Free NAAN (The Rabanians Book 1) by Dan Haronian, Thaddaeus Moody Page B

town,” I said, “One of us can go through the middle, and the others can go through the edges. We can meet back here once the planet rises again.
    “Sounds good,” said Daio, “Dug, you take the town’s main street. It will be easier on your leg. Let’s meet back where we slept, next to the creek.
    I nodded. “So we are set,” I asked and looked at them.
    “Okay,” said Dug but I could tell he was not happy. “I'll take the main street.”
     
    Dug began walking. Just in front of him there was a large mound. Beyond it was a trail leading into the town. Dug went down the mound and started toward the town. His breathing was improving and he felt he was adjusting to the thin oxygen of this new planet. Still he knew it would take a while until he felt really comfortable. The trail merged with a paved road as he approached the town. In front of him, to his right was a large open space. On its far end were few large wooden structures. At first he thought the town was deserted, but at the first junction two small people surprised him. Except for their size they looked completely normal. They stared at him and one of them held the other’s arm as if he wanted them to run. Dug smiled at them, but they didn't smile back. They started to walk quickly away without taking their eyes off him. 
    He crossed the street and continued to walk into the town. He turned when he heard a noise from behind and a car rattled by him. Three wooden boxes, like the ones he saw at the house in the forest, protruded from the rear of the car. He stooped and watched the car as it drove away, wondering about the odd coincidence.
    More people started to show up on the sidewalks, and more cars passed by on the road. It seemed as if the town was waking up. Short people passed by him, and stared at him with surprise. Some looked him up and down as if he was something unique. Others looked away in fear.
    In one of the alleys that split off from the main street he saw people unloading cargo from wooden, wheeled carts onto stands spaced along the alley. He walked towards one of the stands and found them piled high with fruits. The man on the other side of the stand watched him for a second and then said something that sounded to Dug like a reprimand. Not wanting trouble, Dug limped away quickly.
    The vendors looked at him as he passed. They pointed at him and spoke loudly to each other. Dug concentrated on their words but their language was very different from his own. At one stand he heard a strange plunk and jingle. A man was throwing small round disks into a metal box. The rattling sound reminded him of Sosi telling him once that something called coins were still in use in the outer reaches of the galaxy. He’d ignored Sosi's prattling back then, but now the sight transfixed him. He judged that this must be how business was conducted in this place.
    The hum of a Flyeye pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked around trying to locate the source of the noise. The bad smell in the prison cell on Seragon came back to him suddenly and he felt he was about to throw up. He was hurrying back to the main street when suddenly a Flyeye passed over him. Limping quickly he arrived at the end of the alley. The stands were thinner here. Just before leaving the ally he heard the Flyeye again. The sound was coming from the open field behind the stands. He hesitated, not sure if he should run, but the humming sounded odd now and he decided to investigate. He walked up to the last of the stands and looked beyond them. A pile of empty boxes, some with red, squished fruits were laying on the ground. A few large flies, the largest he’d ever seen, were hovering over the boxes. They were the source of the hum. He watched their random buzzing flight for a few seconds and smiled to himself. The man next to a nearby stand said something grumpy to him. Dug thought it would be best to move along.
    He returned to the main street wondering at the many amazing things he’d