Shouldn’t you be quiet?’ I looked around. ‘Don’t worry I won’t tell.’
‘Many of the sisters would agree with you,’ she chuckled, ‘but yes, I’m allowed to talk. I haven’t taken a vow of silence.’
‘Oh. Do other nuns look down on you for that?’
She laughed again, a sweet, clear, singsong laugh.
‘So have you not seen people for ages? Is this against the rules? Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Though Obama’s the US President now,’ I joked. When she didn’t respond, my smile faded. ‘Shit. Are you not supposed to know stuff like that? Stuff from the “outside world”? It must be a bit like being in Big Brother, being a nun.’
She snapped out of her trance and laughed again, her face seeming so childlike in a Benjamin Button way when she did that.
‘Aren’t you a peculiar thing?’ She’d said it with a smile and so I tried hard not to be insulted.
‘What’s that you’ve got there?’ she asked looking at the book that I was still hugging.
‘Oh, this.’ I finally stopped squeezing it. ‘I found it yesterday on the…oh, actually, I owe you a book.’
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘No, really I do. Marcus, I mean, the travelling library came by the day before yesterday looking for you and I didn’t know who you were.’
‘Then you owe me a book,’ she said, a twinkle in her eye. ‘Let me see, who’s it by?’
‘I don’t know who or what it is. It’s not the Bible or anything,you might not like it,’ I said, reluctant to hand it over. ‘There could be sex scenes in it, swear words, gay people, divorced people, things like that.’
She looked at me and pursed her lips, trying not to smile.
‘I can’t open it,’ I said finally, giving it to her. ‘It’s locked.’
‘Well, I’ll see to that. Follow me.’
She immediately set off out the other entrance of the walled garden with the book in her hand.
‘Where are you going?’ I called after her.
‘Where are we going,’ she corrected me. ‘Come and see the sisters. They’ll be delighted to meet you. And I’ll open the book while you do so.’
‘Uh. No, it’s okay.’ I ran to catch up with her and take the book back.
‘There’s just the four of us. We don’t bite. Particularly when eating Sister Mary’s apple pie, but don’t tell her I said,’ she added under her breath and chuckled again.
‘But, Sister, I’m not very good with holy people. I don’t really know what to say.’
She laughed that laugh again and waddled in her funny-looking suit towards the orchard.
‘What’s the deal with the tree with all the engravings on it?’ I asked, skipping alongside her to keep up.
‘Ah, you’ve seen our apple orchard? You know, some people say the apple tree is the tree of love,’ she said, her eyes widening, and when she smiled dimples pierced her cheeks. ‘Many of the young ones around here have declared their love to one another on that tree.’ She power-walked on, snapping out of her magical love story. ‘Plus, it’s great for the bees. And the bees are great for the trees. Oh, that rhymes,’ she chuckled. ‘Arthur does a wonderful job of keeping it. We get the most delicious Granny Smith apples.’
‘Oh, so that’s why Rosaleen makes three thousand appletarts a day. I’ve eaten so many apples they’re literally coming out of my…’
She looked at me.
‘Ears.’
She laughed and it sounded like a song.
‘So,’ I panted, trying to keep up with her pacy strides, ‘how come there’s only four of you?’
‘Not so many people want to be nuns these days. It’s not, what you’d say, cool?’
‘Well, it’s not just that it’s not cool, which it totally isn’t by the way but, no offence to God or anything, it’s probably just a sex thing. If you were allowed to have sex I’d say loads of girls would want to be nuns. Though the rate I’m going, I’ll be joining you,’ I rolled my eyes.
Sister Ignatius laughed. ‘All in good time, my child, all in good time. You’re
‘Many of the sisters would agree with you,’ she chuckled, ‘but yes, I’m allowed to talk. I haven’t taken a vow of silence.’
‘Oh. Do other nuns look down on you for that?’
She laughed again, a sweet, clear, singsong laugh.
‘So have you not seen people for ages? Is this against the rules? Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Though Obama’s the US President now,’ I joked. When she didn’t respond, my smile faded. ‘Shit. Are you not supposed to know stuff like that? Stuff from the “outside world”? It must be a bit like being in Big Brother, being a nun.’
She snapped out of her trance and laughed again, her face seeming so childlike in a Benjamin Button way when she did that.
‘Aren’t you a peculiar thing?’ She’d said it with a smile and so I tried hard not to be insulted.
‘What’s that you’ve got there?’ she asked looking at the book that I was still hugging.
‘Oh, this.’ I finally stopped squeezing it. ‘I found it yesterday on the…oh, actually, I owe you a book.’
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘No, really I do. Marcus, I mean, the travelling library came by the day before yesterday looking for you and I didn’t know who you were.’
‘Then you owe me a book,’ she said, a twinkle in her eye. ‘Let me see, who’s it by?’
‘I don’t know who or what it is. It’s not the Bible or anything,you might not like it,’ I said, reluctant to hand it over. ‘There could be sex scenes in it, swear words, gay people, divorced people, things like that.’
She looked at me and pursed her lips, trying not to smile.
‘I can’t open it,’ I said finally, giving it to her. ‘It’s locked.’
‘Well, I’ll see to that. Follow me.’
She immediately set off out the other entrance of the walled garden with the book in her hand.
‘Where are you going?’ I called after her.
‘Where are we going,’ she corrected me. ‘Come and see the sisters. They’ll be delighted to meet you. And I’ll open the book while you do so.’
‘Uh. No, it’s okay.’ I ran to catch up with her and take the book back.
‘There’s just the four of us. We don’t bite. Particularly when eating Sister Mary’s apple pie, but don’t tell her I said,’ she added under her breath and chuckled again.
‘But, Sister, I’m not very good with holy people. I don’t really know what to say.’
She laughed that laugh again and waddled in her funny-looking suit towards the orchard.
‘What’s the deal with the tree with all the engravings on it?’ I asked, skipping alongside her to keep up.
‘Ah, you’ve seen our apple orchard? You know, some people say the apple tree is the tree of love,’ she said, her eyes widening, and when she smiled dimples pierced her cheeks. ‘Many of the young ones around here have declared their love to one another on that tree.’ She power-walked on, snapping out of her magical love story. ‘Plus, it’s great for the bees. And the bees are great for the trees. Oh, that rhymes,’ she chuckled. ‘Arthur does a wonderful job of keeping it. We get the most delicious Granny Smith apples.’
‘Oh, so that’s why Rosaleen makes three thousand appletarts a day. I’ve eaten so many apples they’re literally coming out of my…’
She looked at me.
‘Ears.’
She laughed and it sounded like a song.
‘So,’ I panted, trying to keep up with her pacy strides, ‘how come there’s only four of you?’
‘Not so many people want to be nuns these days. It’s not, what you’d say, cool?’
‘Well, it’s not just that it’s not cool, which it totally isn’t by the way but, no offence to God or anything, it’s probably just a sex thing. If you were allowed to have sex I’d say loads of girls would want to be nuns. Though the rate I’m going, I’ll be joining you,’ I rolled my eyes.
Sister Ignatius laughed. ‘All in good time, my child, all in good time. You’re
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