Autumn's Fire

Autumn's Fire: Chapter 4

Adrenaline pumping through me, I woke up bright and early before the sun had even risen. I had been so excited for today that I hadn't slept very much the night before. This, thankfully, meant that I didn't have any night terrors. Eager to start the day, I quickly got dressed, picking a lovely purple dress with green accents including an outer green corset with dark green lacing. Apart from the dress Thali had given me the other day, it was the nicest dress I owned. I only wore it for special occasions such as holidays given that they were the only days I bothered to try to look nice, and I felt that a birthday was a good a holiday as any. I then opened my door to let some light from the rising sun shine into my room so I could see, and sat down at my vanity. I almost never bothered to do anything with my hair, but today I took the time to do two French braids that met behind my head in a loop of hair that, had my hair been longer, would've been a bun. I tied the hair loop with a purple satin ribbon that I did my best to tie into a bow and got up to go to the kitchen.

Mum and Dad had woken up early as well and were dressed, cooking breakfast. As I entered the kitchen, Dad immediately sat down the plates he was carrying and came over to give me a hug, "Happy Birthday, little miss. You're officially 79!" He then stepped back to look at me and mimed holding a book and quill. "How do you feel?"

I giggled and moved past him to sit at the table. "I feel fine, Dad. Now are you going to stop playing reporter long enough to grab those plates?" I teased.

"Why, right away, little miss." Dad said, bowing as though he was now a servant. I giggled again and shook my head, rolling my eyes at his antics.

A few minutes later, breakfast was done, and we all sat at the table to eat. Birthdays were the only days of the year that we sat down to eat breakfast together, and we always made the birthday person's favorite breakfast meal to celebrate. When I was a little girl, we had always had birthday dinners together instead, but as I grew up and started spending my birthday evenings out of the house with Thali, we decided it was better to opt for breakfast instead. Plus, my parents worked in the evenings sometimes and occasionally had to change their work schedules to be able to make it to the birthday dinners on time. So, the birthday breakfasts ended up working better for all of us.

Today, Mum had made barley porridge with smoked herring and tomatoes. This made me the weird one in the family, as my Mum's birthday favorite was pancakes and my Dad's was apple tarts. It wasn't that I didn't like sweeter breakfast foods, because I did; it was more that this meal was my absolute favorite. I'd loved it ever since I was little, and I looked forward to my birthday every year because it meant I got to eat it. It was also really versatile and could be eaten at any meal. Needless to say, I had a bit of a love affair with the dish.

I took my time eating, enjoying the flavor, but unfortunately, my parents eventually had to go to the shop, and they cleaned up their plates. Once done, my Mum walked over and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "Seconds are in the pot if you want them. If not, just take the pot down to the Rinehilts to give to their pigs," she said, leaning back to look me in the eyes.

"Got it, Mum." I smiled and nodded. She smiled sweetly back at me and stared at me for a moment as though she was considering staying and skipping work. "You're going to be late, Mum," I teased.

"Ohhh hush, you. I'm looking at my beautiful daughter on her birthday!" she said and kissed my forehead many more times until I made a joking 'ewww' sound and gently pushed her away. "Alright, love, I'll see you later. Try not to stay out too late with Thali, and your present is on the counter," she hurried to say as she scurried around grabbing her things. Then, she rushed out the door, only pausing for a moment to blow a kiss at me.

Alone, I finished eating and ate the seconds as well; there was no way I was going to waste good food. Then, I threw on an apron and cleaned up the kitchen since I didn't want my parents to have to clean up the mess when they got home. It took a little while, but it gave me more time to wake up and I wouldn't be dragging my feet when I went to visit Thali. After scrubbing the dishes, I stretched and stared out the open window for a little while. It was only an hour after sunrise and the calls of birds rang in on the gentle morning breeze; I couldn't help but close my eyes for a moment, enjoying the sound.