The Fallen Silk

anticipation

The horrors of an unseen intruder and the nightmares she had been suffering behind her for the moment, Effie tied her boot-laces and zipped up her jacket. Vincent had invited her to the Apple Picking Ceremony at the Anderson Estate Orchard, and she had (with a bit of huffing and debating) agreed to meet him, and his young nephew, for a day of apple, orange, and berry picking. It was an integral part of the town's Autumn Celebration, and she had always attended as a child – her mother had loved the Apple Picking Ceremony, almost more than the masquerade in the Andersons gardens.

'I'll be home later this afternoon, Nimbus. I promise to bring you something fun to play with from the orchard.' She said to the kitten, who was resting on the arm of the couch, watching her as she closed the door. Effie always felt a twinge of regret, leaving her feline friend behind when she left, but she wouldn't be able to focus on the kitten's safety during the apple picking. She intended to keep her promise of bringing something for the kitten to play with – perhaps a feather, or a bag of leaves?

***

The Anderson Estate sat against the hills across the lake, a forest to one side and an orchard opposite; the front gardens were filled with colourful flowers, and in the centre of the turnaround sat a water fountain. Effie parked her car with the others, along the side of the road leading onto the grounds, and met up with Vincent at the entrance.

'I'm glad you decided to come, I was afraid you would change your mind at the last minute.' Vincent laughed, holding his nephew's hand. 'This is Wyatt,' he introduced the boy, 'Wyatt, this is my friend Effie. She is really nice.'

The child was silent – his wide brown eyes were sad, but he offered Effie a smile without removing his thumb from his mouth.

'Don't take his silence too personally, he hasn't spoken much since my father passed. It was hard on him, losing another person.'

Effie understood how the child felt, and though she wanted so badly to console him, she kept her distance so as not to invade his space – if Wyatt warmed up to her, she would be there to talk, and if not, she would accept that.

They followed the rest of the guests to the orchard, where the Andersons stood, piles of baskets on either side of them.

'Welcome, and merry Autumn!' Mr Anderson called once the entire group was present. Effie glanced around, seeing many faces she recognised from her childhood; Effie caught herself looking for her mother's face. It pained her to know that Theola wasn't going to appear out of the crowd, dragging behind her a red wagon ready to hold every apple she and Effie would pick.

'There is face painting, a pumpkin patch, and a booth to vote for your choice of the first slaughter of the season to the right, there,' Mr Anderson pointed toward a tent that had been erected near where everyone had gathered, 'and here are the baskets if anyone happened to forget to bring one. Take your time picking the apples, and remember that the best of your harvest will be offered tonight!'

With a cheer, the group split up, most heading into the tent to vote for their slaughter choice or get their faces painted (Effie wondered where the pumpkin patch was, but after obtaining her basket and heading into the orchard, she noticed a few rows of pumpkins behind the tent). She followed Vincent and Wyatt into the trees, swinging her basket by her side, humming to herself. Vincent lifted Wyatt onto his shoulders and pointed to an apple; Wyatt picked the fruit from the branch and handed it down to Vincent, who placed it into the basket with care.

It was a quiet affair, for the most part – there were a few times when children would weave between the trees, shrieking and giggling as they raced to find the next perfect apple to pick. Effie smiled at the children, unaffected by their volume and their lack of attention as they chased one another. She reached above her head and picked her first apple, inspecting it to make sure it was ripe and uninhabited by any critters.