The Line Between

20: Strings and Circles

"No, that's all right," Kavin said quickly, backing away as politely as he could. He caught Amayo hiding a smile out of the corner of his eye.

Uvan looked disappointed, but the smile was back in a matter of seconds. "Will you be staying for the festival?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Do either of you have kites yet? You should take part in the showing. Everyone at the festival participates. All the kites in the city will be flown all at once. It's a truly amazing experience."

Kavin and Amayo traded looks.

"Kites aren't very common in Kwair," Amayo explained. "We don't know how to fly them."

"You mean you've never flown a kite?" Uvan asked, horrified. "Well, what better time to remedy the situation than now? Here."

Taking each of them by an arm, he started off at a brisk trot. "And to think Kwair is a seaside city. So much wind to work with!"

"We use it to sail," Kavin interjected, laughing. Uvan's enthusiasm was contagious. "We are, after all, a seaside city."

Uvan considered this then nodded. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. This way, and here we are! The experimentals!" He let them go and gestured expansively at the large, rectangular field of grass that had opened out before them. It was set just within the city limits in amongst the residential buildings. A red and pink flagstone path circled the field, outlined by deep beds of yellow and white flowers. Tables had been set up on the western end of the lawn, and several people were gathered around them with their hands full of colored fabrics and paper. "This is where we make and test new kite designs. They always need extra hands to help with the testing. I first learned how to fly a kite right here. Oh, and try to stay on the western half of the field. The eastern half is reserved for those planning to participate in the kite duels."

"I've read about those," Amayo exclaimed, turning excited eyes to the scattering of people on the east field. "Are they dueling now?"

"No, just honing their skills. But if you want to watch, come to the tournament the day after tomorrow. The turnout won't be as big this year, but we have some promising new talent."

They followed Uvan to the table where they could now see that people were actually assembling—and, in some cases, disassembling—kites of various shapes and sizes. The kite makers greeted them with jaunty waves, making room at the table and offering them their own piles of materials. Uvan waved them away, asking instead if anyone needed test flyers.

"Nothing fancy though," he added as an afterthought. "My friends here say they have never flown kites before."

This comment elicited shocked and sympathetic looks from everyone present.

"I could use some help with these," one kite maker volunteered, holding up two large, diamond-shaped kites: one patterned like a mosaic of autumn leaves and the other a swirl of white lightning in a dark blue sky. "I've been playing with the balance, but I'm pretty sure they'll fly. It'll be easier for me to monitor one at a time though. Which of you would like to go first?"

Kavin nudged Amayo with his elbow. "I'll watch first."

"Right then." The kite maker approached Amayo with the leaf-patterned kite and began to explain, making expansive gestures as though shaping the air to match every word uttered.

Kavin stepped to the side to watch.

"The holiday certainly was a good idea," Uvan commented, coming up beside him with his hands clasped behind his back. "You know, we have a story here in Hikoma. They say that the people who first came to settle in this area came only with those things most necessary to life. So their children, having no toys, played out in the fields and the woods. One night, the children didn't come home. The people searched and searched, but they couldn't find them for the children had gone too far and gotten lost. But there was one family who used to make kites for a living, and they proposed an idea. They made every man and woman in the village a kite of some bright color. The following day, they flew those kites as high as they would go. The lost children saw the kites and were able to find their way back home. So we have a saying that the flight of a kite is the joy of a journey. Getting off the ground may be difficult, and the winds aren't always kind, but, even so, the grace of flight remains untouched. And in the end, every journey leads you home."