Part 3
Next year
Song: Home again
By: Blackmore's Night
Start song at (1)
Suggested by: Stormfly1124
Jack's work was completely done, ahead of schedule! He was itching to get to Burgess. So excited to share another year of stories with his family. And maybe even more so, excited to hear their stories!
The wind seemed to be just as excited as him for their ride was even more playful than usual. Jack's mind wandered as the wind carried him across land and water to get him home again. His pond, collecting leaves at this time of the year but not yet frozen, was the first image. Then he imagined the forest around it, smaller now than it used to be when he had first woken from the pond, but still familiar and comforting. After that the Bennett house. So wonderfully close to his pond it brought warmth to his heart. Inside that house his mind brought images of the food the family would have prepared, his mouth watering as he got phantom scents and tastes. The smiling faces of his family, Jamie and Sophie, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, aunt Greta, uncles and aunts. All of the veterans, all of the cousins nieces and nephews. Old and young and everything in between. His mind flashed to the pictures in the photo albums that would be brought out. Not to mention the charcoal drawings that his own sister had painstakingly created.
His mind then wandered to Burgess as a whole. The rule area streets, the central Park with its large founders statue. The business district that was really more of a downtown/old town shopping area. He could picture the houses of Jamie's friends, and the apartments where many more children eagerly waited for their Windows to be frosted over.
Jack felt a song starting to form, something that he'd been doing more of over the last few years as he thought of more stories to share. (1) He could hear the a violin pluck/strumming in his head accompanied by a tambourine and a rice filled shaker. A tune like what he heard from traveling performers or at renaissance festivals took shape. I've been many places, I've traveled round the world. He thought absently, images of India, Rome, islands, and more building a map in his mind. But what does it matter? When all the roads I've crossed, always seem to lead back to Burgess?
Jack's mental images of Burgess shifted to how he remembered it being when he was human. They were so strong that he started to describe them out-loud to Wind. "Old familiar faces, everyone I meet. We're following the ways of the land. There are cobblestones and lanterns lining every street, calling me to come home again." Now a festival rushed to his mind, he remembered when men returned from long trips, hunting, market excursions, and the like, how everyone would build up the bonfires and bring out the instruments. There'd be dancing in the moonlight, singing even in the rain. Shouts of "Oh it's good to be back home again!"
A joyace air would fill the entire town, the celebration going long into the night and sometimes into the next day. There'd be laughing in the sunlight and children running down the lane to hear Jack entertain with his wild stories, while the adults passed around bottles of drinks.
A more sobering time, one he witnessed as Jack Frost followed. The wars, each in turn affected people in different ways. The Bennett clan of Veterans, all their stories and the stories of their families, mixed with the men and woman of the past. When you play with fire, sometimes you get burned. It happens when you take a chance or two. Jack thought. The sacrifices made, and the ones still being made. But time is never wasted when you've lived and learned. He smiled that so much had been learned through those difficult times and at the hope he had that one day the lesson of war would lead to war never happening again. And in time it all comes back to you Burgess!
Thankfully his hometown believed in celebration returns from war as well in the old days. It didn't change what happend and it wasn't a praise of war, no those parties were for the heroes who came back home again, and a remembrance of those who gave everything. "Old familiar faces, everyone you meet. Following the ways of the land! We filled the cobblestones and lanterns of every street! All this calling me to come home again! There is dancing in the moonlight, and singing in the rain! Oh it's good to be back home again. Here we're laughing in the sunlight and running down the lane. Oh it's good to be back home again!
Jack danced on the wind as he had at these celebrations, every once in a while he'd call out the shouts of those long ago travelers and heroes. The wind kept up her pace and before long Jack could see the tall tale signs of the country land around Burgess.
"You know wind! When I get weary and I sit awhile and rest. These Memories invade my mind. After years of having nothing of a past I realized all those things I'd treasured, the ones I'd loved the best, were the things that I'd left behind! But now that I have them back, I don't intend to let them ever die! I can't wait to share the celebrations stories with everyone!"
The wind agreed, with an extra burst of speed she quartered the distance they still had to cover. When Burgess came into view-the sun turning the orange, yellow, and red leaves into brilliant bonfire likenesses- he could just see the dancing and singing people on the past celebrating on the streets!
"Oh, it's good to be back home again!" He shouted and dived for Jamie's house!