of the week went. He tried to think of what things would be like at the school as he watched a squirrel climb up on his window sill before drifting off to sleep.
Ralph woke him for supper and as Father Marcus said he felt better as the night went on.
Chapter 5
The festival was fully setup by the following day with all the same old games for half a copper. It looked like an entire town setup in the open field.
There were brightly colored awnings hanging off back of the wagons and people from the surrounding farms and small villages walking from one booth to the next. Armorers, tailors and bakers were set one after the other. Games like throwing the ball at the wood pins knock them all over and you get some cheap trinket were spread throughout the other booths. The booths were lined up one after the other making dirt packed streets between them. Alec was horrible at most of the games but they were still fun. The field was so packed that others had setup food carts, selling things like chocolate covered sweet corn and candy dipped apples, they squeezed in anywhere they could find a spot.
Alec had spent most of the ten coppers his Aunt Karen had given him the first day on the games and had only won twice. Jake and Alec walked around festival occasionally catching up with some of the younger kids while his mornings were spent by himself with Jake having to work for his father.
Most of the festival Alec spent gazing at the different things for sale or talking with some of the people at the regular booths that he remembered from previous years.
With it being the last day before the solstice Alec finally decided to spend his last two coppers on himself. One was for a couple last games and one for the corn. Jake should have been there by now but was obviously running late. Apparently his father had been very busy this year. Alec stepped up to the ball throw and handed the man his last half copper.
Alec picked up the ball rubbing it in his hands. He could feel the threads holding the leather together as he rolled the ball around in his hands. Sucking in his lower lip in concentration he thought to himself. Come on. Come on. He reared back to throw, and his arm shot forward releasing the ball.
As the ball left his hand he felt a tingling in his fingers and his whole body felt too hot for a split second. The ball shot forward striking the first pin just off center taking out the rest of the pins.
"Good shot Alec," said Father Marcus coming up behind him.
"Thanks Father."
Alec went to the prize box to pick his prize as Marcus scrutinized him from behind. He was sure he'd felt someone using magic over here. If it was Alec he'd have to send another letter to Father Brandon again. He dug into his robe and pulled out a copper handing it to the man.
"Why don't you try it couple more times, you might be on a streak."
"Sure!" Alec said, excited now that he had won the game once.
With the pins back in place Alec did his warm up on the ball, sucked in his lip and let it fly taking out seven of the ten pins.
"Sorry sir." He said with a shrug. “I’m not all that good at it.”
"That's alright, give it another shot."
The man set the pins up as Jake appeared out of nowhere.
"Hi Father. Sorry I'm late Alec. Are you finishing it off today?"
"Yep trying to win the father something, it's his coin,” Alec replied.
Alec picked up the ball and started his warm up again.
"Concentrate. You have to really want it. Just picture the ball going right where you want it to, hitting fast and hard." Father Marcus coached him.
Alec skewed up his eyes, sucked in his lip. He saw in his mind the path the ball would take, strait to the first pin. He imagined the first pin breaking with the impact and taking out the rest, just like in the stories that always surrounded this type of game.
Come on. Come on. Come on! He thought, really not wanting to disappoint the good Father. He reared back and shot his arm forward as hard as he
Kent Flannery, Joyce Marcus