Page 57 of Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood
‘Now, Robin,’ Linnet says, smiling at us, ‘I really think we must leave Ava be, and go home. We’ve taken up far too much of her time.’
Robin immediately pouts, but then he sees his feather, and nods. ‘Can we make the helmet tonight, Mum?’ he asks excitedly. ‘Then you won’t say you don’t have time.’
Linnet smiles at me. ‘Yes, we can have a go tonight. We might have a balloon somewhere at home, and if not, I’ll get one first thing tomorrow, I know Jenny has some in her shop.’
Robin strokes Merlin one last time, then he leaps up. ‘Okay, I’m ready now.’
‘Thank you, both of you,’ Linnet says as she helps Robin on with his coat.
‘Any time,’ Callum says.
‘I’ll look forward to seeing your helmet, Robin,’ I tell him as we walk towards the door together.
‘Can I come and show you and Merlin when it’s finished?’
‘Of course you can,’ I tell him. ‘Let me know when you want to pop round again,’ I tell Linnet. ‘My door is always open.’
I watch them go, pausing for a moment before I return to Callum.
‘So, you have magical birds, do you?’ Callum asks, turning away from the French window as I walk back into the sitting room. He grins, and I can’t help smiling back.
‘It would seem that way. They keep leaving me weird stuff on the table in the mornings.’
‘What sort of weird stuff?’ Callum asks. ‘I thought you were just saying that for Robin’s benefit.’
‘Partly,’ I say, joining him by the window, ‘the magical bit, anyway. But the part about the birds leaving things is true. Along with the red feather and the fifty pence they’ve also left the other things I keep over there on the mantelpiece.’
Callum looks over at where I’m pointing.
‘You mean those broken bits of pottery?’
‘Yes, those and the yellow Trivial Pursuit piece – that was the first thing I found.’
‘You’ve found all these things, plus a coin and a bright red feather, on your bird table?’ Callum asks in astonishment, going over to investigate.
‘Yep – odd, isn’t it?’
‘It’s more than odd. How do they get there?’
I shrug. ‘It says on the internet that sometimes birds bring little gifts for the people who feed them – things that we think of as junk, but they might see as little bits of treasure. But it mainly seems to be crows and those types of larger birds. I can’t find anything about the sorts of garden birds I have doing something similar.’
‘Some of the items are small and light enough for a little bird, I suppose; but the fifty pence, that would have to be a bigger bird, surely?’
‘I get the odd jackdaw, but I’ve never seen anything larger. Not landing in the garden, anyway.’
‘The mystery deepens,’ Callum says, turning back from the fireplace.
‘It’s not really a mystery. Just a bit strange.’
‘I meant you, Ava, you’re the mystery,’ Callum says, and he walks slowly over towards me.
‘I am?’ I ask, very aware how close to me he suddenly is.
He’s a vicar, Ava!I remind myself.A priest – a man who wholly believes in everything you don’t any more.
‘Yes,’ he says in that soft low voice he has, which now he’s close to me is even more attractive and throwing me completely off guard. ‘You’re a puzzle to me.’
‘Why?’ I whisper, trying hard to fight my feelings, but rapidly losing the battle.
