"In conclusion, without the banner, we might as well invite the guests to a game of seek and find," Neith said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she paced around the room. Zeni listened attentively, feeling the weight of responsibility for this unexpected mission settling on her shoulders.
In the early afternoon after her encounter with the mysterious and friendly Rashek, Zeni found herself in the village's modest council hall, receiving an urgent assignment from Neith herself. The task: locate the missing banner that was supposed to act as a beacon for out-of-village guests arriving for the Festival of Ankhara. According to Neith, the banner had been misplaced or forgotten by one of the children or possibly several children during the past year.
Zeni, still feeling the exhilaration of the previous evening, accepted the mission with an eagerness that surprised even herself. She decided to approach this investigation with the same level of seriousness and dedication as any other challenge, despite what may be called the seemingly trivial nature of the task at hand.
"Very well, Neith," Zeni said, adopting a more formal and deeply serious style of speech. "I shall recover the banner and ensure our guests have a clear path to join the festival. Leave it to me."
Neith raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Zeni's enthusiasm.
"I appreciate your dedication, Zeni. But do remember, we're only looking for a banner, not solving a murder."
“We don’t know there wasn’t a murder, Neith—this whole banner snatching business sounds fishy, and we won’t know what we even know until we start the investigation.”
With that, Zeni set off to begin her investigation.
Her first order of business was to speak with the villagers who might have information regarding the banner's whereabouts. As she strolled through the sun-drenched streets, she felt excited. In a way, it was like participating in a detective story, and Zeni was quite obviously eager to play her part.
Her first stop was the local learning house, where the children had spent many an afternoon playing and learning. Zeni reasoned that if anyone knew the banner's location, it would be the youngsters who had last seen it. Now, because of the holiday, classes were not in session. However, Ani, the instructor, had requested some of the children come today to help decorate for the occasion. Upon entering the small, sandstone building, she was greeted by Ani, who was busy helping several of the children as they fussed with unfurling a burnt-sienna-colored bolt of fabric.
"Ah, Zeni, it's good to see you," Ani said, her voice warm and welcoming. "I heard you're helping us with the missing banner situation. May Wepwawet bless you for taking on such a task."
Zeni nodded, returning the warm smile.
"Yes, yes... all well and good,” she said, squinting her eyes suspiciously at the children arrayed around the room. “I wanted to ask these little suspec—uh, potential witnesses if they might have any idea where the banner could be."
Ani suddenly clapped her hands, and the children immediately gathered around, curious about why Zeni was visiting their classroom today—during festival prep, no less. Zeni, feeling like a seasoned detective, began her inquiries.
"Does anyone recall seeing the visitor invitation banner or perhaps…playing with it sometime during the last year?" Zeni asked, scanning the faces of the eager children.
A small girl, no older than seven that Zeni thought might be called Mog, raised her hand tentatively.
"I, uhm, think, uhm, I remember…playing with it. In the village square," she said, her voice wavering with uncertainty. "But, uhm, that was a long time ago."
Zeni leaped forward, jabbing a finger toward the girl, the tip of her digit hovering menacingly above her head.
“A-HA!” She roared. “Where did you put the banner? Did you sell it for street candy?!”
The girl just looked at her passively, blinking.
Zeni nodded appreciatively.
“Okay, you didn’t even flinch,” she said, giving the girl the once-over. “I see you’re not new to interrogations. Thank you. Anyone else?"
A boy with a mischievous grin spoke up.
"I saw it being used as a cape by someone last summer,” he said unconvincingly. “In the village square. But I can't remember who."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The other children giggled. Zeni wasn’t sure she believed him. Still, this was potentially another valuable clue.
“You don’t remember anything about them?” She accused with a mock scowl—trying hard to intimidate this little hooligan
“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,” the kid said coolly. “Maybe I could remember something if someone gave me a pastry and maybe…no more homework for the rest of the year.”
Zeni, feeling a break in the case, urgently looked to Ani expectantly. The instructor gave her a quick, curt shake of her head in the negative. Zeni sighed and turned back to the boy before adopting her bad cop attitude again.
“No dice, junior!” she said. “Tell me what you know or you’re getting double homework.”
The kid genuinely dropped his mouth open at this, and then he looked at Ani, who gave him a quick nod in the affirmative, a devilish grin plastering her features.
“Okay, okay!” he shouted. “Fine. I don’t know who was playing with the banner, but I know who was with them.”
-
Upon arriving at the courtyard, Zeni found it bustling with villagers preparing for the festival. Colorful decorations adorned the walls and trees, while the scent of delicious food wafted through the air. Despite the jovial atmosphere, Zeni remained focused on her grim task. Someone had defaced the spirit of this celebration, and she was going to make them pay.
She approached a group of older women, who were arranging flowers in intricate patterns on the ground.
