Let's Play in the Garden (20 page)

“Another abandoned car has been found along Route 109 in Willington, South Carolina,” said the slim, blonde female reporter. “Police are baffled by the inexplicable occurrences taking place on Route 109 and the surrounding woods known as Henman’s Copse.”

My God, those are the woods right up the path from here.
That’s the route we
drive every morning to school.
It struck Merydith with a frightening reality but there was much more to the chilling report.

“Foul goings-on are suspect by the local residents and a thorough investigation has been underway for quite some time. Police have reported finding traces of blood, articles of clothing, and signs of a struggle. As of yet, the police have found no leads. In addition to the investigation, there are still no developments in the disappearances of two Willington police officers who may have been on the case. Jerry Danlin and Francis Thicket have been missing for two months after reportedly going to investigate a call about screams being heard in Henman’s Copse. The local police may have to bring in outside help with such a widespread case. If anyone has any information they are to—”

Simon switched off the TV in a static blip as he took notice of Merydith secretly watching the news behind them. Panic seized her. She remembered the two cops at her house. Who in the family could forget that?

She remembered seeing them enter the garden and becoming permanent parts of it. The horrible screams, the roars, Simon driving the police car away. She knew what happened to the cops. She was the only one who knew. What was Simon and the family hiding in there? Should she call the number on the TV? What would happen if she did?

“Merydith?” Simon said curiously. “Something we can help you with?”

She stuttered, “N-no, no, I just came down to watch some TV. I was bored.”

Marion and Gladys stared at her intensely. Merydith felt odd.

“Why were you concealing yourself from us?” Simon asked.

“I wasn’t, Grandfather. I just didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Well, come join us. Don’t cringe behind us in the dark. Put on whatever you wish. We’re finished with the TV anyway.”

She walked slowly into the living room and turned on the TV. The news had ended and a new show was on. Merydith carefully changed the channel. They stared at her, all of them. There was something strange going on.

She could feel them watching her. It was as if they didn’t trust. She felt under investigation, trapped. She quivered a bit before finally leaving the TV on a sitcom in hopes of lightening the mood.

###

Morning came, and as Merydith and Tobey tried to sleep late, a loud, persistent knocking woke them. Actually, it woke the whole house.

The adults came downstairs as the bright morning light filled every nook of the house. There was a chill in the air. They wrapped themselves tightly in heavy robes and housecoats.

Simon walked up to the front door, an annoyed expression on his face. He got the face anytime a stranger came calling. He hated intrusions and despised the outside world.

The children hovered on the stairs with curiosity.
More visitors? How shocking.
No one had ever come to the Santaneen house so often—at least, no one who was of average intelligence.

Simon threw the door open with a grumble and there stood more police officers.

Merydith gasped.
Was this it?
Were they going to tear the family apart at last?
Had Grandpa been linked to the disappearance of the last two cops he so graciously
delivered into the evil in the garden?
Or had they come to liberate them from a
bizarre group of abusive adults?

Maybe the town had insisted that the police come. Perhaps they were fed up and finally taking the Santaneens to task.

The women sat spellbound with horror, the children watched with shock and hope. Yet Simon remained calm and deviously innocent. “May I help you, officers?” he asked pleasantly. He seemed so peaceful and different from his usual self. Of course, he was acting again, putting on a totally different face as he had many times before.

“We’re sorry to disturb you at such an early hour, Mr. Santaneen,” one of the officers said. “As you probably know, we’re investigating the trouble at Henman’s Copse and the disappearance of two of our colleagues. They were last reported investigating Henman’s Copse. We were just wondering if they had been here to question you or if you’ve seen or heard anything strange in the last month or so.”

“Why no, nothing out of the ordinary here. Just me and my family, and, of course, the garden—which, I might add, is private property and I don’t allow anyone to see. So they haven’t been around here, officer.” Simon’s smile was as cold and chilling as the winter air, his eyes lifeless, totally without feeling or recognition. He made the officers visibly uncomfortable, but that wasn’t a crime.

