The Daughter of the Tiberian Mining Consortium’s Chief Executive wore a belt of earthen clods tied around her midsection. She smelled of damp burlap and manure. Her face and hair were caked with mud. Dark crescent rings of black soot lay underneath her manicured fingernails. Around her neck, a cage of composed earth crawled with worms, which twisted and flickered against her skin. It was shopping day.
As she walked through the narrow ally with its polished chrome byways and stainless steel awnings, she would occasionally stop and lift a bolt of cloth, or piece of fruit. Her inspections left fingerprints of grime that attracted the attention of elated merchants who followed behind her; marking the now semi-precious items at double their normal cost.
Her hips swayed from side to side as she wandered, creating a veritable cloud of sparkling dust that hung over her; an aura of opulence laced with sunshine.
This ostentatious display of wealth was mirrored to lesser degrees by many in the street markets of this little world; Except the very poor of course, who were conspicuously clean in their antiseptic indigence.
I enjoy the “dirt” thread as the true source of health, wealth and power. You’ve introduced a few more narrative elements that could be easily followed and arced (arc’d, ark’d, arcked?) as your universe expands – although you may want to avoid following them to preserve your randomness (which I think is a positive aspect of the overall story). Anyhoo, well done, one of your better ones.
I love how unique this site is. I’ve found books like this but never seen them on the internet. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough. I love the descriptions too. They’re just awesome. Any errors I read are swept away by the waves of story
…(back handed comment? Sorry ;^_^)
@Ristro: Back handed? I think it’s apt. This site should come with a warning about typo’s, grammar gaffes, and nonsensical rambling. However, like the sketches, the content is a work in progress. I have vague, smoke and mirror hopes of cherry picking the good stories and putting together a non-linear book that unifies a narative by delivering hap-hazard snippets who’s sum is greater than the parts. This would mean actually posting a story/picture at a steady rate, but one step at a time.
I am glad you enjoy it. I hope you continue reading as I post, and at some point in the future I may shake the grammar tree and ask for free form corrections and suggestions.