On Horseback

Chapter 3: Pretty Pink Petals

The day after the horse races is the first day for voting in the Town Square. From the 19th to the 22nd, everyone votes who they want as the Goddess of the upcoming Flower Festival. The five youngest women of the village are chosen -yes, even if one of them is as old as your grandmother- and everyone votes for who they want to be the Goddess for the year.

Well, our village has five young women who are all the same age: Me, Karen, Elli the baker, Maria the bookworm, and Popuri the insane flower lover. I, personally, don't get too overjoyed when this festival arrives. I mean, for one, you have to wear this hideous flower outfit that may not even fit you and a photographer has to take, like, fifty pictures of you.

The worst part is that the Goddess has to dance with the king. Every Autumn, the Harvest Festival is held. All the men eat cake and the one who finds a coin in his is the king until the next Harvest Festival. Last year, the Potion Shop Owner became king. Lord, if I have to dance with that seventy-year-old man...I'd rather croak.

The five of us girls try and make the voting even. Each year, I vote for Karen, who votes for Elli, who votes for Popuri, who votes for Maria, who votes for me. That way, all of us get a fair chance at dancing with the king or not.

But this year it seemed like it wasn't going to be the greatest year.

I was out in the field the day before the Flower Festival, picking some weeds that were growing around the fences. Do I ever hate weed-picking. Gray was walking in and out of the house every two minutes, so I assumed that he was busy...if he was busy. Dad was tending to the shop. Oh, well. No use complaining about my job, or else I'd be out here even longer.

Then, I saw the figure of Jack coming towards the ranch. I hadn't seen him since my victory on horseback. I was glad that he was present.

I abandoned my work and ran over to Jack, who had just entered the animal farm. "Hi, Jack," I greeted him, and we shook hands. "Hello, dear Ann, I've come by to pick some fodder and a sheep. Yup, my very first sheep." I clapped my hands and said, "Congrats, Jack. I'll go get my father immediately!" I didn't know how Jack had managed to obtain 4000G (Flowerbud currency) in just three short weeks. Heck, it hadn't even been three yet! This guy had talent and a keen eye for farming.

Which brought back memories...

I shook my head and quit daydreaming. I opened the door to our house and walked in. "Hey," my dad said. I grinned. "Jack wants to purchase a sheep," I told him. My dad's eyes perked up. "Splendid! I don't think we've sold one since your eighteenth birthday!" "Daaaddd," I groaned, "this is no time to get nostalgic. Just go and get a sheep." My dad gave me a smirk and ran to the barn to find a sheep.

Jack was in front of me when I shut the door to the house. "My dad's pleased as heck," I explained. "Good to know," Jack mumbled. He went searching through his bag and pulled out a moon drop grass, my favourite kind of flower. "Oh, wow! Is this for me?" I questioned him. Jack nodded his head up and down several times. "Wow. Thanks, Jack," I thanked him. I put the moon drop in my pocket and told him I'd find a nicer spot for it later on. He winked at me.

"Okay, got the sheep," my dad said, "and I'll take it to the farm. Pay my daughter, please, Jack." The farmer handed me 4000G on the spot, and I went inside and put it in the cash register. I then came back outside and embraced my friend. "Okay, thanks for dropping by. What are you going to name the sheep?" I asked Jack.

For a second, I thought Jack had gone insane, because of all the awkward faces he was giving me after I had questioned him. "Maybe...Ann." My face fell into an awkward position and I said, "Umm...yay?" We both laughed. "Okay, then I guess I'll see you later." "Okay, bye, Jack!"

And with that, he left.

On the 21st, the five of us women voted for each other in our usual way, and then headed off, awaiting who would be crowned the Goddess on the 23rd, which was just two days off.

The two days were up. I had to get up earlier than usual, just to find out who the Goddess was going to be. I hated going through this routine every year. Oh, well, no need to complain now. I quickly got changed, ate some breakfast and ran like the wind to the Town Square. I was just hoping that I hadn't become Goddess this year...

"Okay, the twenty-five votes have been cast. The woman with the most votes will be the Goddess this year," the Mayor told the five of us when we arrived. I started biting my fingers as the mayor unfolded the first vote. "The first vote goes to...Popuri." Despite her love for the festival, Popuri, too, did not want to become the Goddess due to who the king was. "Next vote...Karen." My friend looked nervous. Maybe a little too nervous. The votes continued.

"Maria." "Karen." "Elli." "Elli." "Elli." "Elli." Everyone but Elli was shocked. The baker was stunned and couldn't move. She couldn't believe she had gotten four votes. Luckily, I hadn't even got one yet. "Ann," read the next vote. I shrugged. Oh, well, I'd had better gotten one vote at least, or I'd be seen as someone everyone disliked...or loved, since they didn't want me to dance with a geeky old man.

