A Child's Rumour

We were gifted with an unexpected visit by an unaccompanied falcon whilst making this film. We could see from the tags on her legs that her name was Ruby. She arrived in a very timely manner, a bell sounding her arrival; I had just asked the little girl in the film to run around an oak tree, as if to make a spell.

Ruby stayed for a while on the ground, and performing low swoops over our heads. Her raptorial presence amazed and inspired us. She then followed us from above as we walked home through the old, wooded pathways by the fields.

Perhaps our imagination exists beyond ourselves, reaching out for the things we love – and maybe all of nature is listening, waiting for a chance to reach back.

A Child's Rumour (lyrics)

In the sky beyond power lines, hulking ash clouds
The old tree, a colossus, leans backwards as if to catch the stars
I'm susceptible to ancient springs, melodious landscape
I'm pregnant with the child I was, still exploring branches
Underground, a portal, all comfort denied
Underneath a table, hard labour – Will Usher relayed the crime
I'm susceptible to mysteries, just like my sister
I'm pregnant with the child I was, still exploring rumour
Rumour, a child's rumour
Until our lives reveal the mess
Our flesh grows around the rumour
Caught up in the vast terrain of unanswered questions
Jumping over the rose bush, laughing in the pouring rain.