Chapter 15

"I like the braid," he said.

"Oh, thanks Dad, Marisha helped me with it."

"How's Marisha?"

"Let me finish my homework and I'll tell you all about it."

Well, that's a first. Justine was usually responsible about doing her work, but she was also glad of an excuse to do something else. He busied himself getting dinner and found himself listening for the scratch of the pencil. When did his world suddenly revolve around Justine? Before Ingrid died, they had hired baby sitters and gone out to do adult things. Now he worked all day so that he could come home and talk with his daughter. He realized that he didn't have any friends either.

He decided that was OK as long as Justine was happy.

"OK, all done," Justine said and put her books away in the bag and hung it up. "Drasil says that I must keep up with my responsibilities if I'm going to keep visiting Marisha. Marisha is big on responsibility too. She says that each person has a reason to be, and it is our work to figure out what that reason is and live for it."

"I'm not sure I understand that," Patrick said.

"I don't either, but Drasil says it means that we're not just random."

"I'll have to think about that." Patrick slid plates of stir-fry onto the table and sat down. "So what else do you talk about other than not being random?"

"That was Drasil, but Marisha showed me how to make biscuits. They're really easy once you know the trick. I wanted to show her how to make spaghetti, but they don't have noodles like we do. Can you make spaghetti from scratch?"

"I'm sure you can. We'll look on the web after supper."

"Also Stone showed me how to juggle. Do you want to see?"

"Sure."

Justine stood up and pulled three pieces of cloth from her pocket.

"They have little stones in them so they fall, but slowly." She tossed one in the air, then another and all at once was tossing them in a complex loop. She caught them one after the other and put them back in her pocket. "As I get better, I'm supposed to make the rocks bigger so they move faster."

"I like the way they float." Patrick poured himself another glass of milk.

"How are things at school?"

"Mr. Houston phoned you?" Justine said.

"Yes, I was worried because you didn't say anything about either the project or it being wrecked."

"The project was no big thing. It was like one of Mom's client boards. It had a few pictures and some paint chips and a bit of the cloth from the curtains. I wasn't going to keep it anyway." Justine looked down. "No, that's not true. Sorry, Dad. It was a big deal that it was up on the wall, not because of the project, but because it was me. That's why I lost it so bad when it was destroyed and they put that note up."

"Was the note really that bad?"

"It was all the words that you would kill me for if I said them."

"I don't know that I would kill you, but I know which words you mean."

"So I went outside and sat with Drasil for a while. I'm afraid I yelled at a teacher, but I just needed to be left alone."

"Alone with Drasil."

"Yes, he's my friend. That's when I figured out that I could visit his friends."

"Tell me more about Drasil."

"I'm not supposed to talk about him. It isn't that he'll get in trouble, but he's afraid that I will."

"Because Drasil is a tree."

"That's right." Justine looked Patrick in the eyes. "How did you know?"

"Mr. Houston told me you spend the afternoon under the tree in the schoolyard. You told me you spent the afternoon with Drasil. I just figured that Drasil was the tree."

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"The girl who walked in and did her homework right away?" Patrick shook his head, "I'm not sure that's normal, but I don't think you're crazy. Crazy means you can't function in the world, but you're functioning better."

"So, do you think I'm crazy or not?"

"Not, but I will be keeping an eye on you in case I'm wrong."

Justine sighed. "That's more than Drasil expected."

"Do I get to meet Drasil?"

"Really?" Justine looked at him wide eyed. "You want to meet him?"

"If he's a friend of yours, for sure."

"Let's go!" Justine jumped up and pulled Patrick with her. They walked along to the school with Justine chattering the whole way.

"This will be so cool. He's a lot like you," she said.

"I'm like a tree?"

"No, I mean he talks like you," Justine said, "like I'm a real person and not some stupid kid who can't understand big words."

"Ah, I see, I think."

Justine pulled him across the school yard.

"Hi, Drasil. My Dad wanted to meet you."

"I know you said that was a risk, but I can't lie to my Dad."

"OK, only Dad." Justine turned and looked at Patrick. "Didn't you hear that?"

"Sorry, Justine, I only heard you."

"Put your hand on him and talk to him."

Patrick put his hand on the rough bark of the tree. Most of the leaves had turned colour, but he could imagine the vital force flowing through the massive trunk.

"Greetings, Drasil." he said, somehow not feeling awkward about talking to a tree. "My name is Patrick and I am Justine's father. If you are her friend you will take care of her. Keep her safe." He felt a swell of protectiveness overwhelm him. "She is all I have left. So you be careful. If she gets hurt, I'm coming out here with an axe."

"Wow, Dad, that's intense." Justine cocked her head a moment. "He says you still can't hear him, though he heard you. He promises root and branch that he will look after me. He said you can't hear him because either you're not ready or he's not. It's hard to tell from what he said. Actually, he says he can't tell, but he looks forward to the day when you and he can speak."

"It's time to go home, Justine." Patrick patted the tree. "It's good to know my daughter has a friend."

Justine waved goodbye and they walked home in silence.