Letters Behind the Map

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                                         Image from: https://livingmags.co.uk/look-up-to-the-stars/

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In my childhood years, I had seen many people come in and out of the Starling estate. Rich and poor, erudite and illiterate. But never did I see a boy quite like him. He spoke like a scholar but couldn't read. He could connect the stars but couldn't name them. He intrigued me. He was a walking contradiction. The boy, who was named Robin, came with his mother in the fall of 1862. They came with maps and telescopes and paint and laughter. They were a quirky pair and knew how to get a laugh out of everyone they spoke with. So, as their stay drew on, I spent as much time with Robin and his mother as I could. Until of course, at dinner one evening, I started rambling to my father about telescopes and trees. He then banned me from listening to any more of their teaching. Eavesdropping became a habit that winter as I was eager to hear everything they had to say.

The world got quieter, the temperatures got colder, and the rain turned to snow, yet I stayed warm inside with the company of my makeshift star maps and numerous astronomy books. These, I hid under my bed for fear my father would take them away. For unlike the newcomers, I had learned to read and was thankful for it. Before the end of winter, Robin had found out that I could read and I had offered to teach him the ways of books. We read from all the great scholars and as he learned more, got into the habit of writing each other letters. We would write them, hide them behind the map of England in the study, and wait for a response. This was quite fun for the both of us and cured our anxiousness of being caged in the cramped estate. Though, it wasn't really cramped. Through these secret letters, a budding friendship formed just as spring began to show its face. A different kind of flower had also budded that spring, though it wouldn't bloom for years to come...

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My husband placed a book on my paper. "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems." By Galileo Galilei. I put my pen back in its quill and looked up at his handsome face.

"Robin, must you always interrupt me when I am writing?"

"Only when you get mail." He subtly gestured to the doorway where a child's laughter bubbled into the room. "Your daughter has left a note for you." He whispered.

I smiled. "Well, I guess I have to go get it then." I snuck to the door and whisked my 8 year old into a bear hug.

She giggled uncontrollably.

"Now, my dear daughter. I heard that you have mail for me. May I have it?"

"No. You have to find it." She giggled again.

"Find it? I don't know if my poor old bones can handle that!" I faked a fever and fell back into the chair in the hallway.

"Fine. It's in the study." She paused as if deciding whether or not to reveal more about its location.

I opened my mouth and stuck out a limp tongue, pretending to be dead. Her eyes widened and out came the answer I needed.

"Behind the map." She ran down the hall toward the study.

I smiled up at Robin. Oh to remember the days when two young astronomers shared their words, then knowledge, and now a love that was as great as the stars. Robin offered me his hand and we walked together to receive the letter behind the map.

                                                                                             

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