Page 44 of The Memory Wood

‘I knowthat, silly.’

Out of the darkness sails a parcel of greaseproof paper, landing by her foot. Unwrapping it, Elissa discovers a lop-sided biscuit. She falls on it like a wolf upon a newborn lamb.

Afterwards, a silence ensues that is almost companionable. ‘I went through your bag,’ Elijah says, sounding abashed. ‘I found a notebook. Full of what looked like secret code.’

‘It is code,’ she tells him, screwing the greaseproof paper into a ball. ‘But it isn’t secret.’

‘What’s the point of a code if not to keep secrets?’

‘For brevity.’

‘For what?’

‘For making things simple, so they’re quickly recorded.’

Elijah sniffs. ‘I have secrets. Lots of them.’

‘Most people do.’

‘Probably not as bad as mine.’

She doesn’t know what to say to that, so she keeps quiet.

‘The worst ones,’ he says, ‘I can hardly remember.’

‘If you can’t remember them, how’d you know they exist?’

His feet scrape restlessly. It’s clear he doesn’t want to talk about it. Instead, he picks up whatever he was examining earlier. ‘I found these,’ he says. ‘A whole bag of them.’

Elissa raises herself on to her side. She can’t see anything past the yellow beam of his torch, but she hears the clacking of her Stauntons and knows he’s found the drawstring bag.

‘What are they?’ Elijah asks.

‘They’re mine.’

‘I knowthat, silly. But whatarethey?’

‘They’re chess pieces.’

‘They’re pretty. More than pretty. They’re beautiful.’ Elijah takes a deep breath and sighs it out. ‘Almost … magical.’

‘They’re made of Brazilian rosewood,’ she tells him ‘Dalbergia nigra– that’s the Latin name. It’s a vulnerable species now, so they don’t make stuff from it any more, but it wasn’t when they were carved.’

‘They feel warm.’

Elissa nods. She’s always thought that, too. ‘Sniff them.’

‘They smell sweet.’

‘The scent never fades. They say it’s one of the special things about Brazilian rosewood.’

‘What do you do with them?’

‘I told you. They’re chess pieces.’ Elissa inclines her head. ‘You haven’t heard of chess?’

She hears a huff of expelled breath and curses her carelessness. He’s so easy to hurt. So easy to offend, too.

‘’Course I’ve heard of it,’ Elijah mutters. ‘I just never saw the actual pieces before. Or had anyone explain the rules.’

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