Of course, as loud and joyful as the party was, it eventually had to end.
By midnight, the great bonfire had dwindled to glowing embers, and the lanterns that had illuminated the celebration were being carefully extinguished one by one. The elders, who had danced and laughed and drunk with abandon, were now being supported back to their homes.
But this time, it wasn't because their legs had failed them. It was because they were absolutely, completely, utterly drunk.
"Let me go!" One elder protested, attempting to push away her granddaughter's supporting arm. "I can walk on my own! I've been walking all night! I don't need your help!"
"Grandmother, you're swaying like a reed in a storm—"
"Nonsense! I'm perfectly stable! Watch this!"
She attempted to demonstrate her stability by taking several confident steps...and immediately stumbled into a bush.
"I meant to do that!" She declared with as much dignity as she could muster from within the foliage.
