FOLKTALE WEEK 2021
PROMPT #4/5: Feast & BIRD
At the annual Luna festival, there is a rhythm to the crowd. The festival-goers sway with each other like a serpentine through the market square. They hem and haw at the items for sale in the booths. There are lanterns, moon cookies, posters, and all things that represent the light during the evening.
Colors from the artwork shone bright and Marta, standing in front of a small shop, noticed the reflection of golden beak painted onto a wooden sculpture. The sculpture was a two-winged bird that stood with one wing parallel to the ground. The feet were carved at the base to support the bird’s structure. Marta stared at the bird and was transported back to her dream. The vision of the bird flashed in her mind as she fell back into the ocean. She stepped back and felt the hard stone walkway of the market underneath her feet. She was not in her dream.
Marta was not afraid of the bird. It did not hurt her in her dream she thought. It would not hurt her here.
Marta loved the Luna festival because the small town came alive during the weekend. Day one was dancing. On day two there were games and contests. And at the end of day three, there was a large feast for the town to celebrate.
On the third day, Marta and her family huddled together and looked for a place to eat their dinner. They found a large table in the main hall and sat down. Within minutes of settling into their new places, they were reminiscing about the people they had met and the new foods they had tried during the weekend.
Suddenly, Marta felt her feet start to move slightly as if the Earth was rumbling beneath her feet. She thought she imagined the shaking but she then noticed that the forks and spoons began to rattle on the table. A gust of wind burst through the door and there she saw what had appeared so clear in her dream. An enormous building-sized bird with wings that shone bright.
The bird swept through the hall with grace and landed on her table. The people of the town were scared, astonished, and amazed. Some people ran and others were paralyzed in their stance. They stared at the big bird beast and waited.
Marta was not afraid of the bird. It did not hurt her in her dream she thought. It would not hurt her here. She stepped onto the large wooden table. Her feet steadied and she looked up to see that the bird was holding a necklace in its mouth. Gold sparkled in the light. The bird flung the necklace into the air in Marta’s direction. Her tiny hands grasped the string of gold beads and when her hand was secure about the necklace the crowd started to gasp.
Marta’s hair, face, and clothing began to shift. A soft light emanated from her being and brightened the room. She looked to her grandfather. He smiled at her and laughed. Marta smiled back. As they both knew at that moment that stories were true.