Explanation

© Oonah V Joslin

“Look, Mummy I can climb as high as the stars!”

“Don't be silly, dear. The stars are far away - like looking into the past. The light from the Sun happened eight minutes ago and the stars are ages and ages ago - years.”

His brow wrinkled. “So, high is like the past?”

“Kind of…” She didn't want him to grow up with silly ideas but this was very difficult to explain to a child.

“What about low?”

“There's history under our feet too, archaeology and… rocks.” She meted out one big word at a time.

“Then where is the future?”

“Nowhere,” she'd said and helped him down. “It comes to us moment by moment. There's only really here and now.”

A tear dropped as she dusted the photograph. The truth has a way of asserting itself.