Chapters (39)
- Cover
- Title
- Author’s Note
- Glossary
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Acknowledgments
“What? Oh, Clare! I’m sorry. It means there are more ways than one of solving a problem or reaching a goal. I wanted to—”
“I know what it means, Dad. I just don’t like it. I mean, poor cat. Who would do that anyway?”
“Okay. I won’t say it again. Let’s think of another way of saying the same thing.”
They tossed ideas back and forth, many of which were ridiculous. By the time they arrived home, father and daughter were worn from laughing. They settled on an alternative; “There’s more than one way to pick your nose.”
Clare thought about her father and his unflagging resourcefulness now, as she sat, unsure of how to safely rise so she could test her knee. She needed a helping hand or a crutch. Neither were available.
“Come on, Clare. There’s more than one way to pick your nose,” she said.
What would she do if she was at home facing the same challenge? She thought about it for a while, deciding she’d manoeuvre herself to a chair or couch and pull herself onto it. From there, it would be possible to rise on one leg, get her balance and then carefully put the other leg down to test it.
The boulder she’d fallen from would do, only this time she’d stay on the safe side of it. She was about to drag herself to the rock when she noticed a large paw print in the sand. It was a typical cat print with four clear, clawless toe pads. Clare placed her hand above it; it was larger than her palm. Leopard, she thought, wishing her father was there to discuss the thrill of the find with her.
She pulled herself along the earth, heaved herself into a sitting position on a part of the rock that was the approximate height of a chair, and slowly rose on her right leg, bending from her hip to support herself with her right arm. Once she felt steady, she tried to straighten her left leg. The pain in her knee was jarring, but settled when the leg was straight. She lifted her torso, leaning very slightly on her left leg. It didn’t give way. She was able to move upright, albeit slowly and with more of a hop than a step. A walking stick, however rudimentary, would help a great deal, but at least, until she found one, she’d be able to get back on the path and head towards Heuningbos.