On market days, the stalls are lined with the very fresh items. Fish freshly caught in the morning’s run, vegetables plucked with the sunrise dew sweating on their skin, and meat butchered at dawn. Loona was helping her parents set the stall for the day. Their merchandise did not consists of the normal items that one would think was sold at the market. Loona’s family had long been in the business of selling elixirs. The lines at their stall usually begin the night before and by dawn the line would have reached the gate to the city.
Loona’s ancestors arrived from the moon centuries ago. They bought with them the many secrets of life that ancient philosophers have spent their lives seeking. For every question that humanity conjured up, Loona’s ancestors gave them the answers. Along with their knowledge, they bought with them the formulas for the elixirs. From the moment of her birth, Loona could not wait to create these elixirs that were embedded within her mind and her DNA which were handed down from her ancestors.
Unlike the many stalls in the market, where the owners believed that magnificent stalls with decorations and signs are means to attract the customers, Loona’s family stall was simple. The awning was made from the damito fabric created by Loona’s ancestors. The fabric protected its inhabitants from the rain, snow, sun, and floruunal weather. Loona loved it when it floruun. The sky would fill itself with colors of pink, yellow, green, magenta and when the weeping sounds would come through, the petal-like showers would flutter the buildings and the streets. Many would seek refuge when it floruuns. For as beautiful as those petal-like showers drifted and fluttered, anyone who was caught out in the open would feel the gash and burn from its touch. The damito awning provided such protection not only for the inhabitants but also for the precious elixirs.
In the city of Caveeno, the market is the most essential element that provides the sustenance and economic means. The clay covered streets pave way for its inhabitants to roam around the city. Buildings made of aubergine bricks stood erect and welcomed those who inhabit the city, and turn away those who emulate a bad being. It would not be a strange thing when a visitor attempts to enter a building and finds that the door refuses to allow them in. The owner of the building and the business that it provides considered this to be a good omen to turn any unwanted others away. While the buildings naturally turn away the unwanteds, Loona’s family market stall does not. Visitors from Lugana, Zeemba, and even as far as Briosais would travel just so they can stand in line for the elixirs.
There are many to choose from. One of Loona’s favorite elixirs and one that she has become the connoisseur for was called Cheveuxais. An elixir quite popular among the young women and the much older men. Cheveuxais makes sure that the cheveux does not grow. For the young unmarried women, it was quite essential that their cheveux’s growth is stunned until they become wives. It was quite unattractive for a young unmarried girl to have cheveux growth. Some mature much faster than others and any sign of growth would delay the potential matchmaking. Once a match has been made and the young woman becomes the wife, she is allowed to grow her cheveux as long as she desired. In fact, she must allow the growth of her cheveux. Long cheveux shows the city people that she is doing her duty as the wife. For the much older men, Cheveuxais was used to maintain baldness. All men in the city of Caveeno must maintain no cheveux growth. Baldness represents their masculinity and fertility, any man who decided to grow such atrocity was deemed inadequate and an unwanted.
Perhaps the most coveted and expensive elixir that Loona’s family sold was the Hetleven. This elixir can only be created by the men in the Loona’s family. Its secret formula was embedded in the genetic make-up of the men in her family. Her father has known of this formula before he entered the world and so did his father and the many fathers that came before him in their family. Hetleven is the elixir that made Caveeno the city that it has become. The aubergine brick buildings built themselves whenever a batch of hetleven was being concocted. Its fragrant fog permeates Caveeno’s air in the evening and in the morning a new building has risen and a line of Caveeno people have been formed. The new building will choose its owner and whisper to the owner of the business it must create.
But, the true purpose of Hetleven is not to create a new building, this elixir gives those who consume its aubergine liquid substance another life. There is no such thing as immortality, but with Hetleven, it was pretty close. Those consume this elixir found that should they meet their untimely death, they are given another chance at life. Those who choose to consume Hetleven continue for years to take the elixir. There are others, however, whose heart cannot bear the idea of losing a loved one, takes it upon themselves to secretly infuse their loved ones drink with the powerful elixir.
Loona looked up to the skies to see the familiar colors of floruun. She told her parents that the damito awning needs to be expanded. But before her parents can inform the other market stall owners, she noticed that Caveeno’s aubergine buildings have already manifested the damito awnings covering all those who stood in line.
Lines that expanded and extended way out to the Caveeno’s city gate.
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