Let's Play in the Garden (23 page)

“I’m gravely concerned about my student, Merydith Santaneen. I personally suspect abuse, maybe neglect as well. I must know all that I can.”

“Well, I wouldn’t put that past them. Jean, the Santaneens are an extremely strange family. They isolated themselves far away from the town, in the middle of nowhere, off Route 109, for as long as anyone can remember. I’m surprised they even let their children attend school. They have such odd beliefs. They don’t come into town often. Simon is a hermit and a nut, worse than the so-called mad doctor. He’s supposedly a farmer, if you want to call him that, and he dabbles in strange experiments. He’s very hostile and almost treats the garden he owns like a god. He practically worships it. His wife and daughter Marion follow him blindly wherever he leads them. They all live together with their two children, and we would never know the children even existed if they didn’t attend school. So you see, they’re not the type of people you want to get to know, nor will they want to get to know you.”

Mrs. McCormick’s face was sympathetic and sad. “I must see them. There’s something wrong there. It’s no atmosphere for children. And God only knows what the conditions are like there.”

“I doubt if even He knows, Jean.”

“May I please have their address?”

“I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea. You don’t even know half of what those people are like and what they’re capable of. The rumors that go around are that they’re responsible for all the evil things that plague this town. Just turn on the news, you’ll see. They’re not sane, Jean, stay away.”

“Please, Mr. Meyers, think of the children. I know that Merydith isn’t like them. Please, she’s been out of school far too many times.”

“Okay, you’re the one that has to go down there, not me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Meyers, thank you.”

###

“Hi, Tobey. How are you today?” Merydith asked as she came through his door with a large, bright smile.

“Hi, Merydith. I’m much better. I think this is it. I don’t think I’ll get sick anymore. I can just feel it.” In his hands Tobey held the pocket watch his grandfather had given him. He opened and closed the cover over and over again.

Merydith walked up and sat on the edge of his bed. “Remember when you heard Grandpa talking about the garden and something that it gives him.”

“Yes, I remember,” Tobey answered, still playing with the watch, seemingly uninterested.

“Well, those things that are given to him are seeds, during what they call the Harvest. They get these seeds and use them for something. Tobey, are you listening?”

“Yes, I’m listening.” His attention was still on the watch.

“We’ve got to find out what those seeds are and what they’re used for. Tobey don’t you see, we’re getting closer and closer. We can win this. Tobey? Damn it, Tobey, listen to me!” Merydith grabbed the watch from Tobey’s hand in anger and threw it to the floor. It did not break, however, like she had so desperately hoped.

“Merydith, how dare you? That was my watch, you shouldn’t have—”

“Tobey, wake up!” Merydith put her hands on his shoulders and shook him hard. “Simon is influencing you. He’s trying to bring you to his side. You know what they’re like. Do you want to be like them? They’re evil and cruel. They lie to us, they deceive us, they do strange things. His experiments are wicked, and the garden is a curse to us. It killed Aaron! Aaron, remember him, our little brother? They’re responsible for killing him. Remember that thing they spoke of? It’s out there, an evil monster waiting to eat us up. They’re not our family. We were never given birth to. Tobey!”

“I know, Mery! I know! I thought if I did this, then they wouldn’t hurt me. I’m sorry, Mery, I just don’t want them to hurt me. Maybe Grandfather did make it look so good. I don’t know, Mery, I’m scared and confused…”

“It’s all right, Tobey, it’s all right. I’m here.” She held him in her arms. “Remember, I will never leave you. We must stick together and protect each other. Only together can we fight and beat them. And we will, Tobey, we will. It’s okay now, I’m with you, little brother.”

“I’ll never leave you either, Mery. I’m okay now, I think. They won’t trick me again, I promise. We will win. I love you, my sister.”

20. Rebirth

Spring! The months had slipped by a bit too quickly for Merydith and Tobey. They wished winter had stayed a little longer. They’d rather deal with their sickness than witness the garden return to life once again. Its terror breathed hot upon them. Its life stirred corruption. Its beauty hid ugliness. Once a place of wonderful splendor, it now looked like the garden of evil.

