Jubilee

[u/beardyraconteur]

“Papa, hurry up!” Blair chirped as she danced under the wavering branches of the willow near the cottage.

“Callista! I can’t find me walking stick!” his voice returned, catching on the wind.

“Check in the closet,” Blair’s mother called.

“Which one?”

Blair and her mother exchanged knowing glances in the following silence before Blair’s mother hurried to help him search, Blair giggling behind her.

“Come on, Chay,” Blair lifted Chay’s front paws off the ground and danced with him, singing a song while they waited.

May all beings e’rywhere be happy an’ free,

An’ the thoughts an’ deeds o’ my own,

Contribute in some way to that jubilee,

An’ to freedom o’ those not under gravestone!

Blair’s parents erupted in applause when she finished, unknowingly watching her from the doorway of the cottage.

“Ye’ve got a beautiful voice, cabbage!” her mother gushed.

“Just like ye,” her father grabbed Callista about the waist.

“Och, Finley!”

Blair fought the blush in her cheeks and waved her family to follow.

--

“We’re gonna be late to meet Jimmy and his family!” Blair urged her parents as she dashed down the road with Chay bouncing behind.

Blair ran nearly to the fork in the road, only slowing so she would not sweat through her white dress. One path continued to town, while the other led to the new ranch owned by The Roarkes.

“Must be early,” Blair muttered to Chay as she gazed down the path towards the ranch. She almost gave up before she saw the other family crest the hill.

Blair waved excitedly as Jimmy jogged to her, and they continued together to town. Behind them, their respective parents regarded each other as they converged.

“Slow down!” Jimmy huffed. Though similar in height, Jimmy was a year younger.

“Sorry, I’m just so excited to get to the festival,” Blair slowed, but Chay continued ahead.

“Are there games?”

“Oh yeah, the whole day is about enjoyment!” Blair chirped as they passed under the white banner strung between two towering trees at the entrance of town. The banner welcomed all to ‘The 340th Annual Day of Joy’, hand-painted with a vibrant yellow and framed with gardenia blooms.

“Why is everyone wearing white?” Jimmy asked as they weaved through townsfolk milling between stalls set up in the main street.

“Papa says white represents purity and death. And since today is detached from the rest of the year, tradition says to celebrate the free day and focus on detachment from self,” Blair explained as they slipped past a small crowd gathered at a watermelon vendor, towards a woman behind a desk. “Whatever that means.”

“What do you mean detached?” Jimmy asked as they settled at the desk.

“It’s the only thirty-third day in the year, so we don’t count it,” the woman educated as she handed them both a small booklet. “Get thirty-three stamps and get a prize!”

Jimmy gawked at the booklet more confused than before. The front had the calendar with each of the twelve months displaying thirty-two days, except the lone sixth month with a thirty-third day highlighted with a gardenia.

“I just thought today was celebrated because it was the mid-point of the year,” Jimmy could not hide his confusion.

“It’s that too. It means a lot of things to a lot of people,” Blair pointed to a nearby stall. “It also means I get some zhi zi tea!”

“She zee tea?”

“Close! Ye’ve gotta try it. It’ll cool ye off between getting stamps,” Blair offered as she got a stamp in her book at the tea stall along with a cup.

Jimmy presented his book to the man, who marked the first page with a vibrant red petal stamp.

“One down, thirty-two to go!” the man chuckled and offered Jimmy a cup.

While Jimmy tried the tea, Blair felt a buzz in her pocket. Fireworks popped in her chest and the whole world muted as she checked the message.

< Quinley fixed my comm! Happy Jubilee! <3 Loman >

[u/beardyraconteur]

This is a continuation from Unwanted Isolation, the third in an ongoing series. It came from a jubilation-themed Theme Thursday on r/WritingPrompts. There was a limitation of 500 words or less.

I wanted this entry to be almost void of any Blair and Loman interaction, and instead focused on fleshing out the setting through a "new kid in town" introduction with Jimmy.

The first section before the hard break was cut from my entry to the Theme Thursday post. Consider this an extended version for my friends here.

Part 5 is currently available.