Patchwork People

It was the final day of the competition, and the hunt had come to an end. A crowd had gathered near the old barn, where Yarnfell stood at centre stage, surrounded by competitors and with several boxes covered in fancy red silk by his side. Pinpin and Tatterbat sat on a fence some distance away, separated from the crowd. As they were no longer competing, they didn’t get the luxury of being in the eyes of everyone else, but they had no reason to go over. They were here simply because they wanted to watch and see if Needly won, with the bug that they’d given back to him a couple days prior.

Even though they were far away from the stage, Yarnfell’s booming voice still carried itself flawlessly in the air, making him easily understandable.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the scarecrow spoke, dominating the atmosphere. “It is with a sadness that I announce the ending of our first bout of Bug Hunting. Many avid competitors went into the wilderness this past week, and all have come back with something of value. Of course, some may have more than others, but no-one today has come to me empty handed, to which I congratulate you all.”

He clapped his hands, setting off a round of applause that echoed through the fields.

“Alas, not everyone can be winners today. To those who didn’t make it, do not give up, as your time may come again next year. And for those who have come bearing the greatest fruits, I am humbled by your skill.”

“Man, he really knows how to get a crowd invested.” Tatterbat said, leaning back against the fence. In his hand was a sugarstuff, which he ate nonchalantly as his attention focused on the speech.

“I guess that’s why he’s so good at what he does.” Pinpin added. “He’s had years to practise.”

“He sure has. You think Needly’s gonna get first place?”

“I would hope so. Would be pretty crushing if he didn’t, seeing as he rejected our offer.”

Tatterbat stretched his arms. “Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“...and in second place, the award goes to the captor of this lovely primscale knitterfly!” Yarnfell announced. He whipped off the silk covering the cage, unveiling the insect within. While Pinpin couldn’t see it from where she was, she could tell it was impressive, based on the oohs and aahs of the crowd.

“Sounds like it’ll take a lot to beat that. I wonder if the Silver Stitchhopper can snag it.” Tatterbat said, finishing his snack.

“And finally, to our winner of the competition.” Yarnfell shouted. “A first time competitor, this lad managed to capture himself a bug of extremely rare value. The insect in question, of course, is no other than this!”

Yarnfell flicked off the silk on the largest cage. The audience gave a heavy gasp that seemed to suck out all the air in the arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am of course referring to the Rainbow Thread Gastropeod. Feast your eyes on the colours, the shine, the ever changing complexion as the light reflects of it so beautifully!”

“Wait, what?” Pinpin stopped eating. “That’s not what we gave Needly!”

“There’s gotta be some mistake! It was a surefire win!” Tatterbat got up, ready to run over to the podium.

Had Needly not won? He seemed so adamant on succeeding, and the three of them had all thought the silver stitchbug was a shoe in. But that bug hadn’t even been mentioned once this ceremony. If this was true, then this was devastating news. What was going on?

“It must be rigged. Surely.” Tatterbat said. He wore a frown on his face. “He’s got it out for Needly, he must do.”

“Calm down.” Pinpin replied. “There’s got to be an explanation.”

Still, it wasn’t settling well in their stomachs. If Needly was around, then there was no way he was going to take this news lightly, and Pinpin imagined that he’d take it out on them. After all, it was their rambling that convinced him it was a winner.

“With this lovely insect for display, it is only fair to bring forth the brave hunter who captured it. Is that right, audience?” Yarnfell asked.

A chorus of whoops and cheers lit up the stage. Pinpin dug her hands into the fence in anticipation. Just who was going to step forth?

“I hear you loud and clear. Well then, I better bring him on. Come on out, Needly!”

“WHAT?” Pinpin and Tatterbat both shouted in unison. What happened to the stitchbug? They had to find out more. Without even talking to each other, both of them began to run toward the stage, desperate to find out just what was going on.

They pushed past the crowd, squeezing through the spectators until they made it to the front row. There was no doubt about it. On the stage, with his hands in the air and money in his pocket, Needly stood. He waved at the onlookers, and when he saw the two gawping at him, gave a slight, smug grin.

“I can’t believe it. You mean he captured something else by himself?” Pinpin gasped.

“So when he said he’d be superior to us, he really meant it. Huh.” Tatterbat said.

They spent the remainder of the ceremony in the front row, not paying attention to what was being said. Occasional cheers and gasps came from around them, but they were both too caught up in Needly’s entry to take part. Only when the crowd dispersed, and Needly came down off the stage with Yarnfell did they have a chance to figure it out.

“Ah, afternoon, kids.” Yarnfell tipped his hat. “Thought you weren’t gonna make it.”

“Yarnfell, what happened? You said Needly caught that gasroped.” Pinpin asked.

“Aye lass, that’s true. Came to me with the thing right at the last minute, didn’t you lad?”

Needly piped up from behind. “I did. I told you guys I’d beat you. I had to just keep trying, like you said..”

“But-but the stitchbug?” Tatterbat stammered.

“Oh, that? It was a good entrant, but I wanted something more.”

“What? It was a surefire win! That bug’s one of the rare ones!”

Needly looked at the ground. “Maybe so, but I couldn’t just go with my first find. Though, I do have to thank you. Had you not given it back, I may have given up. It was a reminder to keep going.”

