When the weather turned warm and the rains came, they brought new life to the land. The trees grew new, bright green leaves, and the vegetables planted last season were coming to bear.
This harvest season was different from the previous. K's friend, N, was coming to visit his new home. N and K had been friends long before the Red Flame Dragon took K as a student. K always enjoyed N's company, and they remained friends over the decades.
It was a particularly hot day when N showed up. The sound of wagon wheels bumping along the forest path drew the attention of the creatures. The forest inhabitants followed the wagon as it made its way to K's tree.
"K!" N screamed up at the tree.
Her scream startled the onlookers as well as K, who had been lost in thought over one of his experiment jars. Recognising N's voice, K jumped out of the treehouse. Before his feet touched the ground, he pulled N into a bear hug and whisked her up, jovially shouting her name.
"N, I missed you!"
"Put me down; you're being annoying."
"Sorry, I'm just so happy to see you again. Can I keep hugging you?"
"You're not going to get the food I brought for you."
"Sorry, I'll stop."
K let go of N, then floated her and the wagon up to his home.
"So, what did you bring for me this time?"
"K, you bottomless pit! Food is all you ever think about."
K grinned from ear-to-ear as he snatched N in another bear hug. K and N talked about their travels as they set the table with the dishes N brought. The main table and other tables in the tree house could not hold all the food.
"That's a lot of food, N. Who's the rest of it for?"
"Who else can eat as much as you do?"
"It's all for me?" K. asked with a nervous laugh.
"Obviously. With the way you eat, I'm not sure this is even enough."
"Hold on, why does everything look like it's made out of pumpkin?"
"Because it was. You said you liked pumpkin."
"I did, but this is...a lot"
"What? Not going to eat it?" N asked crossly
"I'll eat!"
N had a bountiful pumpkin harvest right at the start of the new season. No matter how much she sold, there were still too many pumpkins left. Bread, cake, ice cream, pastries, soup, fried, stewed, dried, steamed, mashed, pickled Every dish on the table had a different pumpkin dish in it.
N sat patiently, watching K sample the spread. By the 21st sample, K had grown tired of the pumpkin taste. He looked at N, hoping she would let him go, but her smile held nothing but encouragement.
Steeling himself, K ate from every dish in the spread. Surprisingly, he ate until he was completely full.
ns 18.68.41.175da2
