Let's Play in the Garden (14 page)

“Do you think so, Mery?”

She smiled. “He may be asking for help, he may be—”

“Merydith, Tobey! Supper!” Marion’s voice snapped off Merydith’s words like a fire alarm. With that, the conversation was forgotten and they obeyed their mother’s call. They still had to put up the front that all was still normal, if there was such a thing.

They all sat at the dinner table in silence. Each concentrated on their plates of food until something jolted them back to consciousness…a knock on the front door.

Is that a knock at our door?
Merydith’s curiosity was piqued.
Who on earth ever
ventured out to the Santaneen freaks?

Simon went to the door as a second knock rang out, this one impatient. He yanked the door open, and to his surprise and there were two police officers waiting on the other side. Their faces were as serious, bleak and stern.

“Simon Santaneen?” the taller of the two said.

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

“May we come in?”

He let them into the hallway and the entire family froze. They stared in shock, the meal forgotten as all eyes turned to the cops.

“A few ways up the road, in the woods, an abandoned car was found. It had a few drops of blood inside. Human blood. The vehicle was deliberately run off the road and hidden in the woods. We searched the woods and found signs of a struggle, but that was it. We would like to know if you or any member of your family has heard or seen anything.”

“No,” Simon answered plainly.

“Well, what about your family?”

“They ain’t heard nothing, either.”

“Well, since your house is the only one out here and closest to the location, we’d like to take a look around your yard, and the garden, as well, sir.”

“Do you have a search warrant?”

“No.”

“Then get the hell off my property.”

“Simon, please,” the cop said. “We know what the garden is like and what your family is like. Just let us search the damn thing and make the whole town happy. Don’t make it any more difficult on yourself.”

“No warrant, then get the hell off my property. You’ll see nothing without a damn warrant.” Simon was seething now.

“Fine, have it your way. We’ll get you your warrant!”

“I’ll be waiting.” He slammed the door shut in a huff.

Simon returned to the table and said nothing. Dinner was resumed as if nothing had happened.

Tobey and Merydith stared at each other. The adults couldn’t hide this one event from them.

The town had brought its suspicions to their door. Finally, it was beginning to close in on them. This would not be the last time they’d hear from the town.

12. Spark of Sickness

The weekend flew by like a dream and Monday came again. It was a colder Monday than usual…much colder. The sun had barely risen as the family tried to wake itself from a tiresome night.

Mustering the strength to get out of bed was no easy task. The more Merydith tried, the more she couldn’t get up. Finally, she gave up and simply fell back onto the bed, her body limp and trembling. It was so cold. She felt awful all of a sudden.

The room wobbled back and forth in a haze and a cold sweat broke out over her brow and chest.

She tried to pull herself up once more, but failed. Merydith was sick, it had started, and this was the first of a strange cycle that would plague her off and on all winter long. Her stomach growled and she trembled even more now.
God, it’s so cold.

This was nothing yet. It was possible to get much colder than this and it probably would

She pulled her blankets over her as tight as she could, but the cold would not disperse. She shook more as beads of perspiration dotted her flushed face.

“Mother!” she called with fright. It was the only thing she could think to do. An instinctual reaction, call for the parent. She would make it better. She would chase the evil sickness away, hopefully for good. She called for the only person whom she knew would come. “Mother!”

The sounds of hurrying footsteps came up the stairs. “Merydith, what is it?” Marion asked, a concerned look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Mother, I am so sick. The cold is too much for me. I can’t go to school today.”

Gladys came in the room behind Marion and behind her, standing in the doorway, stood Simon. “That old sickness has returned, I see,” said Gladys. “She needs plenty of liquids. That’s what you always do. Feed her plenty of liquids. That always does wonders.”

“Hold on, Merydith, Momma is going to bring you some medicine.” Marion quickly got up and went downstairs.

Merydith sat and stared at the ceiling.

Gladys and Simon remained in the doorway, silent and staring.

