The wind was blowing. Crystal felt her light green dress flapping in the wind, and she had to hold it down. She had already given up keeping her hair from going haywire. She hoped she would still look her best. I wonder if she brought me anything? she thought. I hope she found those fruit candies.

For a moment, she thought she heard a voice, and she perked up. She turned to the gate, but it was still closed. What did Mommy say this gate was called? Pepper? Private? She couldn’t quite seem to remember the name. She tried to think back to when her mother had explained what each of the gates was.

“Cryssy, each gate is important,” she remembered her mother saying. “There’s the Prosperity Gate, the Prominence Gate, and the _________ Gate.” Even with the specific memory, Crystal could not quite remember what her mother had said. Surely, the name started with “P,” but she just couldn’t remember the word.

Suddenly, a great weight fell on her back, crushing her to the ground as if it were a falling cow. “Ow,” she exclaimed as the weight lifted.

“Sorry,” a familiar voice apologized.

Crystal turned over and found a tall girl in a dark purple dress standing over her. Violet offered her a hand, and Crystal took it, scowling at her friend. “Why’d you hit me?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Violet said, smiling unapologetically. “You didn’t hear me calling, so I had to get your attention.”

“You didn’t have to tackle me,” Crystal said, but she couldn’t help but smile. Even Violet’s antics couldn’t get her down today. “Did you hear?”

“What?” Violet asked, tilting her head to the side.

Crystal stood up tall. “Mom is coming home today!”

“Really?” Violet asked, standing up herself. “How do you know?”

Smiling ear to ear, Crystal said, “I was getting my lessons from Gertrude, and a scout ran in. He said Mom and everyone was spotted a day away. That was yesterday! So today, I wanted to be the first to see her!”

“Then I’ll be the second,” Violet said, stepping up to stand next to Crystal. They stared at the gate, and Crystal could not help but feel excited. Mom had been gone for several months on a trip to the island of Mopuni. She had not heard anything for quite a while before the scout arrived. If she were honest with herself, she had started to worry.

The gate began to open. Crystal had to practically hold herself in place. The hinges of the gate seemed to scream. A figure appeared from the gates and then another. The gate opened fully and revealed a whole caravan, totaling maybe thirty people. Crystal quickly spotted her mother’s horse, but she did not see her mother.

Running up to the caravan, Crystal looked for her mother. Violet powered up next to her and said, “I don’t see her.”

Crystal ignored her and kept looking. She ran to her mother’s horse, and she nearly slammed into a tall woman. Stopping herself just short, Crystal look up and saw Felicia. Felicia was the Chief’s advisor. A few years older than her mother, Felicia was always a source of sage advice. Crystal’s mother would rarely go anywhere without here.

Felicia smiled, her grin motherly. “Hello, Crystal. Did you come to welcome us back?”

Crystal smiled back, but she felt uneasy. “Yeah! Is mommy here?”

Felicia’s smile faded for a moment before reappearing. “Did the scout not tell you? Your mother had to make a detour. There were some…issues in Gyeol. Your mother went to go keep the peace.”

“Oh,” Crystal said, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.

Kneeling down, Felicia put a hand on Crystal’s tiny shoulder. “I am very sorry, Crystal. The scout should not have been so loose with his words. But do not worry. I brought something for you.”

Felicia reached into a sack on the saddle of Crystal’s mother’s horse. Out of the sack, she pulled a small leather bag. Felicia handed the bag to Crystal, and the young girl opened it. Inside were small candies. Crystal smiled and showed the candies to Violet. “Nice,” Violet congratulated.

Crystal turned to Felicia. “Did mommy pick these out for me?”

Felicia cringed but maintained her smile. “Your mother helped me find the best candies for you.”

Something felt wrong to Crystal about Felicia’s words, but she pushed that feeling away. Instead, she said, “Yay! Mommy did think of me.”

Crystal grabbed Violet’s arm and began to run away, intent on enjoying her new bounty. Before she took more than three steps, she stopped and turned back to Felicia. “Thank you, Feelie.” Crystal then turned back and ran off with Violet.

Behind them, Crystal could just barely see Felicia’s face fall.