of presentation, of readiness, of eagerness.
Some are clearly in misery, frightened. Some cannot hold their water. Some retch. The bowels of some are involuntarily, uncontrollably evacuated. It is not for no reason that they are ankle deep in sawdust.
How damp and foul may be the sawdust for subsequent items!
To be sure, such things are rare, probably because the sales have been rehearsed. In that way the items are aware of what will be expected of them. They are not fully informed, of course. There is always room for surprise, and spontaneity. One does not inform a new item of everything which may be done with them on the block.
I would suppose the items are not likely to forget their first sale. For most, I would suppose, as well, the first sale is the most difficult. This is not always the case, of course, for much can depend on the house, the auctioneer, the market, the mood of the buyers, and such. If it is learned that a given item was once a free woman of an enemy city, even a third or fourth sale may be terrifying.
Many, of course, are frightened, even overcome, shamed and humiliated, at their exposure, and that, interestingly, despite their training. What would they expect? Who would buy a clothed slave? Perhaps they did not expect the thing to be done so blatantly; perhaps they did not expect to be handled, and presented, in the way they are. Perhaps, too, it has to do with the whole of the thing, its reality, its newness, the sensations, the torchlight, the auctioneer, the cries of the men, the bidding.
Some of the items seem numb, almost in shock.
That makes it difficult for the auctioneer.
Are they even aware of the deft touches of his whip, that a chin be lifted, an arm raised, a body turned, a leg extended?
I am not sure that all of the items, at first, even understand, at least fully, what is being done to them. This is strange, given the training, the rehearsals. Perhaps they do not care to believe it. It cannot be being done to them. Surely it is a dream. But it is not a dream. It is real. Then they understand. They are being sold.
They move as directed.
They are merchandise, being displayed.
The item is well illuminated, while the auditorium is not. Many of the cries come from unseen bidders, obscure in the crowd, unseen in the darkness. Often the item is not even aware to whom it has been sold, only that it has been sold.
Perhaps they are still unfamiliar with the weight of chains, with their shackling.
Yet, how beautiful they are, even so!
Things are much different, of course, with the slave who knows her collar, who has knelt and kissed a dozen whips. After a time her belly burns. Men have seen to it. She is no longer hers; she is then men’s. It is common, time permitting, the market conditions appropriate, to isolate such items, in their boxes or cages, for some days before their sale. Their needs are made clear by their scratching at the walls of kennels, their pressings against the bars of cages, their sobbings and entreaties before the guards, who will ignore them. They are well ready then, when brought to the block.
How piteously they strive to elicit interest.
It is natural, of course, for an item to wish to sell well. A well-presented item, other things being equal, is likely to bring a better price, and a richer master, with the likelihood of an easier life, less work, and greater prestige. Too, vanity courses brightly, rushing unobstructed, amongst such goods, familiar with such things, and each desires to win a fine price, and, particularly, one better than that garnered by rivals, or others of the house. Who does not wish to be the most beautiful, the most desirable? How proud is a top-price item! It is little wonder then that experienced items will compete on the block to excite buyers and outdo one another. How well they display the house’s merchandise, sometimes subtly, so cleverly, sometimes brazenly, so boldly, invitingly, seductively! Many men who lack the coin to make a realistic bid frequent the emporia, the selling wagons, the shelves, the cages, the platforms, the camps, and barns, to gather the foods on which dreams will live. Yet many items are cheap, and not just pot girls or kettle-and-mat girls, and might be afforded even within the means of a light purse.
Sometimes a rich man