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Chapter 6:- Chapter 1 (Part 5)
As Seth neared the west end of the town along with the bustling crowd, the sound of musical instruments playing wafted through the air, growing in volume with every step he took forward. He could feel the energy growing, the excitement bubbling from underneath them, everyone could. Children nearby him skipped gleefully beside their parents, others laughed at some joke they hadn’t heard before, and as they all neared further, they could slowly begin to make out the sounds of others already at the festival, their faint voices whispers in the wind.
The sky had already turned dark, and the stars above twinkled as they always should on such a night as this. A harvest moon shone high above in the sky, casting an unusual and spectacular amount of light upon the town and nearby fields. It was no coincidence either that tonight’s moon was like this, it was always planned every year to have the festival and breaking of ground on a night such as this. Tradition wouldn’t have it any other way.
As the crowd neared the last house at the edge of the town, they began to see glowing lights flickering brightly in the short distance ahead. They were almost there.
A banjo far ahead began to play, and several jamborees began to sound off. The festivities had already begun, and most likely some people had begun to dance. Soon the scent of delicious specially prepared foods began to blow past Seth’s nose, tingling his senses, and straining his stomach.
Seth quickly walked past the last house; he was now outside his town, and before him, laid a sight he was more than happy to see again. For a little less than half a mile, the festival’s width and length extended all around him. It was a colossal mixture of food, music, dancing, and numerous other festivities all happening together at once.
Instead of walking, he quickly ran up ahead to where the festival was. It was a grand event this year, one of the best he could remember when comparing it to the others before. It truly seemed that the town had gone all out; almost everyone had come contributing something to it. Near him he could see a large bonfire burning and the musicians he had heard earlier sitting nearby, playing on behalf of those dancing close by it.
‘Better find Mother,’ he thought.
But no sooner had he thought that very thought, than he was met with a reply.
“Where in God’s green earth have you been child?” he heard an all too familiar female voice call out from behind him.
“Well, about that….,” he replied turning around.
“You forgot we were leaving earlier than normal, didn’t you?” she asked.
Seth nodded.
“It’s alright, what matters is that you’re here. I need your help setting up the food on the table there,” she said pointing ahead.
He nodded, following his mother further into the heart of the festival, where a reserved empty table lay.
“Now, you’ll find the dishes of food in back of the table. I want you to lay them out exactly as I showed you last week, alright? I’m going to go and have a chat with our neighboring booth about common courtesy,” she said, grumbling.
He looked beside the table, where another middle aged woman sat, many pies surrounding her on the table. Her name was Mrs. Ferguson, and she was his mother’s arch cooking nemesis.
“Try not to start any fight Mom, you know how the last one finished,” he said somewhat worried.
“Of-course not honey!” she smirked with a light laugh, “We don’t start fights, we finish them.”
Seth shook his head with a small chuckle, and as his mother walked over to the table nearby, he began placing one dish after the next on top of the table. These dishes were practically his mother’s soul and being at a festival. She had won favor with just about every soul in town who had ever taken the time to take a bite of her cooking.
“I’m done Mother,” he announced, loud enough to reach over to the table nearby.
“We’ll continue this conversation later Claire,” his mother said defiantly, much to Mrs. Fergusons dismay.
His mother stopped talking with the nearby table, and walked over, nodding approvingly.
“Good work honey, now go off and enjoy yourself. Your brothers are wherever your father is right now,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks, but I’ll probably just explore by myself for now,” he replied.
His mother nodded again.
Seth quickly walked off, the sound of music, cheers, and dancing all around him, not to mention the overpowering scents of freshly prepared rich foods. He almost felt like joining the dancing, but decided he didn’t want to take the chance of missing any of the food. In truth, if you didn’t come early, and if you weren’t fast, there’d be nothing left for you to taste. Although, upon seeing the women dancing nearby, he had second thoughts, but still shook them off, their images however still bobbing in his mind as he continued to walk.
After a bit of walking he spotted a table up ahead where his friend Feral was taking a bite of something.
“Hey, what’s up….oh,” he said, his face slowly turning into a sly smile.
“-ey! –at are yo- doi-g?” he asked, his mouth full of something too good to be consumed.
“What are you eating?” Seth asked slyly.
“No-hing,” he replied with a gulp, a small visible lump falling down his throat.
Seth eyed him, and as always, Feral cracked.
“Alright, alright, I admit it, I ate the last of Sarah’s mother’s treats,” he replied, a hint of fear in his voice.
He momentarily stood shocked. ‘Already? Her treats are gone already?’ he thought somewhat in disbelief.
“B-But how……why…so fast?” Seth’s voice stuttered.
“Just kidding,” he coyly smirked.
Seth sighed deeply, “Don’t do that to me.”
“But it’s so funny! Your facial expressions,” he laughed.
“Anyway, where is her table? I’m craving a bite right now,” Seth replied.
“I’m right next to you,” replied a feminine voice.
Seth turned to his left to see that the table they were at was in fact Sarah’s mothers’.
“Oh, hi Mrs. Lemmings, wait…were you involved in this?” he asked confused.
She laughed, “I only agreed not to interfere. Here, take as many as you’d like, I brought double what I did last year.”
“Oh! Thank you,” he replied grabbing several.
“Oh yea, forgot, Zack wanted to show you something,” Feral interjected.
“Really? What about?” Seth asked taking a bit of one of the delicious looking treats, “Mmm! This is delicious! Heavenly! They’re your best yet!”
“Well thank you Seth,” Mrs. Lemmings blushed, “I experimented with them some this year.”
“Come on, I told him I’d take you to him as soon as I saw you,” Feral piped in again.
“Alright, Alright,” Seth said, waving goodbye and following Feral away into the depths of the lively festival.
