A Little Book

A Little Book

The Merchant's Diary I

In-universe date: Era Nova, June--July, Year 1

Real-world date: 3 August 2026

Author: Thabit

---

Thabit kept sitting on the same seat he always did, in the middle of the excruciating desert heat. His eyes had been glued to the sand below his feet for a little more than ten minutes now.

In his hands was a little book, imported from a nation far away, his father's final gift.

He toyed with the book, spinning it between his hands. It was relaxing in a way, something to distract his body while he was deep in thought.

He suddenly jolted upwards and stood up, as if he had found the solution to a problem that had plagued him for years.

He pulled out a small quill and an even smaller glass bottle. He found an unoccupied table on the hot streets of Kheta-Kedet and took a seat near it.

He put the quill and bottle on the table, and rested the small book next to them. He opened the glass bottle to uncover the viscous blank ink it carried inside.

He opened the first page of the book, exposing the now-yellowed pages to sunlight for the first time in years.

He dipped the quill in the ink, and brought the tip of it over the empty page.

Just as the quill was about to touch the page, his hand stopped midair.

He had contemplated using the book for something thousands of times ever since his father first gave it to him, but he could never bring himself to do it. He didn't want to waste his father's gift, especially one that had travelled this far, for something that he'd end up regretting.

He had been putting it off for so long that it felt uncanny to actually try and use it for its intended purpose.

He forced the quill down and onto the page and started writing. The pages were so worn that some of the ink would pass onto the pages below as Thabit wrote the first words onto his father's gift.

Day 1

My name is Thabit, I am 19 years old and I am a follower of Ib-Nbw. This is my first entry on my diary. Next week, I will go on my first tour as a merchant, in order to serve Ib-Nbw. Ever since I was a kid, it has been my biggest dream to do so, and for that I can't truly hide how excited I am. I hope that my journeys will pass without trouble and that I will satisfy the expectations of the Gods.

The quill lingered on the last period, forming a small blob of ink that penetrated through a few pages.

Thabit had never written a diary before. He didn't know what to write, or how to write it. Ultimately, he decided that this much would be enough for his first entry.

After all, he'd surely find more to talk about when he actually went on his adventures.

He waited a second for the ink to dry before closing the book.

Just a few days left until it's time...