Kite Spirit (27 page)

‘I’d like to go to Old Jack’s grave, buy you a drink in the Carrec Arms and see Ellie and Cassie and Dr Sherpa to say thank you for all they did for me . . . and Seth’s
sent a photo of Peter’s sister in Germany for me to give to Aida . . .’ Kite told Garth.

‘Aida died just a few weeks ago. Did you not hear?’

Kite shook her head. She felt strangely sad that she couldn’t tell Aida the end of the story about Lily, her best friend. How Kite and Seth had made the trip together to the nursing home
in Hamburg and Kite had been moved by the whole experience. It was a sweet photo that she now showed Garth of her great-grandfather’s sister Anna holding the little leather deer made by her
brother Peter, which Aida had given to Seth.

‘She had a collection of her own just like the one Aida gave us.’

‘Poor Aida!’ Garth sighed. ‘She would have liked to hear of that. But maybe she’s somewhere out there listening!’

It was something that Kite had thought about a lot over the past two years. What happens after you die? The only conclusion she could come to was that somewhere inside her she would always carry
something of Dawn’s spirit.

Garth turned towards her and stared straight into her eyes. There was a light playfulness glinting in his gaze that she didn’t remember seeing there before.

‘You know, you stared at me like this on the first day I met you . . . If it was because you thought I looked like a foreigner, you were wrong! It turns out I’m just as much a part
of this place as you!’ Kite said, shaking her head forward and throwing it back again to shift the powder snow that had settled on her hair.

Garth looked down at his hands and shook his head. ‘It wasn’t that . . . I’m no good at words. I was actually staring because I wanted to paint you.’

‘Those are quite good words!’ Kite laughed as she brushed the snow off Garth’s coat, but he didn’t reach out to her. Maybe, after last time, he was waiting for her to
make the first move. She leaned slowly towards him and kissed him gently on the lips. The freezing cold tips of their noses touched, and they pulled apart, laughing. Then he lifted her chin up
towards him so that they were staring into each other’s eyes again. He traced his fingers over her scar-brow and around her face, pausing on the little nose jewel and tracing her jaw around
to the nape of her neck, where he gathered a thick clump of her hair into his hands. He leaned down and kissed her eyelids. She felt his arm curl under her coat and around her waist as she cleaved
towards him and their lips met again with a passion and longing that took her breath away.

Eventually they drew apart and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She let her head rest against him.

‘Can I?’

‘Can you what?’

‘Draw you, right here?’ Garth asked, rummaging in his pocket for a sketchbook and charcoal pencil.

‘You planned this!’ Kite joked, sitting up.

‘I’ve had long enough. Anyway, I’ll not get to art college without drawing what inspires me.’ Garth smiled at her, picked up his pencil and began his portrait.

Kite felt Garth’s intense gaze on her as she took in the beauty and quiet of the place. Every sense in her body felt cushioned and protected. The early-evening light was silvery white and
she watched as the snowflakes fell and melted on the lake.

Kite half expected to hear Dawn’s music playing through the perfect acoustic of the snowy valley, but there was nothing but a deep and sombre silence.

It was dusk when they approached Scar View. Garth pulled up on the road and turned off the headlights.

‘Wrap up, put your gloves on,’ he ordered, grabbing a silly red bobble hat and scrunching it on Kite’s head. Then he climbed a stile, holding out his hand for Kite.

‘There was a bonny lass sat upon a stile!’ he sang.

‘You’ve got a terrible voice!’ Kite laughed, jumping down and picking up a great handful of snow, patting it in her hands and lobbing it at him!

‘Thanks!’

Kite began to run through the snowy field as Garth pursued her. His snowball caught the back of her head and she collapsed laughing. Garth lay next to her as she stretched out her arms and legs
to form the shape of a snow angel.

Garth stretched out his own arms so that their fingertips on one hand touched.

‘What are we doing here?’ Kite giggled.

‘You’ll see!’

As she felt her breathing settle back to normal Kite stared up at the faint outline of a crescent moon.