Pinpin stared at him, dumbfounded. Had they helped him out in the end? She wasn’t sure. He seemed grateful to them, in a way a smug, self-absorbed patchwork person could be, but it was all so muddling she couldn’t tell.

Yarnfell noticed her expression. “Relax, kid. I’m not sure what went on between you, but in the end, nothing bad happened out of it.”

“I… guess that’s true.”

“Anyway. Mister Tatterbat, Miss Pinpin, I believe I have something to show you. Needly, may we be excused?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Needly said, before walking off without a goodbye.

The two looked at Yarnfell with suspicion. He pointed toward the field, and started leading the two down the pathway that crossed it.

“You know, lass. When you asked me for the reward, I felt it wasn’t enough.” Yarnfell said.

“Oh, we don’t need much, really.” Pinpin replied.

“Aye, that’s you said to me. And I suppose that’s what drew me toward you two in the first place. You didn’t rely on hi-tech gear or advanced, expensive gadgets. You had some rickety nets and standard tools to get the job done. It reminded me of myself, and how I first started out.”

“You don’t use the modern stuff?”

“Patches, no! Back in my day, all I had was a homemade net and a bucket of dead leaves. But that’s beside the point. I wanted to do a little extra with what you wanted, just as a bonus.”

He led the two of them down near a woodland. Only there did Pinpin realise where they were going.

“The hut! You fixed it up already?” Pinpin asked with excitement.

“It took a while to find, but yes.” Yarnfell gave a wink. “You really ought to give me directions next time. Maybe draw a map.”

Pinpin went red with embarrassment.

“What do you think?”

He held out an arm, showcasing their hut. Pinpin and Tatterbat’s jaws dropped at the sight.

It was barely recognisable. Not only had the dust been cleaned off and windows fixed, but the entire thing had been given a new lick of paint, now shining a bright red against the woodland, with white highlights by the entrance. A pair of nets had been hammered to the space above the door as a decorative symbol, and there was a new, additional shack nearby, whose insides revealed tonnes of supplies, logs, rugs, and more hidden behind the doorway. Pinpin saw that all their tools from the main hut that had been clogging up space were now moved into this new extension.

“I tidied up the inside for you as well.” Yarnfell said, “Should find you have a lot more space to work with now.”

“Mister Yarnfell, I…” Tatterbat said, unable to finish his sentence.

“It’s amazing!” Pinpin finished it for him. She ran up to the hut for a closer look, poking the exterior just to make sure it was real. When it was proven, she peeked inside.

“There’s so much space! It’s all organised so well!”

“I figured you’d like it.” Yarnfell said, grinning. “It’s the least I could do after you got Nes back. Speaking of…”

He put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. The woodland rustled and birds flew out of the trees, and before long The Ragworm emerged from the bushes, standing ready alongside.

“Nes here didn’t want to leave without saying thanks. Quite a rare behaviour from him. I never got that luxury.”

The Ragworm gave a muffled response. Pinpin walked up to Ragworm and patted it gently, being joined by Tatterbat shortly after.

“Wait.” Tatterbat said. “Leaving?”

“Aye. Can’t stay here all day, can I?” Yarnfell said. “Got plenty other competitions to judge.”

“But, what about all the other days of the competition?”

“Ah, those ceremonies are in the next town over. You should read that small print on the ticket.” Yarnfell gave a sly wink.

“I don’t want you to leave, sir!” Pinpin shouted. “Not you, not Ragworm!”

“I must, kid! Daylight’s burning, and we can’t get caught out in the dark. But don’t worry, we’ll likely see each other soon. No bug hunter stays separated for long.”

Pinpin looked at the floor. She could feel the waterworks turning on. It took all her might to not cry.

“Yarnfell, I-” she stammered. “We’ll miss you.”

“Me too!” Tatterbat yelled. His eyes were already full of water, but he didn’t seem to care. “You and Ragworm!”

“You hear that, Nes? You’ve got a fanclub.” Yarnfell gave a laugh. “We’ll miss you as well, kids. Can’t say it hasn’t been a unique experience.”

He leaned down to the floor, and picked up a bag on a stick. With a smooth motion, he flicked it round and placed it on his shoulder.

“Time is of the essence. I’ll see you again, I’m sure. Either next year’s competition, or perhaps in between.”

“We won’t miss it, sir.” Pinpin said, arms firmly at her side. “We will make sure to enter. And this time, we’ll win.”

“I’ll remember that.” Yarnfell gave a small salute. “Well, Mister Tatterbat, Miss Pinpin. It’s been an honour.”

“Goodbye, sir” Pinpin said, resisting every syllable that came out.

“Good luck, mister!” Tatterbat added.

Yarnfell turned around, and began to walk. Ragworm gave one last look at the patchwork kids. Then, with one firm nod, he motioned a farewell, and turned to follow the scarecrow off into the distance.

Pinpin and Tatterbat stood there in silence, watching them go until they were no more than mere specks on the horizon. Finally, when there was nothing left but the sun and the wind, Pinpin turned to her friend, with a smile on her face.

“Well, Tatterbat,” she said, a cheeky glint in her eye. “You up for a competition?”