In which Hineni meets Two Hours Max

Hineni and Shanti walked slowly home together. Shanti carried the bag of food they’d been out to buy. They had raspberries and a cucumber, a bar of chocolate and a loaf of bread, some butter and sausages and one of those white cabbages that looks like a football.

All the way along the road, Hineni picked up every dry twig he could find that the wind had blown down from the trees or dogs had got bored of holding or nesting birds had dropped. He gathered quite a bundle, and that made him happy because everyone knows dry sticks make life possible and it’s more than tricky to get a fire going without them even if you have plenty of cardboard packaging to tear up.

When they got home, Shanti went to stow the food away for the moment, and Hineni ran to find Sophia, who was his mother, to show her how many sticks he’d collected and put them ready in the basket, for lighting the fire later on.

But Sophia and Kanso had a guest, so Hineni just whispered quietly about the sticks (and Sophia was really pleased), then he sat beside her and looked at the guest, who was talking about crows. Hineni thought the visitor looked about his own age — or maybe a little bit older — and he was very interested to meet this . . . boy troll . . . or was it a girl?

“This is Two Hours Max,” said Kanso to Hineni after a while. “They just called in to pick up a blanket we’d put on Freegle, and we had the kettle on and were just about to have a cup of tea, so they stayed for a glass of juice and a cookie.”

So Hineni and Two Hours Max said hello to each other, and Hineni told Two Hours Max about their own crows, and how last year’s baby had a partner now. 

Two Hours Max was very interested (not just polite), and told Hineni about the ravens nesting at Fairlight and where the best place would be to get a glimpse of them.

Then Two Hours Max said they had to go now,  and said thank you several times for both the drink and the blanket. 

“It’s been so lovely to meet you,” said Sophia. 

“Come again,” said Kanso; and Two Hours Max said they would.

“Maybe next week?” Hineni suggested. In his experience things sometimes didn’t happen at all if you failed to fix a time.

Two Hours Max smiled. “That would be lovely,’ they said. “Same time, same place! I’ll see you then. Thank you.”

Hineni stood with Sophia and watched Two Hours Max walk peacefully down the road carrying the blanket.

“I like that person’s voice,” said Hineni; “it’s soft and quiet. But was that a girl troll or a boy?”

“I expect so,” said Sophia; “or maybe not.”

“Well, which one?” Hineni looked up at her, puzzled. “I like to get things straight.”

“Yes,” said Sophia, “but not everything and everyone is straight. Sometimes you just have to know this is a person, and be content for them to be entirely unique, unfolding in a way particular to them.”

“Oh,” said Hineni. “Why is he or she called Two Hours Max?”

“For the same reason as you are called Hineni,” said Sophia; “because that’s who they are.”

“Well it’s a very unusual name,” said Hineni.

“Yes,” said Sophia. “I think Two Hours Max might be quite an unusual person.”

 “Why did they need a blanket?” Hineni asked.

“They didn’t say,” said Sophia; “and I didn’t ask. Two Hours Max felt like the kind of person who might not like too many questions.”

Hineni nodded. “It is what it is”, he said.

“That’s right,” said Sophia.