‘I know this school like the back of my hand. Don’t worry. Now … which way are we facing again?’
A sharp intake of breath from Ethan had me cracking up. ‘You’re not funny,’ he grumbled. We walked for a minute, listening to the distant cheers and the occasional birdsong. ‘What d’you think of this tree?’ I asked. ‘What tree?’
‘The one right in front of us. It’s my favourite of all of them here,’ I said, adding, ‘No, don’t,’ when I felt his other hand move upwards to remove the tie from around his eyes. ‘But I can’t see it. I can’t see anything.’ ‘See it without using your eyes.’ ‘How do I do that?’ Frustration began to creep into Ethan’s voice. I took Ethan’s hand and stretched it out in front of him until it touched the tree trunk.
‘What does it feel like?’ I asked, my hand resting lightly over his so I could feel what he was doing. ‘Rough.’ ‘What else?’
His fi ngers began to move slowly across the tree bark. ‘Cool. Sharp in places. Here’s a smooth bit.’ ‘And what does it smell like?’ Ethan looked over towards me.
‘Go on!’ I encouraged. ‘It’s international hug-a-tree day! Tell me what it smells like and feels like. Don’t be shy.’
Reluctantly, Ethan moved closer to the tree. He stretched out his arms to hold it. Waves of ‘what-the- hell-am-I-doing?’ rippled out from his entire body.
‘It feels … strong. Like it could be here for ever if it was left alone.’ Ethan’s voice grew more quiet but more confi dent. ‘And it’s got secrets. It’s seen a lot of things and knows a lot of things, but it’s not telling. And it smells like … like rain and soil and a mixture of things.’
‘Come on,’ I said, taking his arm again. 246 FIRE & ICE 2
