give yourself completely to Seed,” he repeats.
There is a sudden stillness. A silence that shouldn’t be here.
Ellis puts his hands in his pockets. He shrugs and smiles. “I will too,” he says.
For a while, Papa S. won’t take his eyes from him. Then he tips his head to the sky. “It is done,” he calls into the air.
We sit, unmoving. Linda glances at Kindred Smith and he motions for them to come back to the table. I beam at Ellis as he walks toward me. And I am filled with happiness, because now he is truly one of us. We have saved him. We have saved them all.
Rachel looks up at Papa S., her eyes wide. He reaches down to touch her long hair. His fingers hesitate at the red flower wound among the strands by her ear. He bends down and with his eyes closed, breathes in its scent. Then he takes Rachel’s hand and leads her back to the house and we are free to talk again.
Elizabeth leans over and touches Linda’s hand. “I am glad you came.”
“So am I,” Linda says. She picks lightly at the skin on her nails.
“Come on, then,” Kate says, standing up and beginning to stack the plates. “I want to hear this piano playing.”
“You play the piano?” Kindred Smith asks Linda.
“No. Ellis does,” she says, looking at her son. She has such pride in her eyes that there could be no doubt she is his mother.
“I try to sometimes.” Kindred Smith laughs. “But I wouldn’t exactly call it music.”
“It’s not so bad,” Jack says reassuringly.
“I’m sure Ellis can do better,” Kindred Smith says as he gets up to take the heavy pan from Linda and carries it into the house.
Bobby stays near me as we gather the glasses. He glances over at Ruby and Sophie as they dance in and out of the tall grass. I kneel down next to him. “You’re still her favorite friend,” I tell him, but his face creases into a scowl and he stomps off toward the kitchen door.
I look up quickly. Papa S. is not watching from the windows, so hopefully Bobby won’t be punished. But has he forgotten that if he lets jealousy in, it will burrow deep within him and eat through his veins?
“Shall I take some of those?” Ellis asks me. I’ve piled the glasses high and they tip as I stand up. I don’t have a chance to reply before he’s reaching over and taking the top half from me, all the time looking in my eyes. I hurry away from him before he can see my thoughts.
We gather in the day room, leaving the Kindreds to sit, talking, at the empty table in the meadow. Through the window, I can see Linda seated between Elizabeth and Kindred Smith. Already she seems different, as though the shell of her Outside self is falling away.
Ellis sits at the piano and we stand around him. All except Bobby, who won’t move from beside the sofa. Part of me wants to sit with him too. Away from this stranger and the feelings that creep into me whenever I am near him.
“What shall I play?” Ellis asks.
“How should we know?” Kate laughs.
“OK, then.” He moves slightly on the stool, looks down at the pedals and back at his hands.
Then he begins to play and it’s nothing like Kindred Smith. I could never have imagined that any sound would make me feel this way. The music lifts into the room from Ellis, through his arms, his hands, and it fills me until there is nothing else. It feels like I’m underwater at the lake, yet floating through the sky. There are a thousand butterflies dancing on my skin. I want to close my eyes, but I don’t want to look away, not when his fingers move so fast across the white and black of the piano.
Ellis stops suddenly. He turns and gestures at Bobby to come over. Bobby looks at him, but he doesn’t move. It’s unlike him to be so hesitant. Even when Jack walks over and kneels down nextto him, he just shakes his head. So I go to him and take his hand. I have to help him get rid of these strange feelings before too much damage is done. And I want him to love this music as I do.
“It’s OK,”
There is a sudden stillness. A silence that shouldn’t be here.
Ellis puts his hands in his pockets. He shrugs and smiles. “I will too,” he says.
For a while, Papa S. won’t take his eyes from him. Then he tips his head to the sky. “It is done,” he calls into the air.
We sit, unmoving. Linda glances at Kindred Smith and he motions for them to come back to the table. I beam at Ellis as he walks toward me. And I am filled with happiness, because now he is truly one of us. We have saved him. We have saved them all.
Rachel looks up at Papa S., her eyes wide. He reaches down to touch her long hair. His fingers hesitate at the red flower wound among the strands by her ear. He bends down and with his eyes closed, breathes in its scent. Then he takes Rachel’s hand and leads her back to the house and we are free to talk again.
Elizabeth leans over and touches Linda’s hand. “I am glad you came.”
“So am I,” Linda says. She picks lightly at the skin on her nails.
“Come on, then,” Kate says, standing up and beginning to stack the plates. “I want to hear this piano playing.”
“You play the piano?” Kindred Smith asks Linda.
“No. Ellis does,” she says, looking at her son. She has such pride in her eyes that there could be no doubt she is his mother.
“I try to sometimes.” Kindred Smith laughs. “But I wouldn’t exactly call it music.”
“It’s not so bad,” Jack says reassuringly.
“I’m sure Ellis can do better,” Kindred Smith says as he gets up to take the heavy pan from Linda and carries it into the house.
Bobby stays near me as we gather the glasses. He glances over at Ruby and Sophie as they dance in and out of the tall grass. I kneel down next to him. “You’re still her favorite friend,” I tell him, but his face creases into a scowl and he stomps off toward the kitchen door.
I look up quickly. Papa S. is not watching from the windows, so hopefully Bobby won’t be punished. But has he forgotten that if he lets jealousy in, it will burrow deep within him and eat through his veins?
“Shall I take some of those?” Ellis asks me. I’ve piled the glasses high and they tip as I stand up. I don’t have a chance to reply before he’s reaching over and taking the top half from me, all the time looking in my eyes. I hurry away from him before he can see my thoughts.
We gather in the day room, leaving the Kindreds to sit, talking, at the empty table in the meadow. Through the window, I can see Linda seated between Elizabeth and Kindred Smith. Already she seems different, as though the shell of her Outside self is falling away.
Ellis sits at the piano and we stand around him. All except Bobby, who won’t move from beside the sofa. Part of me wants to sit with him too. Away from this stranger and the feelings that creep into me whenever I am near him.
“What shall I play?” Ellis asks.
“How should we know?” Kate laughs.
“OK, then.” He moves slightly on the stool, looks down at the pedals and back at his hands.
Then he begins to play and it’s nothing like Kindred Smith. I could never have imagined that any sound would make me feel this way. The music lifts into the room from Ellis, through his arms, his hands, and it fills me until there is nothing else. It feels like I’m underwater at the lake, yet floating through the sky. There are a thousand butterflies dancing on my skin. I want to close my eyes, but I don’t want to look away, not when his fingers move so fast across the white and black of the piano.
Ellis stops suddenly. He turns and gestures at Bobby to come over. Bobby looks at him, but he doesn’t move. It’s unlike him to be so hesitant. Even when Jack walks over and kneels down nextto him, he just shakes his head. So I go to him and take his hand. I have to help him get rid of these strange feelings before too much damage is done. And I want him to love this music as I do.
“It’s OK,”
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