Chapter Fourteen: Night Parade:

By sundown, we made it back to the village. I lifted my head when I heard the sound of pounding drums in the sky. I looked around for the source.

“What is it, Bri?” Ruriko asked.

“Do you hear that?” I asked.

“Hear what?”

“Listen.” Everyone stopped in their tracks for a listen. Noiz’s lips curved into a smile.

“Oh, we are just in time,” she said.

“In time for what?” I asked. Noiz and Yui grabbed my hands and dragged me further down the street.

“Hey!” I shouted. “Where are we going now?” The group and I came up to the side of the street. I looked around at the people crowded along either side of us. Before I could open my mouth, I turned when I heard the sound of pounding drums getting louder. Men in traditional robes walked down the streets pounding small drums. Colored smoke swirled behind them. I covered my mouth, gasping.

“What is this?” I asked. Noiz smiled as she patted me on the shoulders.

“Keep watching,” she said. A great green and red paper dragon walked by us. The gold fringe dazzled through the smoke. Little children underneath the monster sang an upbeat song with the drums. I jerked my head upwards when I heard firecrackers explode in the sky.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Noiz asked.

“What is all of this?” I asked with my face to the sky.

“This is the last night of the festival,” she said. I turned to her with big eyes.

“Huh?”

“At the end of the festival, the villagers of this island throw a huge parade at night. By morning, it goes back to normal.”

A boy about my age walked up to us and handed us sparking fireworks. I looked at the brightly colored sticks in my hand. I turned to Noiz with some idea of what was to come next.

“Not yet,” Akira said. I held my sticks as brightly colored dancers flipped and did acrobatics in the streets. Confetti rained down on the people. I had to pick out the pink glitter out of my hair. Strings joined the pounding drums as they passed by us. The brightly colored floats easily topped the displays during the Macy’s Day Parade. I felt someone nudge me on the shoulder. I turned my head and saw Kyoko smiling like a wild cat.

“Light it,” she mouthed at me. I raised an eyebrow.

“Light it?” I asked.

“Yes!” Kyoko shouted. Tommy held out his lighter and lit me up. My eyes widened as I heard the sizzling.

“Now what?” I asked.

“Throw it!” Tommy and Kyoko shouted.

“Throw it?” I asked.

“Yes!”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Okay…” I threw my lit sticks in the sky. I had to scream and cover my ears as they exploded.

“Yikes!” I shouted. Noiz laughed as she threw her lit sticks in the sky. I dashed around to avoid the sparks falling to the ground. However, I was laughing as I ran. My cousin grabbed me as I ran into her.

“Having fun?” she asked. I threw back my head and laughed at the brightly lit sky.

“Yeah!” I shouted.

“Great to hear.”

I rested my head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for being a snot earlier.” Noiz ran her fingers through my hair.

“It’s cool,” she said. “No biggie.”

“Yeah…” I found myself lost in the general feeling of happiness the fireworks and the parade gave off around me. The night party lasted until four in the morning, but it didn’t feel like it to me. Secretly, I hoped that it would go on forever. However, I would have to go back to the mainland in the morning.