A Dark Trade - S01 E01

Story 2 months ago

A Dark Trade - S01 E01

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 1

Episode 1: A Dark Trade:

The sun was very hot in the big market. The air was full of the smell of dried fish, new cloth, and the dust that rose from the ground. Everywhere you looked, people were moving. Some were shouting to sell their goods. Others were walking fast to find what they wanted to buy. In the middle of all this noise sat Chidi. Chidi was a young man with big dreams. He sat in his small shop where he sold leather bags. He had worked in this shop for many years. He made the bags himself. He used his hands to sew the leather. He used his feet to move the heavy machine. But today, Chidi was not thinking about his bags. He was not thinking about the work he had to do. Chidi was looking at something else.

In the corner of his eye, Chidi saw a man walking past. The man was dressed in very expensive clothes. He looked like someone who had never known hunger. But it was not the clothes that caught Chidi's eye. It was the watch on the man's wrist. It was a gold watch. It was so bright that it seemed to catch all the sunlight in the market. The gold was yellow and shiny. It looked heavy and rich. Chidi knew about things that cost money. He knew that this single watch was worth more than everything in his shop. It was worth more than all his bags. It was worth more than his shop itself. Chidi felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was the pain of envy. He felt like he was working for nothing. He felt like a small ant trying to move a mountain.

Chidi looked at his own hands. They were covered in brown dust. His fingernails were stained from the black ink he used on the leather. Then he looked at his stall. The bags were lined up in rows. Some were brown. Some were black. They were good bags, but they were cheap. They were the kind of bags that poor people bought to carry their heavy things. Chidi looked at his friend Emeka. Emeka had a shop right next to Chidi. Emeka did not sell leather. Emeka sold plastic suitcases. They were the cheap kind that broke easily.

Emeka was a happy man. Even though he did not have much money, he was always singing. Today, Emeka was whistling a soft tune. He had a small piece of cloth in his hand. He was using it to dust a blue plastic suitcase. He moved the cloth carefully. He made sure every part of the suitcase was clean. He looked like he was cleaning a diamond. Chidi could not understand why Emeka was so happy. Chidi felt angry. He felt like the world was unfair.

"Emeka!" Chidi hissed. His voice was low and sharp. "Are you not tired of this life? Are you not tired of counting pennies every day?"

Emeka stopped whistling. He looked up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He gave Chidi a small, kind smile. His eyes were calm. "Chidi, my friend," Emeka said in a soft voice. "Pennies build pounds. That is what my father told me. If you take care of the small things, the big things will come. A steady hand never shakes. We must be patient."

Chidi did not like that answer. He turned his head away. He did not want to be patient anymore. He had been patient for five years. He had been patient when the rain leaked through his roof. He had been patient when he had to skip dinner to pay for more leather. He did not want a steady hand. He wanted the world. He wanted to be the man with the gold watch. He wanted people to look at him with respect. He wanted to walk through the market and have everyone clear the way for him. Chidi’s jaw was tight. He felt a fire burning inside him. It was a fire that wanted to consume everything.

The day went on. The sun began to move down the sky. The bright yellow light turned into a soft orange. The market sellers began to pack their things. The loud shouting became a low hum. One by one, the shops were closed. Emeka finished cleaning his suitcases. He locked his wooden door with a heavy padlock.

"Goodnight, Chidi," Emeka called out. "I will see you tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a better day for sales."

Chidi did not reply. He just nodded his head. He watched Emeka walk away. Emeka walked with a slow, steady step. He looked like a man who was at peace. Chidi stayed in his shop. He did not want to go home to his small, dark room. He sat on a wooden stool and watched the shadows grow long. The sky turned purple, and then it turned black. The market was now very quiet. The only sound was the wind blowing a loose piece of paper across the dirt.

Suddenly, Chidi felt a change in the air. It felt cold. It was not the normal cold of the night. It was a cold that made his skin crawl. He looked up. A figure was standing at the entrance of his shop. The figure was very tall. He was wearing a long, black cloak with a hood. The hood was pulled down low over his face. Chidi could not see the man's eyes or his nose. He could only see a dark shadow where a face should be.

Chidi felt a chill run down his spine. His heart began to beat faster. He wanted to run, but his legs felt like lead. He could not move. The tall figure took a step forward. He did not make a sound when he moved. It was like he was floating on the air.

"I can show you a shortcut," the figure whispered. The voice was deep and scratchy. It sounded like dry leaves rubbing together. "I can show you the way to the glory you want. I can give you the gold that you see in your dreams. But you must be brave. You must be brave enough to walk the path."