"Excuse me!" Zeni shouted. “Which one of you punks goes by Gripa?!”
The women looked startled for a second, but Zeni backtracked, leaning forward conspiratorially.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I’m doing a bit, here—please play along.”
The women looked at one another briefly and then burst into laughter. Finally, one of them, who Zeni knew perfectly well was Gripa—one of the vineyard workers, raised her hand.
“Yeah, I’m Gripa,” Gripa said, adopting a more surly delivery. Zeni beamed for a second and then reverted back to her hard-nosed detective shtick.
“Does the name Hamuk mean anything to you?" Zeni demanded.
“Yeah, yeah it does,” said Gripa. “That’s my nephew.”
"I'm investigating the missing banner, and I heard it was last seen in this village square. Heard you might know something about it. Hamuk was seen near the victim at its last known whereabouts.”
“Victim?” Gripa asked.
“The, uh, banner,” Zeni clarified.
"Ah, the banner," Gripa mused. "I do recall seeing it here some months ago. It was being used as a makeshift tent by a group of children, Hamuk included. But as for where it is now, I'm afraid I cannot say."
“Do you know the whereabouts of this Hamuk character?” Zeni asked.
“Unfortunately, he was only visiting during that time. Now he’s back in Sefet Oasis with his mother and father—far away from the prying eyes of the law.”
Wow, she’s good at this! Zeni thought.
“You have any idea who else might have been present during this alleged ‘tent construction?’” Zeni asked, using air quotes.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Gripa said.
-
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Zeni found herself standing outside the home of a village artisan named Kem Hosat. He was known for his skill in weaving and his penchant for hoarding all sorts of materials, from colorful fabrics to bits of metal and wood. Zeni had helped him in the past by hauling his oversized loom from one room to the next when no one else was available. He was a bit of a grump, but that was alright. Zeni wouldn’t shy away from a challenge.
Zeni knocked on the door, her heart pounding with anticipation. This was her last lead, and she felt certain that the missing banner would be found within the cluttered confines of Kem Hosat's workshop.
The door creaked open, revealing the weathered face of Kem Hosat, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"What do you want?" he grumbled, clearly irritated by the interruption.
"The jig is up, Kem Hosat," Zeni said. "I'm investigating the missing festival banner, and I've reason to believe it might be in your possession."
Kem Hosat's eyes widened in surprise, and he stepped back, allowing Zeni to enter his workshop. Just like Zeni remembered, the room was indeed cluttered, with piles of materials and half-finished projects scattered about.
“Why do you think it’s here?” Kem Hosat demanded, his eyes bleary from a clearly arrested sleep.
“I’m glad you asked,” Zeni said, scowling around the room. “I’ve been investigating this theft—and possible murder—all day. I went to the learning house, which led me to Gripa, and she pointed me to Jer, who said he saw the banner laying around after some kids were playing with it and thought Keela might’ve asked someone to pick it up. Then, if you recall that major storm from a few months ago? Well, Keela said she saw banner blowing around with the debris. I checked with Uk—you know, the sky reader—and he told me that the way the wind blew that day was directly in the path of this section of the village. I knocked on a few doors, played with a cat and took a little nap, but then I discovered the smoking gun that busted this thing wide open! You wanna know what it was?”
Kem Hosat shrugged, completely baffled as to what was happening.
Zeni lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper.
“When I got back from taking a break—and having some lunch—I found a single, unmistakable piece of evidence. A tiny scrap of fabric caught in the beak of a wooden ibis statue that sits atop a nearby rooftop. It's an exact match to the colors and pattern of the missing banner. And guess who is known for collecting such unique items?"
Kem Hosat's face turned a shade of red, somewhere between embarrassment and indignation.
"Fine, fine! If you think it's here, then by all means, look around. But don't blame me if you don't find it!"
Zeni nodded, her eyes scanning the workshop with renewed determination. She was close; she could feel it. And so, she began her search, sifting through piles of fabric, wood, and metal, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive banner. With Kem Hosat watching from a distance, she rummaged through the clutter, following her instincts and the small clues she had pieced together.
In the far corner, Zeni spotted a flash of vibrant colors, partially hidden beneath a heap of fabric.
With a triumphant grin, Zeni approached the pile and carefully extricated the missing banner. Its once-bright colors were dulled by dust, but it was still a sight to behold. She clutched the banner to her chest, her mission finally complete.
Kem Hosat scratched his head, looking sheepish.
"I guess I didn't even realize it was in here," he admitted. "I must've picked it up by accident, thinking it was scrap fabric."
"Tell it to the judge," she said. “You’re going away for a long, long time.”
Then, because she felt bad about her statement she quickly added: “No harm done, Kem Hosat. Thanks for holding on to it. I'm just glad I was able to find it before the festival.”
Another mystery solved! She thought to herself, smirking. Now, time to reap the rewards of a job well done!