From the top of the Fall Around, Regina could see the “Harvest Some Thrills” sign at the entrance of the Festival of Leaves. As the ferris wheel gently revolved, she and Emerson watched in horror as it was devoured by flames, which had leapt from the Pumpkin Patch Pavilion that had housed the baking contest mere hours before.
This contest had been broken up into several categories - cake, pie, cookies, pastries and bread. Regina had entered her “Lunar Magic” Lemon Poppy Seed Scones, as well as her famous “Ember Glow” Creme Brulee Pumpkin Pie. The latter had won the blue ribbon for best pie the last four years in a row, much to the chagrin of the other local baking legend, Balor Pratt. His Spiced Pear and Ginger Pie was the previously reigning champ and he had not taken its unseating well. His Bonfire Pumpkin and Maple Scones also gave Regina’s Lunar Magic a run for their money. Whose baked goods would triumph was dependent upon whether Hazel Chastain was on the judges panel, for Hazel was a great lover of Maple everything. If the contestants saw a tiny mound of flannel wrapped in more scarves than most people own slowly making its way onto the stage, they knew that maple would prevail.
But as Balor’s luck would have it, this weekend Hazel’s grandson was getting married in the big city, preventing her from participating in this year's Festival of Leaves.
Both of Regina’s entries won by a landslide. Balor was visibly upset, his anger clearly smoldering beneath the surface. He blustered out of the pavilion in a bitter huff as soon as the announcement was made.
Regina allowed Emerson to pin the blue ribbons to her sweater, blushing at all the compliments she garnered as they left the pavilion to wander the food and craft stalls. After offering to be Emerson’s personal tour guide yesterday, Regina bribed some high school students to man her stand for the day. Naturally The Autumn Nook’s booth was adorably decorated and, among other things, offered Harvest Spice Snickerdoodles, Crisp Orchard Cookies, Nutmeg & Honey Autumn Strudels, Apple Orchard Crumble and her prize-winning Ember Glow Pie.
After grabbing some still warm cinnamon rolls and hot apple cider from a neighbor’s stand, Regina and Emerson continued their promenade through the festival. While they did not participate in pumpkin bowling, they did pause a while to watch the mayor and city council attempt to knock down long necked squash with round-ish lumbering pumpkins. Emerson steered them away from the animal arena once the many and varied aromas engulfed them near the entrance, redirecting their trajectory toward the circle of carnival rides. The Apple Core Tilt-A-Whirl and Scarecrow’s Flight swings were great favorites, so they chatted while waiting in line for each. The Autumn Rush Rollercoaster was too slow for the big kids, but since it seemed like a good excuse to get off their feet for a while, they climbed into a child-sized car. This ride proved cozier than the others and practically forced them to cuddle as it traveled around the track, which was not unwelcome due to the cooling weather and the company.
Once they extricated themselves from the ride, they wandered back to the Pumpkin Patch Pavilion. They sampled several entries at the late afternoon chili cook-off and, while they would later deny it, were then lost for an embarrassing amount of time in the corn maze. After they emerged in the twilight with straw stuck in their clothes and hair, they made their way back to the Midway, where Emerson won a stuffed raccoon for Regina at the Pine Cone ring toss.
When she noticed the stars begin to twinkle, Regina suggested they ride the “Fall Around” Ferris Wheel to get a bird’s eye view before the end of the night. Emerson pretended to mishear her and said “the Fool Around?,” causing Regina to elbow him playfully in the ribs. He feigned being in pain and then, wrapping her in a giant bear hug, swung her around until she squealed with laughter for him to stop. They then held hands as they stood in line waiting for a free car and climbed aboard once an empty one swung around. Emerson put his arm around Regina’s shoulders as they snuggled in the revolving car, enjoying the glittering lights and comforting smells of toasting smores and roaring bonfires…until the odor turned bitter and chemical, causing the couple to look more closely at their surroundings.
Through
the haze of the bonfires they could make out a growing glow coming from the Pumpkin Patch Pavilion, which then illuminated a figure
stumbling out of the main doors. It appeared that they were carrying a lit
torch, which rained sparks as the person managed to avoid face planting by
using the large object in their other hand to leverage themselves and stay on
their feet. They lurched forward into the light, revealing the torch bearer was
none other than Balor Pratt, wielding the three-foot first place trophy as he
passed beneath the formerly welcoming “Harvest Some Thrills” sign.
Chunks of burning paper descended upon him as he
stumbled away from the festival and toward the forest, obsession thick in his
voice as his pastry mania inspired him to repeat “I am the Grand Champion of
the Festival of Leaves! I am the Champion Baker! Champion Baker! B-a-k-e-r!” as
his voice faded into the trees.
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