Emberfall's Longest Night

The town of Emberfall had fallen on hard times. For the past fifty years or so, it had been steadily declining. Townsfolk had been moving to the city to find work. Buildings were neglected. Lack of rainfall produced scanty crops.

Yet, the elders tell a different story. Many of the older generation remember it as a prosperous town, with plenty of jobs, bountiful crops, and young families moving in to start their lives.

“Everything is different now,” they tell anyone who will listen. Many agree that something in Emberfall feels off. The sun isn’t as bright. The wind doesn’t sing. The crops don’t grow. People don’t smile.

This wasn’t always the case. Many believed it was because the old traditions had been forgotten.

There was a time when the longest day of the year was filled with excitement and magic. It’s prime location in a lush valley between two mountains filled people with gratitude and they held a festival each year at the summer solstice.

When people started moving away to find new opportunities, they took the traditions with them. They hadn’t held the festival for almost fifty years.

Until this year.

Many of the elders remembered the festival. They called it their “dying wish” to see the festival one more time. Although none of them were on their death beds, they claimed they could go at any time since they were so old.

They especially wanted to revive the old dances. Secretly, they believed these dances were the reason why the town used to thrive.

There were three dances – the Dance of the Sun, the Dance of the Rain, and the Dance of the Forest. Each dance had four specially selected dancers who were appointed by the elders.

The preparations started at the Spring Equinox as tradition dictated. Some of the elders remembered the dances, and they taught them to the dancers. They also needed special costumes. The old costumes got lost with time, as well, so they had to recreate them based on old photographs.

All but the elders were reluctant. Most felt that preparing for the festival was a lot of work, and they didn’t understand why they needed to prepare for so long.

Then, something changed about three days before the Summer Solstice Festival began. The town came to life. People were singing just a little bit more. The sun was shining just a little bit brighter.

On the day of the festival, Emberfall’s town square was bursting with life. It had been decorated with colorful banners, flowers, and photographs and paintings that portrayed scenes from past festivals. Festival food of fried dough and other treats filled the air. Wildflowers, which had spring up overnight, perfumed the air with their scent.

At exactly noon on the day of the solstice, people gathered in the square to enjoy the festival. At exactly 2 PM, the dancing was to begin. At 1:50 PM, a hush fell over the crowd as the elders, dressed in the traditional dress of the town, gathered in the center of the square.

The oldest of them, a small woman with long white hair named Elder Maureen addressed the crowd. “Today, we honor our ancestors and the solstice. We revive a tradition that our Elderfall hasn’t done for almost fifty years. Today, we will watch the Dance of the Sun, the Dance of the Rain, and the Dance of the Forest, so that our town can be connected to the natural world once again.”

As she spoke, all three groups of dancers joined her in the center of the square, and each began their dances at once. The Sun dancers shone brilliantly in their costumes made of gold fabric. The Rain dancers were dressed in radiant silver, and the Forest dancers were in a metallic silver. They formed a rotating circle, each performing their dances at the same time. Although each group were doing something different, they all felt connected to one another.

The townspeople were silent and watched in awe. Some had smiles on their faces. Others teared up at the elegant sight of each of the dances. As the dances neared their end, a golden light surrounded them. When they stopped, the crowd was silent for a few more seconds, and then erupted in cheers.

The dancers lined up behind Elder Maureen as she encouraged the crowd to silence, so that she could say a few final words. “Now, we call upon the powers of the solstice to bless our town. We have been descending into darkness for several decades because we have turned our backs on the old ways. We vow to host this festival once a year to honor the old traditions and help our town thrive into the future.”

At that moment, the golden light returned, this time illuminating the entire square. “Let this light stay with us throughout the year, to illuminate our path.” The townspeople gasped as the light grew brighter, and eventually dimmed.

“Now, it’s time to enjoy the rest of the festival!” Elder Maureen waved at the crowd, everyone cheered, and then dispersed. The people ate the delicious street food, danced, laughed, and enjoyed the day in a way that hadn’t hit the town for years.

After the festival was over, everyone went home with smiles on their faces. In the coming days, Elderfall seemed to awaken from a deep slumber. The sun shone a little brighter. The plants grew a little taller, and people started to return to the town. After about ten years of holding the festival consistently, the town was so prosperous, they almost forget how much they suffered before bringing the festival back.