The square was a seething mass of bodies, a living tide that ebbed and flowed with the pulse of commerce and the constant hum of voices.
It moved like a great log upturned in a bog, revealing a thousand crawling things beneath,squirming, shouting, bustling in every direction. Elbows brushed shoulders, heels were stepped on, and the smell of sweat mingled with that of spice and roasted meat, forming the unmistakable scent of city life.
Merchants stood on crates or leaned over their stalls, hollering with rehearsed enthusiasm about the quality of their wares.
Their voices competed with one another in a symphony of promises "Freshest pears from Romelia!" "Six copper for salted lamb!" Their hands waved in grand gestures, their eyes flickering between would-be buyers and rival sellers with equal fervor.
