Chapter 606 Exorcises
The insect boy flew over to them, still holding the golden flag. "Good race, dragon," he said.
Drake blinked. "You talked to me," he said, surprised.
"You were fast. Your tail is clumsy, but you are fast," the insect boy said.
Drake puffed out his chest. "My tail is not clumsy. My tail is... expressive."
The insect boy shrugged. "Whatever. Rematch next year?" he asked.
Drake’s face broke into a wide grin. "YES," he said.
They nodded at each other, a new friendship forming in that small gesture.
The butterfly girl fluttered over. "Can I join?" she asked softly.
"More flyers, more fun," Boo said cheerfully.
She smiled.
On the ground, Alina watched them land. Drake’s wings folded, and Boo floated down beside him. Luna hobbled over, leaning on her good leg.
"You didn’t win," Luna said bluntly.
"I know," Drake admitted.
"Are you sad?" Luna asked.
Drake thought about it. The race. The tangle. The penalty. The fourth place.
"No," he said finally. "I flew. I raced. I almost won."
"Almost is not winning," Luna pointed out.
"Almost is trying," Drake said.
Luna was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "That is also true."
Drake smiled.
Boo floated between them. "I would like to announce that I came in last place," he said proudly.
"You were the only one who didn’t try to grab the flag," Felix called from nearby.
"I was enjoying the scenery," Boo replied.
"That is not a competition," Felix said.
Boo floated higher. "Life is a competition, Felix. And I am winning at enjoying it."
Felix had no response to that.
Gabriel walked over, clapping his hands. "Great job, everyone! The Flying Bird Race was a success!"
Boo raised his hand. "What did I win?" he asked.
"You won the experience," Gabriel said smiling.
"I want a medal," Boo insisted.
"You won the memory," Gabriel said.
"I want a medal of the memory," Boo demanded.
Gabriel laughed and reached out to ruffle Boo’s hair. His hand passed through, but he pretended it worked.
Drake looked up at the sky, at the hoops and streamers and bells still swaying gently in the breeze.
"Next year," he said quietly, "I will win."
Luna nodded beside him. "Yes. You will," she said.
Boo floated up between them. "And I will also be there. Enjoying the scenery," he announced.
"That is not winning," Drake said.
"It is winning differently," Boo replied.
Drake smiled.
And Alina watched them and felt proud.
***
The games continued through the afternoon, one after another, each one more ridiculous and wonderful than the last. None of them were serious. None of them were about winning or losing or scores or rankings. They were just fun.
Pure, chaotic, joyful fun.
There was the Egg-and-Spoon race, where children had to balance wooden eggs on spoons while walking across the grass. Kelpie’s water kept making his egg slippery, so it fell off seventeen times. Rocky discovered that if he walked very slowly, the egg stayed perfectly still. He finished last, but he finished with his egg intact, which he considered a victory.
There was the Three-Legged Race, where children were tied together in pairs and had to run without falling. Sable and Lucien were tied together and moved like a single creature, perfectly synchronized, finishing in first place. Drake was tied with a boy from Class C who ran at completely different speeds, and they fell over immediately. They spent the whole race laughing on the ground.
There was the Sack Race, where children had to hop inside burlap sacks. The twins from Class A hopped together in perfect rhythm. The insect boy from Class B tried to fly inside his sack and got tangled. Boo floated through the bottom of his sack and emerged on the other side, sackless, and declared himself the winner. Professor Hobb, who was judging, said that did not count. Boo said Professor Hobb’s opinion did not count. They argued for three minutes while other children hopped past them.
And through it all, Boo kept finding his way back to the messy brown-haired boy from Class C.
His name was Kael. He had dirt on his cheek, grass stains on his knees, and a permanent look of mild confusion on his face. He was not fast. He was not strong. He was not particularly skilled at any of the games. But he tried everything with the same earnest enthusiasm, and when he failed, he just shrugged and laughed.
Boo was fascinated.
"You think like me," Boo said, floating beside Kael as they watched the next game.
Kael looked at him. "I do?" he asked.
"You tried to spiritually aim at the monster," Boo said.
"Yes," Kael admitted.
"You fell during the sack race," Boo continued.
"Many times," Kael said with a shrug.
"You did not care," Boo observed.
"I was having fun," Kael replied.
Boo nodded slowly. "Yes. That is my philosophy exactly."
Kael smiled. "Cool."
They watched the next game in comfortable silence. A group of children were trying to transport water from one bucket to another using only cups with holes in the bottom. It was impossible. They were having the time of their lives.
"Hey," Boo said suddenly. "Are you a ghost? How come I haven’t seen you in the ghost tower?"
Kael blinked. "I’m not a ghost," he said.
"But you think like a ghost," Boo insisted.
"I think like a person," Kael replied.
"That is what a ghost would say," Boo said suspiciously.
Kael tilted his head. "I’m a sect kid. My family exorcises ghosts," he explained.
Boo’s eyes widened.
The word hung in the air like a bomb.
"Exorcises?" Boo whispered, his voice trembling.
"Yeah," Kael said casually. "We send ghosts away. It’s a family business. My dad does it. My mom does it. My grandpa does it. They have special robes and everything."
Boo’s cap started to tremble.
"You... you exorcise ghosts?" Boo asked, his voice barely audible.
"Not me," Kael said cheerfully. "I’m not very good at it. I failed the training. I forgot all the chants. And the symbols? Mine look like squiggles. My dad says my symbols look like a cat sat on the paper."
Boo’s trembling stopped.