Rolling

A Non-TG Tale by Melanie E.

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Edward County had many strange traditions. There was the grasshopper round-up hosted by the local Shriners every June, for one thing, or you could perhaps instead look at the way that all the locally-owned stores would give away free turnips on Thursdays. The people of Edward County never questioned these traditions, whether they understood their origins or not, because such traditions were what made Edward County unique.

Of all the strange and wonderful activities the town enjoyed, however, none was loved as much as the Plate Race.

Like many of the county's traditions, nobody was really sure when or why the Plate Race started, and nobody was really worried about it either. The Big Hill out on Pritchard Farm had been home to the event for years, though, and it would always draw a huge crowd, both of onlookers and participants, with the variety of plates always a site to behold.

There were two models of plate used for the Plate Race, both produced by the Edward County Glassworks. Both were plain, round, nearly-featureless disks of pure white milk glass, with their only difference being in their depth. At the least, that is how they started out. It was common practice for a plate racer to decorate their plate in vivid colors or with picturesque scenes, or in the cases of some of the younger or less artistically inclined racers, stickers and decals. Some of the more competitive racers had even been known to experiment with carefully shaving or sanding their plates down to achieve the best race results, and arguments about whether deep or shallow plates turned in the best times were common.

Until one year.

The Plate Race was gearing up as normal, and this year the selection was truly grand. Mr. Piper had brought along his plate with the funny dogs on it, and Meredith Greene was, as usual, racing one with a copy of the hex sign from her barn painted on the side. Jeremy Little had a featureless plate he had worked on until you could almost see through the middle, it was so thin! And they were only a small example of the variety of plates on display. The race had yet to begin, but all of the participants were having a great time talking and comparing their entries in the race.

Until....

Silence fell over the group as the young girl approached. There was nothing about her that stood out, her hair and eyes both being a particularly plain shade of brown and her features regular and nondescript. What drew the stares and surprise of the group was not the girl herself, but her plate. Translucent and smoky, it was covered in ridges and bumps, and wasn't round, but ever so slightly oval shaped.

After their initial surprise, hushed whispers began to circulate through the onlookers. After all, it wasn't a racing plate at all! Almost a platter, really. But as much as they bickered, discussed, or laughed, it began to dawn on those assembled that, though no one had ever deviated from the Edward County plates before, none of them could recall it being against the rules.

Through all the mockery and questioning around her the young girl remained silent, waiting at the top of the hill for the race to start with several of the other more serious racers. At last, it was decided by all assembled that she would be allowed to race. None believed that she had a chance of winning, but it was hoped that if they let her try that all this tomfoolery over different plates would be seen to be just that, and they could return to their good, well-known Edward County Milk Glass plates the next year.

The racers all climbed to the top of the hill, some of the older racers wheezing along the way, and once they were all ready the popper sounded and the race began. Some people cheered, as usual, once the plates started their tumble down the grassy hill, but many looked on in curiosity as the young girl stood still, holding her plate at the ready even as the rest passed the quarter, then half, then three-quarter way marks. Only once most of the plates had already made their way across the finish line and the winner was declared -- Meredith Greene, much to Mr. Little's dismay -- did she let her own plate go.

Over the many years the plate races had been held the hill had been refined by graters and use, so that often plates would stay within nicely-defined paths in the sod. Not so with the young girl's platter. Its shape and contours meant that the plate skipped and veered on its way down, leaping between unofficial lanes and wobbling precariously at times. The crowd that had at first laughed at the ubsurdity of the young girl's plate now laughed in good spirits as they watched its playful tumble through the grass. It was like nothing they had ever seen! Surely not a racer, but just as much fun to watch!

The race over, Meredith Greene happy with her small trophy and bucket of apples as prize for winning, the crowds spent their time talking not about the race proper, but instead about the young girl with the platter. To their dismay, they found the young girl nowhere to be found and her wonderful, entertaining platter lying where it had finished its legendary tumble, feet away from the finish line.

The Plate Race is still held every year in Edward County. Though the Edward County Glassworks plain white milk glass models are still the most common, more plates have come and gone since, all given an equal chance to participate and be a part of things. And, at the end of every race, a young girl is picked to Toss The Platter, the very same one left behind so many years ago.

Perhaps, in time, the origins of this tradition will be forgotten, too, but no matter; as long as the plates continue to roll, in some small way, the people will always remember.

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NOTES: So, I haven't done a lot of non-TG, non game-themed writing in a LONG time. Well, I've done a bit here and there, but never anything really substantial. Then, today, I was thinking about old adolescent books, the kind with the fun little allegorical or slice of life stories in them, and this started forming in my head. I know it's not much, and this is literally just sitting down and writing it as it came to me, but I hope people like it.