A person of Neshiyah
Naomi Meron, instrument maker
Instrument maker
Naomi Meron
Instrument maker, about 98 years old. Born in Neshiyah, like everyone.
Naomi Meron sits on a low stool by the river, whittling a flute from willow, her knife moving in small, patient strokes. Her hands are speckled with age spots, but they never tremble; she can tune a fiddle by ear and has replaced every bridge in the town’s three taverns. She is not curious—when a guard turned her back at the fog line on day 33, she nodded, packed her tools, and walked home without a word. She believes the edge is real, the way she believes rain. She wants only for the river to keep its pace. The town calls her “the quiet fixer,” and lets her be.
Temperament
Content not to ask; quick to believe what they are told; even-tempered; friendly enough; given to sitting by the river.
What people say
Naomi Meron believes what everyone believes: the fog is the edge of the world, and the fields need working whether it is true or not.
What the record shows
- day 46 Naomi Meron the instrument maker fell ill with the valley fever and lost three days to it.
- day 46 Naomi Meron the instrument maker was handed a seed a bird carried out of the fog, from no plant in the town's reference list.
- day 33 A guard at the end of the south road turned Naomi Meron back at the fog line with a reminder that the Council prefers people to stay at their work.