Phony Potions

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The city of Blythe was still overwhelming, but with the assistance of the map and a purpose, the crowds felt less imposing than before. I had to travel through some of the residential areas before I neared my destination, checking the highlights Bernard had marked against my current surroundings as I progressed.

The ground's uniform quality broke as I came upon a rolling grass hill. It wasn't a natural hill, though; one side of the slope was steep. If I were to slip on it, I would roll rather than fall straight down, but I would probably be unable to climb it unless I were a bug or something else small enough to be able to use the grassy blades to help hoist myself up. It rose up to about twice my height. I walked around it and saw that the slope on the other side was much more gradual. Opposite the steep drop, this side was notched with flat, wooden benches about a foot wide that curved across the hill's face from one side to the other. The front of the benches were faced with wood that kept the grass from tickling behind the calves when one sat down and raised the seats comfortably above the ground. Only a few seats were still available in front, but there were more seats available as the benches climbed the hill. The back row had the most seating space still.

The traffic of the festival was wearing the grass in the aisles between the benches into a lifeless brown. If it rained even once, the entire thing was likely to become a cascading waterfall of mud.

I glanced toward the stage. Although people were already sitting down in the benches, nothing had happened yet. People bustled in and out of the makeshift wooden enclosure that covered the back half of the stage, shouting. Brightly colored bits of cloth and props were toted in their hands. A play? The curtain hung limply in front, hiding whatever the first set was going to be.

The fairies, so fond of trying to make a quick coin here or there, where the only ones that moved in the chaos. I made my way to the aisles between the benches, thinking maybe if I got high enough I'd have a better vantage point to find Mallow. Even as the stage remained empty, the benches filled, and soon even stepping between people, no matter how obnoxiously I tried, was impossible. I was at risk of having absolutely nowhere to sit unless I settled. I'd be stuck in a tip-toe limbo above the crowd, irritating all and welcome by none. I plopped down regrettably in a seat and hoped that the performance would not take long.

I reached into my boot and dug out some coin. As I prepared to flag the fairy's attention to buy one of the succulent caramel apples she carried with her, my hand was bumped out of the way. However, it wasn't by another hand, or even an arm. Instead, an entire person went flying across my arm. Not... quickly. Not even violently. Just confusingly, illogically. They weren't even falling down from a row above, weight pummeling headfirst with force. Rather, they were falling, levitating evenly as they passed by my arm, brushing it aside. I noticed four or five others doing this in the row above. Floating humans, as if on a river, though very much alive and squirming.

"Although there was no formal declaration, be aware this bench is reserved," a youthful voice cracked behind me. Over my shoulder I saw that the bench directly above and behind me was cleared for about three or four spaces. I followed the sound of the voice back, and saw that the entire row was suspended in midair and pushed back until they were sitting on the laps of the watchers in the row above, a thin cushion of air separating them. Along the narrow, but now navigable, aisle, walked a young... man? Yes, a man, with shoulders like that and no hips to speak off. His hair fell over half of his face, and made it hard to immediately know what I was looking at.

"Now that I no longer search for a seat to find, settle those that once on the bench were aligned." He swept his hands. The row that had been lifted off fell back onto the bench, some harder than others, but all at the same time. Cries and whimpers arose, but the kid was indifferent as he sat down, hands resting on the space on either side of him. He rubbed his fingertips a few quick times, as if he were cold, even though it was a sunny day.