The Dark Crystal: Sifan Charms

Act IX

The Tale of Nith! A Secret is Revealed in the Moon Light!

By the time they reached the oddly shaped house, dusk had finally settled. It was hard to believe how fast time had passed. The sunrise seemed only minutes ago, and their first glances upon this marvelous city only moments. Yet here they were, parting ways with the sun once more, wandering through strange alleys and pathways. It was in moments like these that Tavra's adventure spirit felt at it's strongest. Lost, but found.

Led quietly by the shuffling old man, the small group came at last to the threshold of the doorway; an almost perfect circle of solid wood, with intricate designs and carvings at intervals along it's border. Padra ushered them forward, almost with a dance, motioning to an open section of the wall which was covered with a thick tapestry. Athyra stepped forward and lifted the cloth up, allowing Onica and Tavra to walk inside, while Padra remained outside for the moment, fiddling with one of his weather indicators. 

When inside, they were enveloped with a strong sense of hospitality. It was almost an energy buzzing through the air. Just as the outside, the inside of the house was bare wood. With raw sections of trees, planks and old ship parts strung together like a giant puzzle. This was the theme of this city--everything was repurposed and constructed with the same designs. The houses mirrored the city, and in turn, the city itself looked like a gigantic house. In fact many sailors and merchants who visited for generations had even began referring to it as "The Ocean House."

Nothing about the design was wasted, or converted. Onica could see the top of a light house as one of the corner bay windows. Tavra gazed toward the ceiling only to see the upturned bottom of a ship's hull. Sailcloths were used to separate doorways, ship lanterns were now wall fixtures, and an old wheelhouse was now a steady table in the center of the room. 

But the aspect Athyra always noticed first on her sparse visits to this place, was the smell. All around the room there were sweet, pungent smells. Pine, bark, and dried fruit. Some oils burned by small flames in tin dishes, placed carefully in the corners and crevasses surrounding the room. Drying fruit hung from thin lines of tethered rope over the small, cozy kitchen. Herbs and some kind of black liquid burned in a cast iron pan. All around them was a symphony--a miasma of beautiful aromas. It cured and soothed Athyra's senses, and though her home was on the sea, she felt as though this place could counter that notion.

Just as Onica was finally about to remark on their new surroundings, completely lost in the atmosphere, a head suddenly popped up from the back of the room. All three noticed at once, which caused them to gasp and jump backwards in unison. For a moment, the head of a young girl peered at them from behind a work table, watching and waiting awkwardly. And after a long moment, she slowly began to rise into the air. "...Are you still wearing those ridiculous eyes?" she said.

Athyra chuckled to herself, now realizing it was a familiar friend. "Hello, Nith." She stepped forward and began to make her way toward the back of the room, as the girl walked out from behind the table optimistically, a spring in her step.

From the moment they saw her, Onica this girl was very special. Nith appeared to be very young--a small child--yet she exuded a sense of maturity which matched even Athyra's. Her features were charming, yet striking. With round dark eyes, shoulder length black hair which was braided with charms, and from what they could notice, tattoos covering her entire body. She wore silver handmade jewelry strung across her collar, and thin chains ran down her arms, attached to the elbow through various rings on her fingers. She was barefoot, and wearing only a simple black tunic which was armless and short, revealing most of her alabaster skin. With each step forward into the candle light, she revealed more of the incredibly complex patterns of ink strewn across her flesh. Tavra was dumbstruck at the sight. A girl this young should not appear so old.