If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then unto me. William Shakespeare
The final chapter will remain unread. Quite soon I must return this thrilling book to its cosmic shelf. Borrowed time has sped towards recall; there’s hardly time to look to the last page, which isn’t about me. It’s about the children. A world laid waste makes a poor plot; one page could turn them free to sow new words to grow what happens next. So many chapters reaped, so many lines of worn out tales, which we in turn pass on - for whom? Our story is a stack of lies if all small seeds that matter will be gone. But here are last year’s leaves, for what they’re worth, to add some colour to your fresh sown earth.
Margaret Elphinstone
Margaret Elphinstone’s latest novel Lost People was shortlisted for the 2024 Saltire fiction award. She is the author of nine earlier novels, including The Gathering Night, Voyageurs and the award-winning Sea Road. Her poetry collection, Time Seeds, was published by Wild Goose in March 2026. She lives in the Glenkens.