[Fiction] Samarkand
Read the second-place entry for our week of December 1, 2024 prompt, One Great Paragraph, chosen by guest judge Michael Dean
Samarkand
by Jack Wheeler
I journey to fabled Samarkand. Honeyed figs, sweet tea and good company at a small caravanserai. We wait for the city gates to open. A cracked bell tolls. Fabled Samarkand. The city gates, mahogany, jade and silver open. An insect headed man beckons. A fellow pilgrim tells me it is a mask, as is the custom here. Intricate, filigree, privacy. I am unsure… Time haunted Samarkand. Scent of Jasmine and Lotus Blossom. Damask and silk rustle in the warm breeze. A child takes my hand, I follow. The Labyrinth swallows me. Samarkand. Sacred and Profane. I stand before a statue of a god, unknown to me, still worshipped. A small child, a girl, approaches. She cradles a white rat. With one swift movement she lays it’s still beating heart at the base of the statue. She smiles at me. Blood cursed Samarkand. My travelling companions are all dead now. There are rules here, only I listened. Samarkand is but a memory now. A beautiful, terrible memory. Time passes, the wheel turns...
A Note From Our Guest Judge,
It was fun to read through 96 significantly different paragraphs and think through the shared compositional themes that make them powerful. It was also hard. Each one of these 3 quickly establishes an unresolved scene, gradually unfolds it, and closes with power. There were so many creative and intriguing entries that would make great openers. I hope to see some of these expanded into full essays.
About Jack Wheeler
Jack Wheeler discovered his creativity in his 50s. He has since then turned his hand to standup comedy, writing, painting and sculpture. He has just finished his first short play. He recently came 3rd in a poetry competition and has a poem in a children's anthology being published shortly.
This piece was written in response to the prompt One Great Paragraph.