"Papa, where are we going this morning?" asked Kyra.
"To the lake of eternal wisdom. I got a message this morning. She wants to see us."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. Now go pack for a day trip and make sure to wear your old jumpers."
Kyra took off and Papa lifted his cup. Above the rim and before a sip he spied two eyes starring directly at him. "What?"
"A message this morning. Is that right?" asked Grand.
Papa smiled. "You know, I can't tell you everything. What would the lake say if I shared a private correspondence?"
"I see," said Grand, turning back to the sink. "And I suppose this dinner is just gonna cook itself, because, you know, the pot of eternal sustenance works in mysterious ways. You should stick around and I could initiate you in the ways of knife and board, of wine and water."
"Why don't you come with us. The three of us. Pack a lunch. Make a day together."
"Zeke, you know all I've ever wanted was to be asked." She closed her eyes as his hands found her hips. "But I know magic when I see it. Take Kyra to the lake. Teach her the lesson of the pebble. Janus knows I've heard it enough."
Papa wrapped his arms around her waist. "You sure?" He kissed her ear and felt her warmth against him, her hands dusted with flour holding the counter before them.
"Yes, go, before I change my mind."
"Hey," yelled Kyra, standing in the doorway, "does this mean we aren't going?"
15 comments:
Lovely strong introduction - looking forward to Part 2
Ditto to what Miladya said...
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you, dear Tree :)
"To the lake of eternal wisdom..." Well, this is interesting. I too am looking forward to whatever is to follow.
Really nice fractal :-)
mystery upon mystery...
I do like the sound of Part I.:-) It holds promise of more to come of the same. And that is a very good thing.
The moment there is mention of Papa, mine is not the only heart I'm sure to skip a beat through sheer anticipation and joy in the knowledge that what lays ahead will in all likelihood be as enrapturing as it is enlightening, joyful and loving. It is so good, so very good, to see a chapter after quiet time and what better to open with than to revisit those times at Valla (I presume. Ooh, behave.).
Nice too for the normality that creeps over them, Grand and Papa, in this chapter, for the many times that she has stood watching with a smile, knowing the special bond that exists between her husband and granddaughter, seeing them shoot off together into the evening to watch magic owls or heads close together on the verandah etc, there must have been times and are we see here, when she (too strong a word, words) felt a little excluded, forgotten and apart. When as one hears the case in many a household, one person feels the balance of chores and fun is not equal, where most times it matters not, but sometimes it does. Nice too to see this embrace, less elevated so to speak and in both respects than the heretofore. The exchange between them as it begins, especially the "What?", grin-inducing, not something we have heard Papa say in quite that way and yet as the sound of it reverberates, it's clang is so clear. Still grinning thereat. :-D
Your dialogue, to my recollection, always so natural, so audible, is so once again, as though you spoke/heard the words yourself and are writing from memory rather than making it up as you go along. Natural is the word that most suits your writing, a sought-after quality, that only talent such as your own is lucky enough to embody.
Got to say it again, for if you only knew the extent to which you can make a heart feel like it is about to burst for the magnitude and rush of love for the story.
There's a sense too of Papa being able to placate Grand, what I mean is that there is a sense that it happened many a time that she voiced a grievance, felt something that wasn't happy and that he was able to turn it around for her, through words, through touch, almost too easily. I'll explain that better if I see it again. :-)
Love to you, dearest man. Sweet dreams and a happy day when you get that far. H
Oooooh, Can't wait for the lesson of the pebble.
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I love how you described the lake as an entity--that's such a cool concept!! And I can totally see Kyra peeking around the door.
--snow
I deeply appreciate all the comments. Part 2 coming in time.
I wonder if Kyra is the age that I picture her to be. The running, the yelling.... she sounds like one of my girls. I can picture her as this colt-legged girl bursting with excitement, only a hint of the woman of Tree's dreams evident at this point. Maybe just the bright eyes, filled with mischief.
I, too, can't wait to hear the Story of the Pebble. Be blessed.
Jen
Jen, in a chapter like this one, I picture Kyra to be somewhere around the age of 6 or so. Keep in mind, these are hynerians and their ages don't exactly match up to ours. Kyra is not really the woman of my dreams but more so the female personification of myself. I've put more of my own personality into her than any other character and I identify with her more than any of the others. Both in her youth and as she grew. Grandparents were very important in my life. I was virtually raised by them. And I have many, many fond memories of my early childhood, which, in this story, are represented with the Papa/Kyra chapters.
I love the scenes that involve kids, young Kyra and Ariel can be alive in my mind. I appreciate the insight about Kyra. Maybe I took her as your Dream lady, because you mentioned at one time that she was your physical ideal - firm, physically healthy....I got that from the comments a long time ago I believe. Hmmmm. You are even more of a mystery - Kyra is not an easy character for me to read.
Grandparents can be a saving grace during childhood. There was a rough patch for me and my mom as a child and my grandmother had to try to juggle an 8 yr old grandaughter and her own sick child. She did it well enough, I guess. Some things leave scars regardless. I'm glad that you had your Grandparents too. Is the circumstances with you LA Grandmother still the same? I have thought about it but, well you know, it seemed invasive to keep asking. You don't have to respond, just know that I have wondered.
Be blessed.
Jen
Jen, her condition has not changed. We are day to day or, it seems, month to month. No one knows how much longer she will hang on. Could be some time. Thanks for thinking about her.
Awwwww....I LOVE this.
I want to be a little girl again.
But, only for a second or two.
For just this kind of excitement full-of-wonder feeling. The innocence. The learning.
Cos, you know, there's a lot of things you enjoy as an adult that you don't as a wee one.
But, for a few minutes.... it'd be really cool to experience just this kind of awe and familial trust and love in this simple way... once again.
You write it only too well, Tree.
And it makes me smile.
And it gives me hope.
Strumper, truth be known, I enjoy writing the chapters with young Kyra and Ariel as much as anything I write. I suppose there is a part of me that is still six or seven, a part of me that remembers that magical time, and a part of me that remembers all too vividly losing that world. The divide between the innocence and the innocence lost is very clear in my mind and in many ways, I long to rediscover that time of just running in the backyard for the sake of running, of just throwing a rubber ball on the roof to throw it and catch it, of a cool Fall breeze and wearing my favorite jacket, of smelling clover in the spring and the aroma of a new garden, full of promise, and, when you are poor, full of necessity. I've forgotten that a garden could be something more than just a leisure activity, something to play at. My grandparents saw the garden with very different eyes. To them, it meant food, the kind of food that they might not always be able to afford. I miss those days. So, I think, in part, there is a part of me that needs to recreate those days, those feelings, that world, through Kyra and somewhat also with Ariel. I couldn't imagine the story without them.
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