Tales from Perach (Mangoverse Book 5) Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, dragons, horses, snakes, or cats, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Tales of Perach by Shira Glassman, edited by Jaymi Lynn

  “Your Name is Love”

  “No Whining”

  “Every Us”

  “Take Time to Stop and Eat the Roses”

  “The Generous Princess”

  Tales from Outer Lands by Shira Glassman, edited by Jaymi Lynn

  “Rivka in Port Saltspray”

  “Aviva and the Aliens”

  Cover art by Agaricals and Jane Dominguez

  “Dayenu” song verse from the Passover Haggadah, quoted in “Your Name is Love”

  All quoted literature sourced from the public domain.

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright 2016 © Shira Glassman

  This book is protected under the copyrights laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  Appreciation to J.L. Douglas, K.D. Lubeck, Ducky Newcamp, Claudie Arseneault, Colette Aburime, Najela Cobb, Desireé Heyliger, and my spouse for beta-reading and Black hair/trans sensitivity reading. All remaining errors are mine.

  ♡ ✡ ♡

  TALES FROM PERACH

  “Your Name is Love”

  An energetic royal guard takes her artist wife on a scavenger hunt around the city so she can stop having artist’s block about the lesbian graphic novel she’s supposed to make for the queen.

  “No Whining”

  A chef dithers over whether to switch wine sellers when hers is incompetent but the delivery girl is a trusted ally.

  “Every Us”

  A prince with anxiety is comforted in the arms of his partner when he wakes up from a nightmare.

  “Take Time to Stop and Eat the Roses”

  A trans teenager and his girlfriend go on a midnight quest for flowers for her sister’s wedding.

  “The Generous Princess”

  A royal family with two moms and two dads puts their own special twist on celebrating Purim.

  TALES FROM OUTER LANDS

  “Rivka in Port Saltspray”

  Trapped in a seedy port town because an innkeeper is holding her shapeshifting dragon-horse hostage until she can pay all the charges he invented, nomadic warrior Rivka finally has a chance at some decent money when a wealthy but weak man hires her to rescue his fiancée. But she has to think on her feet when she learns there may be more at stake.

  “Aviva and the Aliens”

  On the night before the royal Passover seder, Aviva has to outsmart the aliens who abducted her to cook for them because they had grown sick of their spaceship's food replicators. Will she get home before Queen Shulamit wakes up and panics from her absence?

  Your Name is Love

  Cast: Hadar/Halleli from The Olive Conspiracy

  For My Nerd; thank you for taking me to see the plants when I was sad

  ♡ ✡ ♡

  “Whoo!” Hadar came smashing across the garden, her face glowing and her sweaty under-tunic sticking to her wiry, muscled frame. She twirled the outer portion of her guard uniform from two fingers. “Free for the rest of the day! Hey, look, it’s the prettiest girl in the palace. Guess what? I beat my personal best today.”

  “That’s terrific! I’m so proud of you.” Halleli, who had looked up at the first familiar noise, put her sketchpad on the ground beside her and stood up for a kiss.

  “You smell like garlic,” Hadar blurted out before Halleli could say anything. “Maybe I should snarf you up for dinner.”

  Halleli giggled as heat flushed her cheeks. “Yael needed extra help in the back today to get ready for a bar mitzvah catering job. Is it really bad? I can—”

  “Why would it be bad? Everybody likes garlic! Who doesn’t like garlic?”

  “I might be able to get some rosewater from the quee—”

  “It’s fine, I like it.” Hadar ran her hands down Halleli’s upper arms. “I need to jump in the creek before dinner. You coming?”

  “Sure! I already washed up, but I’ll hang out.” Halleli bent down to retrieve her art supplies and then followed the cutest butch in the world toward the creek behind the palace.

  ♡ ✡ ♡

  Hadar, naked in the water, reached down to scrub dead skin off her foot. “You still working on that drawing with Olive and the flowers?” Olive was their little black kitten, a gift from the queen’s bodyguard, who was Hadar’s boss.

