Let's Play in the Garden (13 page)

That was quite a test
. She sat on her bed and stared at the still open closet.
I call
that a success.
Now I know Grandpa owes the
growth of his garden to that stuff. Boy, is it fast-acting. What in all of God’s Earth is it
?
It’s too bad I can’t have it tested somewhere. What about school? Science class. No way. It was hard enough to get it
the first time. And they think I’m weird enough already. Bringing in this stuff will only make things worse.

Step One is done. Next, I need a way into the garden
.
Or I need to find out where
my siblings came from. They couldn’t have come from my mother
.
Is she really my mother
?
Why don’t we have belly buttons?
Stop…I’m getting confused…one step
at a time.
Oh, stop talking to yourself. It’s time for school anyway.

She hopped off her bed, closed the closet door, and plugged four pieces into her circus puzzle before heading to the shower.

###

Tobey eased his way down the stairs. He was rather sluggish, still feeling exhausted after last night. All he could think of was food.
Need food.
Food for the stomach and food for thought.

He was just about to enter the kitchen when he noticed the three adults talking in whispers.
Merydith told me to listen every chance I got
.
I should listen, shouldn’t I?
Crouching on the edge of the wall, he listened as best as he could.

“How on earth are you going to tend to that garden with that thing in there?” Gladys asked, her tone stern—or was it fear in her voice rather than anger? The line was blurred these days.

“It’s very simple, Mother.” Simon tried to remain unflustered. “I have something called a shotgun, remember? He won’t get within ten feet of me. I’ll blow him apart. I must tend to the garden no matter what or it’ll die. That garden is my life, my love, my baby. I brought it to life, and I will never betray it. You know what it does for us. You know what it gives us. We can’t lose that…I will not betray the garden.”

Simon referred to the it as a
he
, whatever it was. That surprised Tobey. Just who was in the garden?

“Nobody said anything about betraying the garden, Simon,” Marion said, trying to be the voice of reason. “We’re just trying to point out the danger. We don’t know where or when it will strike next, or if it can be stopped. You thought it was dead, it’s not, and it never left. What if it attacks one of the children?”

“But it won’t get out,” Simon returned.

“But what if it does?” Marion asked. She grew as disturbed as Gladys.

“It’s too weak to break down my walls and the cold coming will undoubtedly kill it. Now stop,” Simon said, a fleck of anger flaring within his wizened eyes. “This is pointless. There can be no way of finding it in the garden. It’s too thick and vast. He could be anywhere. It’s my garden, ladies, and I will continue to tend it. I will bring my shotgun if I have to and continue watering in the spring. The pump is right on the edge of the gate and that will be enough of that. End of discussion.”

The two were silent for a moment, each with a look of obedience in their eyes. “Please, Simon, the children might hear,” mumbled Marion softly.

Too late for that, Mom.
Wait until Merydith hears this,
Tobey thought. He hopped up, backed away, and then began walking toward the kitchen, being as loud as he could so they knew he was coming. That way, he wouldn’t be accused of being a snoop.

Eventually the children headed off to school. They strolled outside and without thinking set their eyes on the garden gate. Simon waited in the truck and ignored the garden totally.

The garden gate is fixed already? How…when did he do that? Grandfather is
an amazing and frightening person.
Merydith shivered all over as she walked to the truck.

The garden gate was whole again, new boards had been inserted over it, and something new appeared on it…chains, heavy iron chains linked together like crazy railroad tracks draped all over the gate. Now there were three padlocks on the gate, holding the board tight like strong arms.

It seemed Simon did not want the gate to be torn away as easily as it had been the night before. He was determined to keep someone out—or was it in? The chore of unlocking and relocking that gate next spring would be torture. Simon did indeed love his garden, but did it love him back?

They noticed that fall had definitely set in as they made their way to school. It was about time, they were now into October. Leaves were now a different array of vivid colors, colliding and twisting together on the same trees. Yellow, orange, red, it was as if the trees were blooming. That sounded funny. But for the season of fall, the trees bloomed like flowers, beautiful, giant flowers with all the colors of a rainbow.

