My feet hurt.
Melina did not like shopping, not one bit. It was fairly boring. She didn’t care for fabrics or jewelry. And while Melina liked stories and books, the books her father was interested in were too big for her. Melina did like toys though. She always got excited when they passed by a stand that had toys in it. There was one stand in the whole market that was Melina’s very favorite. They usually had two of everything. And that was great! Because sometimes if Melina really liked something, Agape would like it even more. And Melina didn’t usually argue with her and let Agape have it because Melina wasn’t very good at arguing. Not even with her sisters. At least Dafni was only three though. She played with toys for babies.
But they hadn’t gone to the toy stand yet. This day was boring. They were walking and walking and walking and only looking at adult things. Melina didn’t even know why she was here. Couldn’t the servants take her to the toy stand while mother and father looked at the grownup stuff? Or couldn’t Melina just wait at home and play with whatever toy that was brought back? She was tired of walking. Her feet hurt.
Melina walked behind her parents and sister. She was with the different servants that were following them along. She kicked a rock that was on the road as she walked, her head tucked down like the bored child she was.
“If you aren’t careful, you’re going to put a tear in your shoes, Lady Melina.” A voice chided. Melina didn’t like her voice. It was the servant that always took care of her. But Melina hated this girl. Cora always got distracted by the various men around the home, talking with the guards instead of playing with her. She was pretty, Melina guessed. But it wasn’t very nice.
As if on queue, Cora caught the eye of a merchant. With a giggle, the servant had gone to speak with him. When Cora turned her back, Melina stuck out her tongue. The child was cranky, and that only served to worsen her mood.
Suddenly Melina heard drums. She looked to the side and saw different dancers and acrobats. They even had fire! They looked foreign by their nature. At the very least, they didn’t dress like any Greeks Melina knew. “Oh, wow!” Her face instantly brighten. Melina made her way towards the gathering crowd, getting on her tiptoes to try to look over their heads. It was no use, she would have to push through the crowd. Melina weaved her tiny body through the gaps of onlookers until she was at the very front. And what she saw was amazing. The person twirled fire through the air, dancing with it like it was theirs to control. They would eat the fire, and then it would burst from their mouth and into the air. Melina clapped to the beat of the drums, completely immersed in the spectacle.
What did mama and papa think?! Melina turned to see their reactions only to realize they weren’t there. “Mama? Papa?” Melina called out. She moved back through the crowds and went back to where she was. But they weren’t there either. “Mama? Papa? Agape?” Even Cora was gone.
Did they leave me? No, no they wouldn’t do that. They loved Melina. Her head turned this way and that and she made her way through the Agora. “Mama! Papa! Agape! Cora!” Someone! Anyone! Anyone at all?
“Are you lost?” An unfamiliar voice asked. Melina stopped and she saw a big man that she had never once seen before. He had a weird smile. It was crooked and there was a rotten tooth. Melina took a step back. He had a weird scar in his face too. He didn’t look really nice at all. “Your parents are looking for you. They asked me to find you.”
“Really?” Melina asked, wide-eyed. They wouldn’t ask him to find her right? They’d ask someone else.
“Really,” he smile wider. He held out his hand to hold Melina’s. “They’re right over there! I’ll take you to them, my Lady.”
Maybe if Melina was older she’d realize that what she was wearing was an immediate sign of being wealthy. Or maybe he heard her shouting Agape’s name. Or maybe he saw her when she traveled with her parents. Or maybe he knew her father and had a problem with him. But Melina was not older. So when he called her my Lady she relaxed. She hadn’t told him who she was, after all.
“Okay,” She said quietly as she slipped her hand into his. She followed him, hoping they would get to her parents soon. But as they walked Melina had this funny feeling in her stomach. She felt like it was tying in knots. “Why would mama and papa go this way? I… I wanna go home. Can’t you take me home instead?”
“Trust me, we’re almost there.” He yanked Melina forward and she stumbled. Her eyes widen and tears started to fill her eyes. Where were they? She needed help!
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