Page 61 of The Other Side

Osian smiled. “There’s no one here but us.”

They splashed and laughed and messed around and it was just as if they were kids again. Except they felt colder faster.

“That’s a kingfisher,” Osian whispered. “On the right.”

Drum just caught a glimpse of the bird before it flew off. He felt Osian’s hand on his thigh and sucked in a breath.

“That giant squid has found us,” Drum whispered. “Save me!”

Osian laughed. “It’s too cold to have the sort of fun I have in mind.”

“I’m getting out. Bits of me are going to fall off. Where’s my towel?”

“We’ll lie in the sun. Bring your clothes and follow me.” Osian stepped out of the water and climbed the bank to where he’d left his clothes.

Drum followed, picking his way painfully over the forest floor. He gathered his things and joined Osian at the edge of a wildflower meadow just beyond the treeline.

“Wow, that’s beautiful.” Drum sighed.

Osian pulled him a little way into the field, which rolled away in a wash of yellow, red and white flowers all swaying in the warm breeze. Bees drifted lazily from bloom to bloom, and somewhere above them a bird poured music into the bright afternoon. Peaceful. It reminded Drum of Faeryland.

He dropped down and stretched out with a groan. “The sun feels so good.”

Osian lay down beside him. The heat soaked into Drum’s body, drying the drops of water from his skin. He turned to look at Osian who had his arms crossed under his head, watching the clouds drift overhead. Drum broke off a stem of grass with a flowery seed head and tickled his stomach.

Osian laughed. “Smooth-stalked meadow grass. It self-repairs and binds soil tightly. It’s great for supporting biodiversity and highly nutritious for livestock. And good for tickling.”

“Can you identify every plant in this field?”

“Probably.”

“You look different,” Drum said quietly.

Osian glanced sideways. “Different how?”

“Lighter.”

A faint smile touched Osian’s lips. “I feel lighter. My mum said that to keep looking for you was like searching for the end of the rainbow. Impossible to find, yet here we are.”

Drum reached over almost without thinking, brushing a stray blade of grass from Osian’s shoulder. His fingers lingered for a heartbeat longer than they needed to. But when he dropped his arm, Osian caught hold of his hand and their fingers settled together.

“I’m happy,” Osian whispered. “I’m not saying I haven’t had happy moments for the last twenty years but now I have this feeling of contentment and that’s new. My only worry is how to hold on to it.”

That was Drum’s worry too.

“How was your walk this morning?” Drum asked.

“Uneventful. Except…”

Drum searched his face, suddenly uncertain. “Except what?”

“There is definitely something humming under the surface around here.”

“A gate?”

“I don’t know. I’ve walked a long way and it’s strongest in this area. Maybe we should look together.”

“In a minute. Or two.”