Summer Solstice Celebration - Pindi 9

​Zoom and Dasher have been flying all morning, delivering invitations to the Summer Solstice Celebration Fairy Ring. Zoom chirps to Dasher and then lands lightly on a branch of the apple tree in the shade. Dasher grabs a stalk of zebra grass sticking out of the pond. Both sit and rest for a minute. There are more invitations to deliver. Everyone’s invited. Even Pindi’s giants.
“I’m beat,” Pindi complains to her twin sister Mindi. “Mother has had us working all day.”
“I can’t wait for the party,” Mindi replies. “It will be so much fun dancing in the twinkling lights.”
“Girls!’  Queen Caelia cries. “I need you to carry these baskets of treats to the Japanese Lantern. Your father is already there setting up for the party.”
“That’s too much for us to carry,” Pindi says. “I’m calling Ka-a. He’ll help us.”
“Raven Feather won’t like it if I help you,” Ka-a explains to Pindi. “He is still angry that I flew you home on that rainy day. And, he’s humiliated that you and Mindi outwitted him.”
“Oh please! It won’t take more than 5 minutes and you can come to the celebration if you want to.”
Ka-a sighs and lets Pindi climb onto his back carrying the baskets of treats. Mindi climbs up behind her.
As they unload at the Japanese Lantern, Pindi spies Blade and his buddies hanging around the honey mead. “Hey lazy bones! Come here and help. You can’t just hang around and drink honey mead all day.”
“Pindi, don’t be such a pest. We’re busy,” Blade says, but he helps unload the baskets anyway. “What’s in here?” he asks as he lifts the lid of one of the baskets. “Yum, honey treats.”
Pindi bats his hand away. “Stop! That’s for the party.”
The fairies work hard all afternoon getting ready for the big celebration. As dusk approaches, Dasher and his friends fly circles over the pond gobbling up mosquitoes. They look like a rainbow of dragonflies, all with different colored wings; red, blue, glittery gray, spotted. Zoom sits in the Red Japanese Maple tree chirping at Dasher and his friends.
Guests start to arrive. Xylem arrives, her arm still in a sling from her fall. Her wings have healed, and she can fly again. The frogs hop over. Ribbet calls out to the dragonflies not to eat all the mosquitoes. “Save some for us!”
The buffet table is set, and the lights are twinkling.
“Mother, Father,” Pindi calls, “Come and say hi to my giants.”
“These are my parents,” Pindi says to her giants. “My father, King Bran, and my mother, Queen Caelia.”
The giants bow their heads to the King and Queen. “It is an honor to meet you. Thank you for allowing us to join your celebration.”
As darkness falls on the longest day of the year, the celebration is in full swing. Fairies and other magical creatures dance in a circle around the Japanese Lantern. Everyone enjoys the treats and the honey mead. Ribbet leads the frogs in a song. Zoom chirps along.  The giants sit at their patio table and watch the celebration.
No one notices the crows start to gather. “Hmph,” says Raven Feather. “Let them celebrate tonight. Tomorrow we attack.