brocade

now we used colored blocks of hardwood for currency. the pieces varied in shape depending on assigned value and were generally smooth and waxy from changing so many hands. it was awkward to carry the rough cotton sacks which often grew too heavy to seem worth the effort at all. as i waited for my item, some children played nearby and commented on the sound of the blocks in my bag knocking together. when i told them about the technology of 'the old days' and how we didn't carry blocks at all but made our transactions 'through the air', they laughed and said it was a good story but impossible. they were right, it was impossible now.

i fell silent and watched them chase after each other in bare feet. their clothing was crudely made (as was all clothing) and every so often one would have to stop to retie the laces that held up their pants or kept their shirts closed. i absently lifted one of the folds of my skirt and tried to superimpose my memory of fine woven cloth over the rough interlaced fibers. i imagined a silky, intricate green brocade.