Читать книгу Sharmuziks: Beyond the Great Glad - Tim Brick - Страница 1

The story began in a city that was not very large, yet not small in the slightest either. Its name was Shmur. It was there that the Sharmuziks settled. They founded their city ages ago, perhaps even much earlier than that.

It is rather difficult to describe their external appearance. They are of short stature, fluffy like cats, minus the whiskers, somewhat like bears, or rather cubs. They have large rounded ears, like those of mice; but in contrast to them, they do not have long tails, or any other kind of tail for that matter. As for the city itself, it is much more difficult to describe. And yet…

Imagine a field carpeted with lush grass and various multi-coloured flowers. If one sat on the ground, warmed by the sun’s rays, it was possible to see in the distance a mountain range rising up to the very sky. And quite nearby, a meandering river flowing between the hills, irrigating the land, and leading to a small city. The city was surrounded by fields of golden spikelets of sungrass. Industrious farmers worked adroitly in the fields from the crack of dawn. And once one reached the very heart of the city, its main square, it was impossible to miss the mighty Sturdy Tree right at its centre, in whose cool shade sat one of the elders. This was the grey and wise Sharmuzik who told cautionary tales to younger generations. Everyone, down to the city’s smallest inhabitants, always hung on his words.

As one stood on the main square, it was difficult to miss the thin smoke rising from behind the houses. To find out where it was coming from, all one had to do was walk a little further along the road, past the Town Hall, behind which stood a two-story brick building with a green roof. That was the Shmurite Bakery. It was from its oven that smoke continuously drifted upwards. At that very moment, its door opened, and one of the townspeople emerged with a fresh loaf of bread. Peeping inside, one would find Barti, the talented baker, hard at work, sliding dough into the oven. The shelves held many different buns and rolls, both sweet and savoury. There was also a big cake with a ribbon of red icing placed on a wooden stand, as if on a pedestal, patiently awaiting the moment it would be placed on the festive table as the centrepiece delight.

The morning sun, whose rays were coming through the window, made all the bread on the shelves shine like pure gold. Every passer-by could not help but stop, even if for a moment, to take a look at actual works of pastry art.

If one came out of the bakery into the street, they would see the newspaper building where Archi the local correspondent worked. He issued his weekly The Shmurite Herald, in which he actively criticised the mayor’s work, as well as reported the latest news of the week. Further on, not far from the river, there was a workshop that was known all over town. The two talented brothers Lumi and Renchi worked there. They could build or repair anything with no trouble. There were shelves inside their workshop with spare parts, sorted by use and size. There were also several different machines and two tables with designs and various notes with calculations. Hanging on the wall, there were essential tools of different shapes, sizes and uses, which always came in handy in making different devices and machines.

Once one left the workshop and crossed the small bridge to the other bank of the river, one could visit the library housing a collection of all kinds of books, from old ones with worn covers to recent works in new covers, with fictional stories and real scientific studies. Speaking of research, the observatory nearby where Habl worked is worth mentioning. Every night he observed the stars through a telescope, which was built by the aforementioned talented masters. Habl studied the neighbouring planet and dreamt of one day visiting it and meeting its inhabitants…

There were many interesting places in Shmur. For example, the herbalist’s house, where decoctions that could cure of any disease were prepared. A fish market with auctions, where fish was sold to the highest bidder due to a shortage of fish. And the Shmur Market, where one could find fresh fruits and vegetables, which, on the other hand, were plentiful.

That was how Shmur looked like. A city that was not very large, yet not small in the slightest either. The Sharmuziks almost never went beyond its bounds. There were a few things that terrified them. They were afraid of heights, darkness and rain. But most of all, they were afraid of going beyond the Great Glade. Thus it was in the past, thus it is today… will it remain so forever?