“Do you miss him?”
“I—”
But she pauses, distracted by Priya, who has stopped, and is pointing into the trees. “Mum! Rowan! Look!”
We hurry up to her, Lila returning to Mum mode, scanning her to make sure nothing is wrong. But Priya seems fine, bouncing on the tips of her toes as she waits for us to join.
“Look,” she says again, lowering her voice to a whisper.
I follow her gaze and freeze, awestruck by the sight of a small herd of deer scattered among the trees. Their red coats gleam in the dappled sunlight, and their ears perk as they amble past us, stopping occasionally to nibble on a piece of leaf or grass. Their antlers are proud, their eyes shine.
“Mum,” Priya whispers, reaching for Lila’s hand. “They’re so beautiful.”
Lila hugs her daughter tight. “I know, baby.”
“I wish I could look at them forever.” Priya blinks hard, once, and then again, as Ewan limps up.
“What are you doing?” he asks, clocking the deer.
“I’m taking a picture for my memory bank,” Priya explains. “So then when I’m old, I won’t forget.”
“Why bother with that when you can take a real picture? Don’t you have a phone? Here. I’ll do it for you.” Ewan lets his crutch slide up his arm and scrabble at the pocket on the side of his bag, eventually fishing out his phone and pointing it at the deer.
But when he presses the button, the phone flashes with a white light, startling the closest deer, who shies into the next. The effect is instantaneous: the entire herd, sensing danger, lift their heads, casting around for the most likely source – us – and rapidly darting away, until we can barely see them through the branches.
“Idiot.” Angus sends a dirty look in Ewan’s direction.
“What? I didn’t know the flash was on!” Ewan protests. “I was trying to help. The kid was doing some nonsense with her eyes.”
“I was creating a picture in my memory bank!” Priya repeats.
“And I was taking you a photo so you wouldactuallyremember.”
“I can remember!” Priya closes her eyes and smiles. “There you are, friends. And now we can be together forever.”
“You know your kid is weird, right?” Ewan asks Lila, who rolls her eyes, takes Priya by the hand, and walks away. “What?”
“Like I said, idiot,” Angus adds.
“I’m trying to help! What is wrong with all of you?”
“It’s not nice to call people weird,” Priya says, pausing in the road, “unless you mean it in a helpful way because you’re weird too, like Rowan. Otherwise it hurts their feelings.”
“You tell him, honey,” Lila cheers.
It takes Ewan a second to understand. “Did I hurt your feelings, Priya?”
“No.” She keeps walking.
“Ah, shit, I’m sorry. Obviously, I’m weird too, if that helps?”
Priya pauses. “You are?”
Ewan spreads his arms wide. “Look at me! Yeah, I’m bloody weird.”
“The swearing! What is it with you lot and the swearing?” Lila says.
Priya squints at Ewan. “Okay. I guess we’ll let you join the club.”
