Books by KAFE

“This is working out great!” Josie said as she held up her newly finished scarf. It had taken her the rest of the week and a few shameful crying sessions, but she had finally crocheted her scarf: one-hundred-fifteen feet of work and sweat and a little blood, although that had been an accident.  It was beautiful – the red stars against the navy background had just the effect she was looking for. 

The judging was to take place that evening at seven o’clock sharp, and Josie had finished her scarf at exactly 5:59, giving her just enough time to choose an outfit for the ceremony, walk to the palace, and arrange her scarf on the judge’s table so that it would look elegant yet understated.

She stood in front of her closet, looking for an outfit that would really set her apart. She had her apple costume from the annual costume party a few months back, but the leaves were a little faded. She could wear her favorite dress, a red one with white flowers on it…but as she pulled it out of her closet she remembered that she’d ripped a hole in the side while trying to catch a glimpse of a flying squirrel last week. She threw the dress onto the ever-growing pile of clothes that needed mending and turned back to her closet.

Maybe her blue silk dress would work. She didn’t like to wear it very much because she inevitably ripped or stained nearly everything she wore, and this was a nice dress. But she was going to a nice place. She could probably not trip for just one evening, right?

She put the dress on and stood in front of the mirror, trying to decide if it was right for her. The dress was a light turquoise color, the same color as her eyes, and the elbow-length sleeves, long skirt, and scooped neckline were perfect for her figure.  Josie decided to wear it. She wasn’t one for dressing up, but this could prove to be one of the most important days of her life and she wanted to look her best. Besides, she would be in the palace, and she doubted the palace would let a barefoot girl wearing a torn, slightly wrinkled dress inside to watch the contest, let alone enter it.

With that thought in mind, she dug through a mound of pillows and newspapers and found her only pair of dressy shoes. They weren’t very fancy – they had been covered with a silvery material at one point but it had mostly worn off, and now the shoes were more of a light gray. But they were comfortable, and her skirt went to the floor so hopefully no one would notice anyway.

After braiding her waist-length hair, she twirled in front of the mirror one last time, checking and double-checking to make sure there were no rips or grass stains or feathers on her dress anywhere.

Satisfied that she looked her best, Josie folded her scarf carefully into her newly-mended canvas bag, making sure none of the tassels were sticking out. She slung the bag over her shoulder and made her way to the kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table, drinking coffee and looking very serious as they read over the financial reports in the Embellisher. Josie’s father worked for the Royal Treasury Department in the palace, and every day after work he checked the paper to make sure the financial section had the most accurate information.

Josie loved her parents, but she often wondered if she had somehow been switched at birth with another baby – her parents were very kind but very serious people who could literally be entertained by watching paint dry. Most family dinners were spent in silence, not because they were fighting, but because her parents didn’t like to make small talk, and after asking them both how their days were, Josie usually struggled to find anything else to talk about besides her contest entries, which her parents weren’t too thrilled about. The truth was, they were just… dull. Josie often wondered if they found her to be as confusing as she often found them.

“Well, I’m off,” she announced. Her parents both started at the sudden noise and turned to face her. “I’m going to the palace for the contest, remember?”

“Oh, right,” her mother said. “Good luck, dear. Carl – wish Josephine luck,” she added to Josie’s father.

“Good luck,” her dad said, adjusting his tie. Josie had never understood why he wore a tie at home, but he had done it for as long as she could remember. “Don’t forget to bow if you see the queen.”

“I won’t forget, Dad. Thanks.” Josie checked her bag again to make sure she had everything she needed, smiled at her parents (who were already lost in their newspapers again), and opened the front door.

“Wear a coat!” her mother called just before Josie shut the door. Josie shook her head as she turned in the direction of the palace. Only her parents would remind her to wear a coat in the middle of summer.

Wanda and Carl Littlemore were all about Disaster Awareness and Always Being Prepared, two speeches Josie had heard every year since she had started to walk. Her parents weren’t paranoid; they just believed in being thorough.  You never knew when something might happen, they said. As a result, Josie had honed all sorts of useful skills – she could tie a sailor’s knot, run a five-minute mile, boil water without a fire, and hold her breath for 100 seconds.

Of course, Eldaria hadn’t seen a disaster of any kind since the Great Marshmallow Incident of ’61, so Josie didn’t really get to use her survival techniques that often. But at least she was prepared.

She rounded a corner on the path to the palace and realized she was nearly there.  She could hear a low murmur of voices coming from the palace garden – apparently quite a crowd had turned out for the scarf contest. Josie was starting to feel flattered that so many people were going to see her incredible handiwork, until she saw a sign that read “Queen Trudy’s Garden Experience: Now Open” in front of the garden gate.

The palace was known for its huge garden full of exquisite plants and flowers, and every summer the queen opened the garden to all of Eldaria.  The creation of the garden had been meant to bring all of the Eldarians together, rich and poor, but the upkeep for the garden was astronomical, forcing the palace to charge a hefty admission price for a tour. Not one to lose sight of a philanthropic goal, the queen decided to allow those who couldn’t afford the tour to stand on the benches outside the garden walls and look at the garden from above for up to five minutes each at no cost.

Josie had never been on the tour, but she had been told by several people that the view from the wall was excellent. She did some quick math in her head: If she won this contest, she could tour the garden at least twelve times. She had absolutely no interest at all in taking the tour, but she liked having the option.

After she climbed the long, winding palace steps, she showed the guard her scarf and he pointed her in the direction of the contest inside, wishing her luck. She was growing more and more confident now that she wouldn’t need luck, but she thanked him anyway and walked inside the grand ballroom.

There were signs directing contestants to a smaller room reserved for the crocheting contest. Josie found the room and laid her scarf down on the table next to the others, stepping back to see the display in its entirety. She wasn’t an expert, but she would estimate that her scarf was at least twenty-seven percent better than the other three entries. They were all folded so she couldn’t tell the exact length of each, but she was sure hers was the longest.

Confident now that she was going to win, Josie admired her handiwork one last time before finding an empty chair to wait in by the door, smiling to herself. She was so close to going anywhere she wanted – now it was just a matter of time.