Summer has come, dear reader! Yesterday was Solmar, and while there were many games being held on the village green, I found more fun in spending the longest day of the year in the forest with Flame. The new summer sunlight was enchanting, pouring down through the wide, green leaves above us. Flame kept rolling in the dusty patches of light, and I too let the dappled sunshine warm my skin. It felt like the embrace of an old friend. Summer days in Greenwood are radiant, but summer nights… well, they can be enchanting too.
A little before sundown, I turned back and made my way to the village green. There I added my branch to the big pile, ready for the bonfire celebration. I was happy to find that Mrs. Algar was invited to light the pyre this year. The look on her face seemed to say she did not care too much, probably taking it as just another duty to perform, but I do think it was important that the village recognized all her hard work. Baron Rhodes certainly seems to appreciate it, and trusts her. Alexander told me after sunset, when the fire was blazing, that she was going to be left in charge of all the manor house affairs while he and his father are away in the capital.
Poor Alexander; he’s so excited to spend the summer in Alvena with his father, but he really wants to see the results of our experiment too! You see, dear reader, we have finally begun testing the water from the Well of the Green Sister. Some white tiger lilies sprung up in the field near my cottage, and I suggested that we pour the water onto some of them to study the effects. Alexander and Lorenz liked this idea, for we all had no clue as to what sort of magic might occur. The flowers were far enough away from the village that if they did grow huge or begin to glow, few but me would take notice right away. We chose a day to begin last week. I tied a ribbon around one of the plants to mark it and we each took turns carefully adding a single drop of the water to the different buds. They seemed to soak it up like a rag, which was very odd indeed, but besides that nothing happened. Lorenz thinks that perhaps we shall have to wait for the flowers to bloom before we can observe any changes. So with all this in mind, I wished Alexander farewell for his trip the next day and promised that his tutor and I would keep notes on whatever might happen. He waved goodbye and turned to join his father on the other side of the great bonfire.
I found a quiet place in the cool grass to sit, some distance away from the crowd, saying hello to friends who passed by and watching the dancers go round the flames. Elise and Davy were among them, one moment joyously spinning and whirling each other to the music, the next joining hands with everyone to form a circle. It was mesmerizing. Then my view was blocked and I looked up to see Lorenz standing in front of me. He asked what I was doing and I said I was watching the dancers. He smiled and moved to sit beside me, watching for a moment too… then he asked. “Why don’t you dance?” Oh goodness, I shook my head, “I don’t know the steps!” He chuckled, “Neither do I, but it looked easy enough.” My heart jumped; I was about to say I would certainly muddle the whole thing, but then he stood and held his hand out to me…“Come and dance with me,” he said. His mischievous grin, the gleam in his eyes… I… I found myself standing and with a shaking hand I took his.
Lorenz led me over to the bonfire just as a new song began to fill the air. A tambourine set the rhythm and I held my breath as the melody came from a flute. “Sonya!” Elise cried with delight as she spied me and took my other hand. Then we all began, going round the fire, first in a step, then in a skip. Fiddles leapt into the tune, as we split into two circles. Hands reached out to me, we pulled by and passed each other, first to the right then to the left. Face after face: Davy, Mary, Mr. Hume. Two circles weaving in and out of one another. And then Lorenz was beside me again. Lutes strumming, oh goodness, I found I was laughing as he spun me round, our arms out, sparks shining in our eyes! …and then with a final chord it was done. The other dancers around us cheered, but Lorenz and I… we… we just kept looking at each other. I was out of breath from the dance, and it was only when the musicians began tuning for another dance that I realized we were still holding each other by the waist. I laughed nervously, and dropped my hand, my face hot.
I was feeling dizzy again so we sat back down in the grass. The new song began to play, and Lorenz smiled, saying he just remembered had something for me. Oh? I wondered what it could be, as from his coat pocket he pulled a small book. It was worn at the corners, from many readings and age; embossed on the cover, in silver and gold, was an elegant unicorn. Oh, it was lovely! He passed me the book and explained that he’d had his aunt send it down to Greenwood for him. “You seemed to enjoy the tale so much, I thought you might like to read it for yourself.” So this was the copy he’d had as a boy, and he was lending it to me. Again, I found I was shaking; it was such a kind gesture… I thanked him, and for a while longer we sat together watching the dancers, their long shadows waving like spirits over the ground in the glow of the firelight.
Oh, so many feelings, dear reader… the Impressions from last night flash and spark like a flame. I can see them reflecting off the metallic image of the unicorn on the book… I find myself sighing, gazing at my own face in the magic mirror, and wondering if I recognize myself. You see… for the first time in my life, I joined a dance.