ѕαувєя
ѕумвσℓ
Chinese New Year.
I loved watching the parades every year, watching as the animals of the zodiac weaved through the crowds, guided by the people inside of their costumes. One by one, the animals passed by in order of their years.
Snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig..
The costumes were fabulous, the monkey jumping at the crowd in an eager manor similar to the natural actions of the creatures, and the snake slithered across the ground like the reptile would in real life. Slowly, they continued, and I watched in expectation for the final animal.
Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit...
The dragon, this year's creature, was nowhere to be seen long after the rabbit passed by. The murmurs in the crowd picked up, mumbles of confusion and hesitant laughter. Maybe it was just technical difficulties. I considered walking away, going down to one of the booths to spend the rest of my time, but then, shouts went up in the piles of people.
Fireworks exploded in the air, and finally, out came the dragon. It emerged from behind a building, enormous compared to the animals before it. Slowly, it slithered down the path way cleared for it, shaking its head back and forth, snapping out flares of fire in the air. I laughed and clapped along with everyone else, watching the talent of the people handling the creature inside the costume.
Once it had disappeared into the distance, people began to split up from their groups, laughing and talking as they began off towards the smell of food and festivities around the corner. I went with the flow of the crowd, one of the few last people to make their way off the sidewalks. Walking through the crowded groups, my shoulder was rammed into, knocking me onto the ground. Growling, I narrowed my eyes, about to leap up and flip out on the person who had pushed me down, but at the sight of the person in front of me, I stopped.
He was my age, a dragon kite tied to his hands, which whipped about above him in the blowing wind. Staring into each others eyes, we studied one another without looking away. My anger was gone, and the surprise that had once flared up in his own pupils was also fading away.
I was the first one to break the silence, smiling and my voice hesitant when I spoke. "Name's Sayber."
A smile soon lit his face as well, his eyes crinkling at the edges when he did so. "Symbol. You know, what would you say to a nice dinner on the pavilion?"
"I'd be honored."
Let's just say that I'm glad I didn't walk away from the parade this year.
x 
