3.

celebration

There was color. That was my first thought.

Pink, blue, green and yellow. The deep green of the ground, the unending cobalt of the sky. The colors were swimming together, my eyes were watering and unfocused. My head was still reeling from the blow delivered earlier, I could feel the blood running down my collar.

Stumbling forward, propelled by the brawny men behind me, I stepped right into the middle of a large celebration. A great fire roared in the center, the flames flashing green, blue, pink and even black in great swirls as a variety of women tossed handfuls of bright powders into the heat. They were dressed in patterned skirts with different flora and fauna on them. I could pick out the bright pink of a tulip and the great antlers of a deer.

The firelight reflected off of my pale skin and threw strange reflections on my guards, who had come up to either side of me. Their skin was the darkest of all the revelers, nearly pitch back. It absorbed the light and gave none back. I felt a hint of coldness.

My rumpled white shirt and plain brown britches made me wiggle with embarrassment. My vision cleared and I stood up straighter. I tried to walk forward, only for one of my guards to grab my thin arm with his giant, meaty hand. I turned my head up and gazed into his sour features.

He and his companion were much the same. Both had greasy black hair slicked back into twin queues, nearly to their trim waists. Strong features, they had identical jawlines and noses. I looked closer, flicking my eyes back and forth. If not twins, then brothers at the least. Their eyes, no longer resting on me, were dark. The sclera was a pale blue, even in the firelight. I had seen no such coloration in an adult before, normally it was only young children who claimed such. Their bodies were large, muscular and riddled with scars. Their clothes were stained and patched with different swatches of fabric. A tunic belted into loose fitting shorts, with crudely made sandals seemed appropriate in the remaining atmosphere.

Turning my view to the rest of the proceedings, I observed that the men were dressed mostly the same as my cohorts, with little color variation. The women, however, were dressed in bright, patterned linens. Low bodices and flowing skirts that showed a majority of thigh when they danced, dark legs slick with sweat and scented oils...

One girl with deep chestnut hair to her waist caught my eye with hers and moved her hips provocatively. Her skirts were patterned with owls and moths, her large abalone necklace reminded me of the moon. She swayed to me and spoke in a strange, thick tongue to the twins. They released me and gave me a push towards her.

The instant her warm, dark hand touched mine, I was lost. I forgot about my family, the large pack of wares left where they fell in the forest, the wound throbbing at the back of my head, I even forgot my own name.

She led me to the fire and gave me a rough pouch filled with ocher-colored powder. I watched the fire reflected in her eyes and was not afraid. She gave me a slow smile and lead me closer to the fire. She took a pinch of her own powder, a light lavender with a hint of glitter, and bade me do the same. Together, we threw the powder on the fire, and it turned a brilliant green.

Without warning, she pushed me into the emerald flames.

I screamed, I think, but then I did not burn. I felt myself changing, the skin crisping and darkening, and my hair gradually burning away, but I felt no pain.

My world seemed to change as I watched through the fire. Visions of my old life, my job and my family, seemed to melt away, and be replaced by grand carnivals and days of travel. I could see the lovely woman gathering poorly patched clothes, regarding them and then retrieving a much smaller size, and smiling at me through the flickering barrier.

With ease, she reached into the fire and pulled me out.

Everyone cheered, and congratulated me. I understood what they were saying, and I still could not remember my old name. They said that this was common, and would fade with time.

I stared at all of the bright colors, but could not bring myself to join the celebration.

*took me forever to get motivated on this one. D: Over an hour, at least, just on writing*