“Why did you bring that ridiculous toy, Icarus?” Brother Micheal glared at the metallic stick Icarus played in his hands.

“I might as well have a little fun while shopping.” Micheal shook his head. He was physically incapable of enjoyment.

The Tana Avi bazaar was one of the most crowded places I had ever been to. Artisans of all crafts lay their works bare for appraisal at wooden booths. Other booths were decorated with jewelry, red stones, and bracelets of bronze. Garments too were strung across benches where buyers could feel the linen and inspect the design.

The smell of roasted beef and fried pork dominated the air, which attracted flies, bugs, mosquitoes, and all those nefarious insects that I hated. Or maybe they were attracted more to the debris. While the bizarre was often cleaner than the rest of the city, it still contained large quantities of leftover garbage from the outer world. There was so much of it after all. Even in our finest places, we were left a reminder of where we stood on the World Stem.

Brother Michael was eyeing the footwear. It was practically heresy for him to not have at least seven pairs of red dress-up shoes. Ironic, given how much he scolded us for our “frivolous” buys.

As for Jeremi and me, there was only one thing that attracted our interest. Honey apples: a rarity among rarity for sweets. So rare that it could only come from outside the town. From the wilderness. Hung on wooden sticks on a booth swarmed by those with good taste. To say I was envious as Brother Micheal dragged me past the booth in order to buy more shoes would be an understatement.

“Brother Micheal, can we please get some honey apples?” I asked.

“You already have sweets at home, and even more importantly, you’re in trouble. Expecting such treats shows me you didn’t learn your lesson.”

“I understand.” I really didn’t. Punishment was one thing, but this treat was a one-in-a-million opportunity. This was torture.

Michael went back to looking at the shoes. Jeremi nudged my shoulder.

“So what’s the plan, chief?” Jeremi whispered. I shook my head. We were already on Brother Michael's bad side. Push him further and we might be sleeping outside.

“I’ve got an idea.” From the table nearest to us, Grimm poked out his head. The fact his pale face stood out from the rest of the colorful atmosphere made it even more impressive that he managed to avoid our eyesight.

“How did you get here?” Jeremi asked.

“I just followed you guys.”

“And how did you get past the sisters and brothers?”

“I hid. It was pretty easy, to be honest. You would all fail miserably at hide-in-seek.” Grimm truly was special.

“So what’s your plan?” I asked. Grimm smiled.

“I’ll distract Brother Micheal while you guys go get some apples.”

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“With what money?”

“The money I took from him.” Grimm reached into his pockets and pulled out some bronze coins. I stood there stunned.

“You’re an actual devil, you know that?” Grimm laughed.

“This is just revenge for Micheal trapping me inside today for putting flies in some of the girls' drinks. But don’t worry, I’ll get to you soon enough.” That mischievous look, when directed at us, was truly frightening.”

And how can we trust you?”

“Easy. I’m terrible at multitasking. Only one target at a time for me. Just consider yourself lucky.”

“Wait, Icarus. Are you actually going to trust him?” I put my hands on Jeremi’s shoulder. “Brother, this is honey apples. HONEY APPLES. The chances of this happening again are non, zero, absolutely impossible. Are you willing to give up this opportunity?” Jeremi shook his head.

“That’s what I thought.” I turned to Grimm and shook his head. “Pleasure to do business with you.”

Brother Micheal was still distracted looking at his shoes when we made his escape. Grimm waved us away as went to approach him. Regardless of how good Brother Micheal was at finding us, even he would struggle against the likes of Grimm.

Waiting in line for the honey apples hurt almost as much as losing my legs. Therefore, the catharsis of finally receiving it, the ripest of apples draped in golden glory. One bite and I had ascended higher than even the gods above.

“This is so good,” said Micheal.

“For sure. I bet there are thousands of delicacies like this in the upper world.”

“You’re still dreaming about going there? Even with all the stuff that Brother Micheal said.”

“Like he knows anything. He hasn’t been there before. Nobody here has. They’re all so complacent, it makes me sick.”

“But those who do try to go there. Usually they…”

“I know.” Life outside the town was dangerous. Where metallic mechanizations of impossible strength and size dominated the land, killing any trespassers. To survive, you would have to be beyond human.

“Yo, Icarus. Look over there.” I glanced towards where Jeremi was pointing. Another swarm of people, even greater than the one at the honey apple shop, surrounded a water well. Sitting in front of the well was a small girl dressed in a white robe. She was more legs than torso, with dark black hair that came to her shoulders. The crowd seemed bewitched by her every move: by the swing of her arms and the pitter-patter of her feet.

“You’re talking about that girl over?”

“Who else?” Just look at her.”

“Honestly, I can’t really get a good look at her with all those people around. Want to get closer?” Jeremi’s cheeks turned pink.

“Well, um… then we might have to talk to her.”

“And you laughed when Grimm called me a coward. You can just watch from afar, I guess, though it must suck to live vicariously through me.”

“I’m not scared. It’s just that it’s bad to talk to people with foodstuff in your mouth. You should first brush your teeth for about three minutes and twenty-two seconds, then–.” I didn't hear more of what Jeremi had to say as I dove into the crowd.

From closer inspection, the crowd was a lot more organized than expected. Instead of a mass mob, it was more like rings of people gravitating toward a center. Not wishing to waste time, I pulled my way through the outer rings with the occasional “ouch” and “no fair” until I made it to the center.

She was more interesting to look at upfront. Not attractive, per se, but she certainly appeared different from the average citizen. While most people in the town had light dark skin, hers was a licorice black. All across her arms and legs were blue markings in the shape of animals: bulls, sheep, and goats. When her eyes met mine, she smiled with teeth as white as her robe.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Her voice was smooth and calming. Instantly, I felt at ease.

“Nice to meet you.” She smiled as if I was the most important person in the world. Oh, how I wish that were so–to become one with gods above.