When everyone had taken their seats, Sylvia moved to the center of the open circle carrying a flickering candle in a spherical crystal holder. There she paused to look around at the faces of her guests. “The primary purpose of the Candlelight ceremony is for you to introduce yourselves to us and to one another,” she said. “But our ceremony helps you to know yourselves better too. It helps you focus on your goals and wishes, and helps prepare you for the challenges of the future.”
Although Julia had heard Sylvia speak these words before in summers past, she still felt a frisson of anticipation. The familiar phrases seemed like an invitation for the campers to embark on a journey together, one with marvelous opportunities for growth and renewal. If ever there was a time Julia hoped the words would prove prescient, it was this week, with these people.
Sylvia continued by explaining the ceremony. The company would pass the candle around the open circle, and as each person held the candle, they would explain why they had come to Elm Creek Quilt Camp and what they hoped to take away from the experience. “Would anyone care to volunteer to go first?” Sylvia asked, looking first to Paige at one end of the arc, and then to Edna, the costume designer, on the other, just as Julia, safely in the middle, had anticipated.
Paige raised her hand. “I’ll go first.” Catching the eye of the costume designer, she added, “If that’s all right with you?”
“Be my guest,” said Edna. “I need time to think of what to say.”
“Well, about that.” Paige frowned thoughtfully. “Haven’t we all come to quilt camp for basically the same reason, and don’t we all want to accomplish the same thing? We’re all here to learn to quilt or to improve our skills so we can contribute to the show, right?”
A murmur of agreement went up from the circle. Sylvia looked around, eyebrows rising in mild surprise at this unprecedented mutiny. Julia caught Nigel’s eye, and his suddenly guarded expression reminded her that they both had ulterior motives Paige wouldn’t suspect and they’d rather not disclose.
“If I’m perfectly honest,” said Louis, the pianist, “I’m here because the head of our department wanted to send a representative, and I needed the overtime.” As laughter rose from the circle, he added, “But I’m glad to be here, and I’ll use everything I learn about historical quilting to make your sets better.”
“Okay, well, maybesomeof us haveslightlydifferent reasons for why we came to quilt camp,” said Paige, smiling across the circle at Louis, “but as for what we hope to get out of it, that’s pretty much the same for all of us, right? Like Louis said, we all want to help improve the show.”
“Then let’s omit the second question,” said Ellen, shrugging.
“Better yet, let’s change it,” said Olivia, eyes sparkling with mischief in the firelight. “After we say why we accepted Julia’s invitation, let’s each reveal something about ourselves no one else here knows.”
A murmur of approval met her words, but Julia’s heart thudded. If she ever kept anything secret from her colleagues, it was for a good reason.
“Is that allowed?” Lindsay asked Sylvia, uncertain. “We wouldn’t want to disrespect your traditions.”
“It’s quite all right,” Sylvia assured her. “You aren’t our typical group of campers, and so our typical questions might not suit you as well. By all means, share secrets rather than goals, if you wish—butlet’s agree that nothing said within this circle shall be divulged outside it.”
“Can I use it in my novel if I change the names?” Jason asked.
“No,” said Julia and several others emphatically.
“Okay, I’ll begin,” said Paige, sitting up taller. “I came because I’m a newbie to the cast and I want to get to know you all better before we begin shooting season six. As for something none of you knows about me—well, there are lots of things, but an important one is that I first discovered my love of acting when I was six years old. My parents are hardcore Civil War reenactors, and as soon as I was old enough to stay in character for hours at a time, they put me in a homemade costume and brought me along to their encampment.” Smiling, she gave a little bow and, to a round of applause, passed the candleholder to Lindsay on her left.
Lindsay held it thoughtfully. “I came to quilt camp because my mother has been coming here for a week every summer for years. She’s told me so much about this wonderful place that I had to see it for myself.” She hesitated, and a little sheepishly added, “As for something no one here knows about me, I used to play accordion in a polka band.”
“Not so fast,” Jason said as Lindsay began to pass the candle. “When was this? What was the name of the band? And most importantly, were you any good?”
“This was years ago, when I was in middle school and high school,” said Lindsay, smiling, more proud than embarrassed. “We called ourselves the Silver Pines Polka Dots, and yes, I was very good—good enough to be named Stearns County Polka Princess two years in a row.”
To applause and cheers, she passed the candle to the stunt coordinator, Dylan.
“I came to quilt camp because Lindsay asked me,” Dylan said when the group quieted down a bit. “I thought, what the heck? What do I know about quilting? What do I need to know? But when Lindsaysaid we’d be staying at Elm Creek Manor, I had to come. Bergstrom Thoroughbreds may be no more, but those bloodlines run through some of the finest horses in the country to this day.” He nodded to Sylvia. “I wanted to pay my respects, and maybe to learn more about the folks behind it.”
“Well, that’s an answer I’ve never heard at a Candlelight before,” Sylvia remarked, appearing surprised and flattered in equal measure. “I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.”
Dylan nodded in reply and began to pass on the candle, but at the last moment, he caught himself. “Oh, something you all don’t know. My middle name is Thomas. I was named after the poet.”
“He has a sister named Emily Dickinson,” Jason quipped.
Dylan regarded him, puzzled. “How did you know? Have you met my sister?”
“No,” Jason said quickly. “I didn’t actually think— It was a joke.”
“Yeah, I figured. I’m just pulling your chain. My sister’s name is Susan.”
Everyone burst into laughter, except for Jason, who managed a weak grin.
Around the circle the candle went, hand to hand. Nearly everyone said that they had come to Elm Creek Quilt Camp simply because Julia or Lindsay had invited them and they thought they’d enjoy a unique experience with their work family. “One last hurrah,” one of the actors in a recurring role declared happily, but Julia couldn’t join in the chorus of agreement that followed. Her eyes met Lindsay’s across the circle, and the younger woman offered her a sympathetic, encouraging smile.
