Peter Pan

Bea in the gardens of the Château de Ruisbroek, Belgium, 2010.

Peter Pan

When I see Bea standing on this pedestal deep in a park, I seize my camera but too late, she’s already climbing down! I take the photo anyway, knowing that I’ve botched it. And we continue on our walk amongst friends, me wavering round the edges of the group, my heart bewildered by this secret yet frequent wound of not having been quick enough, flunking what can never be again. But a couple of days later, with the processed film came the consolation. Bea’s pose, suspended in its descent, is magical: the study of her legs and fingers, her laughter espied through her hair, her boot caught in the light… there’s some Peter Pan in this little miracle.