The sun blazes farewell as it sets in the autumn sky taking the light of day along to another place whose time has come. Strong silhouettes rule this moment where one thing slowly becomes another.
Lily checks her reflection in the glass once more. The long calico dress is simple but it is the best she has. Her chestnut hair falls soft about her shoulders pulled back with the only satin ribbon she owns…blue
Butterflies carry her down the stairs in a fluttering what if…
It is a time before neon lights hide the beauty of the night. Vast countryside is softly bathed in shadow. A half moon curls up as sentinel in an ebony sky.
Music and laughter call out in welcome through the open barn door. The scent of hay mingles with tempting aromas that float above the kettles simmering with hearty fare.
Gingham cloth drapes over and down wooden farmhouse tables laden with the bounty of orchard and fire. Hot cornbread is so golden it just might be worth something.
Pastry has been rolled and filled with the stuff that dreams are made of. A dusting of sugar and time in the oven has them bubbling and sparkling until one can hardly wait.
A few men keep time with their feet as their bows fly fast over the fiddle strings! Sometimes…they slow and soften.
One by one, couples take to the center of the barn. They are timid at first, until the joy of the song fills their hearts. In this place, skirts catch the air and not a single toe will be stepped on…wink
Then, from beyond the hustle and bustle…
the gentleman offers his arm and a warm smile. She accepts both with the raspberry blush of cheek that she knew would come.
No one notices as they make their way past fiddlers and ladies keeping watch over food and even the couples twirling round the dance floor.
…through the open door… into the fresh night air…past the storytellers spinning tales by the fire’s warm glow…
…to the lovely place where moonbeams shine and music can still be heard…
One, two three…step, two three…sweet notes drift in the air above their makeshift dance floor…eyes lost in one another…they waltz…beneath a million stars…
Long after the fiddles stop playing…long after the pies are eaten…long after the world has disappeared…hand in hand…they dance…
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Inspired by Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
written and photographed by Ellie894 February 9, 2018
ellie894 