This story is fan fiction based on The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Rayabelle submitted it for a writing contest sponsored by the publishers of the series.

My name’s Loreena Nightingale. Let me tell you about my little town.

                As you can see, I live in the north of Aeirwiar, in the peninsula that juts out into the Dark Sea. My little town is the only one in the peninsula, and hardly anyone knows about us, except for the merchant ships that come in every month. Our diet is mostly made up of seafood and arctic animals. The merchants that come to Lonely Peaks, my town, bring us things like sugar, fruit, and meats, not to mention books for our library, which we exchange for things like spiced shrimp and salted fish. Our library may not be as big as the one in Ban Rona (which I have only read about), but it still houses many, many books, many of which I’ve read. The Lonely Peaks Library is warm and inviting, with spiral staircases going up to the second level, squishy chairs by the fireplace, and warm colors covering the rugs and furniture. Many of my friends like to spend our time after school sitting in the library, reading.

                My family has never liked reading as much as I have, especially my brother. He’s always “too busy” helping our father with the hunting. Eyeren, my brother, has always wanted to impress our father, who leads the hunting expeditions going deeper into the snowy land we live in. Altem, my father, is a big, burly man with a big, bushy red beard and kind blue eyes, sometimes hiding under his long red hair. Eyeren dyed his hair blond and always keeps it slicked back. Kartana, my mother was horrified when my brother (and I) dyed our hair. My hair was originally black, like my mothers, and it hung almost to my waist. But I decided to cut it and dye it. My hair is wavy, shoulder length and blond now, with black hair closer to the top of my head. Kartana is tall and graceful, with black hair hanging down to her waist. Her eyes are a piercing, vibrant blue, and she wears her apron constantly. And of course, there’s my sweet little gray and white cat, Bookworm, who always enjoys reading with me.

                It happened one day that I was sitting on the couch by the fireplace, all toasty and snuggled up with Bookworm, that suddenly a blast of cold air came in from the door. In came Altem, closely trailed by Eyeren. Both had huge nets of fish slung over their shoulders.

                “Just look at that!” Altem exclaimed, throwing the net on the ground.

                “What did you catch, Papa?” I asked.

                “DAGGERFISH!” my father roared. “They’re migrating again!” Eyeren added.

                Every year, before the Dark Sea froze over, the daggerfish migrate to mate and lay their eggs in the Watercraw, near Ban Rona.

                “And you know what that means, Kartana,” Altem said to my mother, who was standing in the kitchen.

                “Daggerfish stew!” My brother and I cheered.

                Every year my mother would make dozens of barrels full of the most delicious daggerfish stew. Some of the barrels she would trade with families in the town, but most she traded with the merchants who were due to come in a week.

                “I can’t wait to help you make some!” I said.

                “Don’t forget,” Kartana reminded me. “You’re going to make a pot of your own this year.”

                Part of the tradition was that I always helped my mother make the stew. But this year I would do that, as well as making some of my own–with Kartana’s recipe–without burning the house down. Half of me wanted to prove that I could do it, and the other half was terrified what would happen if something went wrong. I was determined to get it perfect. If a single spice was left out, if something was measured wrong, or if I put too much of one ingredient in, the whole stew could be ruined. No pressure. “How could I forget?” I laughed uneasily.

                That night, I helped Kartana make the first few batches of stew. I watched her carefully, writing down everything I could. All the ingredients, how much of each, and how long to leave the daggerfish to stew for. The next day was Saturday, so while Altem and Eyeren were out catching more fish, and Kartana was running errands around the town, I was left alone with Bookworm to cook my pot of daggerfish stew. I read through my notes, following each of them carefully. A cup of this, a quarter cup of that, one teaspoon of this, a tablespoon of that. I even added a few ingredients of my own, hoping to impress Kartana and make the stew the best batch ever. Soon the whole house started smelling like delicious daggerfish stew. After leaving the daggerfish to stew, I poured the steaming deliciousness into a yellow pot for our family to eat at dinner. I set the pot carefully on the table, laid out bowls, silverware, and cups, and even bought a few little flowers from the greenhouse, which I put in a vase on the table. A few minutes later, the rest of my family showed up.

                “It smells amazing in here!” Eyeren said, sitting down at the table.

                “I’m sure you did a wonderful job,” Kartana assured me.

                We all sat down at the table, and after praying to the Maker, I served the stew. My mother’s eyes widened as she took the first bite.

                “What? Is something wrong?” I asked, panicking.

                “No,” Kartana groaned. “It’s amazing!” she added.

                “Can I have seconds?” Eyren asked, already finished with his bowl.

                I laughed. “Sure.”

                I served his, then realized that I hadn’t taken a bite of my own. I dipped my spoon in, breathing in the delicious sent of stew. Then I took a bite.

                Kartana was right. It was amazing.