The Dictionary of Lost Words

by Pip Williams

He’d say the word, and I would echo it, then he’d tell me what it meant.

‘Is that what Lizzie calls you?’ ‘It’s one of the things she calls me. She also calls me cabbage and Essymay.’ ‘Littlun I understand, and Essymay, but why does she call you cabbage?’ Cabbage always came with a cuddle or a kind smile. It made perfect sense, but I couldn’t explain why.

‘But when we talk about her, she comes to life.’

‘Me needlework will always be here,’ she said. ‘I see this and I feel … well, I don’t know the word. Like I’ll always be here.’ ‘Permanent,’ I said. ‘And the rest of the time?’ ‘I feel like a dandelion just before the wind blows.’

‘Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us. But what happens when words that are spoken are not recorded?