  “It’s somewhere,” said Halleli, holding her left hand out in front of her and studying it critically. “This one’s for the queen.”

  “More family portraits?”

  Halleli shook her head. “You remember I told you that when she was growing up she got into her father’s books and found art of women like us, women together in couples?”

  “Yeah, but you said it was all shit.”

  “It was insulting. I saw some of it myself and she was right—it’s not us. It’s not for us. It has nothing to do with us. It’s so obvious the women are being drawn for the audience and aren’t paying any attention to each other, and when the pictures got… graphic… that’s not how it… you don’t…”

  “So, lemme guess—she’s got you drawing something better.”

  “Exactly! She wants me to make her a codex—maybe even more, if this one works out. With pictures, that tell a story, and dialogue written in.”

  “So how’s it going?”

  Halleli’s face twisted. “Eh, I’ve done so much better. If you want to see what I’ve got so far —”

  Hadar waded to the edge of the water and peered over. “Looks pretty good to me. Who are they supposed to be?”

  “I don’t know. I just feel like they’re—wooden. Flat.”

  Hadar hopped around, creating complex ripples in the water. “Make something up, then.”

  “That’s the problem,” said Halleli. “I haven’t made up any new stories in ages.”

  “Are you sad? Do you need hugs?”

  “I always need hugs. But it’s not really that, it’s…” Halleli paused, her pencil resting against her lip. “I feel like my mind is out of ideas, or out of… out of whatever ideas are made with. Like it’s having trouble finding the raw materials.”

  “Maybe you’re working too hard.” Hadar patted the water with the flats of her hands in a series of tiny, controlled splats.

  “That’s part of it,” said Halleli. “I love working at the restaurant—Yael’s very nice to me, and the customers always gush over their portraits. But there’s no thinking time. You can’t hide inside yourself working in a kitchen. And we don’t live on our own anymore. I can go hide in our quarters if I want to think something through, but that’s not as inspiring as being out in the open.”

  “I think I have an idea,” said Hadar.

  “A story idea for my art for the queen?”

  “No, an idea for an adventure,” Hadar said. “We’d have to both have the afternoon off at the same time though.”

  “I’m working all day tomorrow and the next day, but right after that I’m only on until the end of the lunch rush.”

  “That should work!” said Hadar, stepping out of the water and onto the soft grass of the bank. She began to dry her shimmering, golden-brown skin with a piece of cotton cloth.

  “What are we going to go do?” asked Halleli, intrigued.

  Hadar pulled a clean tunic over her head and to
weled off her hair with a flourish. “It’s a surprise!”

  ♡ ✡ ♡

  Three days later, Halleli hurried home from the restaurant full of anticipation. Chopping vegetables, carrying plates, and sketching patrons had left little time in her morning for conjecture. But now in these last few minutes before Hadar appeared, while Halleli tied her hair behind a fresh scarf that didn’t smell like kitchen grease, she reveled in the unknown. Was Hadar taking her shopping? Were they going out beyond the city to look for wild flying goats? Maybe they were going to the other side of town, to the river docks, to watch the longshoremen unloading cargo ships.

  From her perch at the foot of their bed, Olive the kitten chirped and rolled onto her side. “Aww, who’s cute? Who’s cute?” Halleli was still petting her when Hadar appeared in the doorway. “Hey!”

  “You ready?” Hadar grinned. She had already changed into her civilian clothes.

  Halleli nodded. “Hurray, I finally get to find out what you’ve been up to!”

  “I hope you like it.” Still beaming, Hadar knocked her fists together with nervous energy. “Look under your pillow.”

  Halleli furrowed her brow, then slid her hand between the pillow and the sheet. She was surprised to find a paper there. That hadn’t been there last night, or it would have crinkled. “What’s this?”

  “I made you a scavenger hunt,” said Hadar. “That’s the first clue.”

