Adelaide, Winnie, and Suzannah spent the last day of vacation in Adelaide’s yard, where they threw snow at each other (Adelaide accidentally hit Suzannah in the mouth several times) and held a mock funeral for a snowman who had been knocked down in their horseplay. Despite this happiness of the ending of vacation, it was an ending nonetheless, so trudging off to the schoolhouse the next morning felt nothing short of excruciating
That day was mostly made up of overly chipper instructors and groggy students, who were fully unprepared for the boredom they would once again face. Adelaide was walking home with Suzannah when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Expecting it to be one of Frederick’s admirers she whipped around quite quickly, which startled poor Edwin half out of his wits.
“Oh, it’s you! Sorry about that.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Who is this?”
“Right. Suzannah, this is Edwin, he lives next door, and Edwin, this is Suzannah.”
They shook hands.
“Adelaide, might I have a word?”
“Of course.”
“Should I go then?” said Suzannah.
Adelaide looked to Edwin, who shrugged. “I suppose…?” she said.
“Alright, well, see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Edwin.”
“The same to you.”
“What’s going on, then?” said Adelaide as Suzannah headed home.
“It’s just that I was wondering about the piano. Your piano, that is. And when I might be able to play it, only because you kept mentioning it at dinner.”
“Oh, of course. How about right now? Unless you’re busy.”
“Oh, I- Well...actually that would be nice. I’d just have to stop at home for my music.”
“Lovely. Shall we go, then?”
Edwin adjusted his coat. “I suppose so.”
They navigated their way out of the school yard, which was packed with noisy, rosy-cheeked students and the occasional snowball fight. “How do you like school in Hemingshire so far?”
“I don’t think most people like me very much, except for Colin Baker and a few others, but otherwise it’s nice. Do you know Colin Baker?”
“A little. He always seems very nice.”
“He is, and I think we’ll be very good friends.”
“I’m so glad!”
They continued in silence for a while, until they came to the Hemingshire Bridge.
“Look, it’s completely iced over!”
“Could you skate on it?”
“I’ve never tried, but I ought to. It would be terribly fun.”
“Have you skated before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“We should change that.”
“What, now?”
“I haven’t any skates at the moment, and you probably don’t either, so perhaps another time?”
“Is that a promise?”
“If you want it to be.”
“I do.”
“Saturday afternoon, then?”
Adelaide smiled. “Sure.”
They crossed the bridge and continued to the stone staircase that led to Wickham Lane. “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Adelaide started. “Where did you move from? I feel awful for not asking before.”
“I was born in Blackburn, down south of here.”
“Why move to Hemingshire? It doesn’t have many good qualities.”
“Are you joking? It’s so nice!”
“There are so many other places that you could have chosen.”
“That’s true. My father wanted to come to Hemingshire because my mother was born here. They met here when he was on holiday once. He always wanted to come back, but he wanted to wait until I was old enough to leave my grandparents in Blackburn.”
“That’s rather romantic, isn’t it? That your father wanted to come back.”
“I think it will just make him sad, eventually.”
Adelaide paused. “I hope it doesn’t.”
“Anyway, I had better get my sheet music, I’ll be right back.” With that Edwin scampered into his house and emerged a minute later holding a stack of paper under his arm. “Are you sure this will be alright with your mother?” Edwin said sheepishly.
“Very sure, but I can ask her if it would make you feel better.”
He nodded, and they proceeded into the house.
“Mummy, can Edwin play the piano for a while?”
“Of course! Tell him to stay as long as he likes,” came the reply from somewhere in the back of the house. In a little while, Edwin was settled on the piano bench.
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” Edwin later realized that he did not know where the kitchen was. He played several pieces, all of which he knew well, for he was afraid of embarrassing himself on the first afternoon. At the kitchen table a few rooms away, Adelaide tried to focus on her History homework, but despite it being a subject that she usually excelled at, she was continually distracted by the lovely strands of music. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore, so she made a pot of tea.
Edwin found that the piano was indeed much nicer than the one in his own parlor, and determined that he would make sure that the Hargreaves liked him so much that they would invite him to play it again. A little less than an hour after he sat down, Adelaide knocked on the door, and then entered with a tray.
