Founding Day

“Happy founding day!”, Viola cheers as she walks over to me and pinches one of my cheeks.

“What’s a founding day?”, I ask the elder as she lets go of my cheek.

“Well we don’t know what day you were born so we celebrate the day you came here.”, Dandelion answers oddly kind as she walks over to the cabinets in the back of the large room. “It was today apparently.”, She adds as she pulls out an orange. What is the orange for? Dandelion walks over to me and puts the fruit in my hand. “We usually give these later but you’re here now.”, The teen explains before walking over to the island to grab the tinder for the oven.

“Can we make a dessert of some kind with this?”, I ask as I palm the orange.

“Now?”, Viola responds with surprise as she sets a mixing bowl on the island.

“No, later. You don’t have sweets for breakfast!”, I answer with a huff. Sweets too early has upset my stomach for years.

“Not what I expected a seven year old to say.”, Dandelion snidely remarks as she tosses the lit string into the oven. “Seven going on thirty apparently.”, The teen chuckles as she heads over to the island as well. Damn it! It has not been that long since I got here so I still think in terms of being an adult physically. Oh well, I already said what I said. Might as well own it.

“You could learn a thing or two from her Dandelion.”, Viola jokes as I set the orange on the island. “Any ideas what we should make?”, The elderly woman asks me.

“Could we make something like a pound cake?”, I respond.

“We ain’t got the stuff for that.”, Viola says as she finishes mixing the ingredients for biscuits. The old woman begins to laugh, “You’re drooling.” I wipe the drool off my face as she begins pounding the dough onto the island. “We could candy some orange slices.”, She says.

“Can’t really share that though.”, I retort.

“You want to share it, huh?”, Viola says stopping her dough pounding as she thinks. A silence falls between us as Dandelion grabs a few apples from a cabinet. “We could make something whipped.”, The old caretaker finally fills the wordless space. “Luckily we had a resupply recently.”, She adds with a chortle.

-- -- --

I dip my final biscuit into the last of my applesauce. I need to ask Dandy when she will start teaching me. I finish my applesauce covered biscuit and get out of the chair.

“Soooooo-”, I begin as I stand next to Dandelion.

“After midday meal.”, Dandelion cuts me off and walks away ending the conversation before it can even begin.

-- -- --

I walk into the kitchen to the sight of Fran whipping something in a bowl. Viola is dicing up an orange. It has to be the whipped orange dessert Viola mentioned before.

“Happy founding day Lydia!”, Fran cheers with a smile. “We’re making an orange whip for after the meal.”, She explains before I even ask.

“How can I help?”, I ask as I watch Viola dice up another orange.

“You can grab eggs and some vegetables for the actual meal.”, Viola answers as Dandelion walks into the kitchen. “Perfect timing Dandelion!”, Viola continues, “You can go out with Lydia and grab some eggs and vegetables.” Dandelion looks at me and then at Viola before sighing in defeat. Dandelion grabs my hand and leads me out the back door without a word.

The two of us step into the small garden and Dandelion lets go of my hand with a sigh.

“You can grab some lettuce, right?”, Dandelion asks me rather uninterested as she walks through the garden. “The chickens can be a little aggressive so I’m gonna grab the eggs.”, She says as she turns a corner to what I can only assume is the coop area. I wrap my small hands around a head of lettuce and pull it out oddly without effort. I grab hold of the vegetable and walk over to the corner where Dandelion turned before I can get lost in thought about my strength. I am greeted by the sight of Dandelion holding the hem of her dress with a hand and a small black flame in the other. Why does the flame have no smoke? “Do not mess with me.”, The teen threatens the chickens to keep them away from her. I think the fire in her hand would be able to do that no need to yell too. “Now then.”, She says as she backs away from the coop back towards me. “Good birds.”, She adds as the flame disappears with a closed fist. She then grabs the hem of her dress with her now free hand and turns around. “Ugh!”, She yells in shock at the sight of me around the corner. “Don’t scare me like that.”, She berates me as she walks past around the corner.

-- -- --

I finish my salad without difficulty, unlike a few of the children around the table. I sit patiently awaiting the orange dessert. I notice Gardenia and Viola both walk out of the dining room, presumably to get said dessert.

“Well done Lydia.”, Fran cheers quietly to me when she finally notices that I have already finished my salad with no problem.

“Normally we give an orange for your founding day.”, Gardenia says as she steps into the room once again with a smile. “But Lydia had the idea for everyone to share in a dessert together.”, She finishes as she begins to set a small bowl in front of each of us at the table.

“Happy founding day Lydia!”, Viola exclaims as she steps into the room with a large bowl of the whipped orange dessert. She proceeds to put a large spoonful into each small bowl, following the route Gardenia went around the table.

I look at the whipped dessert in the bowl laying before me. I am sure it is tasty but I do not think I ever had something like this before. I tentatively put my spoon into the dessert and take a bite. This is really good! I dip my spoon into the dessert and quickly finish my serving full of mirth.

Once done, I hop out of my chair and over to Dandelion. She looks at me as she puts a spoonful of the orange treat in her mouth.

“You ate quick.”, The teen remarks as she scoops up another spoonful. I see what she is doing, dragging this out to annoy me as much as possible.

“I really liked it.”, I reply ignoring her sass. If there is one thing more annoying than children, it is teenagers.

“It is good.”, Dandelion says as she sets her spoon down seemingly as slow as possible just to pull out every bit of anguish from me. “Follow me.”, She says as she stands up.

-- -- --

Dandelion and I step outside of the kitchen. The teen rests her hands on her hips seemingly planning how she will begin the lesson.

“I could get into all the specifics that I know about the basics of magic.”, Dandelion says as she steps further away. “I don’t think you’d get it though.”, She adds as she turns back to face me. “So instead I’m just going to teach you the simple spell known as light.”, She continues as she kneels down to my eye level and stretches out a hand between us. “I don’t expect you to be able to do it first try but it’s something like-,” She says as her eyes close. “This.”, She finishes as a small ball of light appears in her open hand and opens her eyes. Magic, nothing big but still impressive. “Close your eyes and raise your hand out.”, She begins to instruct me as the ball of light in her hand dissipates. I do as she instructs as she continues, “Now imagine a light. Bright yet soft. Now imagine that light in your open palm.” I imagine the light in my hand. “Open your eyes Lydia.”, Dandelion instructs me. My eyes open to the sight of a bright orb in my palm. The light creating sharp shadows across my teenage instructor’s face like a night light. “Impressive. Not only did you do it first try but it’s also similar in size to mine.”, The teen gives me a smile as she speaks. My eyes do not peel away from the orb in my hand. I do not have the heart to tell her that my light is actually larger than hers was, if ever so slightly.