A wandering emerald

She had always felt like she belonged nowhere. Like she was an outcast everywhere she went. Her family would move places, towns, countries, even continents, ever so often and she had to learn to re-adjust her life from the start each time. That is what Gypsies do. And Esmeralda was part of that lifestyle.

Everyone wishes their life was different. More magical, more like their dreams. But she had grown up in the hardships of accepting what you have and not hoarding a lot more, so that she could carry them off with her next time they moved. It was their destiny and curse at the same time. A wandering people with no steady home. No roots. No homeland. They saw themselves as true citizens of the world. But others saw them as belonging nowhere.

Making friends was not that easy. People have a lot of prejudices and these are so easily imprinted in children’s minds. Despite her beauty and delicate manners, Esmeralda was often shunned by children her age. They saw her as unworthy, as if they were so much better. As if she was of a lesser god.

By the time she was 15, Esmeralda already knew how to maintain a house on her own. If she would ever have one. She knew how to wash, iron and repair clothes, bags and other useful objects they carried with them. And for her race, she was even old enough to marry. But she wanted more out of life. She wanted to experience the world, free of preconceptions and racism. She was the cleverest in her family, and from the time she learnt to read she devoured books quicker than she could eat a plate of food.

All she wanted was to be acknowledged. And accepted.

She wanted to feel she belonged to this world. To its entirety. Even if she did not know where the future would take her. She simply wanted to be free to make her own choices. Not to live according to the dictations of others.

She watched the sun set behind the hills, lost in her thoughts. She had seen many sunsets in various parts of the world. And deep inside she knew there were more to come.

Her brother Kappi called her for dinner. His name meant ‘good fortune’ and she wished that it would diffuse onto the whole family. As for her, her name meant ‘emerald’, because she was precious and unique. People just had to be open-minded enough to realize it.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Name that… You!

Also part of Daily Prompt: On the Road

Also part of Daily Prompt: There’s No Place Like Home

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