“I couldn’t focus on my work, so I made tea. Would you like some? There are a few pastries, too, though I’m afraid they’re a bit stale.”
“I’m terribly sorry, was I playing too loudly?”
“No, it isn’t your fault. I’ll just do it this evening. So...tea?”
“Well...yes, thanks.”
Once the tea and stale pastries were distributed, they sat sipping their drinks for several minutes.
“Do you really like playing the piano?”
“I think I do.”
“That’s good, because you’re very talented.”
“It’s nice of you to say so,” he mumbled, inspecting his nails.
“I’m serious. You don’t play as stiffly as some other people do, one can hear that you care about the music. It’s refreshing.”
“I was only playing the songs that I knew.”
“Based on the way you played, I would be incredibly surprised if you weren’t.” She paused for a moment, then looked out the window. “I wish I could play an instrument.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I don’t know, really.”
“I think you would be good.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, please.”
“Don’t you think you could be musically inclined?”
“Piano.”
“Oh, I see. We’re going down that road now.”
“There is no other road.”
Edwin laughed. “For the two of us, probably not.”
They chatted the rest of the afternoon away, until Edwin left just before the sun set.
“So I’ll see you on Saturday?”
“What? Oh, yes. Of course. Shall I just drop by, then?” he said, turning slightly red, as per his usual.
“And bring skates. And a sense of humor, for I will most definitely fall.”
“Are you implying that I don’t always have a sense of humor?”
Adelaide puzzled over the question for a moment. “No…” she said nonchalantly. “I don’t think that’s what I meant.”
Edwin smiled. “I’ll see you around, then?
“That you will.”
“So,” said Frederick, as soon as Adelaide had shut the door. “Edwin was here.”
“What an incredible deduction, Sherlock.”
“What was he doing?”
“Playing the piano.”
“Yes, well, I heard that. But why here?”
“Because we’ve got a piano.”
Frederick rolled his eyes and walked away.
That Saturday afternoon, Edwin knocked on the door, and Adelaide excitedly answered it. “Are you ready?”
“If you are,” he replied.
Adelaide practically ran down the porch steps. “I asked my mother if she had any ice skates, and she did, but they’re much too big for me, so I had to stuff stockings into the toes but I think they’ll be alright. They’re quite nice to look at. Do you have your own skates?”
He grinned, infected by her enthusiasm. “I do.”
They left Wickham Lane and headed in the general direction of the river.
“Do...either of us actually know where it is we’re going?” said Adelaide, after several minutes of walking.
“I was following you.”
“Well that’s inconvenient,” she muttered. “I was following you.”
“Dear me.” They stopped walking. “Do you think it’s frozen enough under the bridge?”
“It definitely looked that way. Shall we just go there?”
“If you think it’s the best place.”
“Well I’ve never been skating before and this is your first winter here, so I don’t know if either of us are really equipped to know that, but yes. Let’s go.”
They turned around and went back in the direction of the bridge.
“Oh, could we stop for one moment?” said Adelaide as they passed by the milliner’s.
“Of course.”
“Do you see that hat in the back left there, the grey one?” Her gloved hand was pressed against the glass, her breath fogging up the window.
“The one with the lace?”
“Isn’t it lovely? I adore it so much.”
“Why don’t you buy it, then?”
“I couldn’t afford it. I keep meaning to start putting away bits of money for it, but I still haven’t. I only hope someone else doesn’t buy it before I can.”
“Well, I hope so too, then.”
They continued to stare at the dove grey felt hat, which was really quite pretty. It was draped with white lace and tulle, small flowers peeking out of the lavender-colored ribbon that was wrapped around the hat’s middle.
“Are the flowers real?”
“They’re made of silk, I think.”
“That’s actually quite impressive,” Edwin murmured.
Eventually they went on their way.
Once they arrived, they carefully navigated their way down to the water’s edge.
“Seems quite solid,” said Edwin, who had stepped out onto the river.
“Good.”
