The Ghost with the Green Thumb

by Maggie M. Larche

  Ms. Matilda winked. “Exactly.”

  She stood up and stretched her legs. “I’m going to let you think on all that for a bit while I head back inside. I’ve had my eye on some pecan twirls, and I’ve got to get one before that pompous oaf Frank eats them all.” She patted my arm. “I’m glad you’re here. Grieving is a slow process, but I’m sure your presence is really helping your grandpa’s heart to mend.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Both for your advice and for, well, believing me.”

  “You’re welcome.” She opened the door and nearly bumped into Billy on his way out.

  “There you are,” said Billy. He plopped down next to me as Ms. Matilda disappeared through the door. “I got cornered by Hetty. She has a grandson my age and wanted to know what she should get him for Christmas.” He seemed to notice something off in my expression. “Hey, what happened? Did you find someone to help you?”

  “Yes. Kind of.”

  “Well? What’d they say?”

  “That my grandma has a lot of love to give.”

  “Has?” Billy paused. “You mean ‘had,’ right?”

  Suddenly, I felt the most overwhelming urge to cry. I sniffed in embarrassment and turned my head away.

  “Hey, now,” said Billy. He looked uncomfortable, but he awkwardly put an arm on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find something more helpful than that.”

  I gave a small laugh. Sometimes boys just don’t get it.

  Chapter 10

  Ms. Matilda’s words ran through my head all night, and I woke early the next morning with a powerful urge to visit the garden.

  Grandpa hadn’t even left for the church yet, so we shared a peaceful breakfast of grits and bacon. I was purposefully vague about my plans for the day, but Grandpa didn’t seem to notice. He mentioned that the crew was putting the pews back into the church that morning, and he seemed preoccupied with preparing for any challenges.

  I took a bite of crisp bacon and felt Luigi nudge my leg.

  “Do you recognize the kitties on my pajamas?” I cooed and leaned down to scratch him behind the ears. “They look like you, don’t they?” He butted his head at my ankles again.

  “Ok, I know what that means,” I said out loud and straightened up. “Be right back, Grandpa.”

  “Thanks, sweetie,” he said absently.

  I started down the hallway with Luigi at my heels. “Ok, ok, I’m hurrying!” I said as he pushed his head against my feet, almost tripping me.

  I swung open the front door and immediately shut it again. I had just seen Billy walking up the lane.

  “Darn it,” I said to Luigi. “I’m in my pajamas again!”

  Well, there was no hiding now. Billy had probably seen me. I swung the door back open, and Luigi darted out.

  Billy walked towards the house, shuffling his feet a little as he ambled. Vaguely wondering why he was up so early, I waved my hand at him. He looked surprised to see me, but he returned the wave anyways.

  “Morning,” I said as he mounted the porch steps. “What are you doing here? It’s only seven o’clock.”

  “I might as well ask what you are doing up at seven o’clock. Shouldn’t you be asleep for another three hours?”

  “I woke up early today,” I said. I lowered my voice and glanced over my shoulder to make sure Grandpa hadn’t followed me down the hall. “I keep thinking about the Lovers' Garden.”

  “No surprise there.”

  “Your turn. Why are you up and around?”

  “Just taking a walk. My house is so boring right now. My oldest brother is studying for some big test so he keeps griping at me to shut up. I thought I’d get out before one of us kills the other.” He beamed. “I didn’t expect to find you up. But since you are, we can go ahead and get going!”

  “Get going?”

  “Yeah, to the garden.”

  “How’d you know I wanted to go there?”

  He cocked his head at me. “Come on, Beth. I’ve been around you long enough now. I knew after yesterday’s meeting that we’d be going to the garden today.”

  “Ok, you’re right.”

  “So, let’s go!”

  I looked down at my outfit. “I’d love to. But, um, pajamas, remember?”

  “Alright, I know the drill,” he groaned. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”

  “Make it forty-five minutes,” I said with a grin. “I’ve still got to finish my breakfast.”

  ***

  After my talk with Ms. Matilda, I couldn’t help searching for visions of my grandmother in the Lovers’ Garden. I circled the plants and trees, checking for clues. I told myself I was being silly, but somehow I didn’t quite believe it anymore.

  “What are you doing?” Billy asked suddenly.

  I turned around. I hadn’t realized that he was watching me.

  “Nothing. Geez, can’t a girl stroll around a beautiful garden?”

  “That was the weirdest strolling I’ve ever seen.”

  “Then I’ll stop.” I plopped down in the shade of a dogwood. The soft grass cushioned me, and Billy sprawled nearby, his face turned up towards the sun.

  “You know,” I said, “on the whole, my plan to help Grandpa is going pretty good.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Billy.

  “He really seems like he’s doing better now than when I first came. That piano music that I found in the garden seems to have helped. I actually heard him play again last night after I went to bed. It was so soothing.”

  “That’s great. You should be proud.”

  “I don’t know if I actually deserve any of the credit. I just found that piano music by accident. And it turns out that he’s doing a pretty good job of moving on all by himself. He’s really thrown himself into this church remodel. I think it’s been great for him to have something else to focus on. It’s no vineyard, but it’s something.”