Garth placed his fingers to his lips and then pointed upward. Kite’s heart leaped out of her as she followed the path of a pair of owls soaring side by side through the silver-grey
sky.

Thanks go to my husband Leo and children Maya, Keshin and Esha-Lily for their support in the writing of this book, and a special thanks to my son Keshin
Harrison, whose soulful composing, singing and songwriting has inspired the character of Seth.

Thank you to my lovely agent Sophie Gorell Barnes of MBA Literary Agents for her constant support and insight into the writing process.

I would like to thank my talented and insightful editors Sam Swinnerton, Ruth Alltimes and Emma Young for guiding me through the journey of writing this book.

Readers often ask me about all the different people who help to bring a book to publication. The following people at Macmillan Children’s Books have all played an
important part in helping me to capture the ‘Kite Spirit’ of this book: Belinda Rasmussen (Publisher), Polly Nolan (Associate Publishing Director), Catherine Alport (Publicity Manager),
Louise McKee (Marketing Manager), Rachel Vale (Art Director), Tracey Ridgewell (Senior Text Designer), Fliss Stevens (Managing Editor), Talya Baker (Copy-editor) and Wendy Plovmand (Illustrator).
Thank you, all.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks go to my friend Astrid Griffiths for sharing her own experience and enabling me to fully understand the emotional depths of shock, trauma and
the long and painful legacy of grief that suicide causes. It was important for us both to treat the subject with respect, truthfulness and sensitivity, and in all of this Astrid has been my
guide.

I am indebted to my friend Ruth Bolister, who has taught me more about the craft of making reeds and what goes into playing the oboe than anyone would normally have access
to. Her exquisite playing meanders through the pages of
Kite Spirit
.

To my mum Freda Brahmachari, who shared with me stories of her own childhood growing up in Cumbria. To my aunty Marylynne Winder, who walked the fells with me and told me
tales of digging beneath rock and bone and feeling the spirits of the landscape.

To the degree students at the Circus Space in London, who inspired me to create the character of Kite.

With thanks for medical advice from my friend Dr Beth Macmillan.

References to local history and traditions such as that of the ‘Passing Bell’ I have drawn from the book
Ploughing in Latin: A History of
Bampton
, ed. Jane Gregg, Bookcase 2003.

Background to fell running was garnered from
Feet in the Clouds: A Story of Fell Running and Obsession
by Richard Askwith and Robert Macfarlane, Aurum Press Ltd
2005.

The seed of the idea for ‘Mirror Falls’ came from watching The Balancing Barn in Suffolk being built, and the wonderful series of contemporary buildings that are
part of Living Architecture. ‘Mirror Falls’, however, can only be visited in the imagination!

The Romantic poet William Wordsworth’s ‘The Prelude’ and the artist-sculptors Andy Goldsworthy, Antony Gormley and Richard Long were all inspirations in the
writing of this book.

Here is a list of organizations and websites where you will find confidential support if you need advice and don’t feel that you can turn to a member of your family, a
friend, a teacher, a school counsellor or a GP.

YoungMinds

YoungMinds is a national charity committed to improving the mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people. All calls from the UK are
free.

Tel : 0808 802 5544 Website : www.youngminds.org.uk

Mind

Mind is a mental-health charity covering both England and Wales. The Mind InfoLine offers confidential help on a range of mental-health issues.

Tel : 0300 123 3393 Website : www.mind.org.uk

The Samaritans

If you’re experiencing depression, the Samaritans provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support. Lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. Calls are charged at the local rate.

Tel : 08457 90 90 90 Website : www.samaritans.org

ChildLine

If you are worried about anything – it could be something big or something small – don’t bottle it up. It can really help if you talk to
someone. If there is something on your mind, ChildLine is here for you for confidential support.

Tel : 0800 1111 Website : www.childline.org.uk

First published 2013 by Macmillan Children’s Books

This electronic edition published 2013 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Pan Macmillan 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-4472-1778-7

Text copyright © Sita Brahmachari 2013
Illustrations copyright © Wendy Plovmand 2013

The right of Sita Brahmachari and Wendy Plovmand to be identified a the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital,
optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be
liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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