He retreated to the bank, and they both began to lace their skates.
“You were right, those are very nice to look at.” She looked up and found Edwin looking down at her skates. They were made of smooth brown leather, with white laces that were a bit ragged at the ends, but still completely functional.
“Yours are too.”
“Hardly. I haven’t sharpened or cleaned them in ages.”
“That doesn’t make a difference, really.”
“If you say so.” They finished tying their knots and wobbling about in silence.
“Are you ready?”
“That’s what I should ask you, you’re the one who hasn’t done this before.”
“Come on, then.” Adelaide stepped foot onto the ice, and promptly fell back down, sliding a few meters on the ice. “Well I suppose it’s good to get that over with.”
“I don’t think you’re-”
Adelaide stood up once again, yelped, and wildly waved her arms to steady herself. “How-” she faltered, “-do you do this?”
“You’ll want something to lean on at first.”
She looked around. “There’s nothing-”
A second later he was by her side, holding out his arm. Adelaide gladly took it in both of hers.
“You just have to sort of...glide? On foot after the other.”
“Like this?”
“That’s the general idea, I think, just try to make it smoother.” They began to slowly make their way in circles, Adelaide tightly holding Edwin’s arm.
“I feel so very clumsy.”
“That will go away.”
“You’re sure? I don’t like this sensation.”
“It will take a while, but yes. I’m sure.”
They skated about in silence for a while.
“You’re definitely starting to get the hang of it,” said Edwin finally.
“I think so too.” She let go of him, and began to maneuver her way around him alone. She started to go a bit faster, Edwin following her.
“You’ve really got a talent for this, you know.”
“You’re joking. This is turtle speed!”
He chuckled. “That may be, but you’ve only fallen that once.”
“Don’t tempt fate.”
“Right, sorry.”
She scooted in a wide circle, then commenced sliding towards him with new speed. “This really is nice.” As she came closer, her eyes widened with a realization. “I don’t know how to stop.”
Edwin, whose back was turned, did not hear.
“I don’t know how to stop! Edwin, look out! I don’t know how to stop!” But it was too late for Edwin’s poor tailbone. He turned back a second before Adelaide crashed into him, and they landed in a tangled heap on the very hard ice.
Adelaide scrambled off him. “I’m so dreadfully sorry, that must have hurt terribly much, but I-”
“Don’t know how to stop,” they said in unison. Edwin laughed.
“It was worth falling to see the look on your face; it was sheer terror.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Anyway-” he winced as he tried to sit up all the way, which caused Adelaide to suck in her breath. “It’s my fault. I should have told you.”
“But-”
“Really. It was worth it for your face.”
Adelaide smiled, then struggled to a kneeling position. “I’m glad you think my sheer terror is funny.”
“It sounds awful, but it was.”
“Do you need help getting up?”
He looked up at her. “Not from you,” he grinned.
“Oh, that’s true, I’ll probably fall on you again.”
“I think I’ll just lie here for a while.”
“In that case I will too.” She plopped down next to him, crossing one leg over the other.
“Ice is very cold, isn’t it.”
“It is...frozen,” she said under her breath. “But it’s very nice.”
Edwin covered his eyes with his mittened hand. “Oh goodness.”
“Goodnice.”
“Adelaide….”
“Adelice.”
“This is getting out of hand.”
“Out of ice.”
Edwin laughed. “You must stop.”
“I micet stop.” By this point Adelaide had begun to snicker as well.
“This is horrible.”
“This ice horrible.”
“You down there!” came a shout from above. “Are you alright?”
Adelaide snorted. “As if. Ice if.”
Edwin fought hard to keep from losing his composure. “Oh, yes we’re perfectly fine, thanks!” he shouted to the alarmed bridge pedestrian, who continued to look at them with fearful suspicion. As soon as the unconvinced fellow went on his way, the two adolescents collapsed on each other in a fit of stifled giggles.
“That poor man, he must have thought us out of our minds for lying on the ice like this.”
“He would have thought worse if he had heard your dreadful puns.”
“They were brilliant, what on earth do you mean?”
“You’ve done so much better before.”