  “Vineyard?”

  “Yeah. Apparently that was Grandpa’s dream retirement. With Grandma, that is. He’s not too keen on the idea now that he’s on his own.”

  “Hmm.” Billy glanced around the garden. “He could start one here.”

  I paused. “Do you know, Billy, that’s not a bad idea. Maybe I should plant some grapevines.”

  “I don’t think that’s something you can do for him,” said Billy. “After all, you’re not going to be around for much longer.” He cleared his throat and looked down. “Unfortunately.”

  I felt my stomach flutter, uncertain if I had heard him correctly.

  “Since you won’t be around to help take care of the vines, it seems a little high-handed to plant them for him.”

  “I guess you’re right. I’m glad he’s doing better, anyways, because I’m about out of ideas.”

  “You might still find something else to help. Like you found the music. Something to really seal the deal for your grandpa.”

  “Yeah, that would be awesome,” I said. “Hear that, Lovers' Garden? If you want to give me one more hint, I’ll take it!” I was half-joking, half-serious.

  Billy watched me. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “I do.”

  He gave me a pointed look. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “You can’t ask for help like that and then not see if you got something! You found the music in the tree, right? Go check it again.”

  “Right,” I laughed, feeling extremely silly. But still, I pranced over to the hickory tree and stuck my arm into the hollow with an exaggerated motion. “Come on,” I said as I fixed my gaze on the carved initials above the hole. “Give me something good.”

  Another laugh was about to burst out when it died in my throat. My fingers closed on something.

  I swallowed and slowly pulled out a white envelope.

  Billy jumped to his feet. “No way. No, no way.”

  I stared at him. “I didn’t do anything. Really. It was just there.”

  We both froze. Billy was the first to speak.

 
; “Well? Are you gonna open it?”

  “Yes,” I said, but I still couldn’t move. Billy walked over to me and gently pulled it out of my hands. He slid open the top and pulled out a note.

  “Go to St. Patrick’s at midnight,” he read.

  As if in a dream, I pulled the paper out of his hands. My eyes fell on the words, and a thrill of adrenaline coursed through me as I recognized the handwriting.

  Billy held up his hands. “Ok, things just got weird.” He started to pace. “How did that get there? Why do you have to go to the church in the middle of the night? And who put the note in the tree?”

  I spoke slowly. “One, I don’t know how it got there. Two, I don’t know why I’ve got to go to the church. But three, I know who wrote the note.”

  Billy stopped pacing. “Who?”

  “It’s my grandmother’s handwriting.”

  His mouth fell open. “Your grand –” He broke off and started to pace again. “You’re kidding me.”

  “Here’s the thing,” I said. “I haven’t exactly told you everything about the Lovers' Garden.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked. “What else could there possibly be to tell?”

  I bit my lip and took a deep breath. “I think I saw my grandmother’s spirit the first time we came here.”

  “What?!” Billy’s jaw dropped open.

  “Maybe!” I said hurriedly. “Maybe I saw her spirit. I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know? You either did or you didn’t.” He stared at me.

  I swallowed. “I did,” I finally said. “I did see her.”

  He shook his head. He looked dazed.

  “But ignoring that,” I started.

  “Yeah, we’ll just ignore the ghost,” he said and threw his hands up.

  “But ignoring that,” I repeated, “it looks like I actually got the help I asked for. It’s a clue. I’ve just got to go to the church at midnight tonight.”

  “This is insane.”

  “Is it any crazier than the fact that Grandpa sees a broken-down mess when he comes in here?”

  Billy sighed. “I guess not.”

  I clutched the piece of paper. “Grandma’s helping me. I just know it. I’ll find something at the church that will help Grandpa. Something to make him continue to heal and move on.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?” he asked.

  I was touched. “Thanks,” I said, “but I think I better do it on my own. If I get caught, it’s going to be a lot easier to explain sneaking out by myself than sneaking out to meet a boy.”

  “Oh,” said Billy. “I didn’t think of that. Yeah, I guess your grandpa wouldn’t be cool with that situation. Come to think of it, my dad wouldn’t either.”

  “Is he back?”

  “He will be this evening.” Billy smiled, the first time since we found the paper, and my heart warmed to see him returning to normal. “We’re supposed to plan our workshop after dinner.”

  “That’s great!” I said.

  “Yeah, I’m excited. Still, I don’t know if you should be going out alone, though. At night and all.”

  “What could happen? This is the quietest town in the world.”

  “I guess. I want an update first thing in the morning, ok? Let me know you made it all right.”

  “I will.” I suddenly felt very light and happy, as though I were drawing close to the end of my task. Grandpa’s happiness was almost complete. I just knew it.

  “Want to head to the pool?” I asked. “We’ve got tons of time before your dad gets home.”

  Billy nodded. “Sure. Let’s go.”

  He followed me out of the garden. I could just hear him muttering as he pushed the wooden door shut behind us.

  “Ghosts… Geez.”

  Chapter 11

  That evening, Grandpa came home from the church whistling. I was shocked. I hadn’t heard him whistle in ages.

