alastair macleod 
Talking with Elfgifu 
a commuters tale

‘and this beech he called Elfgifu the Emerald Princess.In the summer light she did seem like a princess to him- the sun slanting through her small soft downy green leaves dappling the glade in an emerald glow. The names came to him from his half course in Anglo Saxon at university. That time seemed a world away – the freedom! , Not only the time freedom, but the freedom to think. Here with the trees, fixed and ancient, his mind felt calmed but more complex, as if while here, it grew creative roots and branches.Was it possible to change, not just jobs – he’d done that – no, change everything so he didn’t have to commute, so he got up later, saw his kids off to school and had, not just more time with Eva his wife, but more time when they talked and laughed – just as when they first met’