Togg's Arc

Chapter 7 of 8

Togg woke before dawn. Delphine still slept in the shed, one arm over her basket. He didn't wake her. The pavilion was done, but the table stood bare. A party needed food. He slipped out into the gray light to forage. He worked fast. He toasted acorns over a warm ember and threaded them onto slim skewers, their shells browning until they smelled sweet. He wove a shallow grass bowl and filled it with pale pine nuts. He picked wild lettuces, herbs, and red raspberries and tumbled them into a wooden bowl. Nuts before berries, always, but even Togg knew Grans loved a bit of fruit. He balanced the whole load and hurried to the pavilion. He stopped at the doorway. The table was no longer bare. Someone had been here. A ring of pinecones circled six beeswax candles, their flames burning soft and gold. Beside them stood a tall glass bottle. The wine inside glowed pale lavender, flecked with tiny points of light like trapped stars. Two elven flutes waited next to it, slender and jeweled, catching the candlelight. Togg's fur prickled. He hadn't set these here. No gnome had. He crept closer and sniffed the bottle. Berries and something older, sweeter, that made his whiskers tingle. He'd heard the old stories. Fairies helped those who worked with a good heart. He'd carried this whole plan for Grampy alone, asked nothing back. Now the ridge had answered. He set his food beside the candles. The skewers leaned against the pinecones. The pine nut bowl sat by the flutes. The salad's red berries glowed in the candlelight. Nut, seed, and green, all in a row. The wine and glasses stood over them like a crown. Togg stepped back and looked. The whole table finally held together. It was full now. It was ready. But something still nagged at him. He walked around the table twice. The food was right. The candles were right. Then he saw it. The flutes stood empty, and the bottle stayed corked. Two gnomes married forty years, and no one had poured their toast. He gripped the stopper in both paws and pulled. It came free with a soft pop. He tipped the bottle, straining under its weight, and let the lavender wine spill into each flute until both shone half full. The scent rose and filled the pavilion. Togg wiped his paws and looked one last time. Nothing was missing now. The table was a real feast, waiting for two. Outside, the light climbed toward noon. Togg's heart thumped. Grampy and Grans would come up the path soon, knowing nothing. He darted behind a bench leg to hide and watch. The candles burned low and steady. Then, far off, he heard footsteps on the grass, coming closer.