‘Oh, Alex, I was so worried. What are you doing out here?’
‘I couldn’t reach it,’ he repeated, pointing up at the tree.
‘What, darling? What couldn’t you reach?’
‘Cat.’
She looked up and there, peering suspiciously down at them from one of the lower branches, was the green-eyed tabby.
‘Oh, Alex!’ She hugged him tightly, breathless with the relief flooding through her. In a moment, she would call Grace and Jennifer but, for now, she held her son as if she would never let him go. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, ‘thank you.’ Her eyes met Molly’s and she saw the joy she was feeling mirrored there. Then it was gone, so fleeting she wondered if she had imagined it, and Molly was gone too. It was to be the last time she ever saw her.
◆◆◆
Later, when they were all safely back at the cottage drinking tea, they unanimously agreed to stay in for the rest of the day. Instead, they sat together in the living room, taking turns to play with Alex, who was completely unfazed by his adventure, and discussing how, in the space of one short week, all their lives had changed.
Jennifer had spoken more of the pupil who had died and how that loss had had a profound effect on her. ‘Up until that point, I thought I’d got my life all mapped out, just how I wanted it,’ she said. ‘Then a child in my care died and it made me realise that I was not the cool, self-contained person I thought I was. I was an emotional wreck for a while and I ended up having counselling. At those sessions, I talked a lot about my mother and the grief I'd kept bottled up inside since her death came flooding out. It made me realise that I needed a completely fresh start, something new to get my teeth into, and that’s how I ended up here, with a bit of help from Molly, of course. This week, and meeting all of you, has made me realise how lonely I was. I’ve never admitted that before, not even to myself. Now, for the first time in a very long time, I have people I can call family. I can’t tell you how special that makes me feel.’
‘Aw.’ Grace reached across to give her a hug. ‘You’re a very special person, Jen,’ she said sincerely before adding, ‘and a great cook. With those skills, you’d be welcome at any family dinner!’
‘I’m thinking about going back to uni,’ Emily announced suddenly. ‘Alex will soon be starting nursery and it’s time I started pulling my weight. I don’t want to be the only underachiever in this family.’
‘That’s great, Emily,’ Grace enthused. ‘Any ideas about what you might do?’
‘I’ll need to check the courses at the local universities. I would want to live at home and commute but I’d really like to do a writing course. I’d love to base a novel around Norah’s life, maybe.’ She looked up and gave an embarrassed smile at the two women sitting with her. ‘Just a thought. It probably won’t come to anything. I’m not even sure I have the skills to write a book.’
‘Darling, you’re my wonderful, talented daughter. Of course, you could write a book. I think that’s a great idea!’ Grace exclaimed.
Jennifer smiled in agreement. ‘Norah certainly deserves some kind of tribute. In person and in spirit, she was an amazing woman.’
◆◆◆
That night, Emily read Alex one of his favourite stories and tucked him up in bed. She'd spoken earlier to Adam but hadn't mentioned the day’s drama. It was still too painful to speak of it; she would tell him when he returned home on Friday, next week. The trip had gone really well, he told her and he'd agreed good terms with three new suppliers.
She was still trying to come to terms with what had happened herself and lots remained unexplained. She still couldn't understand how a three-year-old boy, wearing just his slippers on his feet, could have walked over a mile, chasing a cat, but all Alex would say was, ‘I wanted to stroke it but it ran away.’
‘Weren’t you frightened?’ she asked.
‘No, don’t be silly, Mummy.’
‘I know. You’re my brave boy but you had been crying when I found you,’ she prompted.
He thought for a moment. ‘I wanted to climb the tree to rescue the cat like the prince in Wa … Wa … Wapun..’
‘Rapunzel,’ Emily supplied. ‘I see. Then, you were very brave.’
‘But I couldn’t. I was too little so I cried.’
Tenderly, she stroked his hair. ‘Well I want you to promise me that you won’t ever, ever run off again. Poor Mummy was really worried about you.’
‘Sorry, Mummy,’ he said solemnly, snuggling beneath the covers.
‘That’s alright. I just want to keep you safe, that’s all.’ She kissed his forehead and reached across to dim the light.
‘Who was the lady, Mummy?’ he asked sleepily.
Her hand stilled. ‘What lady?’
He wrinkled his nose. ‘The lady who kept trying to stop me. She kept getting in my way.’
‘What lady, darling?’ Emily asked again.
‘Sad lady … wearing a funny dress …’ He looked up at her with sudden inspiration. ‘She looked like you.’
‘Ah,’ Emily smiled and reached once more for the light. ‘That was Molly. She was looking after you, just like she had always looked after Mummy. She was my great, great grandmother, Norah but I always call her Molly.’ Gently, she smoothed a blond curl from his face.
‘Great … grand … lady.’ Alex’s voice had thickened drowsily.
‘She was,’ she nodded.
◆◆◆
Epilogue
I stand alone staring at the cold, starry sky. The night surrounds me and I can feel the silence humming, throbbing like a heartbeat. In this moment, I feel my smallness, my insignificance. I feel the world relentlessly spinning past as I watch.
I feel again my sense of otherness but it is no longer strange to
