by Jason Letts
“What rank did you finish with?” Will asked.
“There were only eight of us, but I finished first,” he said.
“Really?” Roselyn asked, leaning forward onto the table. “How did you do it?”
A little laughter escaped from Kevin because of this question. He thought about how eager they must be for any kind of information that could help them. At least he had their undivided attention.
“The one guy I had problems with could make the ground shake, like an earthquake. He actually knocked me over a few times, but I managed to catch myself on a cloud before I hit the ground. After that I just kept myself in the air. I swooped in, picked him up, and then dropped him on his back. Since there’s fifteen of you out there, you’ll have to constantly be on the offensive and defensive. I think the person who can do that the best will win.”
The students nodded approvingly as they checked his advice with their own strategies.
“Are you already thinking about the Final Trial?” he asked, before realizing they would be hesitant to answer in the presence of their opponents. They scanned each other, looking to see if anyone would speak.
“Um, I’ve been thinking about it since I was five,” Roselyn said.
“It’s sneaking up on you quick,” Kevin said. “Once the flowers hit full bloom, you’re there.” He became anxious to move beyond this touchy topic though. “I’ll tell you one of my favorite senior year memories. Have you been up to Dustfalls yet?”
“What’s Dustfalls?” Mira asked.
“Well, they don’t call it Dustfalls Academy for nothing. There’s this spot up in the mountains called Dustfalls. It’s a long hike out there, but it’s an unforgettable sight. Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, because I’m sure Fortst is just waiting for the snow to finish clearing and the temperature to warm up a little, but I’ll let you in on a little of it. We took a trail through the bottom of this valley in the rock, a crevasse with fierce winds that opens up into a basin. Sand, grit, and dirt flow down from above like a waterfall and then out along the fissure like a sandstorm. We had to scale the wall with it pouring down on us.
“It killed, but I fought my way up the rock with just my feet and hands. Getting to the top is impossible for anyone as far as I can see, but it’s a great challenge. Because I made it farther than anyone else and I went on to finish first in my class, since then they say whoever makes it the farthest becomes the favorite to win the Final Trial.”
Only after he finished talking did Kevin realize that he had strayed from his intention to change the subject of the conversation away from their important, stressful, and looming trial.
“Is anybody hungry? Take as many as you like but don’t ruin your appetites for dinner,” Jeana said, setting cookies on the table.
“Maybe we should make paper spaceships now? Ok, I’ll go get the paper,” Mira said. She came back with the paper and gave a brief demonstration of how to make an effective paper airplane.
“The whole point is to make it as aerodynamic as possible. So if you make your folds crisp and tight like this then it should sail through the air without a problem.”
She walked around the table giving helpful pointers to her classmates. In the middle of making one with Chucky step by step, she heard a knock at the door.
“I wonder who that could be. I’ll be right back,” Mira said, looking at the time. About an hour had passed since her guests arrived.
“I’ll go with you,” Kevin said, taking the lead. Peeking through the window and then pulling the door open, they discovered Vern standing on the porch.
“Hi. I hope I’m not too late, am I?” he said.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Mira said.
“Oh yeah, sorry about that. I kept meaning to say something but I always forgot.”
“Oh. That’s ok, but you can’t come in unless you say the magic words.”
“Happy birthday,” he said and then walked by her as she cleared the way.
She took his coat and added it to the pile. Considering she had only seen him in heavy clothing all winter, it surprised her that he had gained some weight and no longer had the stick figure he did when she first met him.
Everyone at the table responded to his unexpected entrance with excited cheers. He waved to them with a winning smile and took a seat among them.
“We’re going to see whose paper spaceship can fly the farthest. Is that ok?” Mira asked.
“Yes, it’s ok. I’m going to take everybody down!” he said, getting to work on a piece of paper. Mira gave him a few suggestions and soon everyone had a functioning spacecraft in their possession. They hustled out into the crisp, cool air and launched their ships in turn.
Surveying the results, a couple of spaceships landed a few feet away, one took a nosedive and landed about five feet away, one sailed more than double that, Chucky’s actually went backward several feet, and one paper spaceship got caught in a tree all the way at the other end of the backyard. Everyone gave Will a look.
“I guess we should’ve known that would happen.”
“Here, try it again, and this time no extra wind power,” Mira said, handing him a spaceship. He threw it, and it twisted in the air, dove, and then hit him in the head when he ducked down. Everyone laughed.
“I made it do that,” he said.
“Yeah, right.” After fetching most of the planes, they all went back indoors to warm up. It seemed to Mira that everyone was having fun and becoming more comfortable with each other. They hung out in front of the fire, groaning about their test while darkness set in outside, until Mira got the thumbs up from her mother to start the next activity.
“So who’s hungry?” she asked, and everyone responded affirmatively. Setting two chairs next to each other and pulling out two blindfolds, Mira explained how the taste test would work. Two people would be fed the same food, and the first to name it wins. Roselyn and Mary volunteered first, and with the blindfold on only their noses and excited smiles were visible.
Making sure not to give them any hints, two others spoon-fed them at the same time. They chewed the food and tasted it, trying to figure it out.
