by C.L. Mozena
*****
Orion led Tanya through the crowds and to the tables full of crafted gourds. Alex followed closely, not wanting to lose the prince in the crowd. Orion and Tanya glanced at each of the projects, and voted for a gourd that had been made to look like a snake. The gourd itself had grown long, thin, and twisting. The head of the snake was the only bulge in the gourd anywhere, and the stem had been fashioned into a tongue. The only paint on the whole thing was for the eyes. After voting, Orion took Tanya to the place where the largest pumpkin sat, in all it’s glory, on the platform with the second and third place winners on either side.
“Wow,” Tanya breathed, gazing up at the winner, “I’ve never seen such a huge pumpkin before.”
“Actually, this one’s only one thousand, six hundred pounds,” Orion said, reading a plaque, “Last year’s winning pumpkin was over two thousand pounds.”
“Really?” She turned to face him. “What else is there to see?” Orion took her to the stands of pies and cakes. The aroma enticed Orion, and he, Tanya, and Alex were each given a piece of pie. As they ate, he showed her the farmers who were showing off their prized tomatoes, corn, peas, potatoes, peppers, and every other fruit and vegetable that grew on the planet. Orion explained that Mineral City, to the south, was mostly farmland. That was where Olhoe’s supply of fruits and vegetables came from, while meat came from Peak City, to the north. After that, Orion led her to an area full of collapsible, wooden walls, where hand made artwork hung for judging. Not all the spaces were filled, but then again, judging wasn’t for a few days.
“Hey, Prince,” Alex said, not wanting to call Orion by his name in public, “The archery contest starts soon. I’d like to enter again. How about you?”
“I’m not that good with a bow and arrow,” Orion admitted, “I’d just embarrass myself.”
“We could watch you, Alex,” Tanya said. Alex beamed. He led them to a field that had been prepared with targets and collapsible benches for the archery contest. Orion and Tanya were shown to a makeshift royal box as the sun began sinking. Alex did pretty well, but came in fourth. He was given a yellow ribbon to pin on his shirt for competing. Orion shook hands with the top three archers, congratulating them before leaving. They headed back to the palace as the sun gave way to the moon and stars.
