by DB Jones
rose to complete the dish.
Everything was prepped for the special dish. Now it was time to make Willow's dress. As was the custom, a piece of the dress worn by her mother was to be incorporated into Willow's dress. Her mother's dress had pieces of her mother's dress and so on down through her maternal lineage. Audra was going to make Willow's dress out of flowing scarves, each scarf from past dresses: one from her, her grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and then from her great-great-great-grandmother. The colors were the soft blues of the sky, the deep blue-green of the water, and the white of the clouds.
Her mother had been planning this dress for Willow since the day she was born. Willow was the oldest child and first daughter, so it had to be special. She would be representing the entire family at the festival, after all. And her mother assumed that Willow would have her pick of any of the eligible young boys as her future mate.
2
The day was an exhausting one. The entire family was involved in the gathering of plants, fetching items for the special dish, and cutting and arranging the scarves for Willow's dress. During the meal, as always, the discussion turned to what the family had completed that day and what the plans were for the next. That night seemed short because everyone was so tired and could only focus on finishing and retiring for the day. Even her father went to bed right after banking the coals in the fire for the morning meal. Her brother, Seth, gathered wood and stacked it in perfect rows outside the back door under the sheltered area her father built just for that purpose. Everything had its place.
Her sister, Raven soaked the oats and dried fruit in the kettle, ready to swing into place over the embers in the morning for breakfast. Audra laid out the scarfs to be added to Willow's dress, but not until she was sure of the placement according to the lineage. Soon everyone had returned to their sleeping lofts, and Willow could hear the soft breathing of her brother and sisters and her father's snoring. Audra lay quietly, resting next to Nyle.
Willow lay across her sleeping loft, still dressed, dozing off and on as the night settled in. Soon the moon rose and pushed its silver light into Willow's window. The brightness gently touched her face as she opened her eyes to greet the night. Suddenly she felt rested. Ever so quietly, she slipped out of the house unnoticed.
The moon was nearly full, casting a glow on the pathway as Willow made her way to the water's edge. The fireflies began their evening dance, reflecting like starlight on the water. Willow watched as the moon rose higher and higher in the night sky.
She found a large bolder shaped like a seat protruding out of the water. It looked so inviting as the water gently rolled over the lower rocks that seemed to anchor the boulder in place. She took off her shoes, placed them on the shore, and waded a short distance to that seat, which nature seemed to have built just for her. Willow sat there for what seemed to be all night, gazing into the water.
The water became as still as glass, and she could see below the surface. The boulder felt as though it were floating out further and further from the shore. Willow sensed a tranquility come over her. The night air began to brush a soft whisper of breeze against her skin. Then, as she bent down nearer the water, the beautiful woman with the silver hair suddenly appeared within inches of her face. At first, Willow pulled back slightly, but then she leaned closer again. The woman of the water motioned to her as if to invite her in. Willow was drawn to the woman as if she knew her. But how could that be? She wondered.
Doubts came over her, and she wondered if this was some sort of dream. Then the woman of the water emerged and spoke to her. It was not a language Willow had ever heard before—it wasn't even a sound anyone could hear—but somehow she understood. The woman started telling Willow of the world from which she had come.
Soon Willow noticed the moon start to drop into the endless waters, and she knew she had to return home. She returned her eyes to the water, and the woman was gone, as quickly as she had appeared. Willow's heart was filled with wonder. She could only imagine the world where the woman of the water resided. Suddenly, the boulder was again near the shore. She waded back to shore, picked up her shoes, and headed home.
Willow hoped she had not stayed too long. Her father and mother would be up soon to finish the morning meal. She slipped in the back door and into her sleeping loft just in time. Moments later, her mother came to wake her. Exhausted and exuberant at the same time, Willow greeted the new day with her family.
3
As the moon became fuller, the festival drew closer. There was an air of excitement throughout the village as each family prepared for the event. Everything had to be completed before the morning of the full moon, which was only a few days away. There were dresses to be made and favorite dishes to prepare. The village needed to be decorated as it had been for hundreds of years for this eventful day.
Families speculated about which woman would choose which man. Each family had high hopes for their sons and daughters. The daughters' parents hoped they would have a new son who would provide a fine home and a fishing boat, and parents of the sons hoped the woman would give them many grandchildren.
Willow wanted to please her parents. She was always a good child and had learned the ways of taking care of family through the love of her mother. She knew she was expected to pick her future husband at the festival, but she didn't quite fit in. Even though everyone was nice to her and admired how much like her mother she was, they knew there was something different about her, and it wasn't just her appearance.
Alia and Spring were friends of Willow who lived on the other side of the village. Their mothers had been close friends of Willow's mother for many years. The girls had grown up together and shared secrets ever since they could talk. Willow was the quiet one and spent most of her time just listening, never sharing her deepest thoughts with anyone. The girls had been exchanging stories about the boys they thought would be suitable husbands. However, they still viewed them as the little boys they had grown up with. And they recalled throwing cherries at the boys when they had taunted them as they were developing into young women. How could any of those boys turn into men who would love and care for them? But they knew that somehow they would have to make a choice. It was the way it had always been done and would be the way their daughters picked their husbands in the future.
Alia and Spring stopped by to see Willow after the morning meal to discuss their plans for the evening festival and of course to try a get a glimpse of the dress Willow would be wearing the evening of the festival. Everyone knew Willow's mother was the best dressmaker in the village. It was a skill handed down from her mother and her mother's mother. Willow often helped her mother make clothes for other women in the village, but she had never acquired a love for it like her mother. She preferred to wear simple dresses that captured the breezes as she walked along the water's edge with her mother while waiting for her father to return from the day's fishing. It was her favorite time of the day, a time when she could sit on the rocks and feel the cool water rush over her feet. She would drift into her dream world and feel at peace sitting near the water's edge. It was her refuge from the everyday life in the village, a place where no one could judge her as she dreamed of something else.
Audra entered the room, welcomed the girls, and asked if they would like something to eat. One always invited a guest to eat. That too was an old custom. The girls respectfully declined and continued their discussion. Finally, it was time to start the morning chores, and the girls returned to their homes.
That day, Nyle took Seth with him to fish. He needed extra help to bring in a catch that would add to the festival feast, and it was time for Seth to learn the ways of his family. After all, he was the only son, and it would be his responsibility to provide for the family when his father could no longer fish. Also, someday Seth would attend the festival as an eligible mate, and he would need to have the experience and status to appeal to a young woman. They would be gone for a few days, as they would go out to the deep waters, where the
fish were abundant that time of year.
The day's end drew near, and there was still much to do. However, Audra decided to have a small meal and let the children play before it got too dark. She was a bit like Willow; she too appreciated her alone time. She never talked about what she was thinking, but she would sit outside in her rocking chair in the cool of the evening and just stare out at the endless waters for long periods. The children knew not to bother her when she rocked. Willow treasured her alone time and felt her mother did too.
Occasionally, when the evening air turned cool and the breezes whipped up a bit stronger, Willow would gently wrap a blanket around her mother's shoulders without saying a word. Her mother just reached up and patted Willow's hand. There was a special bond between Willow and her mother that words never needed to express. Sometimes they would just look at each other and seem to know what the other was thinking. At times Willow would be in the middle of something and stop and do something else she knew her mother needed. Audra just smiled.
Audra finally came into the house, prepared the embers in the fire for the next day's morning meal, and retreated to her sleeping loft
