Hair cut close to the scalp, thin graying beard, he boarded the bus holding the forked branch of a tree. "Can I get you some water for that?" the driver sardonically asked. Rootless through countless generations, everyone laughed, including Staffman himself.

 

We emerged at the same stop, and for a while walked together. "What kind of tree is that from?" I asked. "Hazelwood. It's light and sturdy." "It's also used for dowsing," I added.   "Hazelwood can be used for that too. You know, there's a dragon in the earth," he said, before we parted ways.