Chapter Twenty-Two: Change of Plans

 Narrated by Peter Masterson

Ah, spring. The weather was getting warmer and it was nice to be able to go outside without having to wrap up warm in my thick winter coat. The garden was looking spectacular, even if Artemis's rocket-building project was obscuring the view somewhat. She'd assured me that she'd sell it when she finished, although I didn't want to rush her as I knew it was a complicated process.

After gathering up my latest blooms, I decided to practise my flower-arranging skills. Some people might have thought flower-arranging to be rather a feminine skill, but I didn't much care for gender roles. If any of my children wanted to get married, I could give them a homemade bouquet rather than spend money on an expensive, shop-bought one. 

The following day was the Finchwick Garden Fair, which was the perfect opportunity to sell some of my produce - the garden stand was open every day, but gave you 10% more money on fair days. I could also enter something into the Garden Produce Competition, and decided on one of my dragon fruits.

I'd brought Caroline along with me, so we could spend some time together. Of course, when we both went out in public together, people tended to get very excited. She was much more recognisable than me, and people tended to ask her for selfies more than they did me. Feeling a little mischievous, I decided to hover in the background as my wife leaned in to pose with a fan...

"Darling, did you just photobomb me?" Caroline asked with a grin.

"Possibly," I replied. "I'm famous too."

"Yes, love, but she wanted a selfie with me, not you," she laughed. "Ah well, perhaps she'll find it funny."

Summer was now upon us, and time to consider where we could go on holiday. Although Sulani was always a nice idea, I fancied going somewhere different. 

I browsed a holiday lets website, and noticed that there was a new holiday rental available in Mt Komorebi, which had formerly been a family home. It was in the Senbamachi neighbourhood rather than the more usual tourist hotspot of Yukimatsu, and was near a popular hiking trail. Although intrigued, I knew I should discuss it with the family first, just to make sure that we were all on the same page.

As a member of the high school football team, Apollo needed to practice, and I was happy to be his catching partner. Neither Caroline nor I had really been into sport as youngsters, and I wasn't entirely sure where Apollo's ability had come from. But it was a good thing that our children weren't all following in our footsteps, as we wanted them to be their own people. 

Meow... meow... 

Heidi had come to find me, meowing pitifully.

"What's the matter, kitty-cat?" I asked.

"Meow..." she replied, turning to walk towards her food bowl, which I noticed was empty.

"Oh dear. I'd better fill that up for you, then," I said. 

She watched intently as I did so. I wasn't sure when she'd last eaten, but I did know that cats tended to act as though they were dying of starvation if their food bowl was empty for even two seconds.

Wednesday meant Summer Festival day, and we headed over to Ohan'ali Beach as we always did. However...

"Oh crap, monsoon season," Caroline groaned. 

"Damn, I should have known," I replied. "It's never normally this bad on Summer Festival day. Oh well, I guess we'll have to break with tradition this year. How about I book that trip to Mt Komorebi?"

"Yes please, I don't fancy hanging around in this storm," Apollo replied.

Thankfully, the weather in Mt Komorebi was a lot nicer, if cloudy. As the weather was warm, Apollo and I decided to go on a hike round the nearby trail together. It was always good to spend some one-on-one time with my children, particularly since Apollo and I were the only men in the family. 

"It's peaceful round here, isn't it?" Apollo mused. "Very different to San Myshuno."

"Very," I agreed. "I like San Myshuno too, though. Having all those festivals and international food stalls right on our doorstep."
"Yeah. It's been a lot of fun growing up there."

Feeling a little peckish that evening, I headed over to a nearby food stall to sample a plate of salmon maki rolls. There was a Japanese food stand in San Myshuno, but it did not offer maki rolls, so I was eager to try them. They were great, and I fancied making them at home. The only problem was that my fishing skills weren't quite as good as my gardening ones. Perhaps I could take a class...

"OHMYGODFIRE!"

The following morning, instead of waking up naturally, I was jerked awake by the sound of Artemis screaming. Luckily, by the time I'd leapt out of bed and gone to investigate, the fire was extinguished with Artemis still alive albeit very sooty.

"Thank God you're alright," Caroline said. "I think it's time you learned the Chillio spell. It can extinguish fires as well as freeze people."

"Yeah, me too," Artemis gasped. "That was not something I want to repeat any time soon."

Although we'd gone back home on the Friday morning, we ended up heading back to Senbamachi on the Friday evening to have fun at the Festival of Light, with me arriving a little later due to work. The area was lit up beautifully. Before joining my family in wearing the specially-designed festival kimono, I headed over to a brightly-light taiyaki food stall.