The Celebration by Barbara Underwood

Author:Barbara Underwood
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Barbara Underwood

Rhuna enjoyed the midday meal of light vegetable soup with bread and cheese, and then looked more closely at their surroundings as they waited for the Traverser of Deserts’ signal to continue. She noticed that boulders of all shapes and sizes were now just rough rubble covering the slopes and filling small gullies.

“Is it still far away?” Lozira whined.

Rhuna reminded her daughter that the guides said they would arrive by the setting of the sun, and that they could be confident it would be exactly so.

“Everything looks the same!” Lozira continued to lament as she spun her head around.

“That’s how it is in some mountains,” Rhuna agreed, while secretly also wishing their journey to end soon. The scenery had become dull, and she could no longer contain her excitement over meeting Morning Glory again.

Finally, when they had eaten the last of the nuts and seeds during another rest period, Rhuna suddenly saw a most beautiful sight.

“Oh, look!” she exclaimed, pointing across a small gulch.

“Behold – the new Atlan settlement for the Gakkans!” announced Traverser of Deserts as he stopped to turn around and smile at Rhuna.

Rhuna was in awe of the beautiful spectacle as the evening sun gave the earthy stone buildings a soft, orange glow. Glimmering white rivulets of Atlan-made paving stones meandered between the glowing houses like the veins of a leaf.

“Observe,” said Tozar in hushed awe as he drew Lozira’s attention to the various parts of the settlement. “The dense and strong stone made by Atlan Transformation Power gleam white in the sunlight, and they reveal the newly-constructed irrigation channels and a dam for the settlement’s water supply.”

“And I can see the central courtyard with the main community buildings around it,” Rhuna added.

“Restrain your enthusiasm!” Traverser of Deserts’ warning tone tore Rhuna out of her reverie. “Continue to adhere to the prescribed path,” he continued sternly. “The crossing of this final gulch can be treacherous!”

Rhuna obediently followed the guide’s instructions, and ushered Lozira to hurry alongside her. The final moments before seeing her childhood friend again felt impossibly long, but her patience was rewarded by the surprise of seeing Morning Glory standing on the path ahead of them, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Rhuna rushed passed the guides and other members of her party until she stood directly in front of Morning Glory.

“You are finally here!” Morning Glory bubbled as she threw her arms around Rhuna. Memories of her adolescence spent with Morning Glory in the Atlan colony of Medíz flashed through her mind and warmed her heart.

Rhuna barely noticed that they had entered the settlement as Morning Glory gushed with happy news and plans for the Celebration. She stopped and looked around the courtyard where tents and stalls were already erected in preparation for the Celebration of Cakes and Colours. Children excitedly hovered around one stand boasting particularly colourful decorations, and Lozira dashed towards them.

“We don’t have these things in Atlán!” Lozira exclaimed with delighted surprise.

“They have made their own paints to colour the clay pots,” Morning Glory explained.

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