The Incident at Blackgrove

Chapter 5: The Festival, Pt.3 (The Statue)

The Festival Part 3: The Statue

After what was possibly the best dinner I'd had in months, if not years, we made our way to the festival, which was in full swing at that point. We parked nearby and I left my backpack locked up in the trunk of my car, which was unlike me. Music, rides, games, food being cooked. All of these sounds and more filled the air. The lighting was similar to how it was before, but had become a darker, more beautiful blue night, with the amber lights from the rides, streetlamps, and string lights still bathing the festival grounds in a contrasting orange glow. It was as if, with all of the orange light, the fox-man himself was omnipresent throughout the festival grounds.

This thought interrupted the peace state that had begun to make its home in my mind, reminding me of the unease and uncertainty I felt in regards to Sikhs and his presence. I tried to push it out of my mind as I felt Willa link arms with me, which took me by surprise. "So, what first?" she asked eagerly, "check out the music? Bob for apples? Watch some of the competitions? Try to win some baskets at the silent auction?" I told her that I was fine with any of those and that she should lead the way. She took my hand and led me off in a direction.

I could tell she was getting more comfortable with me. I must admit, it felt like I was reconnecting with someone I was once very close to. I was feeling that same awkwardness with her that one feels when reconnecting with a long-lost friend, the same awkwardness that leaves once you've remembered what you liked so much about them in the first place and you begin to act like not a year has gone by since you've seen them last.

We arrived at an area where people were waiting for something, sitting on some bales of hay. "Okay, we should definitely do this first," Willa said grabbing my arm and sitting me down. "What is this?" I asked.

"You'll see." A minute later, a tractor full of people stopped in front of us and the people jumped out. "Hayride!" Willa exclaimed. I couldn't help but chuckle a little at her reaction. "Come on!" she said as she pulled me onto the cart. I'd never gone on a hayride before, so I was actually a little excited.

The tractor pulled away from the better lit festival grounds and headed off towards a dark forest, lit by torches and oil lamps. It had a distinct "Sleepy Hollow" vibe. I started to feel a little weird. "Hey Willa," I asked, "this isn't a scary thing, is it?" She looked at me, amused.

"It kind of is. It's another Fox Fest tradition. It helps us connect with his playfulness. Why? You scared?" she teased.

"Honestly? Yeah, a little," I said sheepishly. There was no point in lying to her anymore. I couldn't if I tried. She took my hand and smiled at me.

"Don't worry. It's gonna be fun. Promise." Willa was being especially cute and protective, which I would've paid more attention to, but I was bothered by the fear that I was feeling. I'm a pretty tough cookie. I've seen a lot and done a lot, so how in the world was this hayride inducing fear in me? It didn't make sense.

Our tractor made its way through the dark woods, our path lit only by a few lamps along the way. I could tell there were speakers hidden in the foliage playing some kind of stock haunted house sounds CD. I must admit, it wasn't as scary as my fear would've had me believe. It was kind of cute, if anything, but I was still on edge.

The ride opened up into a circular area in the woods that was better lit. A scene had been set up depicting a prank (that I recognized) that Sikhs had played on the people of Blackgrove in 1889. There were some statues there (made of what seemed to be plastic or something similar) dressed in old clothing. They all had bewildered looks on their faces; their ears looked like pig ears and their noses were pig snouts. Above this scene, in a tree, was a statue of Sikhs, covering his mouth and smiling. The speakers nearby played pig sounds and what sounded like a child laughing (but it also could've been a fox's laugh, which I've heard before). The tractor slowed down through this part.