Chapter Twenty-Two NATURAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Ava let herself into the farmhouse, slipping off her wellies in the utility room and hanging her coat up with the others. She’d taken a moment to stand outside by herself under the stars while Tom had taken Jet inside. The moon was beautiful tonight; she didn’t remember seeing it so big before. She felt a little better after her friends had rallied round. It was lovely that they wanted to make sure she was okay after her terrible school day and then releasing Ruby. Ava knew with every part of her that it was the right thing to have put Ruby back into the wild. Just the way the owl seemed to come alive as it flew up into the trees made Ava’s heart soar. But it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to miss her. It wasn’t like returning Hope to the rest of the flock, where she could run down to the field any time she wanted to see her. Ruby was different – she might be lucky and get a quick glimpse or hear the owl call from the woodland, but she’d never be close to her again.

Ava opened the kitchen door to find Aunt Kitty laying out baking ingredients on the table.

‘Tom’s already told me that you’re not entering the village show tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help me with one of my entries.’

Ava hesitated. She’d planned on going straight upstairs to her room in the hope that the day might finish a little quicker.

‘I’ll let you taste-test when we’re done,’ said Aunt Kitty, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist.

Ava smiled at her aunt. ‘Okay, you win. What are we making?’

‘It’s a new category this year and something I haven’t made before.’

‘I thought you’d made everything!’

‘Almost,’ said Aunt Kitty with a laugh. ‘We’re making brookies!’

‘Brookies?’ asked Ava.

‘It’s a layer of cookie with a layer of brownie on the top. I’ve made brownies and cookies before, so I’m going to use my own recipes and put them together.’

‘They do sound delicious,’ said Ava, her mouth beginning to water already. ‘Perfect if you can’t decide between a cookie or a brownie!’

Ava began helping her aunt measure out the ingredients. They made the cookie dough first, and Ava got the job of pressing it down into the baking pan in a nice even layer.

Aunt Kitty whipped up the brownie mixture and let Ava pour it on top.

‘It smells delicious already!’ said Ava, breathing in a lungful of the sweet, chocolatey aroma.

‘Well, it’ll taste even better once it’s cooked,’ said Aunt Kitty, picking up the tray and putting it into her trusty range oven. She noted the time on her watch. ‘While that’s baking, we can have a cup of tea and a look through your photos.’

Ava’s good mood from baking with her aunt darkened a little. ‘There’s no point – I’m not entering any of them.’

‘I know, but you’ve put a lot of time and effort into taking them. Why don’t we look through them all and choose our favourites? The ones you maybe would have entered. We could put a couple of them in a frame and maybe give one to your mum and dad as a welcome-back present. I know I’d love one of your photos as a pressie, so you’d be potentially ticking off one of your Christmas gifts early.’

Ava had to admit it was a good idea. Some of her photos were good – her mum and dad would love one as a surprise present. Uncle John came into the kitchen carrying the farm laptop.

‘I hear we might be looking at some photos in here?’ He flashed Ava a grin. ‘I’ve brought the laptop so we can have a proper look. The rest of the village might not get to see them, but I’m very much looking forward to it.’

Ava sighed and went to retrieve her camera from by the back door. She’d left it there so she could grab it quickly and head out if anything exciting turned up. She went to sit next to her aunt at the kitchen table. Three mugs of tea were already poured out, and Aunt Kitty pushed across the rest of the packet of chocolate chips they hadn’t needed for the cookie dough.

‘Thanks,’ Ava whispered, tipping some of the chocolate out onto her hand. She switched the camera on with her free hand and began to eat the chocolate chips. Ava loved chocolate, the darker the better, which Tom couldn’t understand. He much preferred the softer, milkier chocolate, which meant they never fought over a selection box. Ava passed the camera to her uncle, and he connected it to the laptop. With a few clicks, the first of Ava’s photos appeared on the screen. It was a blurry shot of Magpie sitting on the sundial. The next ten were of Jet looking out across the farm as though he was born to be a model. There were lots of woodland shots – fungi, ferns, grasses and close-ups of tree bark. Ava could see with each batch of photos her photography skills were improving. She saw her uncle nodding at a few that were particularly good. The next were of Harris the Shetland pony looking moody in his field. The sky above him was dark, and the brisk autumn wind was blowing his mane across his face.

‘Oh, I love these,’ said Aunt Kitty. ‘I’d definitely like one of these ones.’ She gave Ava a wink.

Uncle John tapped on the laptop keyboard, saving the best photo of Harris in a folder he named Ava. They continued to look at the photos from around the farm. Uncle John laughed as he clicked through what seemed like a hundred photos of Hope, some of them extreme close-ups, as the sheep had nuzzled into Ava. There were shots of Ruby too, but the full magnificence of the owl didn’t come across in the dimly lit barn she’d been recovering in. The last few photos were beginning to get really good – atmospheric landscapes of the farm fields and beautiful woodland shots.

‘These are great, Ava,’ said her uncle, looking at her proudly. ‘You’ve got a really impressive eye for photography.’

Ava felt her cheeks flush. She had to admit – she did think they were quite good.

‘Why don’t we run through them again quickly,’ suggested Aunt Kitty, ‘and pick our favourites now we’ve seen them all.’

They flicked back through, adding a photo to Ava’s folder each time they came across one that stood out. The sweet smell of chocolate and vanilla filled the kitchen and Aunt Kitty checked her watch.

‘Couple of minutes and they’ll be ready.’

‘I hope you were serious about taste-testing one,’ said Ava, ‘because I really fancy a brookie now I can smell them.’

‘I only need six for the competition, so whatever’s left, you and Tom can polish off.’

‘And me!’ said Uncle John.

Ava’s uncle opened the folder of favourite photos. Ava smiled as she looked at the selection. She may not be entering any of them in the village show tomorrow, but she had a feeling she’d found a new hobby.

‘Thanks for all your help and tips, Uncle John,’ said Ava, feeling a rush of warmth for her uncle.

‘I hate to say it, but you’re better than me now!’ he said with a grin. ‘I know you’re going to frame one as a present, but maybe we could send your mum and dad a couple now anyway. I’m sure they’d love to see them.’

Ava nodded. She’d love them to see some of the photos too.

Aunt Kitty got up and took the tray of brookies out of the oven. Tom stuck his head round the kitchen door.

‘What can I smell?’

Ava laughed. ‘I knew you wouldn’t be far away when they came out of the oven!’