The children went to school regularly as their illness deserted them at last. With this turn of events, Mrs. McCormick postponed her visit to the Santaneen household. Merydith was back, that seemed enough for now.

###

Simon could not resist gazing upon his most cherished possession. He needed to see the garden return to its full strength and glory. He removed the chains and boards and unlocked the garden. He stepped inside to view the awe-inspiring creation for the first time in the season, marveled at how magnificent it was and always would be. The garden had returned.

Flowers were in full bloom in every size, shape and color imaginable, a painter’s canvas of pure delight. Plants and trees were lush and green again, some even starting to produce fruit.

Animals returned: birds gathered in the stone birdbaths, squirrels and rabbits frolicked in tall grass, and butterflies dotted the skies. Dew dripped from the leaves of trees as the sun poured golden light onto everything like a sea of leprechaun gold. The garden had woken up virile and stronger than ever from its winter hibernation.

Some plants unfurled right before Simon’s eyes…just being reborn. All was new and fresh. There was a zest in the air, a smell of wholesomeness as Simon was filled with a sense of great accomplishment and wonder.

Everything seemed to come back even larger than last year…greater trees, bigger fruits, larger flowers, and they hungered…they thirsted. The garden was ever expanding and it startled Simon. Could it be growing even beyond his control?

Simon dismissed the thought with a smile, his pride blinding him. “Welcome back, my baby. Welcome back to life. I knew you would be even more beautiful than before. You must be quite thirsty. Do not worry; there is formula left. I always save enough for your first spring drink. Patience, just have patience, my beauty. Soon you will give me your seeds, your gifts to me, and I thank you humbly.”

As Simon turned to leave, he saw a large, deformed footprint in the ground. It was huge and three-toed, leaving a deep impression in the ground.

A noise caught his attention.
What was that crackling noise, something rustling in
the bushes?

His head shot up, his eyes scanned the area… nothing. He shrugged it off and brought his attention back to the beautiful scenery around him. “Have no fear, I will return, my sweet.”

He left the garden and sealed the gates up temporarily.

The sun burned hot and bright, relentless, pouring all its energy down upon the garden and the Santaneen house. The solar panels magnified the heat and the energy. The day was escaping him, and Simon had yet to water the garden. He knew how much it thirsted. A cool breeze stirred behind him as he walked away, and he heard a whisper in it. Someone called his name.

Could it be his baby, his joy? It had to be. The garden beckoned him, demanding its sustenance.

“I hear you, my dear,” he whispered back. “I know you have slept long and your thirst is terrible. As soon as I return with the children, I will water you. Do not lose faith in me. I have never forgotten you.” Simon stood by his pickup, staring at the stone walls and the cascading treetops.

He was on his way to meet the children at school and wanted to wait to water the garden until after they’d come home. In a way, he wanted the grandchildren to do it in the hopes that they would become interested in the garden and its care. Especially Tobey.

That boy will become the master of the house and garden
.
I’ll see to it.
He roared the old truck to a rumbling start.

###

Merydith left her small circle of friends and headed toward the truck as it pulled into the lot. The color of it made her want to vomit whenever she saw it now.

Simon was surprised Merydith had any friends at all, even if it was just the same three girls. He’d hoped they would have abandoned her by now, just as humankind had abandoned him and his family.

Merydith’s face was pale and emotionless. It was clear she did not want to get into the truck. The green door creaked open like the door to a coffin. She tried to ignore the awful sound and climbed in.

“Hello, Merydith,” Tobey said with a cheerful smile, probably faked.

“Hi, Tobey,” she said quickly. She said nothing to Simon and he said nothing to her. The truck turned in a semicircle and roared down the street.

The ride seemed to last forever, and it felt as if they were in an armored truck. The nerve-racking silence, the beautiful scenery never to be touched or felt or walked in. Finally, they reached home, the truck bounced and rocked over the dirt road, tools clanking in the back. The truck screeched to a halt and the children quickly let themselves out and ran into the house, arms loaded with books. They had a lot of make-up homework to do.

