Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER
The first time I saw the snake charmer was in a bazaar in the part of the city they warned us to avoid at all costs. He played his hypnotic melody and the python rose and swayed in time.
The sun was fierce, it was nearly noon and the smell of meat about to turn permeated the marketplace.
There is a Japanese saying that awareness is the key to survival.
I was acutely aware that my money was about to run out and that I had not made any plans other than wanting to be in this place at this time.
I felt for the note in my pocket, recalling the many warnings of pickpockets targeting tourists, and I knew I stood out by my dress and the colour of my skin. The three zeros that followed the number five may have looked promising at first glance, as did the lucky elephant motif on the mauve background, but I knew it was not enough to get me by for much longer.
I couldn’t afford to buy anything, as this was all I had left for food until I could meet up with my travelling companions, who had stayed in the relative safety of the town.
I stopped at a hut where a man was spruiking drinks, which may or may not have been alcoholic. I didn’t care, I just needed something to quench my thirst. As I turned to enter, I felt something brush against my leg and I spun around. Although I couldn’t see anyone, I felt a shiver; suddenly it was cold.
I put my hand into my pocket and the note was gone! In its place was something metallic. I pulled it out and gazed at a red sequined hair scrunchie.
This did not belong to me, my hair is cropped short and spikey.
I began to panic, but as I felt the tiny spheres and marveled at their ruby colour a wave of happiness spread over me. I looked around for the donor-thief, but the bustling crowd made seeking him out as impossible as paying for a drink.
I rejoined the throng, until finally I reached a space where the stalls blended into shanty-studded laneways.
The sun blazed and my shirt was dripping with sweat. I could hear the vague lilt of the snake charmer’s spell, then time seemed to stand still and the only sound was the ringing in my ears, as the sky exploded and the sun was nothing but a dirty orange splodge behind the clouds of smoke, ash and debris that filled the air.
There were people lying prone and bleeding in the dust, and others were running in my direction, away from the bazaar. They were screaming, I could tell by their open mouths and anguished faces, but I could hear nothing. It was almost impossible to breathe. I was aware of a tugging on my sleeve and a child of about ten beckoning me to follow her.
She wove in and out of the sea of panic, all the time turning to make sure I was still in sight. Eventually she stopped and waited in front of a ragged, tent-like building. Taking my hand, she led me inside. The last thing I can remember was the array of coloured sequins, which hung from the beams like rainbows.