Lotus and astrology symbols design

The lotus in the conservatory opened again on Tuesday, the first time since the boiler went. Mrs Pryce from the bakery came up with her torch to see it, and we stood among the cracked panes while the water in the tank went still and silver under the moon. You always said the pond was a waste of heat. I didn't argue. I just kept the cold tap running so the roots wouldn't go soft.

The agent came on Thursday with his clipboard and said the glasshouse would have to come down before the new year, the council's paperwork being what it is. He walked the paths like a man counting coffins. I asked him what he meant to do with the pond. He said drain it. I said the fish would die, and he said the fish were not on the schedule, which I suppose is true of most things worth keeping.

So I've been out at night, hauling crab pots off the slipway by lamplight, which is the only work left to me that doesn't need a licence. Dad would have laughed. Cancer, he called us, sideways and stubborn, always wanting to walk the tide the wrong way. The crabs at least know where they're going.

If you come down at the weekend, bring your good boots. I'll leave the back gate open and the lamp lit. The lotus has one bud left, pink at the tip, and I think it means to wait for you.

Love, Nan