A Ripple In The Void[part 4]

Many sages used to say that the will and the nature of the common people are inherently similar, and the most important thing a man can have is his soul, the soul of the common folk are often nurtured by the transience of nature, the feeling of nostalgia and melancholy stretches the soul.

The mother nature was benevolent that day, the day the Lunar-Dust festival. The people on the street were in blissful trance, some dancing, some praying for it was a holy day when all the struggles they had in the past and the the struggles awaiting for them did not matter, for today was a day off from all that's dark and gloomy.

The streets were filled with manifold colours of light and today was the day for silver, even gold failed in radiance today. Lunar inscribed accessories were being sold at every corner of the streets. Different sorts of games were being played by all sorts of people. People were spraying each other with silver coloured Abeer[a type of dye] in a playful manner, this was also one of the holy customs which was practiced on this day. People of all races and caste were gathered there.

" Don't break the fucking lines, you fucking ingrates." shouted one of the shop owners. There was an unending long line in front of this shop, and a placard was hanging in front of this shop that said 'Floating Lanterns' . the absolute craze for the floating lanterns was due to a superstitious rumour that has been floating around the floating lanterns since eternity, that if someone's floating lanterns somehow reached the moon, then his or her wish will come true. Of course there are some sceptics that believe that it is simply absurd for flying lanterns to reach the moon.

"Ten silvers for one lantern, guaranteed flight, and no fucking bargaining." said the shopkeeper.

Almost all the people gasped after hearing the price.

"TEN SILVERS! my god, man, for ten silvers I can literally buy your mother and send her to the fucking moon." said a by a bystander while grabbing his own penis.

While a small fight broke out in front of the busy store, two little boys were intently looking at the prized possession of the foul mouthed shop keeper.

"It cant be done, Herpes." said the plump boy with sharp eyes and even sharper freckles.

"Stop calling me Herpes, people are always listening, i dont want a weird nickname." said Hermes.

"Your father shouldnt have named you Hermes, all the ammunition for mockery are right there." said Orion.

"Enough with the low witted jokes, and quickly find the way sneak out one of those lanterns." said Hermes.

"I dont think thats possible, Hermes. That man is a foreigner, His name is Musashi Kentarou. When somebody goes to a foreign land he is far more vigilant than he is in his homeland. He has no openings." lamented Orion.

"Thats excellent!" said Hermes.

"How is that excellent? doesn't that mean that we are doomed" inquired Orion.

"Stupid! rather than using some unstable and unpredictable opening it is far better to make an opening of our own" chuckled Hermes.

"Ohh... HERPES BANZAI! HERPES BANZAI!" said Orion while being awed by his friend.

"Shut up fatty and just listen." said Hermes while pulling his friend closer and whispering in his ear.

While this was going on, the commotion infront of the store died down, and from chaos order came as no one bargained anymore after seeing what happened to the bystander who heckled the foreigner.

But order never lasts very long as history would suggest. While everything was going smoothly the shopkeeper suddenly noticed a strange chubby boy walking towards him in a stiff manner. The boy went upto him and handed him a piece of paper and walked away.

The shopkeeper was bewildered not because how strangely the boy acted but because he couldn't understand a thing that was written on the piece of paper, the shopkeeper knew how to speak the common tongue but he never learned how to read and write, he even paid someone to write the placard in front of his store. The shopkeeper became even more vigilant. The shopkeeper looked around and could not find the boy, he looked around for a long time and then finally he caught the silhouette of the the boy, only this time there were black mystic patterns were engraved in his body.

Musashi Kentarou was a man with a vast amount knowledge, well he had to be in order to be succesful in a foreign land. The moment he saw the patterns his memory echoed. He started recollecting all the horrible things he heard about the Mystic-Plague twenty years ago. As the boy started walking towards him he took a step back instinctively and stepped on something which made him lose his balance and he fell along with some of his lanterns. Mushashi was afraid, afraid of the prying eyes which were ogling his lanterns with malice and geed and mostly of the boy with black patterns on his body, and it proved too much for him. So he jolted himself back up and said " THE SHOP IS CLOSED FOR NOW, COME BACK AT ANOTHER TIME."

Just as he was about to close the shutter in front of his shop, he heard a voice " So you are going to take my money and also keep my lantern, what kind of buisness are you running here mister."

Mushashi was so restless, that he didn't even bother to check anything, all his attention were on the boy who was still walking towards him, he then took one of his prized lanterns and threw it at the voice and closed the shutter in front of his shop causing a mass commotion.