“It’s got a round shape, soft and mushy, and it’s a little sweet.”
“What is it?” the spectators asked.
“It’s a piece of banana!” Roselyn guessed. She got it right, and then Will and Vern volunteered to go next. Once they were ready, they too puzzled over the food sitting in their mouths.
“Ahh, it’s getting stuck to the roof of my mouth. It’s gooey and sticky.”
“What is it?”
“Is it peanut butter?” Will asked.
“These are too easy,” Mira said.
“We’ll have to give you a hard one since you’re up next,” Jeana said. Once Mira and Chucky had their blindfolds on, Jeana brought out another dish, and everyone who could see laughed. Mira and Chucky chuckled nervously, wondering what they would be subjected to. A spoon found its way into their mouths and disgust immediately dawned on their faces.
“Guess what it is!”
“It’s all lumpy, and wet, and it tastes like cardboard. Are you sure this is food and not something you wash the windows with?” Mira asked. Chucky looked like he was about to spit it out, and those sitting near him shuffled away.
“It feels like yogurt but tastes like something else. I don’t even know. Is it yogurt?” she asked, pulling off her blindfold. She looked at the dish and saw red ketchup mixed with white cottage cheese. “That’s disgusting!” Chucky got up and went to the bathroom to wash his mouth out.
“You said you wanted something more difficult,” Jeana teased. “Who’s next?” she asked, but the fear of eating unusual combinations kept anyone from volunteering. “That’s too bad. Whoever went next was going to get a taste of this cake.” Everyone’s hand shot up, but Jeana waved them down and started setting plates on the table. She lit the candles and brought the cake out from the kitchen. In dimmer light, the beautiful candl
es illuminated a delicious looking chocolate cake.
Everyone sang, and Mira felt like she was in the company of friends. It wasn’t that long ago she had dreamed of something like this but thought it impossible because her world had been so tiny and so lonely. She offered everyone her heartfelt appreciation for being there. Blowing out the candles, she remembered to make a wish before cutting the cake into enough pieces for everyone to have a healthy slice.
Rather than sitting in the wooden chairs at the table, everyone spread out looking for a more comfortable spot to enjoy the cake. Those visiting Cloud Cottage for the first time perused the rooms of the ground floor, looking at the images on the walls while they hunted for a soft seat. Everyone settled in and relaxed as if they’d been there hundreds of times before.
After basking in the cake’s sugary goodness, it took a while for Mira to return to her senses. She spoke casually with a few people in the kitchen and could hear voices drifting in from other rooms, but someone seemed to be missing. Excusing herself, she went to take a quick head count. When she saw Roselyn and Chucky perusing a bookshelf, she immediately realized who had vanished.
“Hey, Roselyn, have you seen Mary?” Mira asked.
“No, I’m sure she’s around,” Roselyn said, unconcerned. Mira wondered if Mary had gone exploring into her personal areas of the house. Relieved, she found the basement and her own room empty. Because there weren’t too many other places to check, Mira looked in her parents’ room. Unable to find her, Mira could only reason that Mary had left the house, maybe to go home.
Running downstairs, Mira saw her coat mixed in with the others near the front entrance. She opened the door to see if she was on the porch and then, having no other ideas, walked out into the chilly dark air. She couldn’t hear or see anything at the front of the house, and she walked around to the back.
A bright glow extended from the fire and the lights inside through the glass doors and out into the backyard. She saw something in the garden on the ground. It wouldn’t be a bad spot to admire the real stars if it had been a little warmer. She took a few steps and began to distinguish her figure from the web faintly embroidering the night’s sky. Seeing only her back and her dark hair, she appeared to be huddled into a ball, shivering. Mira took her steps deliberately so as not to scare her.
“How do you do it, Mira?” Mary said without turning around and before Mira could speak. Mira came closer, spotting a piece of untouched cake on one side and taking a seat on the other. She turned her head to face Mary, who struggled to hold back tears.
“How do I do what?” Mira asked.
“How do you live like this without hating yourself everyday?”
“What? I don’t think my house is that bad,” Mira said, confused.
“No, I mean without a gift. I’m starting to think I’m just like you. In fact, I’ve been afraid of it for much longer than I’ve known you.”
“Oh,” Mira said, and she raced to pull together her own thoughts on her touchiest subject and present them in a helpful way.
“It’s true some people are lucky and have it very easy, but in a way we’re just as lucky. Our only limitation is the depth of our imagination. When we dive down to the very bottom, we can succeed just as well as anyone else.”
“Yeah, the only problem is when you’ve never accomplished anything,” Mary retorted.
“Ok, ok. It’s easy to get caught up in the ‘who is better, you or me?’ battle with everyone, but the only thing that’s really important is the effort you put into doing what’s right. It’s about supporting your friends, fighting for what you believe in, and never giving up. That means more than any flashy tricks.”
Mary closed her eyes and nodded her head. Mira could sympathize with her all too well, but she also wondered if this is how she paid for being such great friends with Roselyn, one of the class’s brightest stars. But that wasn’t the only aspect of this conversation that made her think.
