The Night of Bringing Yellow Things

Tonight is the full moon of an even-numbered month. It is the night to bring yellow things. Now, what kind of yellow thing shall I bring tonight?
Actually, it is already decided. I have been searching for and preparing it for the past two months. Everyone gathering will surely have done the same. They must have put their hearts and minds into preparing something.
The most important thing is the invitation. Without it, one cannot participate in the gathering. I put the invitation into a bag I made from yellow floral fabric. By the way, this bag is not the thing I am bringing. The item I prepared for the gathering is wrapped in a lace handkerchief and placed inside the bag.

I fix my hair, change into a white blouse with cute embroidery and a skirt, put on socks, and wear strap shoes. It is dangerous if you don't wear white clothes when walking outside at night. Everyone gathers in whitish clothes, but that is not a rule; it is for avoiding danger.

People in whitish clothes are entering the shop.
It is an old coffee shop on the outskirts of town, within walking distance. It is a shop that is almost never open, always with a "closed" sign hanging on it. Tonight, of course, it is "open." The name of the shop is "Yellow." The shop's owner wears a yellow dress. The shop's cups and pots are all yellow. The owner's cat is also named "Kiiro" (Yellow). The curtains, walls, and floor are all yellow.
Doesn't everything being so yellow make you go crazy? People who think such things don't come to this shop, so it's fine. Besides, customers don't necessarily have to wear yellow clothes.

When I entered the shop, it was already almost full.
Invitations are only issued for the number of chairs available, so it is fine. I sit in my usual corner seat. Everyone is served freshly squeezed lemon juice with honey. It is served cold with ice in the summer, and hot in the winter.
Once all the invited guests are seated (though there are not even ten people), everyone quietly stops chatting and waits for the owner to start the meeting. The owner inside the counter declares the start of the meeting. Then, everyone takes a slip from the box that is passed around. The number drawn is the order in which to show the yellow thing. I was first.

"This is what I brought today."
I open the handkerchief and take out a yellow crescent moon brooch from inside.
"Oh, how cute."
The owner says with satisfaction. I hand the brooch to the owner along with the handkerchief, and after the owner finishes looking at it, it is passed around to the guests in order and returns to me. I pin the brooch to my chest.
The next guest took out a small yellow flute, as thin as a green onion, and played a beautiful song. A thin sound comes from the thin flute. It is a tone like the light of a thin moon. Everyone applauded.
The next guest passed around a very small yellow frog in a small transparent box. The eyes of that very small frog were golden. Everyone peeked at it quietly and passed the box along. The frog croaked only once, in a very small voice.
In that way, everyone quietly enjoyed the yellow things.

Finally, a woman who was participating for the first time took an old book of poetry out of her bag, opened it with a snap, and took out a pressed flower that had been tucked inside. The beautiful pressed dandelion flower shone yellow. Everyone sighed and gazed at it. Since it was delicate and would be a problem if it broke, the owner just looked at it up close and returned it to the owner.
"That is the first prize for tonight."
When the owner said that, everyone turned to her with smiles of agreement and applauded.
A yellow bag, the prize, is handed over. The contents are the shop's original coffee beans. Everyone looks a little envious.
"Well then, see you again in two months. For those who receive an invitation, that is."
When the owner said that, the rest of the people chatted, drank their drinks, and when they were satisfied, they left the shop and went home.
I call out to the woman at the next table who won first prize.
"That's a lovely pressed flower. Did you make it yourself?"
She shakes her head.
"No, um, I got it from a... pigeon."
"Oh..."
I regret asking the question a little.
However, I went home thinking I would try again, pulling myself together.

(The End)

*I wrote this story after choosing a picture again today. This picture is surely the invitation. The winner's dandelion is something a pigeon-human gave her. Perhaps the invitation was also delivered by a pigeon.
(👇 A story about a pigeon giving a dandelion)

*I am participating in Sanba Karasu's "Scenery with Color"!