The trip to Isfahan on the 13th day of November, 2025, was never meant to be one of acquisition. It was a deviation from the schedule, a mere drift of curiosity through the dust and heat of the city. I stood near the auction block not as a woman seeking property, but as a casual observer, watching the machinery of commerce turn under the guidance of the auctioneer, Nephtides na Neidos.
The air was thick, the crowd restless, and the block was yet cold when the first lot was brought out.
She was the first girl of the day. They called her Red.
Standing there against the stark backdrop of the market, she was a vivid contrast to the drab stones of Isfahan. Perhaps it was the way the light caught her, or perhaps it was simply the distinct lack of hesitation in my own mind when the bidding opened. The crowd was still warming up, hesitant to commit to the very first offering, but I saw the potential where others saw only the opening act.
It was an impulse, rare for a woman of my temperament. My hand rose as I called out thirty coppers, and slowly, the bidding began. The competition was brief. To my surprise, when the gavel fell, she was mine. She cost me more than my opening bid, certainly, but still far less than the price the auctioneer had originally called out for her.
In the span of a few heartbeats, an unplanned excursion had turned into a transaction. I had walked into the square empty-handed and walked out leading the first girl of the day. The journey back to Teletus was different than the journey out; the silence of the road was now filled with the realization that the household had grown by one.
(Updated 11/26/2025 with updated photo)
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