Klara and the Sun(26)

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Early one morning, three weeks after the interaction meeting, I looked over to Josie and could tell from her posture and her breathing that she wasn’t sleeping in her usual way. I used the alarm button and the Mother came immediately. She phoned for Dr Ryan, and then I heard Melania Housekeeper calling him again a little later to ask him to hurry. When he did come, he checked Josie over carefully, then said there was nothing to worry about. The Mother was relieved, and once the doctor had left, her manner became brisk. She sat on the edge of Josie’s bed and said to her: ‘You have to quit that energy drink. I always said it was bad for you.’

Josie said, not lifting her head from her pillow: ‘I knew there was nothing wrong with me. I got really tired, is all. You didn’t have to worry about me. And now you’re going to be late for work.’

‘Worrying about you, Josie, that’s my work.’ Then she added: ‘Klara’s work too. She did well to raise the alarm.’

‘I just need to sleep a little more. Then I promise I’ll be fine, Mom.’

‘Listen, honey.’ The Mother leaned right over till she was talking into Josie’s ear. ‘Listen. You need to get well for me. Do you hear me?’



‘Hear you, Mom.’

‘Good. I wasn’t sure you were listening.’

‘Listening, Mom. I’m keeping my eyes shut, is all.’

‘Okay. So here’s the deal. Get better by the weekend and we’ll go to Morgan’s Falls. You still love that place, right?’

‘Yes, Mom. I still love it.’

‘Good. Then that’s the deal. Sunday, Morgan’s Falls. So long as you get well.’

There was a long silence, then I heard Josie say, as though into her pillow:

‘Mom. If I get well, can we take Klara with us? Show her Morgan’s Falls? She’s only ever been outside once. And that was just around here.’

‘Of course Klara can come. But you’ll have to get well or none of this works. You understand, Josie?’

‘I understand, Mom. I have to sleep some more now.’



* * *



—

She woke up just before lunch, and I was going to tell Melania Housekeeper as I’d been instructed to do, but Josie said tiredly:

‘Klara? Have you been here the whole time I’ve been sleeping?’

‘Of course.’

‘Did you hear what Mom was saying about us going to Morgan’s Falls?’

‘Yes. And I’m very much hoping we’ll be able to go. But your mother said we’d go only if you were well enough.’

‘I’ll be okay. If I wanted, I could go this afternoon. Just tired, that’s all.’

‘What is this Morgan’s Falls, Josie?’



‘Beautiful is what it is. You’ll think it’s amazing. I’ll show you pictures later.’

Josie remained tired for much of the day. But in the late afternoon, once I raised the bedroom blinds to let the Sun’s pattern fall over her, she became noticeably stronger. Melania Housekeeper came up to see her then, and said Josie could get dressed so long as she promised to spend the rest of the day quietly. That was how we came to still be in the bedroom as the evening approached, when Josie produced a cardboard box from under her bed.

‘I’ll show you,’ she said, and tipped the box out. Many print photos of varying dimensions tumbled out onto the rug, some face up, others down. I understood that these were favorite images from Josie’s past, kept near her bed so she could cheer herself up viewing them whenever she wanted. Many of the images were now overlapping, but I could see they were mostly of Josie when younger. Some photos showed her with the Mother, some with Melania Housekeeper, others with people I didn’t know. Josie continued spreading them across the rug, then picked one up and smiled.

‘Morgan’s Falls,’ she said. ‘This is where we’re going on Sunday. What do you think?’

She gave me the photo – I was by now kneeling beside her – and I saw a younger Josie sitting outdoors at a table made from rough wooden planks. Even the seating was planks, and sitting beside her was the Mother, less thin and with her hair cut shorter than now. I was interested to see a third figure at the table, a girl who I estimated as eleven years old, wearing a short jacket made of light cotton. Because the stranger girl was sitting with her back to the photographer, I couldn’t see her face. The Sun’s patterns were visible over them all, falling across the tabletop. Behind Josie and the Mother was a blurred black-and-white pattern. I inspected this carefully, then said:



‘This is a waterfall.’

‘Yup. You ever seen a waterfall, Klara?’

‘Yes. I saw one in a magazine at the store. And look! You’re eating, right in front of the waterfall.’

‘You can do that at Morgan’s Falls. Have lunch while the spray covers you. You’re eating your food then you realize your shirt’s soaked at the back.’

‘That can’t be good for you, Josie.’

‘It’s okay when it’s warm. But you’re right. On a chilly day, you have to sit further away. There’s plenty of seating though because people don’t know about Morgan’s Falls so much.’ She reached out a hand, and I returned the photo to her. She looked at it again and said, ‘Maybe it’s only me and Mom think it’s special. And that’s why it’s never crowded. But we always have a great day there.’