The Alchemy of Fuchsine

By D Reeder

The paths carved out by nomadic traders throughout the land of Somalia are ancient. Camel trains have long carried goods from market to market, nowadays, of course, new roads follow some of these ancient trade routes.

Sadly, the wisdom which so easily found such easy pathways throughout the land has faltered (as in so many other countries)in terms of the way women are treated.

In this short story a carpet seller observes the oppression and abuse many women in Somalia still to this day endure. His particular attention in the village of Wajid is fixated upon Salima; whom he watches as she grows from a small child into a beautiful young woman.

Throughout these long years the carpet seller observes her colour as he does battle with his own. Is Salima's colour the same as yours?

This short story id dedicated to the memory of Halima Ibrahim Abdurrahman, 20, who was killed in front of hundreds of people, mostly women and children, in the town of Wajid, 250 miles north-west of the capital, Mogadishu on the 17th November, 2009.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D Reeder
• Release date: Jul 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476339351

D Reeder

I am a writer living in the heart of England with a fascination for stories which slide between realities. References to ancient pagan mysteries pre-dating Christianity can often be found within my 'Tales of the Supernatural' where out of the everyday ordinary world come extraordinary stories.

Book preview

''The Alchemy of Fuchsine"

D Reeder

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 D Reeder

''The Alchemy of Fuchsine" is a 'Daughters of Eve' short story.

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The Alchemy of Fuchsine

Let me tell you about red, that unearthly colour, as I sit here by my carpets in Wajid’s marketplace.

I often think about red.

I first see its stain in the Somalian sky as I prepare my stall. I see the way it paints its false shades upon the silhouettes of my camels as their shapes emerge from the night’s shadows. I see how it plays upon the sides of the mud built houses that I know to be truly the colour of dust.

I think how this must have been the last colour that Allah created. For how could he possibly create another one such, after seeing red’s fiery hues? I believe Allah was ashamed of red, for why else would he furtively hide it within the belly of the earth, or within the belly of lowly