Forest of Dreams

Chapter twenty-two

Manish was pleased to see me at the cemetery, nearly two weeks had passed since I was last there. I toured the graveyard to begin with, recapping on the work I'd done previously. There was some more preparation to be done on some of the tougher soil but then it was ready for planting. Ayol followed me round like a shadow, unsure of what to do with himself, nodding along with me as I thought to myself out loud despite the fact that he no idea what I was talking about.

Manish brought the borrowed tools out to me. He'd cleaned them up carefully, polishing the handles until they shone. Ayol carried them up to the top of the cemetery for me where I was making the garden. I'd found a large tree at the market that I wanted to plant, a cherry tree, which would blossom pale pink in spring, and an apple tree to provide a little sustenance for anyone sitting here in late summer. They needed deep holes for the roots, and I hadn't managed to dig far by myself as the ground was tough and rocky. With a little instruction Ayol set to work on the excavating one of the holes, while I began on the other. It was a cloudless day and I worked up a sweat as the sun bore down on me. I watched Ayol as I stopped to catch my breath. He worked diligently, making more progress in an hour than I had done after spending a day doing the work. He looked up at me when he realised, his cheeks pink from the exertion.

'Excellent work,' I said as I inspected the ground with mock sincerity. He looked genuinely pleased with himself. Manish brought us some cool lemon water, prompting us to sit on the bare ground to take a break.

'I'm going to put a cherry tree in the hole you're digging,' I said, leaning back on my elbows, 'in the old lore they're a symbol for the fleeting nature of life. They blossom for a short time in spring, the blossom is so beautiful and fragrant, and it only lasts for a few weeks. It's a reminder of how precious life is and how we should enjoy it while it's available to us.'

'That's sad,' he said simply. 'I thought you wanted to make it more cheerful here.'

'They also symbolise renewal, and hope. Everything ends, but they'll blossom again.' I smiled at him, but his face was still troubled. He leaned over and fiddled with the laces on his boots.

'My friend is here,' he said quietly, looking straight ahead.

'Where?' I asked, sitting up, I couldn't see anyone other than Manish who was pottering around some of the older graves mid-way down the cemetery.

'Buried here,' he said, glancing across at me quickly before looking away again.

'Do you want to show me?' I spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb him while he was speaking so openly with me.

He's near your Aunt. I inhaled sharply, too sharply, Ayol looked over to me concerned.

'What happened?'

He closed his eyes firmly, pressing his dark lashes to his cheeks. 'It's hard to talk about him. I don't want to.'

'That's ok.' I rubbed his back as he sat stiffly, looking at the floor. He stood abruptly, taking the shovel and going back to digging the hole even more vigorously than before. I watched him for a few moments before going back to my own work. We worked in silence until I decided we should finish for the day, given the heat. Ayol walked me back to the guesthouse, barely uttering a word despite my attempts at chatting with him. 

'You don't have to come back there with me,' I said as we stood outside in the bright sunshine.

'I need to make things right with Thon,' he mumbled, his attention clearly elsewhere.

I nodded. 'You should. Family comes first.' I kissed him lightly on the cheek but he barely registered it.

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