Arrow Rock Literary Journal

There is no place in London quite like the Royal Exchange. People from all across the world gather in one place to trade their goods, so a man from Wales could purchase a flower from Madagascar. Animals that most would never have the chance to see in their entire lifetime are held in cages for display, waiting to be purchased by the top bidder. If owning the animal is not of interest, perhaps trying its meat will suffice. Meat from all sorts of exotic animals can now be cooked by people who may never have seen the creature they are eating. Then there’s the horses with silky manes, carrying their weight in passengers and merchandise. All day they carry people and objects back and forth to keep the Royal Exchange filled with all kinds of people and products. With all the products and rich meeting of cultures, most ignore the feces on the road left by the nonstop moving horses. It becomes a cesspool as feces attract flies and stick to people’s shoes. The germs are spread from one merchant to another, but something as little as that cannot stop business. When people do gather up all the waste that has piled up in the streets, they dump it in the endless river, which is quite a brilliant way to quickly dispose of the problem. The river was once the primary source of freshwater, but now it is undrinkable and serves as the city’s sewage. Dead fish rise to the surface, and others struggle to maintain their home. The merchants send family members or other workers to a public fountain or find a well to get fresh water and then lug it back so people can have a sip. This way, the river can remain a dumping ground. A small price to pay for the Royal Exchange.

Rats scurry through the streets and hide between the booths of merchants just waiting for them to turn their back. One spies an Indian man with an open bag of cardamom on the ground. The moment he turns his back, the rat leaps into the bag and indulges itself in the spice. Even the rodents want a taste of the fine merchandise only traded here. Just as quickly as it came, it scurried away, returning to the sewers. When the man turns to face the bag of cardamom, it looks just as it had before. He bends down to scoop a cup for his next customer like usual. Yes, many did fall ill from this kind of event repeating itself, but other rats were spotted by the shrieking customers and were killed by the quick thinking merchants before the rodents could do any real damage. I’m sure the people would agree that a few rampant diseases would be worth it if they got to experience eating luxuries from around the world: only at the Royal Exchange.

Over time, the stone roads overtook the dirt to make way for carts, carriages, and foot travel. Its brilliance managed to speed up traffic and allow more customers to flood in. Even the little crickets sing as they hop from one brick to another in the midst of the busy streets of this magnificent market. Eagerly, they search for their next meal. They hop over the feet of customers and dodge the mass of legs that are constantly moving. A single blade of grass stretches up through the cracks of the stone; it was one of the few that remained. It was half green and half yellow. The crickets leap on to the blade, relieved that they finally found something they can eat. The crowd of people, however, kept moving and did not even look down at the bugs. No one noticed the crickets quietly nibbling on the blade, and no one noticed when they were squashed by a man hurrying to his next appointment. The yellowing blade was now stuffed into the stone. No where in Europe had such crisp grass and weed-free roads as the Royal Exchange.

The trees that once covered the city have been chopped down to make way for the convenient roads. The wood will be used to build overcrowded houses, merchant booths, carts, or a fire. Animals and bugs fled as their homes were cut down, and many either died or found a home in the growing waste. Hydrangeas that once naturally grew throughout London now only appear in controlled and respectable environments. Grasshoppers, crickets, moths, and butterflies must not venture outside of their designated parks or else they will risk never coming back. Even the bees are confined to the parks even though there are many species of flowers up for trade at the market. If they ever try to leave, they may not even make it, and they will certainly not return to their hive. Cockroaches seem to be one of the few insects that thrive in this new environment. I must say it’s all for the best. Merchants bring flowers from all over the world and needn’t worry about the potential of a swarm of bees scaring away the customers, or worse, attacking them. Insects were a bother, and now there are not only less of them, but people can choose when to indulge in nature rather than be forced to face it everyday. Such is the blessing of the Royal Exchange.

Upon arrival, some of the customers’ eyes begin to water as they are sent into a coughing fit. More smoke is constantly being produced by factories and the lit fireplaces in homes. It has grown too thick for many of the foreigners. The locals, however, are growing used to the suffocating air, but their bodies certainly are not. Those with money will flee to a second house in the country in order to escape to clean air. Many others are not as fortunate and must put up with it to participate in the development of society. Sometimes the smoke will grow thick enough that it grabs hold of a person’s throat so tightly that they suffocate to death. A person needs money to keep up with a changing world and indulge in satisfying extravagance. It is truly an advanced part of humanity that few have the brilliance to withstand. If anyone desires to be a part of the Royal Exchange, they will have to exchange their health for money and comfortable luxury. That is the cost of the Royal Exchange.

Chloe Dee is a junior at Lindenwood University and studies Creative Writing with minors in Studio Art and Art History. Exploring human emotions, both positive and negative, has been a particular interest of hers when creating pieces. To keep up with her work, follow her at blissful_productions_16 on Instagram.