Page 39 of Light Up
“I like penguins too,” Corey said. “I thought about collecting them but I couldn’t put them next to my polar bears.” He mock-shuddered. “It would feel wrong.”
Much to Tal’s astonishment, he was having fun, enjoying the challenge of snow sculpting. He’d never tried to do anything like it before. He’d done a bit of clay work at school and maybe constructed the odd snowman or snow-dog as a child, but that was all. He’d modelled the bear lying down with his chin flat on the snow, his paws either side of his face, and used olives to make the eyes and nose. The ears were perfect hemispheres thanks to a small plastic bowl.
“Impressive,” a man said behind him.
“That’s amazing,” a woman added. “Such cute bears.”
“Oh no.” Corey whined. “Mine’s supposed to look like an arctic fox. Where did I go wrong?”
Everyone laughed.
Tal looked at the bear Corey had made. Just like his but smaller. The bears’ noses were pointing towards each other. Corey had used little bits of olive to give his bear a smile. Tal was pretty sure even a happy polar bear wouldn’t smile.
“Mulled wine?” someone called. “Hot chocolate?”
A man headed towards them with a tray of steaming mugs.
“Is mulled wine alcoholic?” Corey asked after he’d taken one.
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t you drink alcohol?”
“Not very often.” Corey sipped it. “Oh, it’s nice. Sort of sweet. Think it would be in bad taste if I tipped some over the baby bear and removed a paw?”
“Er… Yes.”
They checked out the other designs. The couple who’d praised their bears had made a mermaid, and used a small bowl to mark out the scales.
“The snowman sitting on the couch watching TV is good,” Corey said. “Your bear is the best though. You made it so lifelike. Mine’s cross-eyed.”
Tal picked out the wayward eye, covered the hole, then replaced the olive. “Not now.”
“Artistandeye surgeon? So many talents. It’ll be because you’re so much older than me.”
Tal sighed. “Are we heading back inside? Have you had enough?”
“Enough of what?” Corey stared at him and Tal’s pulse jumped. “Having fun with you? No. I haven’t had enough.”
Tal gulped. “I was talking about the scheduled activities.”
“We’ve only done one. But I have a confession.”
“You signed us up for many more.”
Corey gaped at him. “How do you know?”
“Because when you went to the kitchen for the olives, I went to reception and I signed us up too.”
“What for?”
“Bingo.”
For a moment, he thought Corey was going to cry.
Bingo was straight after lunch in the same room as they’d eaten. Claire came round the tables handing out cards and markers.
