A Chance Encounter

“When we are generous in welcoming people and sharing something with them-some food, a place in our homes, our time-not only do we no longer remain poor: we are enriched.”

 “We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.”

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    Fall had just begun to descend into the land of Lingua. Nearly all of the trees’ leaves had changed from lush green to vibrant red and orange hues. The air in the evening was characterized by a consistent cool breeze. The days were getting shorter. 

     Donut and Mellow were out enjoying the crunchy leaves on the ground, gleefully stepping on any that they could find. Donut found particular joy in the earthy smell that accompanied the crunching, taking a moment to pause and inhale whenever Mellow took another step. Then again, the two sugary logos were already sweet smelling to begin with, this only multiplying the enjoyment of the touch and smell sensations. 

     “Hey, Mellow, what would you say is your favorite part of this season?” Donut asked as the two continued walking under the trees of the quiet clearing. Mellow fell silent, pausing his giggling while he pondered the question. Finally, he chuckled again and chirped “Eating!” Mellow was a logos of few words, perhaps because his brain was made of candy, but his heart was sweet. Donut chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder, “Of course, I enjoy the food festivals that accompany the season as well.” Mellow’s grin grew larger, stretching clownishly across his face, as he nodded vigorously in agreement. “You know that you can find lots of wild foods this time of year, too right?” Donut asked his friend. Mellow looked astonished, hastily looking around as if someone had hidden treats for him to find. Donut chuckled again, “Of course! You can forage for all sorts of tasty things—” Mellow was no longer listening to Donut. Suddenly without hesitation the large orange logos took off running, an activity saved only for Halloween and Trick-or-Treating. Donut looked on in shock, “Wait—where are you going?” He managed to get out before his friend disappeared into the brush. “He can really move when he wants to.” 

     Following Mellow was easy thanks to the large footprints he left in the soft loamy soil. If the ground was hard then Donut might start to worry. After walking through a large swath of trees and passing by a trail of broken twigs and crushed leaves, the trail of footprints abruptly ended. Donut looked up to find his friend standing directly in front of him, staring intently with his large yellow eyes at another Logos at a nearby picnic table. Donut stood up and pat his friend’s back again, Mellow was breathing hard from the outburst. “You had me worried for a sec pal!” Mellow grunted and slowly stepped out of his hiding place among the trees and bushes and started walking toward the unfamiliar logos. Curious, Donut followed behind him, wondering what might have attracted him here until his nose twitched, catching the faint scent of fresh produce on the wind. “Oh…!” He exclaimed, starting to understand what set Mellow off. 

     The unfamiliar logos seemed unphased by the two sweet-smelling dinosaurs approaching them. They merely continued prepping a picnic table with a fresh cloth and plates as the other two finally made it close enough to introduce themselves. Donut waved at the stranger, “Hi there, could you use some help?” Mellow walked around to the other side of the table and sat down, placing his hands neatly crossed over each other, and looked up at the stranger. “My friend here could smell the food coming out of your—tail?” Donut looked in awe at the stranger, noticing how food seemed to magically pour out of their tail and the cornucopia that they carried in their hands. The stranger chuckled, pulled an apple out of the growing bounty and handed it to Mellow. Mellow clapped his hands gleefully and took the apple, barely pausing to thank the other logos before biting into it. The other logos chuckled and reached into their tail again, grabbed a string of grapes, and handed them to Donut. Donut took the fruit and bowed his head, “Thank you for these! Could we help you with whatever it is you’re doing?” The stranger smiled as they finished straightening the table cloth on the picnic table. “If you wouldn’t mind helping me set out some forks, knives and cups I would appreciate it.” Donut nodded and grabbed some silverware packets from a nearby box that sit on the ground beside the stranger. Once they were neatly arranged, he turned again and put the remaining cups on the table with the plates. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re preparing this for?” The stranger chuckled and started filling the now-empty supplies basket with food. “I’m preparing for a party! Well… sort of.” Donut looked puzzled, the picnic table the other logos was setting up on had definitely seen better days. The park it was located in was rarely used anymore due to its age. As soon as the stranger hoisted the basket onto the table, Mellow clumsily grabbed a banana and started munching on it with the skin still intact. The stranger chuckled and continued, “Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, fresh food comes pouring out of my tail and my cornucopia. I hate for it to go to waste to I set up these tables and sometimes wandering logos like yourself come and eat it.” Donut nodded understandingly, “but what if no one comes?” The other logos rubbed their chin thoughtfully, “You know, I haven’t really had that issue yet, so I guess I’ll cross that bridge when it comes. However, I suppose I can always go find some others to invite.” 

     The rest of the afternoon was spent talking with the bountiful stranger about their plans for the fall and what their favorite part of the season was. As the sun started to set, the three had managed to consume most of the food that had been provided. Mellow groaned quietly as he rolled off the bench and onto the ground, causing the other two to laugh. “Don’t worry, he’ll walk it off, his metabolism is freakishly fast.” Donut reassured their new friend, “by the way, this is embarrassing, but I don’t think we ever asked your name?” The stranger chuckled and started picking up the plates and utensils. “To be honest, I don’t have a human name yet, I’ve just been calling myself ‘Harvest,’ my word focus.” Donut nodded, “I know a few other logos who prefer their word focus, anyhow, it was wonderful meeting you.” Mellow had managed to climb back onto his feet so he could shake Harvest’s hand. Afterwards he pulled a small bag of mellow creme pumpkins out of seemingly nowhere and handed it to them. “Thank you” he chirped flashed the other logos a grin. Donut looked flustered, he was not prepared with any boxes of donuts. 

     “Is there any chance that we could help you with your next gathering? We could even help supply some of the food.” Donut asked earnestly. Harvest had just finished packing up, “Sure! I would appreciate that very much.” 

 “How will we find you again?”

 “While I’m sure your friend here would know how to find me again, I’m planning on setting up the next picnic near the fish pond just a little way away from town.” 

 “We’ll be sure to be there, and this time we’ll bring more friends and food.”