"10 votes have been cast, and Elli leads with four, Karen trails with two." The Mayor pulled out the eleventh vote. "Ann." I bit my lip. Oh, lord, no more votes, please! "Elli." "Elli." Elli was completely horrified. She had six votes, now, and was most likely going to be named Goddess. "Maria." Maria still looked comfortable, as that was only her second vote. "Popuri." "Popuri." "Ann." I had received my third vote. "Ann." Oh, no. "Elli." "Elli." "The twenty-first vote..."

"Elli."

"Well," the Mayor said to us, "I guess that it's safe to say that Elli is this year's Goddess." Maria, Popuri, Karen and I got up and began cheered. Not for Elli, but for ourselves. None of us became the Goddess!

The Mayor pulled out the last four votes, anyhow, just to see the names that were written upon them. Three of them read "Elli" (which basically made her pass out) and the remaining one read my name. "Four votes," I whispered to myself. "I suppose that's okay."

Elli was quickly changed into the outfit that she would be dancing with the old guy in, and I put on my usual attire: Blue overalls with an orange t-shirt underneath it. Yes, I had become a tomboy since mom died. Without any female supervision throughout my growing years, I had learned to be tough. Ever since, I've always had a male look to myself.

10 a.m. finally came around (which on the Flower Festival is, like, fifty years) and the people filed into the Town Square, where the dancing would be taking place. I was nervous. What if nobody asked me to dance with them?

Jack appeared among the large crowd. That soothed my nerves. Maybe he'd ask to dance with me.

The five of us girls were finally called down to the Square. We opened the door that would lead us there, and a bunch of eyes locked on us. Karen walked out first, people applauded and some booed. Popuri was second, and many were stunned that she hadn't won. I was third, and some applauded while others booed. What frightened me even more was, I wasn't sure which was better, the applauding or the booing? Maria followed last where everyone applauded.

Finally, Elli arrived on the scene in the Goddess' Gown. She looked like an angel in that outfit; it made me want to rip it off of her and...no, then I'd have to dance with the Potion guy. Lord, how I didn't want to.

"Now, gentlemen of the town, it's time to dance! Choose one of the four remaining women!" the Mayor called out to the crowd.

All of a sudden, I saw five desperate faces appear out of no where. I knew who four of them were: Harris the mailman, who would ask Maria, my brother, Gray, who'd go for Popuri, Kai, Karen's helper at the vineyard, who'd ask her and Jack, who'd probably ask me...but there was another person. Another guy. One whom I didn't recognize. He walked up to me and asked, "Hi, do you want to-" but was cut off by Jack who bellowed, "C'mon, Ann, let's dance!"

He grabbed my arm before I could reply to the stranger. Whoever he was, he walked on out of the Square, and down to what I figured would've been the beach, but that would've been too far to notice from the Square.

The music started, and Elli began dancing with the Potion Shop Owner, and I took Jack through the dance. I'd done it for years, and was used to it by now. "Left, right, left, right, right, left, right, left, now jump backwards!" He followed my lead. We both twirled around, and then jumped forwards. We twirled around again, and winked at each other.

You got it, that was the dance. We had to repeat it fifty-seven times, non-stop which lasted for about ten minutes. Karen considered it a workout, and was off the "dance floor" within two minutes.

I had never turned down an offer to dance with any guy in town. Unless he was married, old or out of my league. Okay, never mind, I was picky with guys, but Jack was someone that I had enjoyed dancing with.

After the dance was over, I gave him a quick embrace and said, "Thanks, Jack! I had a super wonderful time!" Jack gave me a warm smile and said, "Umm, if you're not too busy on the last day of Spring, you wanna go for a picnic at the beach? I've always done that since I was just a wee lad." I smiled, and said, "Of course. You're a good..."

I froze.

My heart skipped a beat.

"...Umm, wow, that felt unusual. I suppose that I can't consider you a stranger anymore. You're a friend, now."

Jack was all giddy about the idea, and the Mayor announced the second dance. "You wanna go for another swing?" he asked me. I nodded. "Let's do it, boy!" We both got back on the "dance floor" and started dancing to some unusual song that I'd never heard of before. No, wait...did I? There were singers in this one. It was a gorgeous song. And something struck Jack's mind, too.

He looked strange for a second.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked him. Jack looked at me for a moment and said, "I'm fine, Ann. Hmm...never mind." So, we continued dancing, but I couldn't resist listening to that song. It sounded...

...Familiar?