Moments later, Marion returned to the bedroom with a tall glass of orange juice and two pills. “Here, take these. They’ll make you feel better. And drink all of the juice. You need the vitamins, especially now.”

Merydith took the two pills into her hand and stared at them. They had a greenish tint to them. She pondered whether or not to take them. They were no aspirins. So what were they? No, that was stupid. Her own mother would never do anything to hurt her. Merydith popped each pill in one at a time and took a large helping of juice to swallow them down. Afterwards, she finished her glass of juice.  

“There,” Marion said. “You just stay home today and rest. I’ll take good care of you. There’s also something else you can do—use your solar panel, Merydith. Get under it today, bathe in the sunlight, it will heal you. You’ll see, trust me. It’ll give you strength and bring you back to full health in no time.”

Merydith lifted her eyes to the solar panel above her bed, the morning sun pouring down into her room and hitting the end of her bed. “Thank you, Mother.”

Merydith turned to the doorway and noticed Tobey standing there, behind his grandparents, a frightened look on his face.
What if something happens to Merydith? I’ll be all alone. Please be all right, Mery, please
. He stared for a few moments as Merydith stared back, their eyes meeting. She smiled.

Everything would be okay. She would never leave him to face all of this alone. Never. Tobey turned and went downstairs.

“You’ll be fine, dear. We’ll let you rest now.” Marion ran a soft hand over Merydith’s forehead, wiping the cold sweat away. Then, taking the empty glass, she followed the grandparents back downstairs.

###

Merydith remained in bed. Every hour Marion brought up a big glass of orange juice and she drank it all down. She stared at the solar panel, wondering how her mother knew such a thing. Sunlight shimmered through the panel in radiant curtains.

She decided to take her mother’s advice.

Her body was stiff and tired, and she was so weak she barely managed to slip the bed covers off. The moment the air hit her, she shivered. The room was still so cold.

A feeling of dizziness passed right through her and she paused on all fours. Swallowing a big gulp of air, she pressed on, edging herself into the life-giving radiant sunlight.

She was now directly under her solar panel. She tingled as a feeling of warmth flushed her entire body. Ah, this was so good. She reached up with both hands, basking, looking as if she was trying to pull more sunlight down upon her. Merydith just couldn’t get enough.

For minutes she remained in the sunlight. It was the most amazing feeling she’d experience in some time. She really did feel like she was getting some of her strength back.

Her mother was right. The cold left her body, and with it went the sweats.
How could this be possible?
Was this why none of the adults ever got sick?
She couldn’t remember them fighting off illness every winter as she did. Did standing under the solar panels throughout the house heal them? It seemed to heal her, and that’s all that mattered right now. She couldn’t investigate her mysteries if she was stuck in bed.

The wonders of this place never cease.

After finishing lunch, she sat upright in bed. The chicken noodle soup that Grandma had whipped up really hit the spot. After putting her dishes aside and finishing her orange juice, she simply stared out her window.

She could see a slight breeze blowing about as she watched dead leaves dancing around her window. As the leaves sailed away, a stream of black smoke billowed in front of her window. It was not the first time she’d seen something like that.

Merydith threw her covers aside and pulled herself out of bed. She was still feeling a weak, but it was nothing that worried her.

  She went to the window and opened it. “Oh, that smell.” She held her nose tightly. A putrid smell accompanied the smoke. It grew so awful she could not bear to smell it any longer. Now she knew she had smelled that before. The smoke grew thicker and thicker until it finally sailed high into the air and vanished. Merydith stood in front of the window, searching the yard.

A loud knock from the door downstairs interrupted her search. The knock came again, impatient and determined. Merydith knew it could only be one thing—the police had returned with their warrant.

She raced to her bedroom door and cracked it open to listen.

She heard Grandpa answering the door, but then only detected a bunch of mumbling. Among the voices, she could tell how angry Simon was. The voices grew softer until they stopped altogether. The front door slammed shut.

