Thinking back when I was little I spoke the last word I remember. Iwished for a puppy, because back then no one else wanted to play with me. When my father found out, he had to take it away, because it had come from a forbidden word. Since I was born, any kind of speech had been forbidden, because in this world words come to life. My parents still had the opportunity to speak freely, but that was twenty years ago. The royal family outlawed speech and punishes those who break it. They themselves can only speak to each other in a limited way. Among the people a sort of sign language developed; this is how we understand each other.
This morning I went to the market; my mother needed the week's vegetables to prepare lunch. I love going to the market. On every little corner street musicians entertain, and the market was full of small stalls, each with different goods: vegetables, pastries, meat, cheese, bread. The smell of pastries drifted through the air. I went to the vendor I always visit, Orel, who greeted me with a friendly wave. With a sign he made the gesture to me: "The usual?"
I nodded, and he began to pack the fresh vegetables for me. Two peppers, three cucumbers, a small ear of corn and peas, three carrots. Once everything was ready, I handed him two silver coins; he nodded farewell, and I waved.
On the way home I suddenly heard a loud scuffle amid the musicians' melodies. It came from one of the alleys. As much as I shouldn't have gone to look, I was too curious about what was happening; maybe someone needed help. Carefully, I approached the entrance of the alley. I caught sight of a young boy whom a guard was trying to take away. Around here such things were already common; everyone who breaks the rules is taken. But this boy was so young; if they caught him, surely prison awaited him for life, or worse, death. I knew I could not let that happen. With that momentum I grabbed an iron pipe from the side of a building and struck the guard's head, who fell unconscious to the ground. The boy got up, and just as he began to thank me in sign, suddenly more guards surrounded us at the alley entrance. The alley led to a dead end; there was nowhere to run. The guards seized us and, handcuffed, hauled us off to the royal palace.