Chapter 21 Happy Days
Here I go again. This chapter is short cause its like sort of a connecting chapter. Read and Review.
I awoke the next morning, and my first thoughts were about the dream I had had. Had I really called the Demons out of May? Or was it all just a dream. But how could I have done it in my sleep? Perhaps did God somehow bring the demons to me, so that I could command them? None of this made any sense.
So, immediately when Yodel Farm opened, I ran down to see how May was doing. When I arrived, she seemed rather depressed.
"Hey May," I said affectionately. "How are you."
May smiled up at me as I entered, but she looked troubled.
"I can't read the cards anymore Zach," she said pointing at the deck which was lying on the ground before her. "I don't understand! The Spirits aren't helping me read the future?"
I put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but deep inside, I was rejoicing. I had freed her from those demons. I really had. It wasn't just a dream.
"Don't worry May," I said. "Maybe it is all for the best. Some would say that reading the future is a gift that man is not meant to have for his own."
May smiled. "Maybe your right Zach."
I chuckled. "Besides, I think that you just might be able to find some other ways to spend your time. Some better ways."
I spent the whole rest of the day playing outside with May. I taught her how to catch fish, how to dig for worms, and how to skip rocks across water. By the end of the day, it was clear that May was enjoying herself more than she ever would have if she had been playing with those cards.
"Thanks for playing with me Zach," May beamed up at me. "This is the most funnest day I've ever had!"
"That's great," I said. "Come by my house tomorrow, and I'll let you ride my horse."
I could feel the excitement immediately grow in May. I loved Children, and May was no exception. Hopefully I could use my child skills to help keep May out of trouble, and try and shape a future for her which did not have demons in it. I dropped May off at her house, before heading back to my farm. The pink sunset shone down on the cracked pavement as I walked on home.
"Where were you all day?" I heard a voice to my left.
I turned, and saw Ann standing their, as if she had been waiting for me. I met her gaze, and we smiled at each other.
"I didn't have any plans," I said, "so I spent the day playing with May."
"Oh that's so sweat Zach," Ann said, clearly impressed.
I gave her a lopsided grin.
"What can I say," I said. "I'm still a child inside."
Ann swung her hand down, and brushed it against mine as it swung back. I caught it as it came back down, and pulled her into a dance. We slowly swayed from side to side, our arms wrapped around each other. We seemed to almost float as we held each other close. I sighed. Today had been a good day. I had spent the day reliving my childhood, and now I was in the arms of my love. I hoped that the happiness would last for a while. But I knew that as time went on, the Goddess was beginning to get smarter, learning more methods to put an end to my wonderful life.
The summer was ending, and I was harvesting the last of my Pineapple crop. I brushed the sweat away from my forehead as I loaded the last of them into my shipping box. Cliff walked into my farm, and waved at me. I turned, and waved back.
"Hey man," he said.
"What's up?" I replied.
"You coming to the festival tonight?" he asked me.
"What festival?"
"The Firework Festival," he said. "The people of the town all launch Fireworks to celebrate the ending of summer."
"Sure," I said. "I'll come."
"Great," he replied. "See you there."
He then turned, and left. I still did not know why he had refused to help me take the pikes out of the ground around my house, but I had learned to expect thing like this to happen with Cliff. Recently he had asked Doug for a new room in the Inn. I didn't understand that either. Apparently Gotz the woodcutter had finally come out of his house, and had moved into the room that Cliff had left. At least, that's what the rumors said. But who knew what to believe anymore.
That night, I went to the beach to view the Fireworks. Everyone from the town was there, for this event was the highlight of the summer. There was a band their playing, and some people were singing. I just mingled with the crowd, talking to friends, and waiting for the fireworks to start.
"Zach!" Stu shouted excitedly as he ran up to me.
"Hello Stu," I said smiling.
"Guess what!" Stu said as his eyes filled with excitement. "I- I saw uh, uh, a squirrel! And I chased it up a tree, but I couldn't climb high enough to get it down. Grandma says that I growed! And guess what! She, she says that we can't go to Savanna next year, but thats okay, 'cause we gonna go camp out in the mountains!"
"That's great Stu," I said while trying to interpret the large amounts of gibberish which had just exploded out of his mouth.
"Attention everyone!" the Mayor shouted. "The Fireworks will begin in five minutes!"
Cheers broke out from the crowd, and the excitement grew even larger. Before I could react, Stu jumped onto my back, and clambered up onto my shoulders.
"I wanna see the fireworks from high up in the sky!" Stu said excitedly.
I chuckled. "I doubt that my shoulder is up all that high Stu."
Stu was sitting on my shoulders, happily pointing up at the stars in the sky with the wonder which only a child could have. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Elli rolling her eyes at the two of us. I just ignored her, because I knew that she would start telling me how I was more of a child than Stu was.
"Zach!" I turned to see Ann run up to me.
"Hello Ann," I said, happy to see her.
"Do you want to watch the fireworks together?"
"Sure," I said, and then looked up at Stu. "Do you mind if this little nuisance joins us? He's got a death grip on my head, so unless you can get him down, then we're stuck with him."
"No no," Stu gripped my head tightly, "I'm not cummin down. I stay up here, and see higher than everyone!"
"Yeah," Ann said through her laughter, "he can watch with us."
The Fireworks started, and everyone turned and watched the sky. Rockets flew up from boats out in the ocean. Spiraling up high in the air before exploding into gigantic webs of colors. Like spiders, they crawled their way up the sky, and created webs of light, color, and noise. I smiled and grabbed Ann's hand. Stu covered his ears as each bomb exploded, sending a brilliant array of colors flying through the air. I slept well that night.
