Four pairs of hands. One rather weighty edition.
One Thing Too Many
The paper cannon was ready for the parade. Its four attendants were nearly ready too.
Aki checked the wheels. Beni straightened the red cord around the barrel. Chiyo held a large paper ball, while Dara closed the equipment box.
Or tried to.
The lid rose again. Inside were a cloth, a team ribbon, wheel supports, and several old items.
“Does the ball go in there too?” Chiyo asked.
“If it does, the lid will need a holiday,” Dara said.
Chiyo set the ball inside. It rose above the rim.
“Perhaps we need a bigger box,” Beni suggested.
They looked at the gate at the end of the lane. The cannon could pass through it, but there would be no room beside the wheels for a box, large or small.
The Narrow Gate
“We could make two trips,” Aki said.
“The parade begins as soon as we reach the square,” Dara replied. “If one of us comes back for the box, we won’t all be there.”
Chiyo lifted the ball out again. A faded headline ran around its side.
“It belongs with the display,” she said.
“And the supports belong under the wheels when we stop,” Dara added.
Beni held up the ribbon. “The team name should be visible.”
Aki took out the cloth. “The wheels picked up dust on the way here.”
They stood with the four objects in their hands. The cannon’s paper barrel cast a long shadow across the lane.
“What else is in the box?” Chiyo asked.
Dara found an old programme, a broken pencil, and a length of cord too short to tie around anything they had brought.
“We probably don’t need these,” she said.
“That leaves the things we do need,” Aki said. “And the same gate.”
What the Parade Needs
Beni looked towards the square. A parade attendant was arranging displays near the finish.
“Could the ball go with her?” he asked.
Chiyo carried it over and explained where they wanted it. The attendant agreed to place it beside their display and put it in her cart.
Dara put one wheel support in each of her coat pockets. Beni folded the ribbon around his arm. Aki folded the cloth until it was small enough to tuck beneath the red cord on the cannon’s frame.
“Can we still reach it?” Dara asked.
Aki pulled out one corner. “Yes.”
They left the box beside the workshop door and guided the cannon towards the gate. Each watched a wheel or edge of the gate.
The wheels passed through. The barrel followed, with a little room on each side.
“Is the box watching?” Chiyo asked.
“It has the easiest job today,” Dara said. “Staying home.”
Waiting at the Finish
They reached the square together. The attendant had placed the paper ball beside an open space for their display, with its headline facing the crowd.
Dara took the supports from her pockets and placed them by the wheels. Beni tied the ribbon where the team name could be read. Aki wiped a dusty patch from the nearest wheel and tucked the cloth away again.
Chiyo stood beside the ball. “Everything arrived.”
“Except the broken pencil,” Aki said.
“And the short cord,” Dara added.
Beni looked back towards the gate. “We could bring the box next year.”
“Through a wider gate?” Chiyo asked.
“Or we could leave it at the finish in advance.”
Dara smiled. “Let’s ask it which job it prefers.”
The first visitors entered the square. The four took their places beside the cannon and the paper ball.
Livora Gracely ♥
Leave a Reply