Strange Birds by Celia C. Pérez

Author:Celia C. Pérez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2019-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

Cat had only ever been to the Bahamas Day Festival as a Flora, selling brownies. Mrs. McAllister didn’t usually let them explore beyond the area where their booth was located. Standing in the middle of the crowd, she soaked in the different experience. The clanking of cowbells and the rat-tat-tat of hands against drums was all around them while men and women in colorful costumes danced down the street, joy on their sweat-drenched faces. A band of people in yellow, bright as the sun, marched past.

“Look!” Lane yelled, pointing to a group of dancers decked out in turquoise and green. They wore headdresses and carried fans with peacock feathers. “It’s a sign.”

“Come on,” Aster said, grabbing Cat’s hand and pulling her into the parade.

The girls trailed after the parade of peacock feathers. Cat watched as Ofelia reached for Lane’s hand to twirl her. Lane managed to laugh after the initial shock. The girls danced and marched and sang along with the band and other festival attendees.

“I love all the feathers and sequins,” Ofelia said. “Gotta send this to my mom so she knows I’m okay.” She snapped a photo of the musicians and dancers.

“Those aren’t real feathers, right?” Lane asked.

“I hope not,” Cat said. “That’s a lot of birds.”

“No, they’re plastic feathers,” Aster said, leading the girls to a food truck with a picture of a large smiling conch shell on its side. “Grandpa says there’s some controversy over the costumes. I guess back in the day they were made with a few basic supplies like cardboard and crepe paper, but now a lot of people are more interested in being dazzling. Lots of sequins and fake feathers. I still think they’re pretty.”

They placed their orders and sat on a curb to eat.

“Is all Bahamian food this good?” Lane said, biting into a conch fritter. “Where have you been all my life?”

Cat shook her head at the loving look Lane gave her fritters.

“Did you see the Floras booth?” Ofelia asked, glancing in the direction of where it stood farther down the festival path.

“They always get that prime spot at the start of the route,” Cat said. “I think they pay extra for it.”

“Does anyone else think those brownies are terrible?” Lane said. “I’ll eat anything with sugar in it, but even I won’t eat those.”

“It’s true,” Ofelia said, laughing. “My mom loves the turtle brownies. They’re like little sawdust and caramel cakes. They taste like they’ve been sitting around in a warehouse from one season to the next.”

“You know where these stickers would be great?” Cat said, squeezing a packet of Tabasco sauce on her fries.

“Do we want to know?” Aster raised an eyebrow.

“On those brownie boxes.”

Cat felt three pairs of eyes turn to her.

“And how exactly do you propose doing that?” Ofelia asked. “Have you thought about that tiny detail?”

Cat had thought about it. She had thought about it so much it kept her up a good part of the night. She had opened her window to the humid evening air and lay in bed listening for birds.

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