A breeze whisked through Simon’s gray hair as a soft moan caught his ears. Simon nodded and went for his cellar.

Taking out his keys, he unlocked the cellar and descended into the darkness, a smell of filth rising forth to greet him, accompanied by a puff of black smoke, blacker than night itself. A few moments later, he came out with the watering hose.

He stretched it from the cellar all the way to the garden gate. Dropping the hose momentarily, he unlocked the locks and chains and removed the boards again, grunting with aggravation.

He opened the gates and brought the hose in, the garden glittering and sparkling like paradise as it awaited the precious formula. He looked behind the gate, the irrigation pumps still operational, and hooked up the hose. He cranked it with zest.

A white liquid sprayed over the entire garden, soaking into every root, every leaf, every petal. The soil soaked it up as if it was the first time it had ever tasted it, and with gluttony unmatched, the garden drank. A sigh wafted through the garden and Simon smiled.

The garden was not the only thing that drank.
It
too wallowed in the formula that rained down upon the earth. It drank and drank and drank, absorbing every drop into its coarse, mutated body. It became stronger as well.

Simon stood ignorant and smug, smiling with glee. When he felt that the watering was sufficient, he turned off the irrigation pump and unhooked the hose. He bid farewell to his garden and began to secure the gate again with it heavy, slightly rusted locks and chains. “Hmmm, I’ll have to replace those pretty soon. Another trip to town.” He grumbled at the thought of it.

Just as Simon was securing the garden gate, he noticed a stranger approaching. It was a red-haired woman carrying a tape recorder and a notepad. She had a large, confident smile on her face and determination in her step. She wore a black and white striped skirt and blouse and a black jacket with a gold broach upon it. She walked up the dirt road and approached the house.

Simon quickly yanked his hose to the cellar doors.
Going to need more formula soon.

The woman entered the yard and spotted Simon over by the cellar doors. She acknowledged him and her eyes twinkled as her smile grew wider.

“Hello, Mr. Santaneen. I’m Monica Lenford.” She put her hand out to shake his. He did not respond. “I’m a reporter with the newspaper
The Premiere Bulletin
. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”

Simon shook his head.

“Well, I’ve been sent over to do a story on this miraculous garden of yours. I could see the walls of it from the beginning of the dirt road. You own quite a bit of land here. The garden has always made such a commotion in town that they thought it was time to let the world know about it. I know it’s a truly extraordinary thing. If I could just see it and get a quick tour of it, we can start the interview. Is this your workshop where you grow everything? It would be an added bonus if you’d be so kind as to show me that too. You know, sort of the how and where it all began.” Her smile was so bright her face glowed.

Simon’s face, on the other hand, was beginning to turn red. Anger stirred inside him. He looked as if he was going to explode. “Look, missy,” he shouted. “I am not about to show you anything. This is all private property and you have no business setting foot on it!”

“Please, Mr. Santaneen, if you’ll just give me a few moments of your time. I’m sure we can—”

“Understand this, missy, I have no intentions of showing you anything. Not the garden, not my workshop, not now, not ever. As I said before, this is private property, so kindly remove yourself or I’ll take you out myself!”

“Mr. Santaneen.” She was shocked.

“Get out!” Simon screamed with rage. His eyes bugged out, veins bulging in his neck.

The reporter carried herself quickly from the yard and started back down the dirt road, all the while staring at Simon. She watched as he opened the cellar doors and dragged the hose down.

After reaching the end of the road, she made it back to the paved highway where her Volkswagen bug awaited. She plopped into it and slammed the door shut. “How dare he!”

Monica threw her things into the back of the car. “Was that supposed to be a threat? I won’t stand for it. We’ll see, Santaneen, we’ll see.” She started up the car and rolled down the street a ways. “Whether he likes it or not, I’m going to see in the workshop. I may not get the garden, but I’ll get to see where it was made.”

She turned the car around and drove back, easing it slowly down the street and letting the vehicle roll quietly as close to the dirt road as she could. She shut the car off and reached for her camera bag.