As the truck wheeled into town, they noticed a few pumpkins scattered here and there upon front steps and stoops, and some Halloween decorations in windows and doors. Witches, scarecrows, ghosts of all shapes and sizes, appeared with watchful eyes. Halloween was okay for the children, but no big deal. They were taken into town to hit a few local shops and then went home.

No parties, no trick-or-treaters ever came to their house, and they themselves never managed to collect more than a half bag full of candy. Pretty disappointing, but that was all they knew, nothing less, nothing more.

They dropped Tobey off at his school first. He flung the door open and began to step out. He paused a moment and turned to Merydith. “Mery?”

“Yes, Tobey?”

“I have to talk to you today after school. It’s important.”

“Sure, Tobey, I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Mery.”

He turned away quickly, avoiding his grandfather’s eyes, and went off to meet his friends. Simon was staring at him…Tobey could feel it. Merydith wondered what he was trying to tell her. Tobey couldn’t wait to convey what he had heard; he grew more and more terrified with each day. He struggled with a fear that he kept inside but was slowly beginning to eat at him. Merydith could feel her brother’s fear, for it was hers, too.

The green pickup raced down the street and finally turned into Merydith’s school. After having dropped her off, it, as always, vanished from sight.

###

The station wagon putted along with little problem, made another turn carefully, and stumbled onto a dirt road with large woods growing on either side of it. It was somehow breathtaking and mystical.

“This is looking very familiar now,” Tina Richardson said. “We’re in Willington, honey, back in my old hometown. It’s so funny to be back. I never thought I’d come back here. Won’t Mom and Dad be surprised when they see us? They’re not expecting us until tomorrow.”

“They should be very surprised. They haven’t seen us in years. The shock of it may be too much for them,” her husband Brent answered. He was a family man through and through, a hometown type, and just the opposite of Tina.

She’d wanted adventure, independence and to get out of Willington for as long as she could remember.

“Oh, stop it, you,” Tina said. “You know we’re busy with the new house, the bills, and all the other complications. I talk to them all the time. We’ve only been married two years, for God’s sake, and I’ve only been out of this town for six. Besides, you know how far away we live. It’s a long trip just for a visit.”

“Calm down, Tina. I’m sorry, I’m only teasing. Anyway, doesn’t it feel good to be back in your old hometown?”

“Well, it does and it doesn’t. Of course, there are a lot of memories all coming back at once. It’s sort of exciting, but there was always something about this town, something unexplainable. For instance, there’s this family and—”

Brent stomped on the brakes and the car screeched along as it skidded to a full stop. Brent had just barely missed smashing head-on into the biggest, fattest, fallen tree he had ever seen.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Brent asked as the adrenaline began dwindling down. “My whole front end could have been scrap metal.”

“I have no idea. Damn it, now we’re stuck,” Tina realized. “What are we going to do now? There’s no other way into town from this road.”

“We’re going to do the only thing we can do,” Brent answered. “We’re going to try to move that bastard. C’mon, let’s go.”

“Are you crazy?” Tina protested. I can’t—”

“It’s the only way, Tina. Do you want to spend your night here? Now move.”

With a pout, Tina got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. The two then went over to the fallen tree and put their hands upon it. Brent looked at the end of the tree. It looked as if it had been chopped down recently.

“Honey, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“What is it, Brent?” she asked.

“This tree looks like it was deliberately cut, and not too long ago, either. Look at the bottom of it. That’s a fresh chop, and it’s still oozing sap.”

“Let’s get out of here now,” Tina urged. Fear crawled through every vein of her body and she shivered as if cold. “Let’s just turn around and go back, please?”

It was too late. Something stepped out of the woods wearing the trademarked bandages and cowboy hat. A bloodstained spade appeared in its hand as it stared menacingly at the two stranded victims.

