Paths of Zarahemla Part 1 Chapter 1

I sat down today and finished writing the first chapter of my Choose your Own Adventure-style book, Paths of Zarahemla.

PART I

Chapter 1

 

          The swell of voices sounds around you as you walk down one of the paths of Zarahemla. You let the syncopated noises wash over you as you take another bite of your mango you’re eating for lunch. Man, you enjoy Zarahemla in the spring. The shouts of street vendors, calls of craftsmen, and prophesying of priests all hold sweet memories for you, and listening to the chatter of the passersby brings a smile to your face. Zarahemla, your home.

          You finish up your mango as you pass over a small bridge going over one of the waterways in the city. You toss the mango pit into the water, careful to avoid hitting of the assorted fowl that are floating and swimming in the water. You wave to a fisherman on its banks, and continue across, making way for a young couple holding hands and traveling in the other direction. An invisible cloud of fancy flower perfume and fragrance floats around them, and you inhale deeply the rich, colorful scents. 

          As you continue down the path, you place your hand on the wall of an adjacent building, and feel the texture of the stone rush under your fingers. It was hard to imagine that this city wasn’t even originally Nephite. It was a Mulekite city, founded and built by one of Zedekiah's sons long long ago. It wasn't until much later that King Mosiah and some of his followers journeyed northward and discovered them. Since that time, the two large groups of people had nearly become one.

          You pass under a low hanging ledge and enter the city proper. You notice lines of workers waiting in lines for their employers to pay them for the last three days work. "One senum," a boss says, dropping four shiblom coins into the outstretched hand of a worker. The worker happily takes it and moves off. "Next!" the boss says, and another worker steps up. 

As you pass on by, you can't help but overhear some of the workers in line mumble. "Only two senums a week," one says. "I hear that there are some judges and lawyers that get one senum a day!" You can't help but silently agree with him. One of your uncles is a lower judge for southern Zarahemla, and you're pretty sure he makes around that much.

You pass under some trees and wonder what time it was exactly. You are on your way to meet one of your closest friends, Joseph. He told you yesterday that he has something very important to tell you, something that he just discovered from one of his friends, something that could change everything. But, of course, it was top secret, and not safe to talk about there, so he invited you to meet today at the start of the fourth hour. You don’t want to be late.

A few streets down, you turn right and the main fish market comes into view. The scents of freshly caught raw fish wafts into your nose. Also, apparently, the smell of cooked fish. That was new.

"That's right, my fellow Nephites and Mulekites!" a voice booms from one of the packed stalls. "I present to you already cooked fish! Now you no longer have to cook them yourself! My sons and I do all the fishing and cooking for you!" Next to him two of what you assume to be his sons were in the process of cooking and wrapping up fish with large leaves. 

Curious, you approach the booth, and hear several others chatting around it. "Pre-cooked fish? What a strange idea." "Has to cost a lot more, I would think." "Do they use spices while cooking it?"

"How much do they cost?" a larger man yelled. You look over at him. He stood about five and a half feet, has a big brown beard, and is wearing an odd purple headband. While most headbands men wore around Zarahemla were more for practicality, this one seems more decorative, with several knots in it with cloth of different colors.

The man in the booth smiles at the larger man over the large crowd. "Very inexpensive. In fact, you can buy a whole dozen fish for only one leah!"

The crowd burst into outrage. "A leah? For twelve fish! Forget it!" "That's half my day's wages!" "I can cook my own at home!"

While the clatter became louder, you notice a tall thin man run up to the crowd. He too was wearing a purple headband, but couldn't seem to be able to find his way through the crowd. He kept trying to but was always pushed back. Eventually he raised his voice to say something. "Excuse me, oh master of the fish," he shouted over the crowd, which quieted down a bit for him, "But when are you going for your next kill of fish? In a few minutes, perhaps?" The man scratched the right side of his face as he spoke.

"Er, no, we go fishing in the mornings," the merchant said. 

The larger man from earlier looked back at the tall thin one. "And where will you be catching these fish?" he asked, scratching his beard. "Far from here or near?"

"I usually go fishing near Hermounts and Bethlehem myself," the tall one said, then turned and started walking away.

The merchant stood scratching his head. "We go fishing on the Riplah river, same as most of these merchants here," he continued. "But how many other merchants here also prepare your food before you even buy it? Think of how much time you could save! No more de-boning or gutting! They're all ready to eat!"

As the crowd continued to listen and some began to be more interested, you continue on your way past the outdoor vendors. That little detour cost some time, and you don't want to be late with meeting with Joseph.

Past the fish district was a large open area, where city law stated that no building could be built within two hundred cubits of the center. Instead, the space was dedicated to nature. You walk past large beds of soil where different beautiful flowers grow, and you inhale their delicious scents. A few men and women also walk through the area, either stopping and enjoying the sight or else hurriedly walking to whatever their next destination was. You pick up your pace slightly. Whatever Joseph wanted to talk about, it seemed important.

When he talked to you at school yesterday, he had mentioned that he and some other of his friends had stumbled across a great secret. Some sort of conspiracy. You aren't one to readily jump on board with wild theories, but he seemed genuine. If what he said was true, then there was something sinister going on behind the scenes of normal life. He couldn't tell you more, but invited you to meet with him and some others to discuss it more fully. The location you were meeting at was underneath a large tree near one of the city gates. You judge that by the pace you were walking it should only take you another five minutes or so.

A few minutes later, however, you hear a large shout. You nearly jump out of your sandals. What on earth--? you think, as you turn around. The few scattered people who were also milling and walking around on the streets also looked over toward the cry, and several start in that direction. 

The yelling becomes louder, and you notice a small little crowd begin to grow just past one of the far buildings. Some members of the crowd were yelling and waving their hands. This was new. You can't remember when something like this had happened before.

You pause. You greatly desire to check out the commotion, but at the same time you need to continue to Joseph or else the chance to be in on whatever he has going on would be lost. You stand there, caught between two choices. What should you do?

If you decide to check out the commotion, turn to page 5.

If you decide to continue on to your friend to see what he has to say, continue to page 9.