Chidi felt his breath catch in his throat. This was what he had been waiting for. This was the answer to his prayers. He did not ask who the man was. He did not ask where the man came from. All he could think about was the gold. All he could think about was leaving the dust and the pennies behind.

"What must I do?" Chidi asked. His voice was shaking.

The hooded man leaned in closer. Chidi could smell something strange. It smelled like old smoke and wet earth. Then, for a second, the man's eyes peeked out from under the hood. They were not normal eyes. They were glowing. They looked like red embers in a fire. They were bright and scary.

"Meet me at the crossroads when the moon is high," the stranger muttered. "The crossroads outside the town. The place where the four roads meet. Do not be late. And remember this, Chidi. Once you start this journey, there is no turning back. You cannot change your mind. You cannot go back to your bags and your pennies. Are you ready?"

Chidi felt his heart hammering against his ribs. It felt like a trapped bird trying to get out of a cage. He looked at the empty space where Emeka usually stood. He thought about the simple life. He thought about the peace that Emeka had. But then, he thought about the gold watch. He thought about the power.

"I will be there," Chidi said.

The stranger nodded. He turned around and vanished into the shadows of the market. He did not walk away. He simply seemed to melt into the darkness. Chidi was left alone in the silence. He stood there for a long time. He looked at his leather bags. They looked so small and unimportant now. He felt like he was standing on the edge of a great cliff. If he jumped, he might fly. Or he might fall.

He waited. The hours passed slowly. He watched the moon rise into the sky. It was a full moon. It was big and white. it looked like a giant eye watching him from above. The market felt different at night. The familiar stalls looked like strange monsters in the dark. The trees looked like reaching hands.

Chidi began to walk. He walked out of the market. He walked past the small houses where people were sleeping. He could hear the sound of someone snoring. He could hear a baby crying in the distance. These were the sounds of normal life. But Chidi was leaving normal life behind. He was heading toward the edge of town.

The road was dusty. The moonlight made the dust look like silver. Chidi’s shoes made a soft thudding sound on the ground. He kept looking behind him. He felt like someone was following him, but every time he turned around, there was nothing there. Only the silver dust and the long shadows of the trees.

He thought about Emeka again. He wondered what Emeka would say if he saw him now. Emeka would probably tell him to go home. Emeka would tell him that shortcuts are dangerous. But Emeka was content with being poor. Chidi was not. Chidi wanted to be a king among men.

As he got closer to the crossroads, the air became even colder. He could see his own breath in the air. It looked like little clouds of white smoke. The crossroads was a lonely place. There were no houses there. There were only four dirt roads that met in the middle of a flat field. In the center of the crossroads, there was a large, dead tree. Its branches were white and bare. They looked like bones reaching for the sky.

Chidi stopped. He stood at the edge of the road. He looked at the big tree. He looked at the moon. It was almost directly above him. It was almost midnight. He felt a great fear in his heart. His hands were shaking now. He remembered what the stranger had said. There was no turning back. If he took one more step, his life would change forever.

He thought about his shop. He thought about the smell of the leather. He thought about the sound of Emeka’s whistling. For a moment, he wanted to turn around. He wanted to run back to the market and lock himself in his stall. He wanted to be safe.

But then, he closed his eyes and saw the gold watch again. He saw the way the light danced on the metal. He saw the people bowing to him. He saw himself wearing fine clothes and eating the best food. The envy came back. It was stronger than the fear. It was a hot flame that pushed the cold away.

The first strike of the midnight bell echoed through the silent air. The sound came from the big clock in the town square, far away. It was a deep, heavy sound.

Bong.

Chidi took a deep breath. He gripped his shirt with his hands.

Bong.

He looked at the crossroads. He saw a shadow moving under the dead tree. The stranger was waiting.

Bong.

Chidi lifted his right foot. He felt the weight of his decision.

Bong.

He took his first step toward the crossroads. He stepped out of the light of his old life. He stepped into the unknown. He stepped toward the taste of glory. As his foot touched the center of the crossroads, the wind picked up. It blew the dust into a circle around him. Chidi did not look back. He kept walking. The dark trade had begun.

Do you think Chidi is making the right choice, or is his envy leading him into a trap?

If you were in Chidi's shoes, would you stay with the "pennies" or take the "shortcut"?

What do you think the stranger wants from Chidi in return for the gold?

Who is your favorite character so far, the patient Emeka or the ambitious Chidi?

Follow for More!

Are you enjoying "A Dark Trade"? Don't miss the next thrilling episode!

The journey has just started, and the shadows are getting darker. Will Chidi get the wealth he craves, or will the price be too high to pay?