Abby Python

From the darkness of childhood memory, abby remembers hills and goats, and dancing with the feeling of freedom. Then there was a time of terrible confusion, being taken and passed from one confusing bunch of people to another. Then there was a time of peace, and growing up among women in what she came to know as the harem.

Abby learned that the harem belonged to the Achmaenid King, and she had to learn to dance to please his guests. She came to know that she was not pretty enough for the King's bed, although he seemed to like to watch her dance, from a distance.

The women of the harem taught abby to read, and some of the other feminine arts. The senior woman of the harem, with the exotic name of Rhiannon, helped her, and gave her the most interesting jobs.

For a brief period, Rhiannon seemed to be the ruler of the land, but there were other political forces at work. The King was often away at war. Then there came the black time. The King lost the war against an invader from the west, and the palace and harem were in a turmoil

The new King ravaged the city, then began to rebuild in the way of the barbaric land he came from. The women of the Achmaenid harem were viewed as used goods, and thrown out with the rest of the trash. Now Abby the former harem girl seeks to find her way in the new Persia, hoping that her ability to read and write and care will win her some new place.