Amica 6
It's horrible. Hunger, like an animal, a snake that lives inside me. If I don't feed it consumes me from inside, it eats me away me, it digests my bowels. I’m suffering, sniffing the air filled with a dense aroma of hot sweet pancakes, wine, fried fish, from the maze of alleys waft out all the scents, colours, tastes, sounds of this whole new world. Hunger would feed on anything, even an empty clam shell, rind off a fruit, a crust of dry bread, a bare bone, even the smell of a cooked food!
Passing along the entire length of the Forum, our wagon takes the lane to the right of the great temple that occupies the entire width of the square, and passes the columns of the entry arch of the Forum. We ride along another stretch of well-paved road, then arrive at a small temple where we turn right onto a very long street. At the second crossing, we turn left, and stop. The Phoenician merchant enters the building through a door with a pair of columns at the sides, not the main entrance of the building, we seem to have passed that just before turning.
Curious folk stop on the roadway to admire the beauty of the new slaves. The merchant comes out of the house followed by several servants. A little jump and we land there, huddled in a small group of girls from the farthest places, dazzled by the splendour of houses, the majesty of the buildings, by the straight, paved streets. Overwhelmed, we perceive clearly that we are at the bottom rung of the beings that live in this city, but we are women or animals? And what is the price of human flesh here? How much is our skin worth?
We cross the threshold of what will be our prison, and immediately we are stripped of the few rags that covered our nakedness, untied from the ropes that have joined us together to prevent any attempt at escaping, and conducted into a room where, in the centre, is a large tank. Each of us is given a bag that seems to be full of pebbles. We descend some steps and plunge into warm water.
Some slaves, using gestures and words, indicate the use of the strange things. Udij takes me by the hand, she probably understands the language spoken here. With her cupped hands she lifts up water and pours it over my head and body. Then she rubs the bag on my skin. I imitate her, it seems almost a game. The canvas becomes frothy, giving out a delicate fragrance, my skin is cleansed, becoming softer. Other girls who already know this game are happy and laughing as they fondle each other’s beautiful bodies, their variously coloured skins, rubbing their breasts, between their legs, between their buttocks, their legs and their feet.
At one end of the bath, we pass under a shower that pours out from the mouth of a stone animal set into the back wall of the room. We collect water in our mouths, copying one another. Other slaves give us some pointed leaves to chew, and then spit into a bowl where water is pouring all the time. These leaves have a good taste, they leave in your mouth an intense, fresh, aftertaste.
Finally they drop scented oil onto our hands, heads and bodies. We massage each other, our skin is feeling clean and fresh. Substances that enter our bodies giving a pleasing vigour to our muscles.
I am surprised that we slaves are treated in such a respectful way. Soon I will understand that this is the will of our Master, he does not tolerate his slaves being dirty, nor does he tolerate the strong smell of sweat, nor the smell of a mouth is not perfectly clean.
Now we are lined up next to each other in a large hall whose roof is open in the centre, supported by four columns. We await the coming of the lord. We look wonderful, all of us like beautiful young goddesses, our moist skin covered with fragrant oil reflecting the light in a thousand shades, a thousand flashes at the slightest movement. Our wet hair, perfumed, is collected tied up on top of our heads.
Preceded by a procession of slaves and servants, finally the Master arrives. We are commanded to fall on our knees as a sign of greeting and submission. Then comes the Mistress, preceded by her slaves, she is dressed in a beautiful gown of gossamer fabric, an opaque veil, covered with jewels shining among the hair, woven in a network of gold. Her eyes are marked with pink gold and dark lines. Her slaves, as well as those of the Master, are topless, and are wearing colorful jewellery around their arms.
The Master is a man of athletic poise, although a little heavy for his age and certainly well fed. He is clean-shaven, short haired, his hands well manicured but strong. He looks with satisfaction at the ranks of his new slaves, the Phoenician merchant begins what appears to be a recital of the merits of his goods, but he is promptly silenced by a sharp gesture of the master, who approaches the first of us, has her stand up, looks at her face, eyes, hair, paw her breasts and buttocks, evaluates the width of her hips, the tone in the muscles of her arms and legs. He looks at the profiled curve of her back, her shoulders, the form of her pelvis, the curve of her abdomen. He opens her mouth and with a silver spatula he lowers her tongue, inspecting the gloss of her teeth.
So he does with one after the other of us, examining face, breasts, buttocks, back, legs, mouth. Now it's my turn. He touches my silver-blonde hair, looks in my eyes as blue as the sea, evaluates my profile, my lips, my mouth. His hands completely enclose my small breasts, his gentle caress excites the swollen areoles. He puts his hands on my hips and my buttocks. My legs look slender, my pelvis well formed, although tight, my teeth healthy. He seems a little disappointed, perhaps at my too immature development.
He looks quizzically at the Phoenician merchant and says a few words, the merchant responds by saying: 'Virgo, virgo inviolata!' Surprised, he nods to a beautiful slavegirl who is standing at his left, her oblique slanting eyes, the perfect profile of her nose, convey something sensual and defiant in the icon's delicate features; her hair is pulled back in a complicated black bun.
You approach me, gently caressing the bare skin between my thighs, the hill of my pubis, parting my legs gently, and slowly opening the rosy gate of flesh,
'She is like a child ', you say, slowly turning finger inside my treasure chest.