spectacular house that had an even more spectacular kitchen, a cook named Gellie, and a goose named Batman, I wondered if I’d imagined it all. I glanced in my rearview mirror and thought if I blinked and looked again, it might all be gone.
“Let’s not find out,” I said to Hobbit.
She agreed.
Nine
On the way to the market, I called Sam to tell him the details from my meeting with Gellie. I left out the goose bite. I’d had my sleeves pushed up when Batman bit me. I now had them rolled down, so I hoped the injury would go unnoticed, and I wasn’t going to replay it over the phone.
Sam was genuinely pleased to have the new information, and said he’d tell me later if he found out more. In turn, I was genuinely pleased that he’d share with me.
This was working just fine.
The market was, not surprisingly, busy, and my late arrival put me in an immediate rush and made me unable to properly set up my stall. I started off behind and remained so until around noon, when things slowed a little and I could finally properly display what was left of my inventory, though it seemed a lame effort. Hobbit was patient in the back of the stall but I knew she’d rather be on her pillow on the porch. I wouldn’t be able to leave for a couple more hours so I hurried to Brenton’s stall, bought a couple of his homemade biscuits, and supplied Hobbit with treats and a big bowl of water. Brenton had been just as busy as the rest of us, so I didn’t have an opportunity to ask him any questions. He seemed closer to the normal Brenton but still subdued.
When I’d left my stall for Brenton’s, I’d asked Linda to keep an eye on Hobbit, which was an easy duty. Hobbit was comfortable and unbothered by my brief absence. But for the millionth time since she’d been the main part of my family, I wished she could talk in words and not just with facial expressions, because she was probably the only one to see whoever left the surprise on the back corner of my side table.
“Linda, did you by chance see who left this for me?” I held the item up as I leaned around the pole.
“No. What it is?”
“I think it’s a Christmas tree ornament.”
Specifically, it was an onion—a big, white, and almost perfectly round onion. But it was decorated with more care than had been taken on the eggshell. Instead of red and green markers, the artist had used ribbon. A green band of ribbon circled the top of the onion and a red one circled the bottom. Wire had been inserted through the bottom and came up through the top to form a hook. The onion was dense and heavy but the thick wire over a good, solid tree limb would hold it in place. That was, if I was so inclined to put an onion on my tree.
“Well, it’s . . . kind of interesting,” Linda said.
“Interesting is a good word.”
“What’s the circle in the middle?”
Glued to the middle spot in between the two colorful bands was a round piece of thick paper that held a familiar design, though I couldn’t place it at first.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But I think . . .” I held the onion closer. “I think maybe it’s the South Carolina state seal or stamp, whatever they’re called.” I turned it and held the onion so Linda could inspect it more closely.
“I think you’re right,” she said.
The business lull was still in place, so Linda pulled out her fancy phone and did an Internet search.
She glanced at the phone’s screen and then held it up next to the onion.
“Yep, that’s it. It has Latin words. Hang on, I’m curious enough to know what it says.” She moved her finger over the screen with a couple of expert swipes. “Huh, well there’s more here than I expected to find; a full explanation. I’ve never paid a bit of attention, but it’s kind of interesting. Here, read.” She handed me the phone. The screen read:
The Great Seal of the State of South Carolina was adopted in 1776. The seal is made up of two elliptical areas, linked by branches of
“Let’s not find out,” I said to Hobbit.
She agreed.
Nine
On the way to the market, I called Sam to tell him the details from my meeting with Gellie. I left out the goose bite. I’d had my sleeves pushed up when Batman bit me. I now had them rolled down, so I hoped the injury would go unnoticed, and I wasn’t going to replay it over the phone.
Sam was genuinely pleased to have the new information, and said he’d tell me later if he found out more. In turn, I was genuinely pleased that he’d share with me.
This was working just fine.
The market was, not surprisingly, busy, and my late arrival put me in an immediate rush and made me unable to properly set up my stall. I started off behind and remained so until around noon, when things slowed a little and I could finally properly display what was left of my inventory, though it seemed a lame effort. Hobbit was patient in the back of the stall but I knew she’d rather be on her pillow on the porch. I wouldn’t be able to leave for a couple more hours so I hurried to Brenton’s stall, bought a couple of his homemade biscuits, and supplied Hobbit with treats and a big bowl of water. Brenton had been just as busy as the rest of us, so I didn’t have an opportunity to ask him any questions. He seemed closer to the normal Brenton but still subdued.
When I’d left my stall for Brenton’s, I’d asked Linda to keep an eye on Hobbit, which was an easy duty. Hobbit was comfortable and unbothered by my brief absence. But for the millionth time since she’d been the main part of my family, I wished she could talk in words and not just with facial expressions, because she was probably the only one to see whoever left the surprise on the back corner of my side table.
“Linda, did you by chance see who left this for me?” I held the item up as I leaned around the pole.
“No. What it is?”
“I think it’s a Christmas tree ornament.”
Specifically, it was an onion—a big, white, and almost perfectly round onion. But it was decorated with more care than had been taken on the eggshell. Instead of red and green markers, the artist had used ribbon. A green band of ribbon circled the top of the onion and a red one circled the bottom. Wire had been inserted through the bottom and came up through the top to form a hook. The onion was dense and heavy but the thick wire over a good, solid tree limb would hold it in place. That was, if I was so inclined to put an onion on my tree.
“Well, it’s . . . kind of interesting,” Linda said.
“Interesting is a good word.”
“What’s the circle in the middle?”
Glued to the middle spot in between the two colorful bands was a round piece of thick paper that held a familiar design, though I couldn’t place it at first.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But I think . . .” I held the onion closer. “I think maybe it’s the South Carolina state seal or stamp, whatever they’re called.” I turned it and held the onion so Linda could inspect it more closely.
“I think you’re right,” she said.
The business lull was still in place, so Linda pulled out her fancy phone and did an Internet search.
She glanced at the phone’s screen and then held it up next to the onion.
“Yep, that’s it. It has Latin words. Hang on, I’m curious enough to know what it says.” She moved her finger over the screen with a couple of expert swipes. “Huh, well there’s more here than I expected to find; a full explanation. I’ve never paid a bit of attention, but it’s kind of interesting. Here, read.” She handed me the phone. The screen read:
The Great Seal of the State of South Carolina was adopted in 1776. The seal is made up of two elliptical areas, linked by branches of
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