Egyptian Timewave

Chapter 5

"Child, come this way. I have something that may satisfy your ka."

Abayomi blinks at the mention of ka, one of the parts of the soul in Ancient Egypt. "I'm sorry?"

The woman behind the stand smiles, her face lined in such a way that it seems made for smiling. But there is something knowing to it as well. Something flickers across her face, making her appear to be another person for half a heartbeat, wearing the robes of an ancient priest.

"Come, child. Come see."

Abayomi's dad rests a hand on her shoulder. "No, ya sayyidati. We are leaving."

Abayomi is grateful to leave, but she can still feel the woman's eyes on her back as they emerge back into the sections of the market warm beneath the sun's light. Abayomi shivers. She hadn't realized how dark and chill that area was until now. It isn't bad, exactly, but it feels out of place. It felt like an echo, even, sticking to her skin even now that she has left. She doesn't quite now what the place reminded her of exactly, but there was definitely familiarity there. Abayomi shakes her head and presses the folded cloth tighter against her stomach. Her dad picks up on her discomfort.

"What's wrong, Aya?"

"It's nothing, Baba. That part of the market was just . . . strange."

"I know what you mean. It's like we stepped into the past for a moment."

Abayomi's eyes widen. "That's exactly what it felt like."

Her dad nudges her. "Come on, let's find something to eat, yeah?"

Abayomi nods eagerly and lets her father lead her to a part of the market that smells of fried dough and sugar. They stop in front of one of the food stands. The table is covered in a small array of pastries in addition to the tools presumably used to make them. Most of the pastries are small balls of dough.

Some of them glistening with syrup and some of them dusted with white powder. The pastries that aren't dough balls are what looks to be small cakes instead. The young man behind the table smiles at them, his cream-colored turban perfectly contrasting the darker brown of his skin.

"Would you like lokmet el kadi or basbousa?"

Abayomi's father smiles in response. "What are your prices?"

"Thirteen pounds and fifty piastres for a container of lokmet el kadi, and fifteen pounds for two pieces of basbousa."

"Hmm." Her dad glances at Abayomi and nods. "One of each type of lokmet el kadi and some basbousa as well, min fadlik."

"Of course. That will be forty-two pounds."

Abayomi's dad hands over the money and takes the food in return, passing one of the two bags full of the dough balls over to Abayomi. She moves to grab one of the balls, drenched in syrup, but her dad makes a sharp sound and she stops.

"Wait a moment, Aya. Let's find somewhere to sit down first."

Abayomi groans, her stomach grumbling from the scent of the lokmet el kadi, but she lets him lead her away from the vendor. She had expected him to maybe stop in one of the doorways in between the market stalls for them to eat, but he doesn't. They go as far as to leave the market before he stops, finding a relatively quiet courtyard out of the way of the crowds. They sit against a wall, and Abayomi eagerly reaches into the bag for one of the small balls of dough. When her dad stops her once again, she wants to scream in frustration.

"What, Baba?!"

He laughs. "Hungry, are you?"

Abayomi flushes. "A bit."

He laughs again and hands her one of the two pieces of basbousa. She turns it over in her hands for a few moments, tucking the bag of lokmet el kadi into her lap. She bites into the cake and almost chokes at the burst of sweetness. It's good, but wow she wasn't expecting that. She takes another bite, and then another, devouring the cake. Her dad laughs at her fervor, but when Abayomi glances at his piece, he quickly leans away, placing a hand before it as a shield.

Abayomi grins and reaches for one of the balls of lokmet el kadi. Despite the coating of syrup, it crunches beneath her teeth. While the outside of the ball managed to stay crunchy, she finds that the inside is the complete opposite, reminding her of a rather more syrupy version of a donut hole. One that tastes worlds better. She goes to grab one of the pieces covered in powdered sugar.

This one, despite being the same type of treat, has a texture just a tiny bit different than the first piece. The sugar softens the outside, reducing the crunch and somehow, much of the sweetness. The sugar cakes her teeth in a film and she runs her tongue along the surface of her teeth, trying to strip it off. The powdered lokmet el kadi is good, but she definitely finds that she prefers the one with syrup.

Abayomi reaches for another one of the syrup pieces, watching the courtyard. It feels quiet, lifeless. Like there should be people milling about here. For a heartbeat, she can even see an echo of them. Then she frowns. Why would she think that? She's never been here before, how should she know what it's supposed to be like? She shakes her head and reaches for another ball of lokmet el kadi, only to pause when her fingers brush the bottom of the bag. She couldn't have eaten them all, could she? There is a soft laugh from beside her and Abayomi glances in her dad's direction.

He smirks. "Lost in thought, were you?"

Abayomi shrugs. "I guess. How long, though?"

"Five, ten minutes."

"Huh. It only felt like a second."

Her father laughs again and brushes his hands on the napkin in his lap, handing another to Abayomi. "Let's head back to the hotel. I need to see if there have been any updates for the first day at the dig site."

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Worst part of Abayomi's day: weird lady

Best part: Food.

What did you think of the market? What's going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out