I say. “I wasn’t sure at first either.” Then I lead him to Ellis. Bobby looks small next to him on the piano stool.
“If you put your hand on top of mine,” Ellis suggests, “then you can really feel the music.”
Bobby doesn’t smile, but he does what Ellis says. Slowly Ellis begins to play again. The music is instant.
Bobby’s eyes are wide. Their hands play faster and faster, until Bobby begins to laugh. Ellis has healed him. There could never be a better sound than his laughter and this music.
Ellis is here. I never knew that life could get any better, but it has. Because of Ellis, it has.
CHAPTER TEN
O n our next free day, the clouds gather in the sky, heavy and waiting.
“Show me somewhere new,” Ellis says, leaning against the closed kitchen door. “I’ve been working too hard on those engines in the work barn.” He’s wearing proper clothes now, the same as Jack. Yet he still looks different. He has rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and it makes me want to look at the skin on his arms. “Come on, Pearl, take me somewhere I’ve never been before.” His smile makes fingers tiptoe up the back of my neck.
“How about Dawn Rocks?” Kate says.
“Dawn Rocks?”
“We go there the first day of every month,” I say, picking up a plate to dry. “To greet the dawn.”
“What, like really early in the morning?”
“It’s amazing then,” I say. Ellis looks at me as if he knows better. Which he can’t, because how can he? Kate carries on washing up with her back to us. “We don’t have to go there,” I say, turning my back to him too. Suddenly I don’t want to take him there. Idon’t want to muddy our special rocks with his Outside ways.
“Go where?” asks Jack as he comes through the door with a pile of plates. Ellis moves out of the way for him.
“The rocks,” Ellis says.
“Dawn Rocks,” I correct him. He doesn’t even know to say it right.
“Today?” Jack asks, and the water splashes up at Kate slightly as he drops the plates into the sink.
“Yeah,” Ellis says.
“Sounds good. And if you actually started to help, new boy, we might get there quicker.” Jack laughs.
So they go out the back door together, to gather more things to wash up from the tables. Kate and I watch them. Ellis, just a bit taller than Jack. They’re deep in conversation and Jack tips his head back to laugh. Kate and I are in silence, though, and I don’t know her thoughts. I’m not sure that I know mine.
When we’ve finished clearing and washing up, the day is ours. The children are building card stacks in the playroom, so it’s just us.
We go through the meadow, where the Kindreds still sit at the tables, their shoulders hunched against the prospect of rain. I’m beginning to wish I’d brought a sweater. I thought it would be warmer than this.
“Let’s go the shortcut,” Kate says, so we head off to the right,along the edge of the cornfield. The plants are already shoulder height, the husks growing almost as we watch.
At the edge of the field, we walk along the bramble hedge until we find our little gateway to the other side.
“Race you,” Kate suddenly says and she’s running before I even think. So we chase her up to Dawn Rocks. Jack quickly catches her and puts his arms around her waist to pull her back. She’s laughing, kicking her legs in the air as he lifts her off the ground.
I run past them, but Ellis is already ahead. He turns to me, starts to run backward up the hill.
“Is that them?” he shouts, pointing behind to the cluster of rocks which sit waiting for us.
Yes, that’s them. I nod to him, and he turns away and runs again, up the last bit of the hill.
When I get there, he’s gone. “Ellis?” I call. But there’s no answer. My voice doesn’t even echo. It just falls flat into the gray air. Jack runs up, ahead of Kate, her laugh breaking the quiet. She looks around.
“Where’s Ellis?” she asks.
I shrug. “He was here and then he
“If you put your hand on top of mine,” Ellis suggests, “then you can really feel the music.”
Bobby doesn’t smile, but he does what Ellis says. Slowly Ellis begins to play again. The music is instant.
Bobby’s eyes are wide. Their hands play faster and faster, until Bobby begins to laugh. Ellis has healed him. There could never be a better sound than his laughter and this music.
Ellis is here. I never knew that life could get any better, but it has. Because of Ellis, it has.
CHAPTER TEN
O n our next free day, the clouds gather in the sky, heavy and waiting.
“Show me somewhere new,” Ellis says, leaning against the closed kitchen door. “I’ve been working too hard on those engines in the work barn.” He’s wearing proper clothes now, the same as Jack. Yet he still looks different. He has rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and it makes me want to look at the skin on his arms. “Come on, Pearl, take me somewhere I’ve never been before.” His smile makes fingers tiptoe up the back of my neck.
“How about Dawn Rocks?” Kate says.
“Dawn Rocks?”
“We go there the first day of every month,” I say, picking up a plate to dry. “To greet the dawn.”
“What, like really early in the morning?”
“It’s amazing then,” I say. Ellis looks at me as if he knows better. Which he can’t, because how can he? Kate carries on washing up with her back to us. “We don’t have to go there,” I say, turning my back to him too. Suddenly I don’t want to take him there. Idon’t want to muddy our special rocks with his Outside ways.
“Go where?” asks Jack as he comes through the door with a pile of plates. Ellis moves out of the way for him.
“The rocks,” Ellis says.
“Dawn Rocks,” I correct him. He doesn’t even know to say it right.
“Today?” Jack asks, and the water splashes up at Kate slightly as he drops the plates into the sink.
“Yeah,” Ellis says.
“Sounds good. And if you actually started to help, new boy, we might get there quicker.” Jack laughs.
So they go out the back door together, to gather more things to wash up from the tables. Kate and I watch them. Ellis, just a bit taller than Jack. They’re deep in conversation and Jack tips his head back to laugh. Kate and I are in silence, though, and I don’t know her thoughts. I’m not sure that I know mine.
When we’ve finished clearing and washing up, the day is ours. The children are building card stacks in the playroom, so it’s just us.
We go through the meadow, where the Kindreds still sit at the tables, their shoulders hunched against the prospect of rain. I’m beginning to wish I’d brought a sweater. I thought it would be warmer than this.
“Let’s go the shortcut,” Kate says, so we head off to the right,along the edge of the cornfield. The plants are already shoulder height, the husks growing almost as we watch.
At the edge of the field, we walk along the bramble hedge until we find our little gateway to the other side.
“Race you,” Kate suddenly says and she’s running before I even think. So we chase her up to Dawn Rocks. Jack quickly catches her and puts his arms around her waist to pull her back. She’s laughing, kicking her legs in the air as he lifts her off the ground.
I run past them, but Ellis is already ahead. He turns to me, starts to run backward up the hill.
“Is that them?” he shouts, pointing behind to the cluster of rocks which sit waiting for us.
Yes, that’s them. I nod to him, and he turns away and runs again, up the last bit of the hill.
When I get there, he’s gone. “Ellis?” I call. But there’s no answer. My voice doesn’t even echo. It just falls flat into the gray air. Jack runs up, ahead of Kate, her laugh breaking the quiet. She looks around.
“Where’s Ellis?” she asks.
I shrug. “He was here and then he
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