“Now I’ve got something very important to ask you, and I’ve been waiting to ask it for a long time. It should get right to the core of the problem and I want you to think deeply about it and answer honestly. Can you do that?” Mira asked.
Mary nodded and watched Mira attentively.
“Are you going to eat that cake?” Mary sputtered laughter and motioned to hand over the cake, but Mira held up her hand.
“I’m just kidding. It’s yours. Let’s go back inside though and see what’s going on.”
Mary wiped her face and nodded again. They approached the glass doors side by side, and Mary looked well enough that no one would suspect that anything was wrong. They reentered the living room and rejoined the others, who now had bigger plates with mounds of the food that Jeana and Kevin had prepared. Vern, in particular, worked his way through a fully loaded plate. Each passing moment brought new sounds and gestures indicating the quality of the food. Mira and Mary quickly grabbed their portions.
After everyone had stuffed their faces, Mira thought it was starting to get late, and she was ready to close the book on a successful birthday party. The urge came over her to ask if they’d all had enough and if their parents would be worried if they were out too late, but another voice closed her mouth as soon as she opened it.
“So when are we going to get to see your room?” Will asked, and a simultaneous swiveling of heads showed everyone’s general interest in the question.
“Yes, you can see my room. Come on, let’s go,” she said, getting up. Mira explained that it was nothing special, but on the inside she appreciated their enthusiasm. Kevin and Jeana, side by side, watched them as they marched up the stairs and disappeared out of sight. They continued to stare blankly at the suddenly empty room until they heard the latch on Mira’s door catch.
Groping around in the darkness, Mira lit one candle, then two, and more until the whole room bathed in the soft light. She prepared herself to demurely explain her furniture and decorations, but she waited patiently to hear their first impressions.
“It’s awful nice of you to let your parents hang around at your party for so long,” Vern said. Confusion struck Mira. She didn’t expect to hear something like that and didn’t know what he meant by it. Some rattling distracted her and she turned to see Will remove the pouch from his pocket. The others started crowding around, almost forgetting she was there.
“What are you doing?” Mira asked.
“This is a Makara party, isn’t it? Let’s get started,” Will said. That’s when she put it together. For her guests, the real party had not yet begun. She remembered the apprehension she felt about the game when she first heard about it, and a wave of anxiety came over her. How could she avoid playing the game when she had put it on her invitations and all of her guests expected to play it?
Knowing she would have to bear it, she took a seat in the circle forming on the floor. This may not be the most fun part of her party, but it seemed to be an unavoidable necessity. Still, some optimism remained that it would turn out better than she feared. After all, she didn’t even know the rules.
“So how do you play?” she asked, looking at the pretty dice as they sprawled out on the uneven wooden floor.
“You really haven’t played before? I thought you were joking,” Will said. “It’s simple. On your turn, you roll the dice and everyone else reads them. They decide what your challenge will be, and if you accomplish it then you get a point. The winner has to get however many points that we want, but since there’s so many of us three points will do, I think. Do you understand? Here, you can watch first. Who wants to start?”
Roselyn, who sat next to Mira, raised her hand. She scooped up the dice in the pouch and shook them vigorously.
“Here we go!” she said with a big smile. She poured the dice down on the floor, and they bounced and rolled to a stop. Everyone looked at the images facing up on the dice, a wheel, a mouth, a pen, a fork, a house, and two blanks. Quickly, Will grabbed the blanks and the pen and put them back in the bag.
&nb
sp; “Why did you do that?” Mira asked.
“The blanks don’t count, so you put them and any outliers that don’t fit into the challenge back in the bag.” Will said.
“A house? Cloud Cottage. Eating the house. A house on wheels. A wheel of cheese…cottage cheese. Ok, Roselyn, your challenge is to eat the cottage cheese mixed with ketchup with a fork!” Mira watched them ruminate together until they arrived at the challenge that Will put into words. Furrowing her brow, Roselyn got up, walked out of the room, and went downstairs.
“Excuse me, I’m still hungry. Is there any food left?” she asked, while the others listened from the wall by the stairs.
“Yes, lots. What would you like?” Jeana answered.
“How about that stuff you gave Mira during the taste test? I want to try it.”
“Yuck! I wouldn’t eat that stuff if it were the fountain of youth, but do what you like.”
A minute later she returned to the room with a small bowl with a red, white, and pink mixture inside. Mira couldn’t help but laugh as she wrapped her mouth around a forkful of putrid grossness. She could see why they found this game appealing. Cringing and shaking her head, Roselyn swallowed and put down the bowl.
“One point! Ha! You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“Ok, Mira. You’re next. Are you ready?” Will said, handing her the bag. She held it for a moment, pensively. Everyone’s eyes were on her, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. Swiftly, she turned the bag upside down and dumped the dice on the floor. She watched them settle on a tree, a hand, an arrow, a fish, a star, a book, and a door.
“Climbing a tree to the stars? A book about fishing. A wooden door.”
“I got it, handing a fish to the stars from the top of a tree.” Chucky said.
“No. We’re missing an opportunity here to see what Mira’s really made of,” Will said, scooping up dice until only the fish and the arrow remained. “That arrow’s pointing to Vern. You’ve got to kiss him.”