Taken By Turquoise

Chapter 5

Soundtrack for Episode:

Rincón arrived early at the market. Lately Pinyon, a Scrub-Jay who called out local news and gossip to anyone who tossed payment his way, had been trying to steal her spot by the entrance. Rincón had no interest in giving it up, as it forced every bird who came to the market to at least glance at her gemstones. Luckily Pinyon wasn't an early riser, and the spot was empty when she arrived.

Rincón laid out her blanket first. It was starting to look a little worn and the edges were fraying, but she'd never part with it. When her mother and fathers learned about her plans for the mine, she'd expected them to oppose her or at least express concern. Instead they'd quietly worked a month of shifts as bodyguards for a local family of Snowy Egrets. The small, long-legged white birds were masterful weavers, and they'd made her parents a spectacular blanket of rabbit wool as payment. It was deep black with intricate, though minimal, black and turquoise circular designs. It was perfect for showing off gemstones, as they shone brilliantly on the black surface. Rincón still got emotional every time she thought of her parents' sacrifice, and their quiet approval of her trade. She clung to that when everyone else expressed dissent.

Distracted by her reverie, Rincón didn't see Cedro until the smaller hawk was directly in front of her. She jumped, "Oh! Hi!"

"Hi," He dipped his head, "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's not a problem. I was daydreaming when I should be working," She began pulling gemstones from her bag, "Did you come to do shopping?"

"Uh, no, not really. I wanted to see more of your gemstones."

Rincón tried to suppress a small thrill at that, "Even better. Want to help me set up?"

"Sure," He gently took a pouch of turquoise from her and opened it, spilling them carefully onto the blanket, "How do you like to arrange them?"

"I put them in rows, with the smallest ones in front. I try to group the most similar ones together, so it's easier for customers to see their options."

"Got it," Cedro got to work on the turquoise, and Rincón unpacked her pieces of quartz. She arranged them quickly in the back - they were clear or white, and in her opinion the least beautiful of her gemstones. She'd wished more times than she could count that they would find rose quartz or amethyst, but the Great Mother Owl had yet to listen to her pleas. Then she moved onto the peridot. It was the rarest and most valuable stone her mine produced and, though she was partial to turquoise, Rincón still loved it.

Cedro's eyes widened as he saw the lime green gemstones sparkling in the sunlight, "What are those called?"

"Peridot. Gorgeous, aren't they?"

"I didn't see them in the light last week. They remind me of cactus."

"Cactus? Really? Cactus are drab compared to these."

"I mean wet ones, when the sun hits them after a monsoon and they sparkle."

"Huh," Rincón considered the gemstones, "You might have a point."

Stones arranged, they positioned behind the blanket and waited. Before long, a Verdin appeared. Her bright yellow face, tight with concentration, contrasted sharply with her tiny drab grey-brown body. She studied the gemstones intently, and finally looked up, "How much for the green ones?"

"The peridot costs five meals of plant material per gemstone."

The Verdin gave a squeak of displeasure, "Five meals? That's more than I can collect in two days."