IN THE FAHARA

Night of the festival of the millentians has come. Tonight all twenty one year olds go to this dance for the mating rituals. The festival happens every eight years because it is believed that the creator chose that day to bless people with their rightful partners.

"When you find the one on that night, you will be in love forever. "

Is that so?

"Every day is your wedding night. Love, pure love. "

Interesting that!

"The connection is so strong to your one you feel like they are pulling you to them ."

Alright !

"You never fall asleep. "

But I love sleep!

"The love never ends. "

Such a dream, sigh!

"You literally walk on air. "

Really now?

"Your one becomes so beautiful beyond your imagination. See my children, I am lucky I found my one . We are so happy I don't even know how to explain it. But I'll try, it is more than magic or burning embers of a flaming torch. It is indescribable but I'll try to describe it. It is like having the biggest harvest of the year or... "

Okay mute that, cause I don't think it'll end soon. Moving on, the mood in this huge human kingdom is so electrifying. Young and old, everyone is excited about about the festival of the milletians.

Why is everyone excited though ? Rules are only twenty one year olds get to attend the festival. Explanation is that anyone not of that exact age brings bad luck upon their family. So even if you are a day to twenty one, unfortunately you can't go find your one in the fear of a bad omen to your family.

No one alive right now has witnessed it but there are stories about that one time. It is one incident but with several versions.

In one they say, ' It was an owl. It perched on the biggest tree in the kingdom near the market. Only the one who attended the festival at twenty two heard and saw the owl. The owl cried for days on end. All the way from his house he heard it and he never slept until he killed it. Then he killed his wife and child. Beat up his mother and burnt down his house. He then vanished forever. "

Sad ending that one. Here's another one , "His name was Ehli. He was a day to be twenty one. He went to the festival against advisement. He found two loves. Went home with both. His wives never got along. He didn't have any children for a long time because his wives were too busy fighting. He became the laughing stock of the village. He killed himself one day. "

Tragic too. In short, whatever the story was, only twenty one year olds were allowed to prepare for and attend the festival. The rest just help from afar. Like lending them dresses or perfumed oils among other grooming items.

The young people were very excited for their festival. Or maybe they felt privileged to be born when they were and now they are among the envied lot. Former cohorts being twenty nine and the next ones being thirteen. Today is their day and nothing could make them happier .

All of them except for two twenty one year olds couldn't wait for tonight. Sao is one. He sells portions and perfumed oils at the market everyday. Throughout the day and a better part of the night .

He sells the portions to get a lot of money to buy a piece of land and establish his home. Strange that at his age unlike boys his age he doesn't have ancestral land handed down to him . Whatever his story is, all he knows is that in a long time he can't afford breaks. His business is not as lucrative as you would think so he has to work longer to save more.

The market place is not the easiest place to work at too. Occasionally there is a thief stealing from you be it an armed one or a con artist or just a common thief.

Sao hates it that today he will have to close up early to attend the festival . He's been in the business for a lot of seasons and he doesn't remember when he last closed before the sun went down .

Today the sun goes down when he is at the festival. Then he'll get himself a wife he couldn't possibly fend for . Let's not forget his homelessness or the fact that he thinks marriage is pointless for reasons best known to him. And then you are supposed to take a week off getting to know your one. Time he'll lose never to get back.

Sao can't take it paying inns everyday or sleeping in his work shelter risking death from freezing or getting caught by market guards. They charge heavily.

"Big day Sao. I can't wait to get a wife . I've been waiting for this day all my life. " Modei his best friend says excitedly .

Sao just looks at him from across the market area and smiles weakly at him. Modei is one reason he will have to attend the ceremony because you could say, 'Relax Sao, who would know you are twenty one and didn't attend the festival ?'

Apparently it's a law which upon breaking has many consequences. You get an audience with the king and not one you will count as a blessing. So Sao feels like running out of his own skin.

