“I always forget how beautiful it is,” said Pretty as she gazed at the rows of lanterns shining against the dark sky. There must be hundreds of lights burning this morning: they stood in shop windows, dangled from awnings and railings, hung from wires strung across the street. There were dainty confections of blown glass, heavy boxes of cut crystal, utilitarian lanterns with wire frames and clear glass, even simple wooden frames without any glass at all.
“I hear its even better over on Kinney Street,” said Denny. He laced his fingers through Pretty’s and pulled her toward the intersection.
Pretty smiled at him and felt her heart swell with something like real, proper happiness. This was the first time in two weeks — the first time since her father died — that she’d managed to feel happy.
That thought almost made her feel guilty instead. Was it all right to run off to the festival and enjoy herself with Denny after everything that had happened? She was the oldest; with Father gone, she had a responsibility to help feed her family. She should be working, not wandering through a festival holding hands and stealing kisses.
But nobody was working this morning: it was a holiday for the whole city. It wasn’t as if there was anything better Pretty could be doing right now, so why not enjoy herself? She tightened her grip on Denny’s hand and raced ahead, pulling him around the corner onto Kinney Street.
“Oh!” she gasped as she saw the display of lights. Her antennae stood up straight with astonishment and her wings quivered excitedly against her back. Denny was right; it was even more beautiful here! That only made sense: several glassmakers had shops on this road, and they were taking advantage of the festival to show off their products. A pair of poles supported large stained-glass lanterns with beautiful scenes pieced together around their sides. A rope overhead held a dozen different blown-glass animals made in swirls of scarlet and gold. One doorway was even surrounded with a garland of tiny electric lanterns strung on a wire! Pretty stared wide-eyed at the bright, steady glow of those lights. She’d glimpsed electric lamps through the windows of fancy houses, but she’d never been this close before.
“Let’s get some lights of our own,” said Denny. He pointed toward a booth full of colorful paper lanterns no larger than apples.
Pretty hesitated. She always saved up a few pennies to spend at Dawn Festival, but this year, it felt wrong to use that money carelessly. With father’s income gone, what if a few pennies made the difference between paying the rent or not? She hated having to think about things like that all the time, but there was no getting around it. Her earnings put bread on the table now.
“Orange for you,” Denny said, picking up one of the paper lanterns. “And I think I want green.”
Pretty squashed down her worries as best she could and paid for the lantern. She deserved a day of fun, the same as anyone else. She was not going to let worries about money ruin the festival. The vendor lit a pair of tiny candles for them, and Pretty carefully slid her candle into the gap in the paper lantern’s frame. The light glowed warm, rich orange through the thin paper.
To be continued! The full story will be available from Kindle on July 31.
