fanatic." About five times during the day though, the men that he spoke with actually seemed to look ashamed after he said it. One even said "Hang in there." to him, but then, almost as an afterthought, he turned his head in anger and then bitterly walked away.
An entire day had come and gone, and Jake, tired and hungry, stood in the now empty marketplace. Everyone had gone home and still Jake was without a job.
Jake began the long walk back to his uncle Issac's apartment on Blue Street. He just didn't know how much more he could take.
He had suffered so much, and it was only Friday. It was just last Sunday that he had walked to church with his family. His normal life had only ended six days ago, and he felt as though he had been poor and abused since the day he was born. He simply could not remember joy even though, he had unknowingly lived within it and amongst it just a week previous.
Jake continued the long walk home. He walked past a bank, a launderer, the flour mill, and continued around the Toft Out circular until he finally made it to Robert Street. It was there that he was attacked.
Robert street was almost empty. There was nothing except for a few stray dogs and several people that stared at him from apartment windows as he walked down the road. There were no carriages. There were no men outside gambling. There was nothing. Far in the distance, Jake saw the restaurant, Da Bonz, that was across the street from his apartment. In front of him though, Jake could see one, and only one thing that caught his attention. He saw a horse that was standing on the side of the road far off in the distance.
"You." said a very recognizable voice whose owner Jake could not see.
Jake felt the first punch land on his right cheek. He fell down immediately and began to lose consciousness. Then, as he lay there, he felt several other impacts, kicks perhaps, that ended up breaking three of his ribs, his nose, and also smashing his right leg just above the ankle. The last thing he remembered though, as his mind fell into a painful and dreamless sleep, was how the one horse that he had seen far off in the distance had reminded him of Gale.
Hank was now Nahli. And he had a gift as well. Hank was invisible.