“It’s true. They were not my best work, but any pun is a good pun.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard come from your mouth.”
“That only shows you haven’t known me for very long.”
“I’m beginning to get cold. How long have we been here, anyway?”
“Nearly three hours.”
“Blimey.” He shook his head.
“Do you want my coat?”
“What?”
“You said you were cold.”
“I couldn’t take your coat, aren’t you cold?”
“Not particularly. And don’t you think my coat would suit you?”
“It could. That shade of green really brings out my eyes.”
“...Your eyes are brown.”
“Ah, well. But no matter what color it was I could never deprive you of your coat.”
“My scarf, then?”
“I- But-” Before he could form a full argument, she had already wrapped it around his neck and tied it in a neat knot.
“There.”
“Thank you. Shall we walk back, then?”
“We probably should. The night is coming and there’s no stopping it now.”
Edwin’s eyebrows shot up. “I suppose that was the most cryptic way you could have described the sunset, wasn’t it.”
“Mysteriousness is occasionally my specialty.”
“Only occasionally?”
“When the mood strikes me.”
“I see.”
They sat on the bank and unlaced their skates, Edwin placing his back into their bag. As they scampered up the bank and then towards their respective homes, they admired the haze cast by the weak, dying light. Neither of them felt their various bruises quite yet. They walked quietly, fearful of disturbing the thick silence that always came with the January snow. Finally they reached Edwin’s door, and they said goodbye.
“Thank you for today, it was wonderful,” said Adelaide.
“It was entirely my pleasure.”
“By the way, would you like to come play the piano again on Monday?”
“Really? I mean, is that an invitation? If it is, I’d love to take you up on it, I like your piano ever so much.”
“Sometimes I think we’re only friends because you’re in love with my piano.”
Edwin paused. “We’re friends?”
“Aren’t we?”
“Yes...we are. We’re friends.”
“Good. I’m glad we agree. Now, would you like to play the piano Monday afternoon, or not?”
“I’d love to.”
They smiled at each other, until Adelaide tore herself away, feeling slightly lonelier as she reached her own front door. She spent the rest of the evening by the fire, snuggled into the sofa with her well-worn copy of The Wind in the Willows, which Edwin had recently returned after thoroughly enjoying it.
That day was mostly made up of overly chipper instructors and groggy students, who were fully unprepared for the boredom they would once again face. Adelaide was walking home with Suzannah when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Expecting it to be one of Frederick’s admirers she whipped around quite quickly, which startled poor Edwin half out of his wits.
“Oh, it’s you! Sorry about that.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Who is this?”
“Right. Suzannah, this is Edwin, he lives next door, and Edwin, this is Suzannah.”
They shook hands.
“Adelaide, might I have a word?”
“Of course.”
“Should I go then?” said Suzannah.
Adelaide looked to Edwin, who shrugged. “I suppose…?” she said.
“Alright, well, see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Edwin.”
“The same to you.”
“What’s going on, then?” said Adelaide as Suzannah headed home.
“It’s just that I was wondering about the piano. Your piano, that is. And when I might be able to play it, only because you kept mentioning it at dinner.”
“Oh, of course. How about right now? Unless you’re busy.”
“Oh, I- Well...actually that would be nice. I’d just have to stop at home for my music.”
“Lovely. Shall we go, then?”
Edwin adjusted his coat. “I suppose so.”
They navigated their way out of the school yard, which was packed with noisy, rosy-cheeked students and the occasional snowball fight. “How do you like school in Hemingshire so far?”
“I don’t think most people like me very much, except for Colin Baker and a few others, but otherwise it’s nice. Do you know Colin Baker?”
“A little. He always seems very nice.”
“He is, and I think we’ll be very good friends.”
“I’m so glad!”
They continued in silence for a while, until they came to the Hemingshire Bridge.
“Look, it’s completely iced over!”
“Could you skate on it?”
“I’ve never tried, but I ought to. It would be terribly fun.”
“Have you skated before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“We should change that.”
“What, now?”
“I haven’t any skates at the moment, and you probably don’t either, so perhaps another time?”