Merydith turned and ran to the window. She popped her head out far enough to spy without being seen. The only thing she could see was the slumbering garden…waiting.

Finally, they came into view. Grandpa stood by the gate with a piece of paper crunched into his upper pocket, an enraged look on his face.

He unlocked every padlock and unraveled every chain around the gate. One by one, he pried off each board before finally opening the gate for them.

The two officers walked inside. By the sound of their voices, Merydith could tell they were astonished by what they saw. Calls and exclamations echoed in the air. She could tell they did not believe their eyes the same as she once felt…before it had taken…

Enough of that, Mery. Pay attention.

She was sure they were taking it all in…all the giant-sized plants, the miles of oversized foliage and vegetables. A cold, haunting breeze stirred the trees that stretched above the wall and reached for the heavens. She bet that the different paths stretching and twisting off everywhere confused the officers.

The officers walked deeper into the garden and vanished from sight as the garden closed in on them. She could no longer hear their voices.

Merydith was uncomfortable with losing complete sight of them. They’d vanished into the garden just as Aaron had. The silence permeating the garden was deafening.

Both Simon and Merydith waited.

No one came out.

A hideous roar pealed through the yard, joined by tortured screams. The roar shook the entire garden with rage as the two officers screamed for their lives.

Simon went into complete shock and Merydith saw him starting to run into the garden before stopping himself short. Instead, she watched him close the gate and begin sealing it back up.

Merydith sat mute as she watched Simon turn to leave the yard. A smile curled upon his face, the most sinister one she had ever seen.

A cold chill tickled her spine like feathers, but it was not because she was sick. Simon disappeared from her view as she kept her gaze fixed upon the garden. The screams had stopped and all was silent again. Merydith stared in disbelief. She could not believe that her grandfather could do such a thing.
How could he? What has he done…what is he hiding in that garden?

Without hesitation, she returned to bed and pulled the covers up, holding them as tight as she could.

###

Simon walked to the front yard where the police car sat. He opened the door and got in. He grasped for the keys but there were no keys. The officers still had it and there was no way in hell he was going into the garden to look for it. He bent below the steering wheel and yanked out the wires. Simon possessed many skills. He twisted the wires together, and there was a brief spark and a puff of smoke as the car rumbled to a start.

He drove the car up the dirt road to the main highway and in the opposite direction of town.

He drove on for hours, and luckily, not another car passed him on his trip. He took a sharp left onto a dirt trail that wasn’t even a road, just a path of mud and water. Simon steered the car to the top of a small grassy hill. Below it was a clearing where a lake rippled peacefully.

He stopped the car and rolled down his window. With his foot he pushed the gas down hard to get the car idling as fast as he could and left it in drive as he exited the driver’s seat and pushed the door shut.

The car rolled toward the lake and plunged into it. Water immediately filled the entire vehicle and Simon watched as it sank beneath the waters of the lake, out of sight, out of mind.

Simon laughed aloud. “Now let them come looking. They’ll find nothing. Let them send everything they’ve got. They’ll end up just like the others. Nosy townspeople, let ’em come!”

Simon cackled madly as he began his long walk home.

###

Simon returned to the house by nightfall. The house and the family waited in silence for his return.

Tobey sat on the floor of the family room, doing his homework, and Merydith remained in bed, but her sharp ears had picked up the arrival of her grandfather.

Marion and Gladys sat and waited in the kitchen. The night’s dinner had been ready hours ago, but they were keeping it warm until Simon returned and took his rightful place at the table. He said nothing to them as he slid into his chair.

“Well, it’s about time you left that workshop,” Gladys remarked with a half smile on her face.

“You spent all of this time in the workshop, Grandpa?” Tobey asked as he walked into the kitchen and sat at the table.

“Why, of course he did, Tobey,” Gladys answered for him. “Where else would he be? He’s working very hard down there.”