Edward’s Garden Dance

Edward finds a curled leaf in the school garden. He cups it in his hand. “It looks as if it is waking up,” he tells Mrs Lane.

The class is making a garden dance. Edward wants to begin like a seed. He puts the leaf down and curls into a small shape on the clear grass.

He springs up with both arms wide. Lily is standing nearby. Edward stops before they touch. “My seed needs more room,” he says. Lily steps back with him.

Mrs Lane helps them find separate spaces. Edward curls again, then rises slowly. He lifts one arm, then the other, as if his leaves are opening.

Lily makes a different seed shape. She begins on one knee and reaches sideways. Edward watches her. “Your plant grows round the corner,” he says.

They try moving together. Edward grows tall while Lily reaches low. They nearly hurry past the moment when their small shapes become big ones. Both stop to think.

“Let us wait in the middle,” suggests Lily. They grow halfway and hold their shapes. Edward feels his feet on the grass and takes a quiet breath.

Now their dance has three parts: curl, grow and open. Between the parts, they pause. Mrs Lane can see each change, and the children can watch one another.

A gentle breeze passes over the garden. Edward adds a slow sway to the end. Lily keeps her own low shape, moving just her hands like little leaves.

They show the dance to the class. Their plants do not look the same. “It is our garden,” says Edward. He curls once more, ready to grow again.