held it up to the light. “I didn’t want anyone to step on it.” Max nodded his thanks and for a while the two of them walked through the long grasses in a contented silence.
“ I juggle ,” Max said quietly and Matt looked over immediately. “ When I’m not being strong for Lucas. I like to juggle. I learnt in the caves.”
“Could you show me?” Matt said and saw Max hesitate for a second, then nod. “I’ve always wanted to know how to juggle.”
“ I used to watch your ma ,” Max said as the house came into view. “ She taught me .”
Matt opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Max gently switched the case under one arm and patted Matt’s shoulder with his free hand. Matt looked at him and the moon framed his face perfectly for a moment; his eyes were filled with sadness but there was a speck of happiness in amongst them, too. The others caught them up and together, as a band, they stepped alongside the moonlight and into the house.
*
“Couldn’t sleep?” Pa said, smiling, as they sat over breakfast. The two of them had made a pact not to look at the photos the night before, for fear of staying up all hours. Instead, they agreed on an early breakfast and then going through the first box together.
“Not so much,” Matt replied, buttering his toast. The four crates were stacked in the corner of the other room. Lucas and Marcus were visiting later to go through the other three, allowing them time with the photographs.
“It’s time then, I guess,” Pa said, wiping down his fingers and taking his plate over to the sink. Matt followed suit and the two of them lifted the top box down onto the centre of the floor. The lock was loose and Pa lifted it with ease. Together they stood one at each end and began to work through the photos.
Each shot was a perfect ten by eight shot. Most of them were in black and white, which instead of making the scenes appear flatter, actually made them seem more detailed and full of life. Every speck and glimmer of the costumes was crystal clear and the reaction of the townsfolk to each performance was perfectly captured. Matt was drawn to his ma, of course, but still noticed every piece of the unbelievable scenes around her. Her pa-Matt’s grandpa he realised with a buzz of sadness and excitement-seemed to figure in every moment of every scene. Never bossing or taking centre stage, it appeared, but simply a presence in the background. Once or twice, Matt saw him helping someone in the distance, or talking to a member of the audience. A twinge of sadness stabbed Matt in the heart to think he would never know this man.
It became a flicker-book. From the dates, Matt could sequence the performances, from the dancing, to the jokes, through the performances to the firework laden finale. The second time he looked through them, Matt began to study the audience . There was the buzz of excitement that came with the opening, to the enthralled, tense looks they gave the high wire and the trapeze acts, all the way through to the last moments when their faces were a mix of satisfied smiles and sad eyes at the curtain call. The third, final time, Matt only looked at his ma, full of youth and grace, with every eye of the town on her. Once or twice, a shot captured a glance between father and daughter and the smiles on both faces were amazingly private in amongst the crowds and glitter. Matt looked up in a daze over to Pa and saw the same mix in his face as the audience photos in their hands; smiling but with a sadness in his eyes.
“Some show, huh?” He said finally, setting down the last set back into the box.
“It was amazing,” Matt answered, wondering how many times the boys, Max and Lucas, must have looked through the box on dark, miserable winter days in the forests. He hoped it had given them something, something good, to hold onto during
“ I juggle ,” Max said quietly and Matt looked over immediately. “ When I’m not being strong for Lucas. I like to juggle. I learnt in the caves.”
“Could you show me?” Matt said and saw Max hesitate for a second, then nod. “I’ve always wanted to know how to juggle.”
“ I used to watch your ma ,” Max said as the house came into view. “ She taught me .”
Matt opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Max gently switched the case under one arm and patted Matt’s shoulder with his free hand. Matt looked at him and the moon framed his face perfectly for a moment; his eyes were filled with sadness but there was a speck of happiness in amongst them, too. The others caught them up and together, as a band, they stepped alongside the moonlight and into the house.
*
“Couldn’t sleep?” Pa said, smiling, as they sat over breakfast. The two of them had made a pact not to look at the photos the night before, for fear of staying up all hours. Instead, they agreed on an early breakfast and then going through the first box together.
“Not so much,” Matt replied, buttering his toast. The four crates were stacked in the corner of the other room. Lucas and Marcus were visiting later to go through the other three, allowing them time with the photographs.
“It’s time then, I guess,” Pa said, wiping down his fingers and taking his plate over to the sink. Matt followed suit and the two of them lifted the top box down onto the centre of the floor. The lock was loose and Pa lifted it with ease. Together they stood one at each end and began to work through the photos.
Each shot was a perfect ten by eight shot. Most of them were in black and white, which instead of making the scenes appear flatter, actually made them seem more detailed and full of life. Every speck and glimmer of the costumes was crystal clear and the reaction of the townsfolk to each performance was perfectly captured. Matt was drawn to his ma, of course, but still noticed every piece of the unbelievable scenes around her. Her pa-Matt’s grandpa he realised with a buzz of sadness and excitement-seemed to figure in every moment of every scene. Never bossing or taking centre stage, it appeared, but simply a presence in the background. Once or twice, Matt saw him helping someone in the distance, or talking to a member of the audience. A twinge of sadness stabbed Matt in the heart to think he would never know this man.
It became a flicker-book. From the dates, Matt could sequence the performances, from the dancing, to the jokes, through the performances to the firework laden finale. The second time he looked through them, Matt began to study the audience . There was the buzz of excitement that came with the opening, to the enthralled, tense looks they gave the high wire and the trapeze acts, all the way through to the last moments when their faces were a mix of satisfied smiles and sad eyes at the curtain call. The third, final time, Matt only looked at his ma, full of youth and grace, with every eye of the town on her. Once or twice, a shot captured a glance between father and daughter and the smiles on both faces were amazingly private in amongst the crowds and glitter. Matt looked up in a daze over to Pa and saw the same mix in his face as the audience photos in their hands; smiling but with a sadness in his eyes.
“Some show, huh?” He said finally, setting down the last set back into the box.
“It was amazing,” Matt answered, wondering how many times the boys, Max and Lucas, must have looked through the box on dark, miserable winter days in the forests. He hoped it had given them something, something good, to hold onto during
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