The heat of summer has set in, and as I wander the countryside I see the fields shining in the sunlight, the wind rolling through them, making the barley sway like great waves on a sea. This, dear reader, is the season of Solmar, where we mark the longest day and shortest night of the year, when the Green Sister is hardest at work, and the sun in his sky has sailed back to bring us the fiery warmth of the midyear light. Neither Lettie nor I had ever properly celebrated Solmar before this week. In Larksville, Auntie Ember would light a small fire in the yard and we would stay up late, dancing in shadows until the wee hours of the morning. In Greenwood, the Solmar celebration lasts a full day and night, and goodness, what a celebration it was!
We arrived on the village green at about midday and explored all the games and goings-on to be seen: people throwing heavy stones or carrying boulders, prizes for the prettiest animals on display. We walked around and talked with the Humes and Mary Colson. I even waved to Mrs. Algar, who gave a polite nod as she passed us by. It made me wondered if Alexander was there. “Who’s Alexander?” Lettie asked me as she had a bite of fruit. We sat down for a moment and I told her a little about him. I said, “He is the baron’s son. He’s really very sweet. He helped me in the library and it was he who gave me the copy of The Green Children of Woolden.” She answered me with a “Really? That was helpful of him,” and she seemed rather excited to meet “this baron’s son”. I didn’t really understand her interest until later that evening.
Throughout the day we saw people adding their sticks to a large wood pile as Mrs. Hume had described, and I made sure to add my own. Then around sunset, the baron appeared and called for everyone to gather round. He made a big speech about the bonfire, “built by our village” and “sustained by the bonds which tie us together”. Someone passed him a torch and he spoke of the great honor it was to light the flame… I thought he was talking about himself, but then I heard him say something about “our own little apothecary” and heard my name, and then Lettie started pushing me forward saying that he was calling for me, and goodness, next thing I knew, I was being handed the torch to light the bonfire! I was so nervous, I don’t remember a thing he said except that I was supposed to set it a blaze only just as the sun set, and I stupidly tried to stare at the sun in order to get it just right. But I suppose I did okay because everyone gave a cheer when I lit the pyre. And then the singing and dancing began, and Lettie rushed forward to give me a hug and… goodness! Later on, Elise told me that she and Mrs. Hume had known the whole time but kept it a secret! Oh, I still feel all shaky, as though I might cry, but… in a good way. I mean, I’ve never… no one has ever, well… it felt nice, like I belonged.
Not long after that, Alexander ran up to us and began asking about my trip, and The Green Children of Woolden, and who Violet was and, oh goodness, he talks so quickly. I introduced him to my sister and I thanked him for the book. He said he had sent for it a while ago and when it arrived he was so excited to find the story. He read the whole book in one night just so he could give it to me before I left. He continued on, telling us he was to get a new tutor and that, by the way, “I was the one to suggest to my father that you light the Solmar fire this year”. It was a little embarrassing, but Alexander seemed so proud, especially when he mentioned that the baron had thought it an excellent idea. I am glad. Perhaps he is learning to find the confidence to speak his mind.
After he waved goodbye to us and went off, Lettie began to laugh, so hard in fact that she snorted into her hand, and I wondered if she was alright. Once she had calmed herself enough to talk, she explained that earlier she had thought there might be some sort of romance between Alexander and me. She had imagined him as a charming and handsome young man, but after seeing that he was just a boy, she felt silly for making up things in her head. She looked a little sheepish. And then again she had that strange expression, but she turned away and said she wanted to go dance, so I sat down and watched as she joined hands with the circle of folks going round and round the fire. I had to shake my head and laughed a little too. Goodness, it is just like Lettie to think up such stories, especially ones with love and romance. Not that I am opposed to such things. It’s just there hasn’t been anyone yet.
And as I thought of all this, I looked out over the fields. They were such a lovely shade of blue in the moonlight. But it was so strange. There was a light, not the orange sparks of the bonfire, but a greenish glow, bouncing in and out of the grass. I stood up to get a better look, straining my eyes to see, but then Lettie was back, touching my shoulder and asking me if I was hungry. I tried to point out the light to her, but by then it was gone. How odd! I didn’t feel particularly hungry, but it was getting late, so we decided to return to the cottage for a quick supper and a good night’s sleep.
Dear reader, it was so lovely to celebrate Solmar with my sister. And what an honor to light the flame! Though still I wonder, what could that strange glow have been? Maybe it was just a trick of the light fooling my eyes, or perhaps something from the forest. I do not know, but for now I will store it away in my mind. It seems to me that unusual things have a way of revealing themselves at the proper time. And if not, well, then I will just put it down to the magic of Solmar.