Day 10
“Write a story about a character who lives in an ancient society. When a shiny, unnatural looking contraption touches down and creatures emerge, everything they once knew changes.” - Self publishing school
Miria looks up from the dusty, sandy floor she is currently sweeping with a straw broom and squints. The sun feels unnaturally warm and bright on her back as she tidies the courtyard. The haveli is quiet, every one is gone to temple, and Miria is expected to have the rooms cleaned, sheets washed and hung to dry, swept and polished by the time lunch is served, in this very courtyard.
She first noticed the heat, she then noticed the smell. She had set out a bucket of soapy water near her to take with her to the laundry and the smell of jasmine was replaced with the smell of salt. That doesn’t make sense, she mused, staring at the bucket after a short sniff.
Heat, salt and then BOOM. Miria jumped back as the bucket was smashed by a statue? No. A handle? No.
Miria’s heart was racing as she circled the object, her feet now soapy and wet from the bucket’s destruction, broom still in hand.
It was of a material she had never seen before, it seemed to glow like the silverware in the dining room but it was brighter and seemed to hum in the sunlight.
The object itself was a box of various points, not a box shaped like her mistress’s jewelry box and not a box like the new radio that the family had purchased a few days ago. It was as if the jewelry box was pulled in various directions and had odd angles and points but you knew it was still a jewelry box. Just a very odd one.
She heard the humming again and backed up while the box began to wiggle gently. Miria stood there, entranced, her dark eyes wide with fear and giddiness. A small click sounded and one of the points opened at the tip and a small eye poked out, attached to a long tentacle. It peered around one side of the point, then the other, it looked up and down. And then it poked itself back in and Miria took one step closer.
Then all at once, all the points opened and little eyes attached to tentacles started to emerge and Miria ducked behind a pillar. The contraption fell away and little eyes, softly lidded swayed back and forth, running around with little feet. Little feet, no arms. Just tiny running eyes scanning the courtyard.
Miria stayed behind the pillar but watched in fascination as the little creatures began running to the various bedroom doors onlooking the courtyard and she saw them trying to slip under the doors to get inside.
The humming started again, the sun felt even hotter and Miria began to sweat with terror. What was she to do?