As Seth neared the west end of the town along with the bustling crowd, the sound of musical instruments playing wafted through the air, growing in volume with every step he took forward. He could feel the energy growing, the excitement bubbling from underneath them, everyone could. Children nearby him skipped gleefully beside their parents, others laughed at some joke they hadn’t heard before, and as they all neared further, they could slowly begin to make out the sounds of others already at the festival, their faint voices whispers in the wind.
The sky had already turned dark, and the stars above twinkled as they always should on such a night as this. A harvest moon shone high above in the sky, casting an unusual and spectacular amount of light upon the town and nearby fields. It was no coincidence either that tonight’s moon was like this, it was always planned every year to have the festival and breaking of ground on a night such as this. Tradition wouldn’t have it any other way.
As the crowd neared the last house at the edge of the town, they began to see glowing lights flickering brightly in the short distance ahead. They were almost there.
A banjo far ahead began to play, and several jamborees began to sound off. The festivities had already begun, and most likely some people had begun to dance. Soon the scent of delicious specially prepared foods began to blow past Seth’s nose, tingling his senses, and straining his stomach.
Seth quickly walked past the last house; he was now outside his town, and before him, laid a sight he was more than happy to see again. For a little less than half a mile, the festival’s width and length extended all around him. It was a colossal mixture of food, music, dancing, and numerous other festivities all happening together at once.
Instead of walking, he quickly ran up ahead to where the festival was. It was a grand event this year, one of the best he could remember when comparing it to the others before. It truly seemed that the town had gone all out; almost everyone had come contributing something to it. Near him he could see a large bonfire burning and the musicians he had heard earlier sitting nearby, playing on behalf of those dancing close by it.
‘Better find Mother,’ he thought.
But no sooner had he thought that very thought, than he was met with a reply.
“Where in God’s green earth have you been child?” he heard an all too familiar female voice call out from behind him.
“Well, about that….,” he replied turning around.
“You forgot we were leaving earlier than normal, didn’t you?” she asked.
Seth nodded.
“It’s alright, what matters is that you’re here. I need your help setting up the food on the table there,” she said pointing ahead.
He nodded, following his mother further into the heart of the festival, where a reserved empty table lay.
“Now, you’ll find the dishes of food in back of the table. I want you to lay them out exactly as I showed you last week, alright? I’m going to go and have a chat with our neighboring booth about common courtesy,” she said, grumbling.
He looked beside the table, where another middle aged woman sat, many pies surrounding her on the table. Her name was Mrs. Ferguson, and she was his mother’s arch cooking nemesis.
“Try not to start any fight Mom, you know how the last one finished,” he said somewhat worried.
“Of-course not honey!” she smirked with a light laugh, “We don’t start fights, we finish them.”
Seth shook his head with a small chuckle, and as his mother walked over to the table nearby, he began placing one dish after the next on top of the table. These dishes were practically his mother’s soul and being at a festival. She had won favor with just about every soul in town who had ever taken the time to take a bite of her cooking.
“I’m done Mother,” he announced, loud enough to reach over to the table nearby.
“We’ll continue this conversation later Claire,” his mother said defiantly, much to Mrs. Fergusons dismay.
His mother stopped talking with the nearby table, and walked over, nodding approvingly.
“Good work honey, now go off and enjoy yourself. Your brothers are wherever your father is right now,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks, but I’ll probably just explore by myself for now,” he replied.
His mother nodded again.
Seth quickly walked off, the sound of music, cheers, and dancing all around him, not to mention the overpowering scents of freshly prepared rich foods. He almost felt like joining the dancing, but decided he didn’t want to take the chance of missing any of the food. In truth, if you didn’t come early, and if you weren’t fast, there’d be nothing left for you to taste. Although, upon seeing the women dancing nearby, he had second thoughts, but still shook them off, their images however still bobbing in his mind as he continued to walk.
After a bit of walking he spotted a table up ahead where his friend Feral was taking a bite of something.
“Hey, what’s up….oh,” he said, his face slowly turning into a sly smile.
“-ey! –at are yo- doi-g?” he asked, his mouth full of something too good to be consumed.
“What are you eating?” Seth asked slyly.
“No-hing,” he replied with a gulp, a small visible lump falling down his throat.
Seth eyed him, and as always, Feral cracked.
“Alright, alright, I admit it, I ate the last of Sarah’s mother’s treats,” he replied, a hint of fear in his voice.
He momentarily stood shocked. ‘Already? Her treats are gone already?’ he thought somewhat in disbelief.
“B-But how……why…so fast?” Seth’s voice stuttered.
“Just kidding,” he coyly smirked.
Seth sighed deeply, “Don’t do that to me.”
“But it’s so funny! Your facial expressions,” he laughed.
“Anyway, where is her table? I’m craving a bite right now,” Seth replied.
“I’m right next to you,” replied a feminine voice.
Seth turned to his left to see that the table they were at was in fact Sarah’s mothers’.
“Oh, hi Mrs. Lemmings, wait…were you involved in this?” he asked confused.
She laughed, “I only agreed not to interfere. Here, take as many as you’d like, I brought double what I did last year.”
“Oh! Thank you,” he replied grabbing several.
“Oh yea, forgot, Zack wanted to show you something,” Feral interjected.
“Really? What about?” Seth asked taking a bit of one of the delicious looking treats, “Mmm! This is delicious! Heavenly! They’re your best yet!”
“Well thank you Seth,” Mrs. Lemmings blushed, “I experimented with them some this year.”
“Come on, I told him I’d take you to him as soon as I saw you,” Feral piped in again.
“Alright, Alright,” Seth said, waving goodbye and following Feral away into the depths of the lively festival.
