Miriam

Artwork by Ashwin Chandran

It was nearing sundown and her patience had reached its end. The last of the temple goers were haggling over the price of a few doves at the gate. She rolled her scroll shut and walked out from the shadow of the archway towards the stall. When the shopkeeper saw her approaching, he whispered something darkly to his one of customers, pressed a tired dove into his hands and pushed him out of the gate.

“Business going strong, I see.” She sneered as he returned to his makeshift shop.

He looked at her like he would swear at her if he could. He hated the girl’s gumption.

“Here to prevent me from capitalising on the weaknesses of the faithful?”

“I’m here to make sure you eventually go out those gates once and for all, money-box, mat, birds and all.”

He shifted gears. “What does it matter? They’re all sinners anyway.”

“That’s the difference between you and me, Sha’an. I believe in redemption.”

The shopkeeper leered at her ghoulishly. “Even for those who have committed the most heinous of crimes?”

“Especially them.”

“That’s not a good strategy for Yahweh, don’t you think?” said Sha’an, pointing inward into the temple.

“Yahweh doesn’t do strategy. And if Yahweh didn’t forgive the irredeemable, there would be no difference between Her and us.”

Sha’an raised his eyebrows at the unfamiliar application of pronoun, but said nothing. He turned away and proceeded to cover up his bird cages.

Sensing her continued scrutiny of his back for more than a full minute, he whipped around.

“You think I’m a dishonest man, do you?”

“No, I think you’re more of an opportunist.”

“And that I should be doing an honest job instead of this?”

“There are no honest jobs.”

“No honest jobs? You don’t find what I do dishonourable, then?”

“Honour is a sham.”

He stared at her, perplexed. “You could get excommunicated for saying that. Perhaps I’ll tell the Chief Warden.”

“Why, because he believes in honour?”

Sha’an seemed to be at a loss for words once again. Finally, he sighed and began to roll up his mat. “Well, I don’t know what your problem with me is, if you don’t think me dishonourable. I have a family to feed.”

“With the money you have left from drinking yourself to a coma every night?”

Sha’an froze in the midst of his packing and looked up at her, shocked. His face quickly twisted into an expression of pure hatred. “You little b-“

“Now, now, there’s no need for language like that.”

“How dare you spy on me?”

“I don’t spy. And you didn’t answer my question.”

“What I do with my family is none of your business, girl!”

“Oh, but it is. I came here to tell you that if you don’t care for your family like you swore before Yahweh at your wedding, I’ll make sure they are placed under the protection of the temple.”

He gaped, and then gave a hateful chuckle. “What, and live with nuns?”

“If necessary. At least they could eat three square meals a day and go to sleep every night without getting beaten. Ah yes. I know. Don’t bother finding out how. And I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Sha’an’s right hand had gone under his cloak to grip the handle of his dagger. Trembling with rage, he looked straight in her eye.

“You’re bluffing.”

She snorted. “And wasting my time trying to accomplish nothing? You and I both know you need enough reason to change your ways. You have a week to improve.”

“You can’t take what belongs to me.”

“They belong to God before they belong to you. And yes, I can.”

With that, she walked away into the cool shade of the inner Temple, leaving a stumped Sha’an to walk outside in a daze.