Chapter 14: The Dance-Off
The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the small community center. People from the surrounding villages had gathered for a summer festival, and the sound of laughter, music, and chatter filled the air. There were food stalls selling homemade pies, kids running around with colorful balloons, and a live band playing upbeat tunes near the stage. It was the perfect atmosphere for a day of fun, and Steph, Mario, Gary, and their growing group of followers had joined in the festivities after a long week of traveling.
Gary, towering above the rest, looked around with an amused expression.
“It’s been years since I’ve been to something like this,” he said, his voice carrying easily over the crowd.
“Last time I went to a festival, I ended up getting roped into a pie-eating contest. Not sure I’ve fully recovered.”
Mario chuckled.
“You? A pie-eating contest? I’d pay good money to see that. You’ve got a stomach made of steel, man.”
Steph, her ever-present guitar slung over her shoulder, grinned as she scanned the scene. “Well, no pie-eating contests this time, but it looks like there’s a lot of dancing going on.” She pointed toward the stage, where a group of young people was doing a synchronized dance, their feet moving in perfect rhythm with the lively music.
“Oh no, dancing?” Mario groaned, his face scrunching up in mock horror.
“That’s even worse. I can’t dance to save my life.”
Steph laughed.
“Come on, it’s all in good fun. Maybe we should join in.”
Mario raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
“Steph, I’ve seen you play guitar, heal people with your songs, and pretty much perform miracles, but I’m not sure even you can get me to dance.”
Before Steph could respond, a loud voice boomed from the stage, catching their attention.
“Alright, everyone, gather ‘round! We’re about to start the annual dance-off competition!” the announcer called out, waving his arms to gather the crowd.
“Sign-ups are open to all ages, and the winners get a special prize an exclusive basket of fresh vegetables straight from the local farm!”
The crowd began to buzz with excitement, and people started moving toward the stage to sign up. Mario groaned even louder.
“Oh no, we’re definitely not doing this.”
But Gary’s eyes lit up, and he slapped Mario on the back with a laugh. “Come on, kid! What’s the worst that could happen? We win some veggies and make a fool of ourselves. Sounds like a win-win to me!”
Steph giggled.
“I’m with Gary on this one. We’ve been through deserts, fought off cult leaders, and survived all kinds of hardships. Surely a little dancing can’t be that bad.”
Mario threw his hands up in surrender. “Alright, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’m about as coordinated as a giraffe on roller skates.”
The group made their way to the sign-up table, and soon enough, they were officially entered into the competition. As they waited for their turn, they watched the other contestants perform intricate, well-rehearsed dance routines that left them feeling a bit out of their league.
“Oh boy,” Gary muttered as a particularly talented group finished with a flawless spin. “We are so outclassed here.”
Steph shrugged, a playful smile on her face. “Who says we need to be the best dancers? Let’s just have fun with it.”
When it was finally their turn, the group stepped up to the stage, facing the curious crowd. The band struck up a fast-paced song, and Steph, Mario, and Gary exchanged nervous glances.
“Okay,” Steph said, “just follow my lead and... move.”
They all started to move, but it quickly became clear that none of them had any idea what they were doing. Steph tried to throw in a few graceful spins, but Mario’s attempt to mirror her looked more like he was flailing his arms around. Gary, for his part, stomped around with a heavy foot, as if he was trying to put out a fire.
The crowd began to giggle, and before long, Steph found herself laughing as well. “Alright,” she said between gasps of laughter, “forget trying to be coordinated. Let’s just go with it!”
“Go with what?” Mario asked, bewildered, as he attempted a move that looked like a half-baked moonwalk.
Steph grinned. “Freestyle!”
They all began inventing their own ridiculous dance moves. Gary started doing what he called “The Lawn Mower,” where he pretended to push an invisible mower back and forth across the stage. Mario followed with “The Windshield Wiper,” flailing his arms side to side as if clearing rain from a car window. Not to be outdone, Steph added “The Penguin,” waddling with tiny, exaggerated steps while flapping her arms like wings.
The crowd erupted into laughter as the trio continued their absurd performance. Steph couldn’t stop giggling as she saw Gary attempt to do the splits, only to stop halfway with a pained grimace, clutching his knee. Mario spun in a wide circle, only to trip over his own feet and nearly topple off the stage, catching himself just in time.
The band, sensing the humor of the situation, began to play even faster, encouraging the ridiculousness. The trio responded by cranking up their silliness, with Steph attempting to dance with her guitar still slung over her shoulder, pretending to play it while doing an exaggerated Charleston.
At some point, even the other contestants started cheering them on, and the laughter grew louder. The three of them were moving in perfect disarray, a glorious mess of limbs and energy that seemed to light up the stage.
As the song came to an end, they struck a final, dramatic pose: Steph with one leg bent and her guitar raised high above her head, Gary bent over and holding his back as if in pain, and Mario lying flat on the ground, pretending to be passed out.
The audience erupted into applause and cheers, some people wiping tears of laughter from their eyes. Steph, Mario, and Gary caught their breath, looking at each other with wide smiles.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” Mario panted, still lying on the ground. “That was... amazing.”
Gary grinned, helping him up. “See, kid? Told you it wouldn’t be so bad.”
The announcer stepped back up to the microphone, still chuckling. “Well, folks, I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen some truly incredible performances today, but... I think we have a clear winner!”
Steph’s eyes widened as she glanced at Mario and Gary, who looked equally shocked. “No way,” she whispered.
“That’s right!” the announcer continued. “For their... unique creativity and entertainment value, the first-place prize goes to... Steph and her team!”
The crowd cheered wildly as Steph, Mario, and Gary walked up to accept their prize: a large wicker basket overflowing with fresh vegetables, including carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and an impressively large cabbage.
Mario stared at the basket in disbelief. “We actually won... with that?”
Steph laughed, wiping away a tear of joy. “Guess we just invented a new kind of dancing.”
Gary held up the cabbage like a trophy. “To us, the champions of ridiculousness!”
They all burst into laughter again, clutching their prize as they headed off the stage, feeling lighter than they had in weeks. It wasn’t just the vegetables or the win—it was the pure joy of letting go, laughing, and being ridiculous with friends.
And as they walked away from the stage, Steph felt something else, too: a reminder that even in the most unexpected moments, God’s joy could be found, lifting their spirits and drawing them closer to one another.
“Okay,” Mario said, grinning as he poked the cabbage, “next festival, I’m entering us in a cooking contest. We can use this bad boy as our secret ingredient.”
Steph laughed again, strumming a few chords on her guitar as they walked. “I’m game. But don’t count on me knowing how to cook.”
Gary chuckled. “Guess we’ll be doing some ‘freestyle’ cooking, then.”
They all laughed again, the sound of their joy echoing through the warm summer air as they continued their journey vegetables and all.