“Nothing at all?” the officer repeated.

“I’m sorry, there’s been no one here. I wish I could be of more help.”

“Well, we’re questioning everyone in the area and we’ll be investigating for a while so we’ll probably be back. Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Santaneen,”

“Don’t get used to it,” Simon grumbled under his breath as he closed the door, his sarcasm unheard by the officers.

###

As the officers walked back to their cruiser, the front door slammed shut behind them.

“That man gives me the creeps,” said the officer who’d been silent.

“You aren’t kidding. They said this family was weird. The others in town hit this one right on the head.”

“I don’t trust them either. I think they’re hiding something. Do you think they have something to do with all of this?”

“I doubt it. They may know a little something, but I think they’re just mostly trying to remain as isolated from other people as possible. They sure are strange.”

“I wish I knew what the hell happened to Fran and Jerry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

They entered the car, glanced one last time at the ominous house and yard, and pulled out of the driveway. A silent cry came from the garden, demanding justice and freedom.

###

December was supposedly the best month of all. It used to be up until this year. This year everything would be different. Things had changed too much, Christmas was unwelcome, a reminder of all the misery and anguish the family had experienced.

The holiday did nothing to relieve Merydith and Tobey, but the adults went on as if all was the same. The closer it came to Christmas, the more they acted out their traditions and seasonal glee, as twisted as they were.

As they neared the holidays, Simon wandered down a path into the infamous woods of Henman’s Copse, ignoring the warnings of what supposedly went on there. Not that that was any surprise to Merydith. The real surprise was that this year he brought home a freshly cut, real Christmas tree instead of the imitation one that was in the attic.

Marion and Gladys’s faces lit up with joy. Theirs was the only ones that did.

The tree was set up in the family room, across from the TV. Gladys and Marion shuffled down the boxes of decoration from the attic.

“Oh look, here it is,” Gladys announced. “My grandmother’s own homemade star. Still in good shape as ever. The old family star passed down from generation to generation. My grandmother received it from her mother, then passed it down to my mother, who passed it down to me. This star has been in my family for as long as I can remember.”

Simon and Marion stared at the star in awe. Merydith took a good look at the star as well. It was ancient looking, indeed. Merydith wondered how long it had been here. She remembered it being on every tree they’d ever had. That was a long time, and it had supposedly been here for every one of Marion’s Christmases as well. How many Christmases was that? How old was the star? How old was Marion? How old was Gladys? The real question that lingered currently in Merydith’s mind, the big one, was how old was Grandpa Simon?

Christmas shopping was at last at hand. One day, as the children came out of school, Simon announced that today was the day they would do their shopping, one of the other few times they got to enter the town.

Of course, Merydith and Tobey had to go along with it. The whole ritual of buying gifts for the people they had grown to fear and hate was wrong in so many ways, but there was simply no choice, no escape

They pulled into the town square and noticed how beautiful it looked. The whole town was decorated for the holidays. Lights of every color hung from just about every house and building. Wreaths were placed carefully on light posts and telephone poles. A manger scene was set up in the center island of the square along with a huge, real Christmas tree decorated to the hilt and glowing with bright white lights.

The streets themselves were cluttered with people doing their Christmas shopping. The stores and shops were filled, and the merchandise was going fast. They pulled into an empty space by one of the sidewalks. Now they too could begin their own Christmas shopping and mingle with all the other people frantically scrambling about town.

It was funny, but no one seemed to notice the Santaneens mingling among them. It wasn’t often that they were seen in town. At this time of the year, no one seemed to pay any attention. No one really cared. They were too wrapped up in their own little lives and holiday activities.

Simon led the children into different shops and stores all around the town square. They entered jewelry shops and clothing shops, ceramic stores and knickknack stores. They hunted for gifts that were appropriate and not very expensive. They gazed at the different decorations on sale and the unique items that you only saw around Christmastime—poinsettia plants, holly sprigs, real mistletoe.