“Is that a promise?”
“If you want it to be.”
“I do.”
“Saturday afternoon, then?”
Adelaide smiled. “Sure.”
They crossed the bridge and continued to the stone staircase that led to Wickham Lane. “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Adelaide started. “Where did you move from? I feel awful for not asking before.”
“I was born in Blackburn, down south of here.”
“Why move to Hemingshire? It doesn’t have many good qualities.”
“Are you joking? It’s so nice!”
“There are so many other places that you could have chosen.”
“That’s true. My father wanted to come to Hemingshire because my mother was born here. They met here when he was on holiday once. He always wanted to come back, but he wanted to wait until I was old enough to leave my grandparents in Blackburn.”
“That’s rather romantic, isn’t it? That your father wanted to come back.”
“I think it will just make him sad, eventually.”
Adelaide paused. “I hope it doesn’t.”
“Anyway, I had better get my sheet music, I’ll be right back.” With that Edwin scampered into his house and emerged a minute later holding a stack of paper under his arm. “Are you sure this will be alright with your mother?” Edwin said sheepishly.
“Very sure, but I can ask her if it would make you feel better.”
He nodded, and they proceeded into the house.
“Mummy, can Edwin play the piano for a while?”
“Of course! Tell him to stay as long as he likes,” came the reply from somewhere in the back of the house. In a little while, Edwin was settled on the piano bench.
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” Edwin later realized that he did not know where the kitchen was. He played several pieces, all of which he knew well, for he was afraid of embarrassing himself on the first afternoon. At the kitchen table a few rooms away, Adelaide tried to focus on her History homework, but despite it being a subject that she usually excelled at, she was continually distracted by the lovely strands of music. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore, so she made a pot of tea.
Edwin found that the piano was indeed much nicer than the one in his own parlor, and determined that he would make sure that the Hargreaves liked him so much that they would invite him to play it again. A little less than an hour after he sat down, Adelaide knocked on the door, and then entered with a tray.
“I couldn’t focus on my work, so I made tea. Would you like some? There are a few pastries, too, though I’m afraid they’re a bit stale.”
“I’m terribly sorry, was I playing too loudly?”
“No, it isn’t your fault. I’ll just do it this evening. So...tea?”
“Well...yes, thanks.”
Once the tea and stale pastries were distributed, they sat sipping their drinks for several minutes.
“Do you really like playing the piano?”
“I think I do.”
“That’s good, because you’re very talented.”
“It’s nice of you to say so,” he mumbled, inspecting his nails.
“I’m serious. You don’t play as stiffly as some other people do, one can hear that you care about the music. It’s refreshing.”
“I was only playing the songs that I knew.”
“Based on the way you played, I would be incredibly surprised if you weren’t.” She paused for a moment, then looked out the window. “I wish I could play an instrument.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I don’t know, really.”
“I think you would be good.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, please.”
“Don’t you think you could be musically inclined?”
“Piano.”
“Oh, I see. We’re going down that road now.”
“There is no other road.”
Edwin laughed. “For the two of us, probably not.”
They chatted the rest of the afternoon away, until Edwin left just before the sun set.
“So I’ll see you on Saturday?”
“What? Oh, yes. Of course. Shall I just drop by, then?” he said, turning slightly red, as per his usual.
“And bring skates. And a sense of humor, for I will most definitely fall.”
“Are you implying that I don’t always have a sense of humor?”
Adelaide puzzled over the question for a moment. “No…” she said nonchalantly. “I don’t think that’s what I meant.”
Edwin smiled. “I’ll see you around, then?
“That you will.”
“So,” said Frederick, as soon as Adelaide had shut the door. “Edwin was here.”
“What an incredible deduction, Sherlock.”
“What was he doing?”
“Playing the piano.”
“Yes, well, I heard that. But why here?”
“Because we’ve got a piano.”
Frederick rolled his eyes and walked away.
That Saturday afternoon, Edwin knocked on the door, and Adelaide excitedly answered it. “Are you ready?”
“If you are,” he replied.
