Chapter 12.3 - August 2023 – Wheat bread with honey.. and tiny little football players...

It was an early august morning, the month after Solvej and Patriks wedding. The days to eat wheat bread with honey... Rune had just started school again after the summer holiday and Solvejs mom and dad was still staying with them. Solvejs aunt and uncle and her brothers were also all still in town, but this was their last day before they would leave and go back to Ciani Tharis early next morning..

 

Grandma and grandpa had been really helpful to have around the house during this period watching after the toddlers and giving Solvej and Patrik more time for themselves..

 

As this was her familys last day in town, Solvej wanted all of them to hang out at the summer festival one more time before they had to leave.. the weather was overcast this morning with a slight chance of rain, but was set to clear up during the day, so it looked like a pretty good day to hang out at the park..

 

Immediately upon entering the park Silvia set her sights on the football goal. She had seen how excited her father could be about anything sports related, football in particular, and now she got a chance to try it for herself.. if daddy liked it so much, it had be fun..

 

Silvia was really happy now that she had gotten to the ball – just like any toddler would be – it was everything that existed, right here, right now. She stomped her little feet on the ground and did her best to kick the ball forward. Her sister Lilian had seen Silvia stumble towards the ball, and now she wanted to play with it too, but this didn't matter at all to Silvia.. She had the ball, and that was the most important thing. Her sister was just background noise, like everything else in the park.. There were only three things that were real right now. Herself, the ball, and the goal way over there in the distance.

 

She did what she could to kick the ball as hard as she could, and she scored everytime as the ball stopped still a couple of meters from the net.. but it was there where it should be, right in front of the goal, and that was everything that existed and mattered!

Until she was picked up by grandma. Then the ball was no more, and it was just her and grandma. It was such a wonderful world where every new thing that happened was more interesting than what happened just seconds ago. So vibrant, exciting, colourful and full of life.

 

Mona really enjoyed spending time playing with her grandchildren, they were so lovely those little tots. She had to give an equal amount of attention to both of them. When Lilian was picked up by grandma, there was no Silvia, and there was no ball. It was just grandma. Grandma was laughter and a smiling face. Suddenly there were trees, clouds, lots of blue and a big shining light. Then it was grandma again. Everything was laughter and a smiling face. Everyone was warm and happy, because that's what she was.

Maybe even grandma felt like a child there for a while, having so much fun with Silvia and Lilian, losing track of time and place, living in a world where everyone was smiling and happy and floating around in a wonderful balloon...

 

..but the one in the family that had truely kept the child in her was Solvejs aunt and Rolfs sister Viktoria. She had sat down to have a picnic with local crime and horror novel writer Agathi Flansbarne and her son Ruben, and they appeared to get along well.

 

Agathi has no interest in playing with kids toys, but is childlike in her own way, as she is very much driven by curiosity and sometimes – just like a child – will do almost whatever it takes to pursue whatever it could be that looks shiny and fascinating to her – such as stepping over a "police - do not cross" barrier tape or maybe even a dead body or two.. and Agathi certainly has a fascination for the childish, though – as she should, because she is married to Baturney, the biggest grownup child in all of Sprottenham...

 

Silvia kept practicing football non-stop, denying her sister access to the ball completely, so Lilian eventually gave up and wanted to seek out the company of someone else instead.. so she got up and wobbled her way across the grass to a group of adults having a picnic all the way over there in the distance on the far end of the park..

..by the time she had reached them though, Agathi had trailed off with Ruben and Viktoria, leaving only her uncle Sylvester René. And then suddenly it wasn't as interesting anymore.. she didn't know him all that well, and he was a little to scary to approach...

 

..but it was no worries, because mom was there to pick her up, and everything felt warm and good again.

 

Mom was a pair of warm, gentle but strong hands, and a happy smiling face. Just like grandma, but better. Mom had the sweetest voice in the world. Mom was safety, joy, cleanliness and food. Mom was the world.

 

..and for others, a football was the world. And this world was hers, and hers alone.

 

Rune would've liked to be left alone too, as he was trying to do his homework, but he was constantly interrupted and distracted by his grand aunt Viktoria..

She had so many stories from the music industry she wanted to share with him, and sure enough they could have been interesting... just not right now... he might have wanted to listen to them some other time, even if right now he didn't see himself pursuing a career in music... he would much rather be strong and athletic.. like his dad..

 

Nobody wanted to listen to Viktoria this day.. she hoped to get everyones attention by telling a ghost story, but not even Agathi wanted to listen.. She found it much more interesting to play tag with a random paper boy instead.. not necessarily childish, but definately childlike in her own way..

 

Rune had to hide from Viktoria behind a scrub to get the peace and quiet he needed to finish his homework.. it was probably also a good thing that his grandpa hadn't discovered the fireworks that someone had left sitting out there in the park like that.. ;)

The twin sisters had continued to hang out out by the football area, with Silvia hogging the ball all day and evening, not giving Lilian one single chance at trying a shot.. So Lilian gave up once more, and decided to head towards her grandaunt Viktoria who was now having another picnic by the eating contest table..

Silvia must have somehow noticed that her sister was leaving her, because she quickly followed suit.. I wouldn't expect to much of these toddlers, and that there would be a strong sisterly bond just yet, even if they're twins, but nonetheless, Silvia appeared to not want to be left behind..

 

..but then, in what could appear to be the first sign of planning and strategic thinking, Lilian, who must have noticed her sister was right behind her and going at full toddler speed towards the picnic basket, stopped and turned around to head in the other direction... as if she had wanted to lure her sister away from the football and succeeded... however, as it usually was, this was just another random toddler impulse.. either way, she could finally get to try kicking the ball too...

 

Rune had just finished his homework, and was just about to head over to the skating rink when he was found by his grandaunt again.. still wanting to share stories from her career with him..

 

Silvia wasn't shy to approach her uncle Sylvester René by the picnic basket, he was already sitting there with grandpa and grandma, which she had gotten to know really well during their stay at mom and dads house. She listened in intently on their conversation, even if she didn't really understand much of anything they talked about and occasionally tried to get attention or take part in the conversation by pointing at the basket and saying things like "juice!" or "banana!". It's amazing she appeared to still be full of energy after having spent such a long day in the park repeatedly kicking a ball...

The same couldn't be said about Solvej though, as she walked around to say goodbye to her grandaunt and her brothers one last time before they would head back to the hotel to pack their bags..

 

Mona suggested that next summer they should come visit them in Ciani Tharis instead. There were many good fishing spots in the area, and she was sure that Rune would really enjoy them.. and in some years time, the twins probably would too.. she would definately love to take her grandkids out to go fishing, and of course, perhaps teach them something about what fertilizer works best for different plants...

..and that might prove to be an excellent idea one day, but for now it was time to go back to the house and make sure the toddlers were fed before bedtime and go to sleep.. Grandpa and grandma would have a long day of travel ahead of them tomorrow..

 

Good night.. ;)

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