Merydith purchased some holly and mistletoe. She had something special planned for back home. A dedication. She then managed to buy a gift for each member of the family, but even as she stood there in the store, a feeling of contempt and fear swelled inside her. She tried to ease her terrible feelings by purchasing a cute gift for Mrs. McCormick.

As darkness poured into the town and the lights glittered even more brilliantly, Simon rounded up his two grandchildren just as they finished purchasing their last gifts. They had to get back for dinner and let Gladys and Marion have the truck so they could go out and do their own shopping. After getting the necessities—wrapping paper, nametags, bows—they walked back to the waiting pickup and began the long journey home again.

###

They pulled into the driveway and made their way into the house, their arms loaded with full bags. “My, my, we were beginning to think you had run off for good,” Gladys chuckled.

“Really, Simon, it’s about time. You nearly missed dinner. Besides, it’s our turn to use the old truck,” Marion added.

“Okay, okay, ladies, enough scolding. We’re back now and we’re just in time for dinner. We did have to finish our shopping, you know, and, of course, see all the town decorations. Then there was the long trip back. I’m sure it will take you two even longer to shop.” The adults joked and laughed, but Merydith and Tobey found no humor in it at all.

“We’ll be taking out gifts to our rooms to wrap, if you’ll excuse us,” Merydith said softly as if she were an outsider watching a cheerful family enjoying its holiday. “You’re excused,” Simon replied in a serious tone as if he were being rudely interrupted. Marion and Gladys went silent and stared at the two children.

Merydith made eye contact with Simon and then quickly dropped her gaze. They both left the kitchen and went up the stairs quietly. Merydith felt cold as she ascended the stairs.

###

“Thank you very much, Merydith. It’s lovely. I will keep it on my desk every day for as long as I work here.” Mrs. McCormick held the gift in her hands with much delight. It was a ceramic apple with a cuddly green worm curled around its stem, holding a sign that read
Teacher’s Pet
.

“I’m glad you like it, Mrs. McCormick,” Merydith said with pride. “When I first saw it I instantly thought of you. I thought it was so cute.”

“It’s absolutely adorable, Merydith. Again, thank you so much. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too, Mrs. McCormick. I really have to get to my next class of the day. Sex Ed. Can’t miss that, you know. I’ll see you after vacation.”

“Yes, I’ll see you too. Goodbye and Happy New Year.”

Merydith walked quietly to her class as the other students shuffled in behind her to their math class.

Mrs. McCormick stood, a bright smile on her face, her eyes seeming to twinkle. She stared at the little ceramic apple.
Such a sweet, sweet girl.
There is no other student
like her and I feel something is wrong, quite wrong. I wish I knew.

###

Merydith bid farewell and a Merry Christmas to her few friends as the day ended, then walked steadily to the ever-waiting pickup truck, and the beguiling Simon, insane genius. She could feel her skin crawl as she drew near, the sight of the truck itself enough to strike fear into her. This was no pickup truck; it was a prison vehicle, and someday it could even be her hearse.

She took hold of the ice-cold door handle and pulled the door open wide. She noticed in the back of the truck an array of tools, partially covered with a blanket. The wind had blown the cover a bit and she recognized hammers, chisels and crowbars. Was Simon at work on something again? To her the half-hidden tools could only signify trouble.

“Hello, Merydith,” Simon greeted her, a smile upon his face. It unnerved her. “How was school today?”

“School was fine. Mrs. McCormick loved the gift I bought for her. Other than that, it was boring. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“That’s good. Christmas is only a few days away now. Are you both excited?”

“Of course,” Tobey answered quickly, making a valiant attempt to keep things normal. He wanted so badly for their family to be the way it was. He hoped that the holidays would do it. So far, they had only worsened things. It was exactly what Merydith wanted…for things to get worse so the truth would come spilling out. The truth scared the adults, all of them. It was the only time Merydith noticed any weaknesses. It was the only time they seemed to show fear. It was a weapon. But they played a good game and had matched her move for move. The end was coming, the game was getting more dangerous, and something was imminent. She could feel it.