Adelaide practically ran down the porch steps. “I asked my mother if she had any ice skates, and she did, but they’re much too big for me, so I had to stuff stockings into the toes but I think they’ll be alright. They’re quite nice to look at. Do you have your own skates?”
He grinned, infected by her enthusiasm. “I do.”
They left Wickham Lane and headed in the general direction of the river.
“Do...either of us actually know where it is we’re going?” said Adelaide, after several minutes of walking.
“I was following you.”
“Well that’s inconvenient,” she muttered. “I was following you.”
“Dear me.” They stopped walking. “Do you think it’s frozen enough under the bridge?”
“It definitely looked that way. Shall we just go there?”
“If you think it’s the best place.”
“Well I’ve never been skating before and this is your first winter here, so I don’t know if either of us are really equipped to know that, but yes. Let’s go.”
They turned around and went back in the direction of the bridge.
“Oh, could we stop for one moment?” said Adelaide as they passed by the milliner’s.
“Of course.”
“Do you see that hat in the back left there, the grey one?” Her gloved hand was pressed against the glass, her breath fogging up the window.
“The one with the lace?”
“Isn’t it lovely? I adore it so much.”
“Why don’t you buy it, then?”
“I couldn’t afford it. I keep meaning to start putting away bits of money for it, but I still haven’t. I only hope someone else doesn’t buy it before I can.”
“Well, I hope so too, then.”
They continued to stare at the dove grey felt hat, which was really quite pretty. It was draped with white lace and tulle, small flowers peeking out of the lavender-colored ribbon that was wrapped around the hat’s middle.
“Are the flowers real?”
“They’re made of silk, I think.”
“That’s actually quite impressive,” Edwin murmured.
Eventually they went on their way.
Once they arrived, they carefully navigated their way down to the water’s edge.
“Seems quite solid,” said Edwin, who had stepped out onto the river.
“Good.”
He retreated to the bank, and they both began to lace their skates.
“You were right, those are very nice to look at.” She looked up and found Edwin looking down at her skates. They were made of smooth brown leather, with white laces that were a bit ragged at the ends, but still completely functional.
“Yours are too.”
“Hardly. I haven’t sharpened or cleaned them in ages.”
“That doesn’t make a difference, really.”
“If you say so.” They finished tying their knots and wobbling about in silence.
“Are you ready?”
“That’s what I should ask you, you’re the one who hasn’t done this before.”
“Come on, then.” Adelaide stepped foot onto the ice, and promptly fell back down, sliding a few meters on the ice. “Well I suppose it’s good to get that over with.”
“I don’t think you’re-”
Adelaide stood up once again, yelped, and wildly waved her arms to steady herself. “How-” she faltered, “-do you do this?”
“You’ll want something to lean on at first.”
She looked around. “There’s nothing-”
A second later he was by her side, holding out his arm. Adelaide gladly took it in both of hers.
“You just have to sort of...glide? On foot after the other.”
“Like this?”
“That’s the general idea, I think, just try to make it smoother.” They began to slowly make their way in circles, Adelaide tightly holding Edwin’s arm.
“I feel so very clumsy.”
“That will go away.”
“You’re sure? I don’t like this sensation.”
“It will take a while, but yes. I’m sure.”
They skated about in silence for a while.
“You’re definitely starting to get the hang of it,” said Edwin finally.
“I think so too.” She let go of him, and began to maneuver her way around him alone. She started to go a bit faster, Edwin following her.
“You’ve really got a talent for this, you know.”
“You’re joking. This is turtle speed!”
He chuckled. “That may be, but you’ve only fallen that once.”
“Don’t tempt fate.”
“Right, sorry.”
She scooted in a wide circle, then commenced sliding towards him with new speed. “This really is nice.” As she came closer, her eyes widened with a realization. “I don’t know how to stop.”
Edwin, whose back was turned, did not hear.
“I don’t know how to stop! Edwin, look out! I don’t know how to stop!” But it was too late for Edwin’s poor tailbone. He turned back a second before Adelaide crashed into him, and they landed in a tangled heap on the very hard ice.
