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Brooke smiled, but with her hands full, there wasn’t much she could do, so she held out a brown paper bag to Clover. ‘I brought some things to say thank you.’
Clover accepted the bag but said, ‘There was no need to do that.’
‘It’s not much, just some biscuits and flowers.’
Clover set the bag on a table and got the bunch of daffodils out first. ‘I love daffodils! These are early ones.’
‘Apparently they’re from a local farm.’ Brooke blinked. ‘Perhaps they have a polytunnel or something.’
‘And chocolate biscuits too. Thank you so much.’ Clover waved the biscuit tin. ‘We shall enjoy these with mugs of tea.’
‘Sounds wonderful.’ Brooke removed her gloves and placed them on a table with her hat before unwinding the long scarf from around her neck.
‘I’ll get the kettle on then we can have a chat.’ Clover went through to the kitchen and filled the kettle, then switched it on. She made two mugs of tea and took them back through to the shop. Brooke was browsing the shelves of the shop that held a variety of bowls, mugs and other items that she’d made. There were other shelves too that held items made by some of her students.
‘These are lovely,’ Brooke said.
‘Thank you. I didn’t make all of them, just the ones on that shelf and the others were made by students. They’re all labelled with their names and the prices.’
Brooke walked slowly around the shop, and then she came to the display case in the far corner. She bent over as she peered inside and Clover heard a small, ‘Ooh!’
Realising what Brooke had found, Clover emitted a soft laugh.
‘What are these?’ Brooke asked, standing up and turning around.
Clover went to Brooke’s side and opened the display case, then reached for one of the sculptures. She held it up for Brooke to see and Brooke held out her hands, wanting to hold it as Clover had known she would.
‘This case contains some of my sculptures made over the years. The one you’re holding is my interpretation of Gaia.’
‘Who?’ Brooke’s shapely brown eyebrows met above her straight nose.
‘In Greek mythology, Gaia is a goddess, the personification of the earth. She is also thought of as the ancestral mother, basically Mother Nature. There are many stories featuring her that I won’t go into right now but to me, Gaia is Mother Earth. She is the force that I believe runs through our planet and through all of us, linking us to one another in ways we often forget about.’
Brooke’s eyes were wide, and she was worrying at her bottom lip. ‘Wow!’ She turned the sculpture around in her hands, and Clover felt a flicker of pride at seeing how much Brooke liked it.
‘I created her by hand, shaped her with my fingers and tools. She symbolises the beauty and resilience of nature, captures the bond between us and our planet.’
‘She’s so serene.’ Brooke ran a finger over the sculpture’s hair that, like the rest of her, was green. Clover had sculpted the hair to resemble leaves that flowed down the figure’s back and over her full breasts. On one breast was the Sun and on the other, the Moon, while her full belly held the Earth. Over her legs and arms were patterns symbolising plants and animals, adding to the sense of unity of humanity and the planet that Clover had wanted to convey.
‘She’s utterly beautiful. It’s like you’ve depicted something special here. I’m not a believer in magic and all that … well, I don’t think so anyway, but it’s like this sculpture has an energy all its own.’
Clover smiled knowingly. ‘Take her home with you.’
‘What?’
‘She’s yours. A gift for your new home from me to you.’
‘Oh no … I couldn’t do that.’ Brooke shook her head, but she held on to the sculpture as if she couldn’t bear to let her go.
‘Of course you can. She’ll hopefully bring you some peace and tranquillity as well as helping you on your healing journey. Talking of that … Would you like to tell me what’s happened?’
Brooke’s expression changed, and it was like a cloud had crossed the sun. For a while there, when she’d been talking about the sculpture and distracted by it, she’d seemed different, and Clover had thought she’d seen a glimpse of the woman Brooke had been. Could be, if she wasn’t in so much pain.
‘Are you sure? I mean … It’s a lot to explain.’
‘Take a seat and place Gaia on the table near you. Let her absorb your words and take some of the burden away.’
‘Do you really think she can do that?’ As she gazed at the sculpture, Brooke seemed torn between wanting to believe it and scoffing at the suggestion.
