Cornbread & Crossroads

arm interrupted my petty vengeance.
“They are not worth the effort, although I must commend you on your surveillance skills, my dear Sherlock.” Horatio held onto me with pleading eyes. “Confrontation will only breed more discord.”
I slumped against him and put as much of my arm around his waist as I could. “I’m sorry you heard that, too. It’s definitely not how most of us feel.”
The large troll patted the top of my head with a little too much strength. “Do you propose that I have not heard disparaging remarks such as this throughout my lifetime? I have enough faith in the kinder hearts of Honeysuckle Hollow to prevail against such ugliness.”
“I don’t know how you can endure it without getting upset.” I squeezed him a little harder.
The troll drew in a deep breath, making it harder for me to hold onto him. He let it out and explained, “Because I believe that the beauty of life outweighs the bad. And I know that were I to take up the banner against such hatred, they would use my Otherness to hurt more than just me. Tis better that I take Will’s own words to heart, which he so eloquently penned. ‘The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.’”
Trust Horatio to use a quote from Shakespeare to make his point, even though I needed it interpreted. “What does that mean?”
His rumbling chuckle vibrated against me like thunder. “Simply put, life is messy. You cannot have all good, for without the bad as well, how would you recognize that which is fair? Without knowing the darker feelings of your kin, I would not appreciate the goodness of your friendship as much.”
I released my friend and stood back, soaking in his wisdom. The sentiment could apply to so many more things than just my Aunt Nora’s attitude. Thanking Horatio for the life lesson, I left to search for Mason with my heart a little lighter than it had been before.
After wandering around other gatherings of people deep in conversation, I found the detective standing with his boss and a dwarf whose name I didn’t know yet. Mason and the new resident listened to Big Willie’s booming tale from years gone by when I slipped my hand into the detective’s. His instant squeeze and pull to draw me closer alleviated my worries, and I leaned into him to gain more contact.
“And that’s how I ended up with swamp water coming out of my ears but no prize.” The large Sasquatch broke into peals of laughter. “Those will-o’-the-wisps can be a might wily, I can tell you. Led me on quite the chase, and I didn’t hear the end of it from the rest of the department for years.”
Before Big Willie started another rousing story, I jumped into action. “Excuse us, Sheriff, but I think my grandmother wanted to talk to both of us before she makes her big speech tonight.”
“You tell Vivi not to make it too long. I wanna get in another dance with my wife before the band quits,” he declared before barreling into another boisterous tale to the smaller dwarf.
Mason and I found a quiet spot away from the action. “When Willie gets nostalgic, it’s hard to get him to stop,” he said. “Thanks for saving me back there.”
His words reminded me of Dash’s, and I wondered if I really was Princess Charming. Taking advantage of the moment alone, Mason stopped walking and lifted my right hand in the air with his while placing his left hand at my waist. He twirled me out once before pulling me back into him and swaying to the music.
“When did you become such a twinkle toes?” I asked, holding onto him and hoping my clumsy tendencies would take a break.
He led our steps in a tight circle. “When you’ve got the right partner, dancing’s easy.”
One of my left feet stomped on his, and he winced. “Wanna say that again?” I asked with a giggle.
He lay my right hand on top of his shoulder and grasped my hips, swaying us back and forth. “I don’t mind if you stomp on both my feet as long as it’s me you’re dancing with.”
We both almost regretted his words when I managed to crush his toes again. “Why don’t we just take a walk together around the perimeter?” I suggested for the sake of his feet and my pride.
I told him about my day in detail as well as what I’d overheard Aunt Nora saying. Like usual, he allowed me to vent as I needed to and offered support. But even he didn’t have any suggestions on what to do about my aunt’s attitude other than to warn Nana.
“It sounds like you could use a break from everything,” Mason said, pulling me tighter against him.
Visions of somewhere warm and sunny with lounge chairs sunk into a sandy beach and fruity drinks in coconuts from a nearby tiki bar tempted me. I sighed. “I don’t know when I’d find the time. There’s so much that needs to be done here.”
He stopped walking and turned to face me. “I don’t think anyone would think twice if you went away even for a little bit. You might run yourself down too much if you keep going at the pace you are.”
“A part of me knows you’re right.” A wave of exhaustion hit me as if in agreement with the detective, making it harder to resist the idea.
Mason seized the quiet moment of indecision. “There’s something I’ve been trying to tell you for some time, and I’ll just say it fast before something else comes up. Charli, I—”
A large object whooshed down from above, right over our heads. We ducked as dark feathers flapped in the air and a screeching caw echoed into the night.
“Biddy, what are you doing?” I chastised.
The crow ignored me and flew over to a nearby bench. She lit on top of it and squawked with purpose. As my eyes took in all