CHAPTER 22 JARED #2
"My dear friends, as always, we’re here to celebrate the coming winter solstice!
I wish you all a happy holiday season, good health, and prosperity!
Thank you all for gathering here and for being part of this wonderful community.
There will soon be more changes, but all of them for the better.
New people will be joining us, people who will be a perfect addition to our community.
You’ll find out everything soon, on New Year’s Day, and I hope you’ll celebrate with me as our community continues to grow stronger! "
Cheers and applause rise from the crowd.
Renato then delivers another dozen or so sentences in Italian or Sicilian, but it’s difficult for me to tell which. He speaks that way for a while, and I can see that people understand him, so apparently there’s a sizable local community that speaks the language.
More applause and cheers erupt from the crowd.
Renato continues his speech in English, this time thanking the people who helped organize the celebration, the food, and the fireworks. While he’s doing that, I turn around because I feel a light brush against my shoulder.
"I’m glad you followed the green," a voice says behind me.
For a moment, I have no idea what he means. I look at the omega speaking to me. He’s wearing a tall hat and holding something resembling a wand topped with a transparent violet glass sphere, filled with tiny glittering particles that swirl around when shaken.
He tilts his head.
"Don’t you remember me? We met about a week ago, when you arrived in Rainbow Spring. I gave you a fortune cookie."
"Ah, yes, of course I remember. Although I may still not have completely deciphered the meaning of that fortune," I reply somewhat sourly.
But the omega gives me a broad smile. It’s interesting that unlike almost everyone else, he isn't wearing a mask over his face, only that ridiculous purple wizard’s hat.
"I think you have deciphered it. You just haven't allowed yourself to accept it yet. Follow your instincts, and you won't go wrong," he adds with a toothy grin, then gives me a slight bow and starts walking away.
I look at Mauro, who is watching the interaction through the openings in his mask.
"Hmm. I met this guy right after I arrived here. His fortune said, ‘Follow the green’… How weird."
Mauro takes out his phone and types a few sentences, but he doesn't play them aloud through his voice synthesizer. Instead, he simply shows me the screen, where it reads:
"That’s my uncle, my granddad’s older brother’s son. Dalio. He’s a strange one, but his predictions usually come true. They say he has a gift. Some people think he went crazy after his only son left Rainbow Springs and they lost touch, but I wouldn’t dismiss what he says."
I open my mouth to ask Mauro what he thinks ‘follow the green’ means, but at that moment, the first fireworks explode overhead.
Wow.
They really are magical. Myriads of breathtaking colors shimmer through the sky above us, drifting beneath the clouds, trembling and bursting into countless tiny puffs of color and spirals.
The shades intertwine and ripple, and everything happens in near-total silence. The only sound is a soft hiss. I stare; what a beautiful spectacle. I’m hoping no birds will be startled today, the people, however, are much louder than fireworks.
Soon the music starts up again, and lines begin forming at the tables set up along the edge of the square, where food is being served. There's also a dance floor, and before long, the musicians invite those who want to stay and dance after the fireworks.
Renato is busy talking, surrounded by people.
Silvio, Emilio, Gianni, and Mauro sit down with me at one of the tables near the stage.
Soon, an older omega approaches us, and I recognize him as Silvio’s younger brother, Stefano.
He’s dressed in a shaman’s outfit, and he holds out his hand to me, a kind smile visible beneath the edge of his mask.
"Nice to meet you!"
"Good evening," I mumble uncertainly, shaking his frail hand.
"Call me Uncle Stefano," he adds familiarly. He gives me a light pat on the back, then sits down beside Silvio, and the two of them start talking in… Sicilian, so I’m automatically left out of the conversation.
Meanwhile, a waiter dressed as an imp with huge red ears serves us food on wooden platters.
It's so loud and busy, the energy so joyful and excited, that I sit there for a moment, unsure what I'm supposed to do now. Eat and sip my hot tea?
Or should I try to speak with Mauro? But an intimate conversation is nearly impossible in all the commotion around us.
When I glance at him, I find that, of course, he’s mostly watching me, only occasionally looking up at the colorful fountains and geysers of light bursting across the sky.
Damn, I'm wrestling with myself. I want to ask him all the questions churning inside me, and I want clear answers, but I simply can't bring myself to blurt them out right now, amid all the hubbub.
I turn my gaze toward the sky once more, and suddenly I see something rising into the air…
Uh? What could those be? They look like the things I saw on my first day here, something like light, colorful little spirits carrying sparklers and filling the sky with a swirling cloud of color.
Wow. As if the atmosphere wasn't magical enough already!
"Fairies?" I blurt out, not really addressing anyone in particular, but Emilio answers me.
"Yep. Get used to this town having plenty of surprises to offer." He winks at me through the openings in his mask.
"Is Dalio one of them too? I think I saw him in town the day I arrived, when he shifted into a fairy."
"Yep. Dalio’s father married someone from their lineage. That fairy gene, let’s call it that, is very strong, and Dalio inherited it."
"Wow. I'm not even going to ask what other kinds of creatures live here."
Silvio, who has been listening to our conversation, adds, "Sweetheart, it would take me hours to tell you about everyone who lives here. This town really is a sanctuary for magical ABOs. I believe you'll feel soon at home here… among your own kind."
What is he talking about? More of those strange hints? I press my lips together. This time, I'm not going to stay silent.
"Among my own kind?" I mutter. "Do you know something about me that maybe I don't?"
Silvio lowers his voice. "I think you know, but you grew up in a place where you couldn't develop your gift, far from the environment where you truly belonged, and your true nature never had a chance to reveal itself."
"How do you know things like that? I haven't even told anyone about it!"
"You see, I'll put it this way: nature cannot be deceived. When I look, I see. It doesn't matter how many layers cover the truth."
Another round of fireworks rises into the air, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Then something like a magical animation of an enormous deer appears in the sky.
The deer runs across the heavens, its massive antlers shining with dazzling light. People cheer, and many of them turn to look toward Renato.
A moment later, I feel Mauro's hand squeeze mine gently.
He points toward the dance floor and makes a small gesture that I take to mean an invitation.
Well, why the hell not? I feel a bit stirred anyway. If we're going to have fun, we might as well go all in.
"I hope I've got enough energy left to dance," I say with a slight edge to my voice, my conversation with Silvio having definitely knocked me out of my zen and added even more mysteries to the pile.
"But maybe we should pick something slow?" I mutter. I’ve probably already regained enough strength to dance more energetically, but for some reason, I’d rather just sway on the dance floor… in his arms.
Mauro nods, and we wait for the lively, upbeat song to end.
The next one is luckily very slow and gentle.
Still holding Mauro's hand, I step onto the dance floor.
We're definitely one of the tallest couples here. Mauro slowly wraps his strong arm around me, and we begin to rock gently across the dance floor to the music.
And again, as always when he touches me, that spell washes over me, that sweet enchantment, and shivers run down my spine.
But then I lift my gaze, and beneath his mask, his forest-green eyes look at me in a way they never have before.
There's a strange sadness in them.
Almost ache, as if he wants to tell me something, as if he's been waiting for this moment but is afraid of it at the same time.
"So many secrets between us, Mauro," I say quietly, unsure whether he can hear me over the music. "I hope they'll all come to light soon. And I hope everything will be okay…. after."
Mauro nods, lifts his hand to his chest, touches his heart with a gentle gesture, then points at me. I'm not entirely sure what he's trying to say, but I think I understand.
He hopes for the same thing. But from the gloom in his eyes, I can tell that none of this is going to be simple.