The Kitchen at First Light

Before the sun came up, the market was loud. Omicho has narrow aisles under one roof. The sellers put fish on ice in neat rows. The floor was wet. Everything smelled of cold salt.

This market started in seventeen twenty-one. The old rulers put all the food sellers in one place near the castle. Little has changed. People call it the kitchen of the city.

Winter mornings are the loudest. Crab season starts in November. Big crabs lie in wooden trays. Each crab has a tag from its port. The biggest ones cost a lot of money.

By late morning it is over. The trays are stacked. Someone washes the floor. Polly sat on an empty box and watched.