Passing through a nondescript forest in a nondescript area, I come to a communal fire made at the crossroads of two paths. A moment’s rest would be good, as I still have far to travel and I am unable to use faster means to get there. I am alone at the fire so I pull out the little bag of cowrie shells to entertain myself with.
“I see you have cowrie shells.” The stranger’s words were heard before her footsteps. She approached from behind me but made a wide circling approach before crouching at the fire several feet off to my left.
“Yup.” I noted which forests were around me and which venues were available for me to make a hasty exit if required. I saw things in the forests and recognized them even as they recognized me. I was safer at the fire with the lone stranger.
“They sure do look pretty in that bag.” She leaned over to watch me roll them from hand to hand. Her stance was one of curiosity and ill placed to make an attempt at snatching them.
“Yup.” I sensed more movement behind me. Now fully aware of the dangers, I note what is where but say nothing. I only continue rolling the shells in my hands.
“I have pretties as well.” The woman’s words weren’t a statement, but the prelude to an offer.
“You say now.” It should be clear from my response that I am in no mood for trade. But then again, fire is clearly hot and there are still people that reach for it.
“Perhaps…”, she starts her doddling speech.
I don’t allow her the luxury of completing her formal offer. “Nope.”
She rocks back on her heels in offense. “Now, that’s rude of you. You don’t even know what I was going to say!”
I don’t look at her. My face is aimed at the shells still, but my sight is still monitoring what is going on around us. “Your want is written on your face. You want these shells. You’re going to offer something in trade for them. I am going to decline the trade. You are going to be upset and offer more. I am going to decline again. You are going to berate me for not using the shells. I might laugh at you, but most likely just give you a smug look of denial. You’re going to threaten me. I will laugh at you then. You’re going to try to force them from me and find out I’m not an easy mark. The only thing I don’t know yet is if you will leave under your own power, or if the only thing you leave is a fading grease spot in the ground.”
Her face twitches in a mix of anger and surprise. She says nothing, however, and fixates her sight on the moving shells in my hands.
I allow myself a brief mirthful smirk. In the shadows uncomfortably close behind us, inaudible movement reassures me of my safety. I’ll be okay. Her, not so much.
“Then… then why do you keep them if you don’t use them?” Her tone reminds me of a child wanting something they have been denied. If outright asking doesn’t work, let’s try whining instead!
“Because I paid a dear price for them. A price you can not compensate me for, ever. And I don’t use them now, because I have not learned their language yet.”
Her brow furrowed. “You have fourteen of them.”
“Yup.” An accurate count.
“You can spare one.” Again her whining was more demand than proposition.
“Nope.” I chuckled at her persistence.
She snorted as she glanced around us. It was clear she was stalling for time but what she had expected to happen was obviously not occurring. “Not even one!”
“They came as a set. They stay as a set. But already I have learned something about them.”
She calmed herself and adjusted her seated position. Again she said nothing but was now clearly impatient about more than just my denials.
I poured the shells back into the bag and turned my head to face her for the first time. “I have learned they are so valuable, you are willing to be the patsy to hold my attention while two of your henchman circle around me in hopes of jumping me from behind.”
Her eyes grew large at the accusation. She shifted slightly away from and looked around in near panic.
“Funny, how information is hoarded and shared. You think I’m alone. And ostensibly, I am. But I am not without my own associates. Associates that are more opportunistic than I am. For while you served as the bait to hold my attention, I served as the bait to bring my associates their lunch.” Behind me in the creeping shadows came the sounds of bones breaking and something wet being forcibly ripped. “And now, it’s just you, and me. Just like we started.”
She stands and backs away from me nervously until her foot hit the edge of the marked clearing. “I’ll leave you to your company, then. Good day.” She turned and quickly danced away from the path’s edge. The collected shadows were eager for her company but as long as she remained on the marked paths, she was safe from them. She started to taunt them until remembering that she was not safe from me. She darted another worried glance back at me, then quickly moved down the path away from the fire and my sight.
“Good day.”, I spoke to her wake. As I turned over the bag of shells in my hand I mused, “Just what have you become that so many wish to acquire you as such high costs?”.