But at least today he could make close to the money he would have made all week if he opened his stall. He is not complaining about the many millenials flocking his stall for perfumed oils. A few want portions.

Some heavily built young woman with her face covered in a huge black hood approaches his stall quickly once two of the girls who were there exit. Her forces almost throws one of the girls off her balance if it wasn't for her friend holding her.

The big girl looks down as she speaks to Sao.

"Uh... Do you... Do you... Uh... Have portions ?" She asks hesitantly.

Sao wants to explode on her with his slowly developing anxiety but lets it go, customer is always right and all .

"Yes ma'am I have a lot of portions. Name your interest and I'll find it for you. " Sao tries to be enthusiast .

"Loss... Weight." The girl says shyly and Sao almost didn't hear her.

But he heard and reached for it. Hands it to her with a neutral face. Better save the judgement for after the customer is gone. Of course he wonders to himself why Michelle wants to slim this midday when the dance is tonight. He knows the girl all too well because she has been to his stall a couple of times. Also, Her father owns an inn that she sometimes work at . Plus let's face it, that hood only hides the face. This is like a case of an ostrich hiding it's face from an enemy.

Let's leave the big girl Michelle alone. She sometimes forget she is too big she knocks things over whenever she passes. But that's not our focus ,the girl she almost fell earlier...

"Winter , slow down I twisted my ankle remember? " Summer her older sister whines.

"You know your ankle is fine Summer. " Winter says and wants to add, 'You don't have to seek attention all the time! ' But thinks better of it.

These two are just from Sao's stall to buy perfumed oils. Summer wants to spend most of the money their father gave her to help Winter prepare for the dance tonight that she couldn't care less about. Winter knows her sister bought a lot of perfumed oils and powders so that after Winter has used some she'll keep the rest. She doesn't care for those things.

Winter also knows that her sister chose to go to the market this late so that she could buy snacks in the market that she's always wanted and then will tell their father that they were so hungry and couldn't wait to eat . Winter doesn't care about this either.

She knows her sister all too well that she will make a big deal out of the ankle that is actually not hurt so that they'll hire a carriage home. She knows Summer's intentions is to spend the very last of the money their father gave her. Or how do you explain the three dresses she bought claiming 'in case one is too short for mother's approval' or 'maybe the color isn't right' or 'father may prefer this one '.

Winter would have loved to just stay home and do nothing than be here with Summer. Not that she hates her sister. She just finds her exhausting. Then she has the festival to attend tonight. She'd rather she stays home and sleep than go find a husband she doesn't want. Even she has her reasons.

Summer is not married yet because they were waiting for this festival so that Winter finds her one then they both have their wedding. It is beneficial for the bridal party during weddings. A lot more when there are two brides. Moreover, they've raised Summer and Winter like twins even though they have a year gap between them. Only daughters of parents with eight boys. Dad loves his little girls a big deal. Mom is proud of her girls. Brothers adore their sisters. Generally, they wouldn't want to give them up so whomever wants them will have to be a lot more convincing than any other suitor.

Summer is betrothed to some village warrior. Winter gets her true one with the blessings of the creator. You will never see other proud parents.

The day passes by quickly as if not being able to wait for the night too. Sun's less hot and therefore our millenials flock at the rivers to clean up. Houses smell nice. The mood is festive for everyone . Many sweet aromas from foods being prepared. You get to bring delicacies to the festival. People like Sao of course bring food from eateries while those like Winter have their mother prepare the food for them.

"Festo Mille! "

"Festo Mille! "

"Festo Mille! "

People scream this from all corners of the kingdom. 'Festo' for festival and 'mille' for milletians . 'Mille' is pronounced with prolonged e at the end. Has been the trend for the longest time. Is always awaited and why people are too excited about it .

But when the sun starts going down, all the millentians leave for the festival. Everyone else is left feasting on whatever is left behind chanting ,'Festo Mille '

Author's note : Thank you for clicking on my story. Please do read more, I promise you won't regret it. Vote, comment. Thank you