Friedenshain Festival (pt 3)

The following morning Miho woke up from someone knocking at the door. A bit annoyed and disorientated, Miho stepped off her makeshift bed and walked up to the front door.

She opened the door and was met with the sigh of Hanna’s two excited braids bouncing before her. The girl seemed both energetic and tired at the same time. It's like someone who pulled an all-nighter on coffee and energy drinks.

“Good morning Miss Miho. I was so excited… I could hardly sleep!” Hanna said with an overactive voice.

The sun has barely gotten up… why is she here already?

Miho sighed.

“Please give me some time to prepare. I bet that priest is still busy with his morning prayers.”

“You silly, everyone knows that morning prayers don’t happen until 10:10 am!” she responded.

“But I don’t mind giving you some time if you need to. I tend to get over-excited like this sometimes…” Hanna said while rubbing her head with her hand.

Miho waved the girl goodbye and closed the door.

At least she is self-aware… some of time

She put on her clothes, washed her face, and ate breakfast after which she went back to the doorway. Her ears were met with a gentle melody, whistled by Hanna who sat against the house’s wall.

“Let’s head up to the shrine, Hanna”

X

After listening to Hanna’s stories for way too long, Miho and her neighbor arrived at the shrine, where they were promptly instructed to start the festival preparations. But not before getting dressed.

“How do I look, Miho? I must be really pretty, you think?” Hanna said while spinning around.

Miho glimpsed.

“You do, your body is well suited for this type of dress.”

I come a little short though… Miho thought, looking down at her flat chest.

She shook her head.

“Don’t get all distracted by all this nonsense, we got a job to do.”

Miho left the hall and started helping the priest with brushing the stairs, using Clarice.

“Psst, Miho,” Hanna whispered in her ear.

“You are supposed to go from left to right, not right to left.”

Quickly, Miho altered her ways.

“Thank you, Hanna, this kind of thing is why I brought you today.”

Together they got the stairs free from any type of debris in no time.

The priest looked at Miho’s work.

“Miraculous, I haven’t seen these stairs this clean in my life.”, he looked down.

“Your broom… I get an unusual energy from it.”

He crouched and took a better look at it.

“I feel the goddess's energy radiating from it… like a sacred relic…”

Apparently, he doesn’t know I am one of these “Otherworldly adventures” yet. Let’s keep that this way…

Miho pulled the broom away.

“I can assure you it isn't. It is just a regular broom I took with me from my country,” she said while moving up the stairs, trying to get away from the priest's attention.

“What will our next task be?”

He pointed at boxes with various decorations. Lanterns, candles, garlands, and tablecloths.

“Please decorate the stalls in the image of our goddess.”

Miho looked at Hanna, who was excitedly unboxing the decorations.

“Ohh we could put this there… and this garland from that stall to the post,” she said to herself.

“You must really enjoy this day, don’t you,” Miho said with a glimpse.

Hanna enthusiastically nodded.

“I always went here with my grandma, we ate delicious food at the stalls, prayed for the goddess, and lit a candle…,” She became silent.

“This year I will light one for her,” Hanna said while looking up at the heavens.

“I… I am sorry… you were in such a good mood. I am sure the goddess is taking good care of her,” Miho said with a reassuring voice.

She might even have gotten reincarnated...

Hanna smiled, she stayed silent for a second.

“Is that what this festival is about… remembering those who passed away?”

“Partly, the festival is a way for us to praise the goddess and celebrate all we got gifted from her. Taking us to the heavens with her is only one of these gifts,” Hanna responded in a quiet voice.

“The other one is bringing us otherworldly adventures.”

Does she know? Probably not, but on the other hand, couldn’t be it the reason she wants to hang around with me that much?

“What are those, I haven’t heard from them,” Miho asked curiously.

“A long time ago, this land used to be struggling a lot. Evil invaders came to take what was precious to us. That is when Lifhild started bringing people here. Brave warriors, the best in their field, that died young in their world and were given another chance here”

That is right… I died there on Earth… I left everyone and everything behind

Pictures of the little friends and family Miho had grieving at her funeral sprung to mind.

It feels unreal… this everything

“Are you feeling okay Miss Miho?” Hanna said with concerned eyes.

“You don’t need to fear the otherworldly adventures, they are here to help!” she said in a comforting manner.

“Besides that, they rarely show up these days, now that Arnold and his father before him have led our country to great prosperity.”

“Don’t worry, that isn’t it. I just need to think for a minute,” Miho said after which she sat down on a ridge.

A question came up in Miho’s head, something she hadn’t thought about before. But now that it was on her mind, she couldn’t let it go either.

How did I even die?

All she could remember was going to the hotel, going there to clean up the rooms after the guests. Sweeping up the dirt, polishing the surfaces, changing the linens. The motions she went through every day on this job. A job she hated at first, but she didn’t have much choice after her parents suddenly passed away. She had to earn money so she could afford her tiny studio apartment.

