I'd like to thank anyone who's taking the time to read this and any criticism, praise, comments and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your time and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it.
When I say it's set in the past, it's not a specific date or era - it's just at a time long before modern technology. I guess we would call it the 'Ancient World'? Anyway, here it is:
Prologue
The city would seem an anthill to the heavens. Millions of creatures were constantly scurrying into, out of, inside and around the mound. To humans, the city seemed a colossal mountain – the very embodiment of power and wealth on Earth. The dark mountain rested at the crossroads of great Empires and yet it never slept. The sea beside the city longed for the day where its waters would be clear of merchant ships and sailors but the activity of the port constantly grew.
This city was dressed in jewels and gold. She was adorned in the finest silks and pearls. Her riches knew no bounds. Neither did her corruption. It was too late to remove the curse of wealth now; her inhabitants had indulged in it for too long.
This was Kira’s city – the city of Meggido.
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Jeweller’s street was, as the name suggests, the main street in Meggido for jewellery shopping. On a sunny day, from a distance, one would view the street as a golden belt of stars which illuminated the mountain. Merchants showcased and represented their culture’s jewellery on this legendary street.
Egyptians and Greeks would constantly compete to outdo each other in the quality of their gold. They made it a point to handpick only the finest and most radiant jewellery from their hometowns. Indian diamonds and sapphires from Ceylon thronged the streets and dazzled the travellers who had never before laid eyes on these stones. Emeralds from Madagascar were the newest craze amongst the jewellers and many had begun incorporating these fine stones into their contemporary designs.
Most, if not all, of the shopkeepers who had maintained their businesses on Jeweller’s street were amongst the wealthiest men and women in Meggido. It was out of tradition that each of the shop owners would lay three golden bricks directly outside their door and onto the path to indicate each shop. Once the tradition of laying the golden bricks was established, the shop owners decided to collectively work towards a ‘beautification’ of the already gleaming Jeweller’s street. A thin layer of gold was laid on the path of Jeweller’s street which every shop-owner contributed to. And so it came to be known as ‘the golden street of Meggido’.
Kira looked up at Jeweller’s street from Ninos de Dios. Ninos de Dios was an area founded by Spanish and Portuguese settlers when they first arrived in Meggido. However, only a minority of the initial settlers managed to succeed in promoting their goods – most of the relatively well-off Spaniards sold their shipments of Spanish saffron whilst the Portuguese, along with the French, made their money from wine. When the wealthy grew out of the masses they abandoned their roots and so it gradually deteriorated into a slum. Now, it was one of the largest, most ethnically diverse slums in Meggido. Thousands of people all the way from Portugal in Western Europe to Mongolia in East Asia lived together in Ninos de Dios.
Every once in a while Kira would compare the glamour of Jeweller’s street to the squalor of Ninos de Dios. Then he would compare it to his childhood in Japan.
Kira’s grandfather was the chief of a powerful clan in the plains of Japan. The clan was favoured by the Emperor and were granted huge amounts of land and wealth. In turn, it caused a jealousy amongst other clans.
He would remember how there never seemed to be an end to the banquets his family attended, how a multitude of servants would cater to each and all of their desires, how the wines and spirits never seemed to stop flowing through their household. The list went on. But Kira never really cared for those sorts of things. The one thing he missed the most was a horse he and his father used to ride in the evenings. Kira loved roaming the seemingly endless landscape and watching the crimson sky as the sun set over the field of cherry blossoms. The evenings were his escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Then, it all stopped. All good things have to come to an end, he thought.
One day, the Emperor was told the realm was struggling with finances and that the income from foreign trade was surprisingly low. And so, being the most trusted of the Emperor’s advisors, he left Kira’s grandfather in charge of the matter.
After careful planning, Kira’s grandfather decided that the Empire would benefit from forming trade agreements with the rich Kingdom of Meggido in the Middle-East. However, he did not want to leave the country in case it caused unrest within the clan. Neither did he want to send his eldest son in case enemies viewed the absence of the eldest son as an opportunity to strike the clan. Instead, he would send his younger son, Kira’s father, along with a number of Imperial loyalists to Meggido.
Once Kira’s family arrived with the other Japanese settlers Kira’s father immediately set up trade contracts and agreements with merchants. Everything seemed to be going well – diplomacy with the inhabitants of Meggido was successful so far.
Then, the money which had funded their trip was exhausted. Weeks passed with no word from the Emperor. Meanwhile, the settlers had to take up menial jobs in their struggle to survive. Finally, the long awaited Japanese vessel made berth on the coast of Meggido. It bore terrible news for Kira’s father and the settlers. The ship carried the bodies of Kira’s grandfather and uncle alongside those of some close relatives. Their bodies were burned, dismembered and mutilated almost beyond recognition.
There had been a civil uprising orchestrated by other clans against the Emperor and Kira’s clan in light of the economic crisis which the realm had been suffering. The government which replaced it pursued a much more aggressive foreign policy – it relied on plundering other nations to feed its starving population.
Kira’s father and a handful of men immediately drew their weapons and travelled back to Japan. Their fight would be one of honour and vengeance. News of what happened to them was never discovered. The remaining Japanese people lived in Meggido – they made their money through menial labour. Eventually, the Imperial loyalist community were forced to move to Ninos de Dios to live in squalor – much like those who once served them in Japan.
In just one place, there were many stories; a story of glamour and gold, a story of travellers and settlers, a story of the poor and the wealthy, a story of the loyal and the betrayed.
This is the tale of Kira – a boy who knows that all that is good must come to an end.
Gender:
Points: 2018
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