  Watching him, I briefly considered calling off my midnight excursion. After all, Grandpa looked like he was doing great. The church project was distracting him, and he was in a good mood. Did I really need to do anything else?

  Only the thought that the note came from my grandmother kept me from nixing the whole plan. Once I was out of the atmosphere of the Lovers' Garden, the idea of my grandmother sending me hints from the grave felt ridiculous. But still, I couldn’t quite turn my back on the mysterious instructions.

  So that evening, after wishing my grandpa good night, I didn’t go to sleep. I kept my clothes on, so that I wouldn’t have to redress in the darkness, and settled in with a book.

  It was hard to stay awake. I wished that Laura were with me. Whenever she slept over, we always stayed up way past our bedtimes, giggling and talking until the early hours of the morning.

  By myself, I had to fight to keep from falling asleep. I started out lying on my bed, but quickly moved to a sitting position once I first caught myself nodding off.

  Finally, my phone read 11:45. I shook off my sleepiness and prepared for my adventure.

  As silently as I could, I slipped on my flip-flops and eased my bedroom door open. I paused to listen but didn’t hear anything from Grandpa’s bedroom.

  I crept out of my room, careful to close the door behind me in case Grandpa got up in the middle of the night. I tiptoed to the front door and pulled open the door. It didn’t make a sound.

  I was just closing the door behind me when I heard a small “meow.” I looked down as Luigi poked his furry orange face through the closing crack.

  “Go back inside, Luigi,” I whispered and gently prodded him with my foot. “This is not a good time.”

  He only meowed again and looked up at me plaintively.

  “Oh, all right,” I removed my foot and pushed the door open again. Luigi came onto the porch and rubbed against my legs. I silently closed the door.

  “If I’m going off into the dead of night, I wouldn’t mind the company.” I reached down and rubbed Luigi’s head. “Now come on.”

  Quietly as I could, I hurried down the front porch and onto the curving driveway. Luckily the moon was full, so I could somewhat see our way. Luigi followed alongside me. It was a strange experience having Luigi accompany me, almost like a Seeing Eye dog, but I was glad not to be alone.

  Once we turned the first corner and left the view of the house, I relaxed a little. Luigi and I continued on, staying close together. He seemed to know instinctively that he should be with me.

  As we went, I began to feel more confident. This is easy, I thought. I didn’t know what I’d been so worried about.

  Then a cloud moved over the moon.

  “Ok,” I said with a tremor in my voice, “now I’m spooked. How about you, Luigi?”

  Luigi pranced along, completely oblivious to the change in light.

  “Sure, you’ve got super night vision,” I muttered. “It’s not so easy with lame human eyes.”

  I kept walking, albeit a little more slowly now that I had lost the moonlight. At one point, I heard a strange rustling in the bushes. Without meaning to, I halted as visions of ghosts, cougars, and murderers streamed through my head. Luigi, however, marched ahead unconcerned. I took a deep breath and tried to follow his example. I figured if it were something really dangerous, the cat’s instincts would surely let us both know.

  After ten minutes, I spotted St. Patrick’s ahead, shining in the darkness. I was relieved, glad to complete my midnight ramble. I resolved not to think about the walk home just yet. One challenge at a time.

  As I mounted the steps to the church, Luigi left me, off to hunt for the night, I supposed. I watched his orange body disappear into the darkness and tried not to think about how I was truly by myself now.

  I pulled open the large wooden door and entered the dark sanctuary.

  The cloud over the moon finally moved and flooded the room with pale light. I could see that the pews had been replaced, though signs of construction were still all around.

  Now that I was actually
in the church, I realized that I had no idea what I was looking for. I slowly walked the room. I tried to search for anything strange or out of place. Was there a clue somewhere in the area? It didn’t seem likely. After all, the church had been turned inside out with the remodel. What were the chances that anything could still be hidden there?

  Just then, my heart leapt into my throat as I heard the church’s front door creak. Someone was coming in! I darted behind a column to watch. As the door swung open, a dark figure was outlined against the slowly lightening background.

  “It’s not a clue,” I whispered. “It’s a person. I’ve been waiting for a person.”

  I clung to the stone with white knuckles as the figure slowly walked into the church. He walked down the main aisle and slid into a pew only a few rows away from me.

  A shaft of moonlight crossed his face, and I jumped in surprise.

  I recognized him.

  “Grandpa!” I stepped out into view.

  In hindsight, I probably should have given him a little more warning. Grandpa shouted in surprise, and I ran to his side, afraid I might have set off a heart attack or something.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Beth!” he said. “What in heaven’s name are you doing here?” He put his hand to his head.

  “Are you ok?” I asked in concern.

  “I’m fine. You just gave me a shock.”

  “I’m really sorry,” I said.

  “Do you know what time it is? You’re supposed to be in bed.”

  “I know. But…” I bit my lip. “So are you.”

  He gave a low laugh. “Guess that’s true. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up when I left the house.”

  I paused before answering. He seemed to be under the impression that I’d followed him there. That seemed safer than revealing how I really knew to go to the church.

  “That’s ok,” I finally said. “I’m just a little worried about you.” I looked around the dark room. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

  He patted the seat beside him, and I joined him. He put his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into his side.