noticed before but she had really piercing blue eyes. Then she lifted her knees up onto her chair and wrapped her arms around them, imitating me. She smiled. “Tu aimes le jardin?”
With difficulty I looked away. Taid was looking at the two of us. “She wants to know if you like the garden. I think that’s what she’s looking at.”
“But there is no garden. There’s just a hedge.”
She smiled at me again. “Imagination.” A perfect English word.
I dropped my knees and sat up. “You do speak English.”
“You do speak English,” she parroted.
Taid laughed. “Not only does she speak English, she also repeats things. Just like you.”
“Why didn’t you speak English before?” I said, banging my fist on the table.
She leaned forward. “Why should I? French is so much better. And you don’t understand it.” She banged her fist on the table.
“That’s spiteful,” I said. “Anyway, French is not a language. I think you and Taid are just making things up. I don’t want to understand something that’s not real. So there.” I crossed my arms across my chest.
“That’s your problem,” she said. “Why does everything have to be real? There are many languages. I speak them all.”
“It’s the fault of her education,” Taid said. “They’re not allowed to use their imaginations. Who knows what they might think if they did so.”
She stretched her hand across the table and put her hand on mine. “La pauvre. Poor thing.”
Taid returned to his scrutiny of the cupboard. He still appeared not to have found whatever it was he was looking for.
“What you seek may be out of reach. But only for a moment.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Out of reach? Of course, out of reach,” Taid said. He pulled one of the unused chairs from the table, placed it beneath the cupboard and climbed on to it. Now he could reach the top surface of the cupboard. He put his hand out and retrieved another strange metal object. “The opener.” He climbed down from the chair and returned to the table, clutching the object.
Rhiannon smiled. Once again she looked at me. “Also what you seek may be out of reach. But it is only for a short time.” She then moved her chair back to its place and resumed gazing through the window.
“Why did she pretend that she didn’t speak English,” I whispered to Taid.
He shrugged. “Give me your tin.” I looked at him. He pointed to the strange object on the table in front of me, which I had completely forgotten about. I handed it to him. “Now for some food.” Holding the ‘tin’ in one hand, he placed the other object on top of it and proceeded to turn some sort of handle. As if by a miracle, part of the object came away from the rest. “Hmm. Beans. My favourite.” He handed the tin back to me, having removed the top.
What I saw inside the tin did not look in the least like food as far as I knew it. There was some sort of orange liquid with white things floating in it. It smelled peculiar, too. “Is this food?” I asked.
“It’s called beans. Scoop some out with your fingers, since I don’t think we run to spoons.” He had opened another of the tins by this time. He put his fingers inside it and brought them out with a yellow lumpy substance attached to them. “Wow. Macaroni cheese. My second favourite.” He put the yellow mess in his mouth, licking his lips. “Go on. Eat your beans. There’s a good girl.”
Without much enthusiasm I put one finger in my tin and lifted out one of the white things. When I put it in my mouth I was surprised at the taste and the texture. It was soft and savoury. I scooped some more out. Soon the tin was half empty. I could feel my reserves of energy starting to build again.
“Shall we swap?” Taid asked, pushing his tin towards me. The contents were just as tasty. Before long both tins were empty.
Rhiannon suddenly stopped humming. “Soon there will be a moon. There will be wolves. We
With difficulty I looked away. Taid was looking at the two of us. “She wants to know if you like the garden. I think that’s what she’s looking at.”
“But there is no garden. There’s just a hedge.”
She smiled at me again. “Imagination.” A perfect English word.
I dropped my knees and sat up. “You do speak English.”
“You do speak English,” she parroted.
Taid laughed. “Not only does she speak English, she also repeats things. Just like you.”
“Why didn’t you speak English before?” I said, banging my fist on the table.
She leaned forward. “Why should I? French is so much better. And you don’t understand it.” She banged her fist on the table.
“That’s spiteful,” I said. “Anyway, French is not a language. I think you and Taid are just making things up. I don’t want to understand something that’s not real. So there.” I crossed my arms across my chest.
“That’s your problem,” she said. “Why does everything have to be real? There are many languages. I speak them all.”
“It’s the fault of her education,” Taid said. “They’re not allowed to use their imaginations. Who knows what they might think if they did so.”
She stretched her hand across the table and put her hand on mine. “La pauvre. Poor thing.”
Taid returned to his scrutiny of the cupboard. He still appeared not to have found whatever it was he was looking for.
“What you seek may be out of reach. But only for a moment.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Out of reach? Of course, out of reach,” Taid said. He pulled one of the unused chairs from the table, placed it beneath the cupboard and climbed on to it. Now he could reach the top surface of the cupboard. He put his hand out and retrieved another strange metal object. “The opener.” He climbed down from the chair and returned to the table, clutching the object.
Rhiannon smiled. Once again she looked at me. “Also what you seek may be out of reach. But it is only for a short time.” She then moved her chair back to its place and resumed gazing through the window.
“Why did she pretend that she didn’t speak English,” I whispered to Taid.
He shrugged. “Give me your tin.” I looked at him. He pointed to the strange object on the table in front of me, which I had completely forgotten about. I handed it to him. “Now for some food.” Holding the ‘tin’ in one hand, he placed the other object on top of it and proceeded to turn some sort of handle. As if by a miracle, part of the object came away from the rest. “Hmm. Beans. My favourite.” He handed the tin back to me, having removed the top.
What I saw inside the tin did not look in the least like food as far as I knew it. There was some sort of orange liquid with white things floating in it. It smelled peculiar, too. “Is this food?” I asked.
“It’s called beans. Scoop some out with your fingers, since I don’t think we run to spoons.” He had opened another of the tins by this time. He put his fingers inside it and brought them out with a yellow lumpy substance attached to them. “Wow. Macaroni cheese. My second favourite.” He put the yellow mess in his mouth, licking his lips. “Go on. Eat your beans. There’s a good girl.”
Without much enthusiasm I put one finger in my tin and lifted out one of the white things. When I put it in my mouth I was surprised at the taste and the texture. It was soft and savoury. I scooped some more out. Soon the tin was half empty. I could feel my reserves of energy starting to build again.
“Shall we swap?” Taid asked, pushing his tin towards me. The contents were just as tasty. Before long both tins were empty.
Rhiannon suddenly stopped humming. “Soon there will be a moon. There will be wolves. We
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