Gunpowder and Tea Cakes: My Journey with Felicity

I choose to play games. I want to see what quoits are! Susan leads us to a corner of the lawn where a stake has been pounded into the ground. Half a dozen rings made from rope lie on the grass nearby. She explains we’ll take turns tossing the rings over the stake. After each round, we take a step farther away from the stake and try again.

She puts a stick on the ground and stands behind it. Elizabeth whispers to ask us if we should let Susan win. She’s the youngest, and the governor’s daughter. Susan gets four of six looped around the stake. Then Felicity takes a turn. She gets two of six. Neither Elizabeth nor I get any over the stake. I’m not sure whether I missed due to nervousness or just because I’m horrible at this game.

Susan thinks for a moment, and then suggests we play with her new kite. It’s made of white silk painted with a bright yellow sun, a blue moon, and red stars. She puts the kite on the grass and unwinds some string. I back up closer to the flower bed to give Susan room. I notice the little boy has stopped working to watch our games, and the elderly man gently tells Ruben to keep working. I can tell he wants to play, though.

Susan runs across the lawn holding the string high, but the kite just bumps across the grass. Felicity mutters this won’t work. She offers to help. Perhaps if she holds the kite up while Susan handles the string. They try again. Felicity waits for just the right moment to throw the kite into the air. Elizabeth rushes in to try to help. The kite spirals a few times as if it isn’t sure whether it wants to fly. And then it suddenly takes a nosedive toward the ground near the flower bed.

Ruben jumps up and grabs the kite right before it crashes. He calls out that he got it! The elderly man looks troubled. Is Ruben going to get in trouble?