The Christmas Bookshop(66)

‘Do you want to come in the tree maze?’ said Carmen, displaying the tickets. ‘If it’s not … forbidden or something.’

He smiled.

‘It is not forbidden. In fact, it’s practically research.’



Inside the Christmas tree maze was rather lovely. The sounds and lights of the rest of the huge fair had faded away. The children had grabbed the small cards they had to stamp to win a prize and vanished down the long rows of dark Christmas trees, sprinkled with snow and hung with lights.

‘So tell me about firs,’ said Carmen.

He smiled.

‘The Romans put them up. For Saturnalia. In mid-December.’

‘Before Christmas.’

‘Before Christmas, yes. A lot of things change over the years.’

‘Cor,’ said Carmen. ‘Bronagh is right about a lot of stuff.’

‘They predate dinosaurs.’

‘Really? Wow. How long do they live?’

He shrugged. ‘Five hundred years, average. Up to a thousand.’

Carmen looked at him.

‘And we chop them down and put them in pots.’

She shook her head.

‘AUNTIE CARMEN! Phoebe took my card!’ Jack was thundering.

‘I didn’t! It got stuck!’ Phoebe’s voice could be heard, but she couldn’t be seen. ‘AND NOW I AM LOST!’

Carmen settled Jack down.

‘Could you go find her? And then stamp her card too?’

‘But why? She always fusses.’

‘Because she is very small and you are extremely smart,’ said Carmen.

Jack pondered this for a second.

‘Really?’ he said finally. Then he glanced up at Oke.

‘Hi there,’ he said, with no curiosity whatsoever.

‘Hey, man,’ said Oke. ‘I have sisters too.’

They passed a look of mutual understanding, and finally Jack nodded and dashed back into the maze ahead of them.

‘Phoebs! Keep yelling and I’ll find you.’

In response, Phoebe made a high-pitched yowling noise not unlike a cat’s, or a fire alarm.

‘Nice boy,’ said Oke.

‘He is!’ said Carmen. ‘They’re great.’

She looked at him as they walked on, the maze seemingly endless, their paths possibly in circles.

‘How did you get so into trees?’

He shrugged. ‘I always … I just always found it so amazing. That you would plant seeds and they would grow – where I live there are a lot of trees. They talk to each other.’

‘What?’ said Carmen suspiciously as they dodged a large party of drunk teenagers who were hollering at each other. ‘What do they say? “Nice leaves”?’

‘Sometimes, yes. They warn each other about diseases.’

‘That can’t be true.’

‘Sure is. They share water. They can even divert water to one another if they have too much in supply.’

‘Do they really?’

‘Yes,’ said Oke. ‘Trees are astonishing communicators.’

‘When they rustle?’

‘It’s more like a kind of bubbly noise. If they’re thirsty. Like trying to get the last bits out of a straw.’

‘Why isn’t everyone absolutely freaking out about this?’ said Carmen.

‘Well, dendrologists are. For years, it was considered absolutely ridiculous to think it. Then studies came along and proved it.’

‘Bloody hell.’

She looked at the trees looming above them in the maze.

‘Oh goodness,’ she said. ‘Does that mean we shouldn’t be cutting them down to make Christmas trees? Do they scream?’

He diverted her attention.

‘Uh, would you like some of the pink sticky stuff? It seems popular.’

He pointed out of the front gate to a candyfloss stall.

‘It comes on a stick!’ said Carmen.

‘Okay.’

Fortunately at that moment Pippa arrived and informed them she had filled in her entire card, collected her prize of a small chocolate bar and could they leave now as Skylar was picking them up and wouldn’t be able to stop because of Scary Traffic Men.

‘Okay,’ said Carmen. A massive leaving tantrum was narrowly avoided when Jack came round the corner with Phoebe and two small bars of chocolate and Carmen couldn’t avoid feeling slightly smug delivering the children perfectly on time to the agreed meeting place beneath the huge Bank of Scotland.

‘Oh good, chocolate in the car?’ said Skylar immediately. ‘Yeah, that’s great for everyone?’

Then she saw Oke behind Carmen and her entire face changed.

‘Dr Oke!’ she beamed. ‘Wow! How amazing to see you? I, like, just loved your lecture on the symbolism of the birch in art?’

‘Um, thanks,’ said Oke modestly.

‘Well, let’s get you all going,’ she said. ‘I’m sure you’re all going to be so brilliant in the concert?’

Phoebe’s face fell immediately.

‘Well, bye then,’ said Carmen.

‘Thank you, Auntie Carmen,’ pronounced Pippa and for once the other two echoed her uncomplainingly.

‘Thank you, Auntie Carmen!’