Symbiosis by Nic Stone
Author:Nic Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
* * *
The first thing the princess notices once they step into the city limits: how much slower the pace of life seems to be.
âWell, this is different,â Miles says. âStill clearly more advanced than where I come from â¦â He watches a hovercar zip by. âBut different than the city where you all live.â
âYou can say that again,â from KâMarah.
âYou said that General Okoye was born here, Nakia?â Shuri asks, taking in the shorter, much less shiny buildings. Many seem to be made of concrete or stone. Miles is right: These are very much not the Vibranium-reinforced glass-and-steel skyscrapers that tower throughout the capital.
âCorrect,â Nakia replies. âThough it was a bit less city-like then.â
âIt feels so much older here,â KâMarah says, looking around. âThey do have flushing toilets, yes?â
This makes Miles laugh.
âKâMarah.â The princess shakes her head.
âWhat? Itâs a valid question, is it not?â
âYes, there are flushing toilets, Karami,â Nakia says with a grin. âAnd I believe there is a coffee shop up there on the left. We can all do our business, then catch a taxi-craft into the throbbing heart of the city.â
As it turns out, throbbing is not an understatement. There is so much hustle and bustle and movement in Birnin Bashengaâs center, the air truly feels as though itâs beating to a rhythm. And KâMarah was right about the place feeling older. Thereâs a stillness hereâin spite of all the motionâthat seems rooted in the long-established city.
They see a cluster of men beating on a stunning variety of ngoma drums, and a group of children playing hand-clap games. The air is thick with the mixed fragrance of fresh herbs and spices and cooking food, and the clothing worn by the âBashengans,â as Shuri heard them called, is intensely bright and wildly patterned. And a bit heavier than what is worn in Birnin Zana.
âItâs chilly here!â KâMarah says, rubbing her arms.
âOh yes,â from Nakia. âThe average temperatures are slightly lower than in the capital. Fewer buildings to trap the heat and all that.â
âThis place is dope, though,â Miles says, spinning in awe. âLike, thereâs an open-air market?? My mom would lose her mind over all these fresh fruits and vegetables.â
All around them, Bashengans are shopping, chattering happily, waving to one another, stopping whatever theyâre doing to talk ⦠Shuri cannot deny that the small city is incredible.
âThere is a man who makes the most delicious muchomo and gonjaâthatâs roasted goat and plantainsââshe winks at Milesââat the opposite end of the market. Okoye introduced me to him when she first showed me around this place. And donât let his tent and grill cart fool you. The food he makes is â¦â She sighs and puts her hand over her heart. âGlory to Bast.â
âWait, did you say cart?â Miles asks.
âI did â¦â
âYoooo, itâs like the halal dudes back home! This is AMAZING!â
Shuri, KâMarah, and Nakia all laugh.
âWe can fill our bellies there and then return to our mission, yes?â the elder Dora says.
âSounds good to me!â Miles rubs his stomach.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Africa | Asia |
Atlases | Australia & Oceania |
Canada | Central & South America |
Europe | Mexico |
Middle East | Polar Regions |
United States |
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz(6456)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini(4959)
The Mayflower and the Pilgrims' New World by Nathaniel Philbrick(4286)
Bloody Times by James L. Swanson(4246)
Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac(4036)
Flesh and Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin(3673)
An American Plague by Jim Murphy(3638)
The 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith(3312)
Hello, America by Livia Bitton-Jackson(3019)
Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard(2640)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (hp-6) by J. K. Rowling(2372)
The Impossible Rescue by Martin W. Sandler(2215)
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng(2082)
I Will Always Write Back by Martin Ganda(2040)
Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis by James L. Swanson(1986)
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon(1939)
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner(1926)
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander(1856)
Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith(1797)
