Puzzle Boxes

Arak was uncanny. Every time that Gonyaul was about to touch something he would glance over to the shopkeeper, and low and behold Arak was giving him a strict look. He was certain she was engrossed in an important trade conversation with Voah. How did she always manage to be looking his way at just the right moment when his curious fingers wanted to indulge in a tactile experience.

Further deterred from giving into temptation, Gonyaul continued moving from section to section. He casually overheard their back and forth and deduced things were proceeding. Their negotiations were not nearly as interesting as the collection of puzzle boxes on the nearby shelf that had caught his attention. He would take a long look at the complex and intricately tangled geometric shapes and then try closing his eyes and imagine trying to solve the problem before moving on to the next.

Suddenly he caught a flicker out of the corner of his eyes. His peripheral vision detected a darkening movement outside the nearest window that seemed out of the ordinary. He made his way to the window and sure enough, there seemed to be an environmental phenomenon taking place in the sky. He could tell that the epicenter was in the direction of the temple based on how the edges moved over where they were in the shop.

Was it a massive storm building? He remembered the sandstorm in the desert and how sudden such a force could appear out of nowhere. One thing was for certain, if it was a storm, he was glad he was inside.