  Halleli’s mouth dropped open and she glowed, impressed. This was not to be one adventure, but several! A swirl of glee rose within her. “Thank you!” She unfolded the paper and read from it, in Hadar’s writing. “The queen’s sanctuary. Are we even allowed in there?”

  Hadar jumped from foot to foot. “You have to go and see! I’m not helping. I’m just along for the ride.”

  With a final caress of Olive’s fuzzy face, Halleli led Hadar from the room and shut the door. They waved hello to some on-duty guards as they crossed the courtyard to the royal suites, and ducked to the side for a moment to avoid a pair of laundresses scurrying past with armfuls of clean sheets.

  Halleli could see the queen in her bedroom through the open doorway when they arrived. Queen Shulamit bustled around gathering and sorting documents, the baby princess strapped to her chest in a golden sling. She lifted a hand in greeting when she saw the other women.“Spending the afternoon off together?”

  “Yes, Majesty!” said Halleli, her insides pleasantly warm. “Hadar made me a scavenger hunt, and I think the first clue leads here.”

  Queen Shulamit’s heavy eyebrows jutted forward. “In here?” She looked toward Hadar. “Did one of the maids hide it?”

  “No, no—” Hadar drummed her fingers on her other hand. “Sorry, Majesty. Halleli, it’s not in here. I should have said something before we bothered you.”

  “It’s no bother! I think this is really sweet, that you made clues for her. I just don’t know anything about it.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Halleli, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. “I just thought it had to be here.”

  Queen Shulamit reached toward her. “Can I see the clue?” When she read it, her face spread into a burst of a smile. “Oh! I see why you came here, but I know what Hadar meant.”

  Halleli’s eyelashes fluttered. “But you have only one bedroom, and the whole palace is your home.”

  “Think about what the clue would mean,” said the queen, “if it were you she was talking about. Anyway, good luck and have fun!” She retreated back into the sumptuous little bedroom, leaving Hadar and Halleli outside.

  “If it were me…” Halleli licked her lips. “My sanctuary. Well, I mean, there’s our room, but it still doesn’t feel like home yet… home is…” She turned to face Hadar, realization pouring into her. “Home is you. Home is you, you’re my sanctuary, and Aviva has the second clue!”

  Hadar stuck her tongue out at her. “I was talking about the kitchen-house, since she eats in there except Shabbat and holidays, but close enough.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.”

  The kitchen-house of the queen’s wife did indeed look every bit the hidden royal sanctuary as they approached, with its cream-colored walls peeking out from behind trellises of passion vine and cucumber. Halleli was momentarily distracted by the assortment of herbs growing on both sides of the path to the door—mint, cilantro, lemongrass, and a basil bush so leafy and lush she almost wanted to lie down in it like it was a pillow.

  The door burst open and Aviva emerged holding a pair of clippers. “Oh, you’re home already!”

  Halleli nodded. “Hadar’s taking me on an adventure.”

  “Yes, I know,” said Aviva with a twinkle in her eye as she snipped and collected bits of lemongrass and cilantro. “I have the next clue inside waiting for you.”

  “We’re allowed to come in?” Halleli’s cheeks flushed and she felt shy.

  “You both have to promise that you’re not bread,” said Aviva with just the hint of a smile on her pretty face. “Or chickens.”

  “Not today, anyway!” said Hadar, and Halleli giggled.

  They followed Aviva inside. “Ooh, what are you working on?” Halleli asked when she saw the pile of pecan shells.

  “Sweet potato pie,” said Aviva, “with a pecan crust.”

  “So the whole crust is nuts? Neat!” said Hadar.

  “That sounds healthier than a regular crust anyway,” said Halleli.

  “Here, try some!” Aviva held out tiny bites to each of them.

  “It’s wonderful,” Halleli breathed once her mouth wasn’t full of sweet, sticky nuts.

  “Kinda like baklava,” Hadar said through munches.

