Sparky's Arc

Chapter 6 of 10

The lodge door swung open and the rain stopped. Sparky stepped out onto wet grass and saw another storm curling above the field. He had no time to move the guests again. He pulled a coil of copper netting from his pack and flung it high. The net spread wide and caught the storm in its weave, holding the clouds in place. A boy on a streaking comet swung close overhead. Sparky waved him down. "Help me pull it east," he called. The boy looped his comet through the net's edge and tugged. Together they dragged the storm sideways, off the field, until it broke apart over empty space. Sparky landed back on the grass and dusted his hands. He walked to the center of the field and yanked a long silver cord. A heavy cloth fell away, and a shimmering domed pavilion rose into view. Blue and violet glass caught the last drops of rain. Guests gasped and pressed forward. A tall figure with silver hair walked through the crowd and stopped beside a polished microphone on a slim stand. Melody Starling rested one hand on it. "You did this," she said quietly to Sparky. "All of it." She did not smile. She only nodded once, and that was enough. Then a streak of blue light landed on the pavilion steps. A sleek cat with a long, sparkling tail sat down and looked at the crowd. It lifted one paw and set down a small bundle of striped ribbon bows. Then it flicked its tail and vanished into the sky. Sparky picked up the ribbons. The festival had begun. Guests poured toward the pavilion, and Melody stepped to the microphone. Sparky felt the weight shift in his chest. The hard part was over. The bigger part was only starting now.