The following is a sample story from The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain by Judy Darley, available from our online bookshop.
‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Owls’ by Judy Darley
After we’ve eaten the last of the trifle, Natalie pushes back her chair and excuses herself.
‘You okay?’ I ask. The shadows under her eyes make me wonder if she’s getting enough sleep, whether the anxiety is rearing up again.
‘Think I ate too much, Cal.’ She grimaces, one hand on her belly. ‘Just going to have a lie down.’
I watch her leave the room. She has her hair twisted into one of those chignon things she used to get me to help her with before heading out. I helped her with one the night she met Darren.
It reveals the small islands of bone that protrude at the top of her spine.
I clear the table with Darren and leave him to load the dishwasher while I settle to building a Lego house with Sammy.
‘Did you know apes don’t live in an apiary, Auntie Cally?’ my niece asks. ‘Bees do.’ Her face is full of wonder.
‘Is that so?’ I select a blue tile to add to the roof amid the red ones, keeping one eye on Sammy to see how she reacts.
She shakes her head before I slot it in place. ‘We need it to fit with the others.’
‘You’re the architect,’ I say, relinquishing the tile and standing. ‘I’m going to check on your mum.’
Upstairs, Natalie is stretched out on the eiderdown. Beside her lies a small egg so plump it’s almost round. It glows with creamy white perfection.
‘Oh, cool!’ Sammy runs in for a closer look. ‘Where’d you find it?’
Without waiting for a response, she dashes off.
I stare at my sister. Her face is as pale as the egg’s shell. My mouth opens, but I don’t know what to ask.
She laughs softly, her face mirroring her daughter’s earlier awe-filled expression. ‘I thought I had indigestion.’
Sammy’s back before I take in Natalie’s words.
‘That’s a tawny owl egg,’ Sammy declares, holding up the egg identification chart I gave her at Easter. ‘Did you know tawny owls are ferociously defensive of their young? If it’s just been laid, it’ll hatch in thirty days. Can I have it?’
‘No!’ My sister’s voice is so loud that my niece and I both jump. ‘Sammy, go and play, will you? I need to speak to your aunt.’
Sammy glowers but growls her way out of the room.
I sit down beside my sister. Despite what she said, she is silent, her gaze fixed on the egg.
‘Did you…’ I begin. ‘Were you expecting…?’
‘No! Not that I knew. I mean… I’ve been feeling a bit off. Haven’t been sleeping much at night.’ She sniffs. ‘Cal, do you know if…? Could this be some kind of hereditary thing?’
‘Mum never said anything. Perhaps it skips a generation.’
‘Yes! Like twins.’
‘Or maybe Darren… Has he mentioned…?’
‘No. Oh, what’s he going to think?’ Natalie strokes the egg tenderly. ‘What if he doesn’t want it?’
I try to seem certain. ‘Of course he will. It’s part of your family.’ I look her in the eye, seeing her glance shift from mine. ‘You two okay? You barely spoke over lunch.’
‘I… We’re worried about Sammy, about the stigma of being neuro-nuanced.’ She hesitates. ‘Would you believe we haven’t told her yet?’
‘Oh?’
‘Darren doesn’t want her feeling different.’
‘Sammy knows she’s different,’ I say. ‘Wouldn’t it help her to understand why?’
Natalie shrugs, lips pursed.
I look at the egg resting between us. ‘She’s a great kid, and she’s going to love whatever hatches unconditionally. But right now, we should call someone.’
‘Like who? A shrink?’
‘I was thinking an ambulance or a midwife,’ I say and manage a wry, head-tilt grin. ‘Or maybe the RSPCA.’
I let my hand hover, uncertain, in the air between us. After a moment, Natalie nods her permission, and I run my fingers over the egg. It feels smooth and warm. My sister and I blink at one another.
By Judy Darley from The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain (£10.99)