Adelaide scrambled off him. “I’m so dreadfully sorry, that must have hurt terribly much, but I-”
“Don’t know how to stop,” they said in unison. Edwin laughed.
“It was worth falling to see the look on your face; it was sheer terror.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Anyway-” he winced as he tried to sit up all the way, which caused Adelaide to suck in her breath. “It’s my fault. I should have told you.”
“But-”
“Really. It was worth it for your face.”
Adelaide smiled, then struggled to a kneeling position. “I’m glad you think my sheer terror is funny.”
“It sounds awful, but it was.”
“Do you need help getting up?”
He looked up at her. “Not from you,” he grinned.
“Oh, that’s true, I’ll probably fall on you again.”
“I think I’ll just lie here for a while.”
“In that case I will too.” She plopped down next to him, crossing one leg over the other.
“Ice is very cold, isn’t it.”
“It is...frozen,” she said under her breath. “But it’s very nice.”
Edwin covered his eyes with his mittened hand. “Oh goodness.”
“Goodnice.”
“Adelaide….”
“Adelice.”
“This is getting out of hand.”
“Out of ice.”
Edwin laughed. “You must stop.”
“I micet stop.” By this point Adelaide had begun to snicker as well.
“This is horrible.”
“This ice horrible.”
“You down there!” came a shout from above. “Are you alright?”
Adelaide snorted. “As if. Ice if.”
Edwin fought hard to keep from losing his composure. “Oh, yes we’re perfectly fine, thanks!” he shouted to the alarmed bridge pedestrian, who continued to look at them with fearful suspicion. As soon as the unconvinced fellow went on his way, the two adolescents collapsed on each other in a fit of stifled giggles.
“That poor man, he must have thought us out of our minds for lying on the ice like this.”
“He would have thought worse if he had heard your dreadful puns.”
“They were brilliant, what on earth do you mean?”
“You’ve done so much better before.”
“It’s true. They were not my best work, but any pun is a good pun.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard come from your mouth.”
“That only shows you haven’t known me for very long.”
“I’m beginning to get cold. How long have we been here, anyway?”
“Nearly three hours.”
“Blimey.” He shook his head.
“Do you want my coat?”
“What?”
“You said you were cold.”
“I couldn’t take your coat, aren’t you cold?”
“Not particularly. And don’t you think my coat would suit you?”
“It could. That shade of green really brings out my eyes.”
“...Your eyes are brown.”
“Ah, well. But no matter what color it was I could never deprive you of your coat.”
“My scarf, then?”
“I- But-” Before he could form a full argument, she had already wrapped it around his neck and tied it in a neat knot.
“There.”
“Thank you. Shall we walk back, then?”
“We probably should. The night is coming and there’s no stopping it now.”
Edwin’s eyebrows shot up. “I suppose that was the most cryptic way you could have described the sunset, wasn’t it.”
“Mysteriousness is occasionally my specialty.”
“Only occasionally?”
“When the mood strikes me.”
“I see.”
They sat on the bank and unlaced their skates, Edwin placing his back into their bag. As they scampered up the bank and then towards their respective homes, they admired the haze cast by the weak, dying light. Neither of them felt their various bruises quite yet. They walked quietly, fearful of disturbing the thick silence that always came with the January snow. Finally they reached Edwin’s door, and they said goodbye.
“Thank you for today, it was wonderful,” said Adelaide.
“It was entirely my pleasure.”
“By the way, would you like to come play the piano again on Monday?”
“Really? I mean, is that an invitation? If it is, I’d love to take you up on it, I like your piano ever so much.”
“Sometimes I think we’re only friends because you’re in love with my piano.”
Edwin paused. “We’re friends?”
“Aren’t we?”
“Yes...we are. We’re friends.”
“Good. I’m glad we agree. Now, would you like to play the piano Monday afternoon, or not?”
“I’d love to.”
They smiled at each other, until Adelaide tore herself away, feeling slightly lonelier as she reached her own front door. She spent the rest of the evening by the fire, snuggled into the sofa with her well-worn copy of The Wind in the Willows, which Edwin had recently returned after thoroughly enjoying it.
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