The One He's Not

Gathering Together & Burning Candles

Gathering Together & Burning Candles

KAT

By the time we reached the village, it was dusk. It took extra long to get back because of me limping along and even though Noel offered to carry me a bunch of times, I declined. With Noel that close to me, I didn’t know if I would have had any self control to not break down into tears. And of course, if I did that then Aubrey would have asked what was wrong with me and I knew that I couldn’t deal with that. I didn’t even get a chance to tell Noel about my problems, let alone the world!

Aubrey and Noel both gave me worried glances as we made our way into the village square. The clouds were still grey, but thankfully it was too dark to notice and that the rumbling of thunder wasn’t happening.

I didn’t look up at them, but instead I just squeezed Noel’s hand and dragged my feet along as best as I could. Noel was carrying my crutches and even though Aubrey begged me to use them, I turned her down. I needed to walk on my own and I felt more free using my own two feet to move. I wasn’t planning on using those crutches again.

Right when we walked into the square, I took in the sight in awe. It almost made me forget the past events, it was that mesmerizing. All around the square, there were candles lit, as well as a few red lanterns that I had helped make with some of the village ladies during the week. At the time, I was unsure on what the lanterns were for, but now it was very clear to me.

In the center of the square, where the stone well stood, was a large ring of burning fire. The blaze of smoke rose into the sky like a black mist and the flowing colours of red and orange danced around while spitting sparks in all directions. I’ve never seen a fire so big and even from a safe distance, I could feel the burning sensation it caused on my skin.

Groups of people were gathered around the fire ring. Some were laughing and enjoying each other’s company while the kids were running around chasing each other. Mothers were chasing after their excited kids while the Dads stood their ground, as far away as they could from the frenzy. It felt like a giant family reunion and even though it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, I also felt queasy.

This wasn’t my family reunion. I was the foreigner.

Catching my attention, a little girl who looked about eight years old skipped up to me while holding bunches of flowers. I smiled down at her and gave a small wave which she returned with a bashful grin.

She was adorable, despite her light brown hair being pulled in different directions. A lot of the children looked like that here and the longer I lived here, the more I’ve come to look past the Lowland appearance. I’ve come to learn that just a little dirt and crazy hair was not something to worry about. All of the things that I valued, (or was supposed to value) back at home was thrown out the window and people just enjoyed each other as exactly that. People.

The little girl giggled and placed once of the many flower arrangements she had on the top of my head. At first, I was confused, but once the little girl gave me one last wave and skipped off, I realized that she placed some sort of flower crown on my head. They smelt wonderful and I was very shocked at the kind gesture.

Noel pointed to the flowers on my head. “It’s a symbol of growth. The fresh flowers represent how much all of us have grown in the past year. It sounds dumb but it is a ritual. And the kids love it.”

I smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. “It’s not dumb, by any means. She was cute.”

I looked around at the scenery again and noticed that Aubrey was no longer with us. Shorty after I started to scan for her, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was and smiled when I saw that it was Aubrey and Dean with their little baby, Luna.