It stepped toward them, quickening its pace as they gasped. The scene was surreal, like nothing the pair had ever experienced. It wasn’t sane, it wasn’t logical, and it certainly couldn’t be real, but they knew, just knew, that their lives were over.

They ran into the woods, their wails filling the air. The woods were the only place that they could think of going. There was always some hope that the woods would somehow befriend them and allow them to elude their pursuer. They were wrong.

This killer knew the woods, where to turn, where to run, where to look. The woods was its home and its friend

They raced through the wilderness, growing weak and tired already, not used to traversing dense woods at top speed. Tina and Brent clutched one another as they tried to hide, but it found them all too easily and the spade swung close.

Brent, as valiant as he was, tried to defend his wife, standing up to the force that would claim her life. He reached out to stop the oncoming spade, but it was like trying to stop an oncoming train.

The killer plunged the spade through both of Brent’s hands and then jerked it back, successfully ripping the flesh with it. Blood splashed Brent’s face, warm, salty. The spade came down into his chest, digging and twisting until he was driven onto his back. Brent gasped once for air before going limp.

Tina hugged a tree as if it would protect her, and the killer closed in on her. She screamed as loud as her lungs would allow but no one heard her. Her screams bounced off the trees and scattered the critters, but it was useless. She played a game of cat and mouse between the tree and the murderer. The spade swung hard and lodged itself in the side of the tree. Tina saw her chance and raced back toward her car.

Faster, faster, faster…she ran like never before in all her life.
The keys are still
in the car.
If I can just make it back there, I’m
home free.
Please, God, please
!
There,
there, I can see the car, I can
see it!

An arm cut across her throat and Tina went down hard. She writhed and wept, deep sobs rising from her chest as she tried to crawl to her knees. The killer reached down, pulled her up by her head of hair, and drove the spade down. It sank deep into her back and pierced her heart. She twitched once, slightly, and sighed as if she had been holding her breath. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and then she was gone.

The killer went to the car, stuffed the spade into its pants, and grabbed hold of the tree in the road. With enormous effort, it pulled the fallen tree from the road and dragged it into the woods, rolling it out of sight. It climbed back up to the road and paused to catch its breath. Getting into the car, the keys still intact, it drove off to return later for its prizes.

###

Merydith sat on her bed, doing her homework and at the same time devising plans to uncover whatever she could about the family. There was a soft rap on her door.

“Come in.”

“Remember I had to talk to you, Mery?”

“Of course. Come in. You know I’m always here for you. What is it? You seemed odd today. What’s happened?”

He swallowed once and then sniffed. “I heard the grownups this morning. I listened to them, but they didn’t know I was there.”

“Go on, Tobey, it’s all right. Don’t be scared. You did what I told you. That was good.”

“They talked about the garden. They said that it was too dangerous to keep tending to it. Grandpa wouldn’t listen to them. He’s going to keep on working on it no matter what’s in it. They talked about something being in the garden. They said it should have been dead, but it wasn’t, that it never left and was still here. Grandpa a few times called it a
he
. Then he said that if he didn’t water the garden, he would betray it, and that the garden wouldn’t give him what it was giving him. What’s it giving him, Mery?”

She looked both puzzled and fearful. She thought for a moment and then answered. “I don’t know, Tobey, maybe they’re talking about the giant fruits and vegetables. I really don’t know. I’ve never heard them say that before.”

“Merydith, everything is coming apart. I want things back the way they were. Stop all of this, please…” His eyes filled with tears and he began to sob, lying his head onto Merydith’s shoulder.

“Hush, Tobey, hush. Everything will be all right. The adults won’t hurt us. They just keep secrets from us. Don’t worry, when we find everything out, it will be all right. And then maybe, just maybe, we can find Aaron again. No matter what’s in the garden, we must get in. It may be Aaron in there. You said Grandpa called it a
him
. Maybe it’s Aaron.”