  “Here’s your clue, by the way,” said Aviva, handing over a folded piece of paper. “Sorry about the, um, that one looks like it’s probably goat grease. And… black beans.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” said Halleli. Her heart was still fluttering slightly from being in a place this important, at least for a few minutes. The queen might be her friend, but she was still very conscious of the difference in their life circumstances.

  “That sounds really good though,” said Hadar. “Makes me want to lick the clue!”

  Halleli smiled nervously at the comment and unfolded the paper. “‘You can’t buy sunshine, except from her.’ Buy sunshine? Oh! I know! The juice stand at the entrance to the marketplace!”

  “And it’s orange season, so it really does taste like sunshine,” Aviva affirmed as she scraped nut shells into her compost bin.

  ♡ ✡ ♡

  Of course the young ladies had to buy juice the minute they arrived at the woman’s stall; one couldn’t be surrounded by piles of fresh, glowing oranges like that without being tempted. They hadn’t brought cups with them, so they had to drink them while standing there, but Auntie Juice was used to it and didn’t mind. She stood at her countertop, squeezing more fruit against her special bowl as she watched them with a face full of satisfaction.

  “Who was it who first said this is the taste of sunshine?” Halleli asked between sips.

  Hadar shrugged. “My sister, but so did your dad, and Eliana, and that traveling salesman peddling blankets.”

  “I remember him!” Halleli exclaimed. “He said it was what really made him feel like he’d arrived in Perach.”

  “That’s why I have free samples,” said Auntie Juice. “Once they taste it, travelers always want a cup. It’s irresistible!”

  “Thank you for the juice,” said Halleli, setting the cup down and folding her hands respectfully. “Do you have the next clue for me?”

  “Now where did I…?” Auntie Juice rummaged around in both pockets of her apron, then looked behind a stack of fruit crates. “Oh! Here.”

  “Thank you!” Halleli straightened out the paper, which was crumpled and a little juice-speckled. “‘It’s bad to break things, but it’s good to break these. In some cases it’s all they’re good for.’ Um… breaking… promises… dates… no, that’s still bad. Breaking dawn? I’d think you w
anted me to watch the sun come up with you but it’s afternoon.”

  Hadar watched this musing monologue with merry eyes as she danced around a little in front of the stall.

  “Oh!” Halleli exclaimed suddenly. “Eggs! Of course.”

  Hadar threw up her hands in celebration.

  “Are they all going to be food?” Halleli asked.

  Hadar grinned sheepishly. “No, I must have been hungry when I started making up clues. But I’m not saying they’re not food—I don’t want to give you too many hints.”

  “You two are cute,” said Auntie Juice.

  “Thank you,” said Halleli, looking at the ground and slinking backward slightly until her shadow overlapped with Hadar’s. But she was smiling.

  Several people in the marketplace sold eggs, but Halleli knew Hadar was talking about the stall they usually passed on the way to their favorite tiny public park, which was only big enough to hold one bench and two rosebushes. The egg man was explaining something to a customer when they arrived, and they waited their turn.

  “Well, if you say so,” said the man buying the eggs. He looked confused. “But I’ll see what my wife says when I bring them home.”

  “I promise the brown shell doesn’t mean the chickens are getting too much sun.” The egg man waved in farewell, his face a study in controlled exasperation. Then he turned toward Hadar. “Oh, it’s you!”

  “Too much sun?” asked Hadar. “That’s a new one.”

  “Hey, there are no silly questions—just silly customers.” The egg man retrieved a strangely folded paper from beneath one of his egg baskets. “Hope it’s okay that I did that. Have to keep my hands busy and I didn’t realize that wasn’t one of mine.”

  “Oh, that’s so cute, you made a flower out of it!” gasped Halleli in delight.

  “That’s great!” said Hadar. “I want to learn to do that. I can’t keep still either, and that sounds like a really fun way to handle it.” She studied the flower, then presented it to Halleli with a gallant flourish.