It must have been an ordinary day, like any other. Waking up, commuting to work, doing her chores. And then…

A black void

Did it happen inside the hotel, or was it some kind of accident on the way there? Aside from working and going grocery shopping, Miho didn’t go out often. Yes, once or twice a week to the bar with her dreadful boss Miss Masuda.

Miho bawled her fist, just thinking about her.

Her cruel policies and belittling were what made Miho dream about having her own cleaning business in the first place. Something that seemed nearly unachievable back on earth.

She looked at Hanna, who had continued hanging the various decorations. She looked like her usually bubbly self again. The rays of sunlight eliminated the shrine beautifully. With the fresh outside air entering Miho’s nose, she experienced a brief moment of bliss.

Is this the start of my dream coming true?

She folded her hands and closed her eyes like she had seen the villagers do.

“Thank you for all of this Lifhild, I’ll try my hardest to help protect the people of these lands.”

“Ahh.. aahh… help!”

Miho quickly opened her eyes and saw Hanna had tied herself up with the garlands, trying her hardest to get loose.

With a glimpse on her face, Miho ran up to Hanna and helped her out.

“Thank you for freeing me from these shackles, Miss Miho!”

“No problem… Let's continue and finish these preparations.”

X

When dusk started to settle in, the shrine filled with the townspeople. Vendors were serving all kinds of delicious-smelling foods. Miho was tempted to get some, but Hanna warned her that shrine maidens weren’t supposed to eat anything in the view of the people.

Instead, she stood there with an empty stomach greeting people and wiping up the eventual mess they would leave behind. While Miho greeted the villagers with a little nod and smile, Hanna got way more involved.

“Hello mister Steinbach, how has business been today?”

“Good afternoon miss Ravenshild, how is little Ernie doing?”

“Welcome back lady Klingenberg, can I recommend checking out the Flame Berry Tart on the stall on the left, it is said to warm the heart and give you strength!” Hanna said with a big smile on her face.

“Thank you, darling, you look wonderful in that shrine maiden uniform. This job seems like a perfect fit,” the lady wearing a beautiful dress responded.

Hanna looked at Miho.

“It was only because she invited me, otherwise I would have totally missed the job opening!”

Miho glimpsed back at her.

“So you must be Miho, a foreign girl that moved into this town?”

“Wait… weren’t you at Lord Cedric’s party as well?”

Glad to hear the word is traveling fast.

“Yes, that is correct. Glad to meet you,” Miho said while bowing before the lady.

“If you are ever in need of someone to help you clean, please give me a call…”

“Or visit my address….”

This world has no phones of course. And I need to get myself some business cards.

Satisfied, Miho waved at the visitor, waiting for more people to arrive.

A little before 10:10 PM, the priest called the shrine maidens to the outside altar, before which a big crowd had gathered. The priest stood by the stand and listed a prayer for Lifhild, after which people started to light their little candles.

They put the candles in little balloons, which soon started to ascend to the heavens, because of the hot air.

“Magical,” Miho whispered as she looked at the sky filled with hundreds of little glowing balloons.

She looked at Hanna, who had briefly closed her eyes, her hands folded against each other.

“Did you make a wish?” Miho whispered.

Hanna nodded.

“But, I am keeping it a secret,” she said while winking.

After the ceremony was done, the girls started cleaning out the grounds, brushing the pathway with their brooms. Hanna looked rather slow and exhausted, it had been a long day after all, and last night she had hardly closed an eye.

“For us cleaners, this is where the real work starts,” Miho said to her with a slime.

“But.. I.. feel… so… tired,” Hanna said slowly.

“I guess we will be able to continue cleaning tomorrow,” Miho said while looking at the priest.

“You did a wonderful job today girls, I think our dear goddess will have enjoyed all the attention you put in,” the elderly man responded.

“Please go home now.”

X

Together the girls walked home, Hanna had trouble keeping up with Miho’s pace.

“Are you okay Hanna?” Miho asked while looking behind.

Hanna stood still for a moment, after which she almost dropped to the ground.

“Hanna! Hanna!” Miho yelled while feeling her pulse.

She opened her eyes.

“I am just a bit… tired.”

“Please jump on my back, I will carry you home,” Miho proposed, with Hanna shortly following her.

“Thank you… so much… miss Miho. I wish I could become such a helpful shrine maiden like you one day.”

Miho chuckled

“You already are… you already are.”

“But you can clean way better than I can! I am so clumsy sometimes” she stubbornly responded.

“That is mostly because of Clari… eh… my broom.”

“Most importantly, you have someone I don’t have. You can connect with people so easily…”

Something that would be well appreciated in any company… for building connections and dealing with difficult customers. Can you ever really get mad at an adorable girl like her?

“You know what, I think I can offer you a job at my company.”

“Really? Really!” Hanna yelled, her energy seemed to have temporarily returned.

“When I get another client that is…”

“I am sure you will miss Miho! The word of your amazing cleaning skills is quickly spreading throughout the town. I promise I will help you out where needed. Together we will clean up any mess that might be presented to us!”