Slanted Jack by Mark L Van Name

Author:Mark L Van Name [Name, Mark L Van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Adventure
ISBN: 9781416591627
Google: 1A27PAAACAAJ
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2009-04-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

T he smells and sounds of the market washed over me long before I could see it.

Food hit me first: barbecuing meat, fresh fish, the sharp bite of local chilies, and the sweetness of fruit being cut open and served on the spot. A subtler layer of metal and rich local woods backfilled the food odors. Enveloping it all was the rich scent of too many humans sharing too small a space.

The storm of sound initially lacked such distinction, all the noises blending into the din of street commerce. As I listened more closely, I could make out the screech of metal work and the rhythm of shouted bargaining, bursts of laughter and screams of anger, and many, many snatches of music competing loudly for attention.

I'd stuck to small avenues so far, but as I drew closer to my destination the road I was walking widened, even the streets doing all they could to pour customers into the business bin. The buildings staring at me from both sides of the roads transitioned abruptly from residences and small, quiet businesses to the sorts of establishments that always chased crowds in frontier towns: brothels with women visible through and visually enhanced by active windows; bars with stern men, their eyes constantly moving, leaning on doorframes; cheap rooms for rent by the hour, day, week, or month; restaurants with outdoor seating and portions so large that the plates themselves acted as ads to entice the hungry; body-mod shops, both metal and organic, that promised to make you what you'd always wished you'd been; and anonymous storefronts that sold whatever you might want that the more legitimate businesses couldn't provide.

I reached the perimeter of the market, stopped on the edge of the first row of shops, and scanned the scene. Rows and rows of vendors fanned out for farther than I could see. Those closest to me specialized in fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Past a clump of several dozen of them stood the edge of a meat and fish market, the smells from its stalls strong enough to soar over and past the fragrant flowers scattered among the produce vendors.

None of these merchants offered what I was seeking, so I intended to get past them as quickly as I could. The sights and aromas in front of me made my stomach grumble and changed my mind. Though I hadn't thought about food in quite some time, I was suddenly ravenous. I drifted by a few fruit sellers until I found one offering samples and melons by the slice. After trying three different small squares, I settled on a slice of red and yellow sticky goodness. I didn't catch its name, but my large first bite tasted sweet and light, and I couldn't help but smile at the sensations.

As juice ran down the outside of my mouth, I recalled how much I'd enjoyed eating outside as a boy, spitting seeds from pieces of fruit and always being able to send them greater distances than Jennie.

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