Sepia Scenes meets Three Words Thursday

When Sepia Scenes meets Quilly's Three Word Thursday ....
Each week, Quilly gives us three words to work with. This week's words are sublunary, comity, & specious. The idea is to write a story using these three obsolete words ...
Don't worry, no need for a dictionary to read the story! Just click on the links to find their definitions.


Now, because I firmly believe a picture paints a thousand words, I am adding these sepia pictures. The pictures I took from this street event in Antwerp were much too busy to look good.
I used my Corel Paint Shop Pro x12 on them, turning them into half sepia by creating layers. The sepia quiets down the busyness of the scenery, while the parts of the picture left in colour create drama and guide your eyes into the picture. Well, at least this is what I've been trying to achieve here.



This small square in the heart of the city of Antwerp breathes history and tradition. Every Friday morning a street auction, locally known as Friday's Market is being held here. The ambiance at Friday's Market is a bitter sweet fusion of nostalgia and ghetto.


The Madonna on the pedestal has commiserated the sublunary affairs of the people beneath her since time immemorial.
The middle of the square is cluttered with old furniture, bikes, electric appliances, light fixtures, floor lamps ... TV's and washing machines...


Suitcases or cardboard boxes holding just about anything from books to tools, kitchen utensils or clothes. An array of people from various backgrounds are gathered here, each has his own reason for being here. Some of them are very obviously trying to make ends meet, seeking a pair of shoes or a sweater or a shirt. There is even a fair chance to spot and buy back your own bike that got stolen only last week ... Or that specious red scooter ...


Some are just curious, or intrigued by the volgivagant spectacle this street auction offers.

Some try to find an original spare piece to repair something. Another just wants to make his grandchild smile. What more could be found here?

Sad stories of desperate people trying to buy back their own furniture, after being court ordered to sell their goods publicly. Biting their lips as they watch how their new television is being auctioned off and sold for only a fraction of what it is worth.

People know you can buy cheap here, but you have to be careful what you bid for. Not all of it is in perfect state, and what looked like an interesting piece of antiques at first glance might just as well turn out to be a specious copy once you lay your hands on it .

The goods are sold as they come and there are to be no arguments about that. This particular rule is blared out clamorously in aboriginal Antwerp tongue before the bidding starts. It's repeated frequently as part of the auction chant. Nevertheless, on some occasions a certain dose of comity should be in order here as well. But courtesy and respect are sometimes considered useless virtues on street auctions. Impatient sighs and ebullient discussions tend to add to the drama when buyers and vendors often face opposite interests ...



Find more Sepia Scenes pictures here.
Other 3WT stories here.