Food trucks arrived soon after and parked in designated spots. They prepped their menu items, and soon the summer breeze carried the scents of vanilla waffle cones, melting chocolate, funnel cakes, spiced nuts, hamburgers, french fries, and tacos. And those were just a few of the offerings.
The line to get into the festival stretched down the sidewalk. At promptly ten o’clock the gates opened and a flood of people flowedin, eyes bright and faces eager. The first band kicked off its opening number, and Stella held her clipboard of maps and information against her chest as she stood on the lawn.
“Here we go,” she said to Jack. “I know you want to help me keep everything under control, but I think you should enjoy yourself too. Wander around and be free for a day. You could dress up in your uniform and give people a proper history lesson.”
“Do you need help at your booth with the care packages and receiving donations?” he asked.
She poked her finger into his chest. “Go enjoy the festival. I have volunteers working the donation booth. I’ll pop in and check on them, but I have complete confidence in them.”
“I’ll be around if you need anything,” Jack said. “I’ll find you in a couple hours, and we can grab a snack at the food trucks. Remember, you owe me a dance or two later.”
Stella wanted to spend the day with Jack, but most of her attention belonged to the festival. “I’ll keep this ship on course.”
Around lunchtime, Ariel found Stella making her rounds outside on the library grounds. Ariel had a sun painted on one cheek and a rainbow on the other. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, and crescent moon earrings dangled from her lobes.
“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” Ariel said. “The festival is fantastic.”
Stella grinned. “The committee and Arnie did 99 percent of the work. I’m just overseeing the library vendors and problem-solving as needed. I see you’ve been enjoying yourself.”
Ariel puffed out her cheeks and glanced down at them as though she could see the colorful designs. “It was either this or a dragonface. I figured this would be slightly more acceptable for someone my age.”
“Pfft,” Stella said. “Who cares? We’re never too old to enjoy ourselves.”
“I like this happy version of you,” Ariel said as a kid ran by with a balloon shaped like a dog.
“Me too.”
“Anything more happening with those new words?” Ariel asked. “The ones that are kinda scary?”
Stella placed a hand on her chest. “Yes. I’ve received a lot more. Just this morning the purple words came out of meandJack.” Using her fingers, she drew an arcing bridge in the air. “They joined up, grew wings, and flew away.”
“Well, that’s not the weirdest thing you’ve ever told me,” Ariel said, “but it ranks pretty high. What do you think it means?”
“It feels like a story about Jack and me,” Stella said.
“Not to be a downer, but Arnie said it’s not possible to prolong Jack’s stay. What exactly did he say?”
Stella stared off into the crowd of happy faces. “He said there are rules, and we have to follow them.”
Ariel’s sunshine and rainbow wilted when her lips did. “That’s it? No details? No explanation as towhy?”
Stella nodded but stopped. “Hmm, well, now that you mention it, when I asked him about extending a character’s stay, he said he wasn’t doing that ‘again.’”
Ariel’s lips parted in a look of surprise. “Do you think he tried to keep someone here before?”
Was Arnie adamant about not allowing Stella to try because he’d tried and failed? Who would Arnie have wanted to stay? “I’ll have to ask him. He wouldn’t say more this morning.”
Ariel touched Stella’s arm. “I’m sorry, though. I was hopeful you could get more time with Jack.”
Stella sighed. “I’m trying to enjoy the time we have left.”
Ariel grinned. “Are you now?” she said playfully. “In what ways are you enjoying it?”
“Lots of ways.” Stella laughed as Ariel clapped with delight. “I didn’t tell you that Percy surprised us at Arnie’s cottage.”
“No, he didn’t!” Ariel exclaimed. “He didn’t surprise you in the middle of—”
“Good heavens, no!” Stella said, and they both giggled. “That would have been awful. He showed up yesterday morning, and we were still in our pajamas.”
