“I’m done.”
We turned.
A new plant shot up from the walk. Its leaves were darker green, and its flowers were different colors from the ones Beryl had drawn—lavender, white, soft pink with crimson hearts, stamens dusted with yellow or purple pollens.
Its branches reached for Flint. He jumped up and ran across the lawn.
Then the new plant became aware of the older plant. They sent branches toward each other, tangled tendrils, waved flowers at each other. The plant holding me shifted and rustled, and then it pulled away from me, and I fell on my butt on the lawn. Jasper and Beryl dropped beside me. Flint’s plant and Beryl’s plant interwove, a slow fireworks of exuberance, pressed pollen kisses into each other’s flowers, and paid no attention to us anymore. They even left Trina’s head alone.
“Wow,” Beryl whispered. “Flint did something that worked!”
Flint strolled back. “I heard that. And you’re wrong. I did two things that worked in one night. Cake, and the plant.”
Jasper stooped next to Trina’s head. She still looked and sounded like she was sleeping. He glanced back at Flint. “What would you do about her?”
Flint straightened. Jasper never asked for his advice. “She was talking about dreams, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Go where she really is and wake her up.”
Jasper studied Flint, then slowly smiled. “Couldn’t hurt,” he said. “Gyp, you want to come?”
“Thanks, bur I’m too tired. Besides, maybe I should watch all these
things. Not that I know what to do about them.”
“Here’s what you do,” said Flint. “Have some of my cake.”
I smiled at him. “Okay.” Maybe the cake would make me sick or make me change. Maybe it wouldn’t. That would be worth knowing. I had permanent gloves, and my best dress had a new color scheme, but so far my own curses hadn’t hurt me. Was that a rule, or just chance?
“I still have two corners left. Beryl, you want some celebration cake?”
“I’ve got a big history test tomorrow,” she said. “My teacher gave me special permission to take the test late because I was sick last week. I mean, my whole class started Christmas Break last week, but Mrs. Walker is coming back just to let me take a makeup test. Don’t want to get sick again and miss it.”
“Chicken,” said Flint.
“So true!”
Flint got me a piece of cake. Feeling fatalistic, I took a big bite. He was right. It tasted delicious. The cake was dense and moist and vanilla-lemon, and the pale frosting was orange butter-cream, fresh and wonderful. “Wow!” It might just be the best cake I ever tasted, including my own. No wonder Flint had eaten six pieces. “Thanks! You do good work.”
“Told ya.” He got another piece himself and sat next to me to eat. “Happy transition, Gyp.”
“Thanks, buddy. This definitely helps.” I took small bites, savoring the taste as it melted on my tongue, and waited for the curse part to kick in.
Nothing happened. Beryl stood up. “I have to study,” she said. “You going to be okay out here?”
I checked the plants. Now that they were involved with each other, their growth had slowed, though they were still inching across the front of the porch. I stood up for a better view. Yep, they had flowed up and over the porch walls, and their furthest branches were approaching the second story windows. “I’ll call you if it gets bad, I guess.”
“Okay. I’ll check back in an hour.” She edged around the plants and climbed the stone steps to the porch. The plants had sent fingers across the edges of the steps, too.
“When you get upstairs, could you toss me down my green jacket?” I called. Now that things had stopped erupting and I had time to notice how I felt, I was cold.
“Sure.” She went inside.
A couple minutes later a window opened upstairs. Beryl leaned out and dropped my green jacket and a blanket for Flint. She guided them through the air so they landed gently right on us.
“Thanks,” I
We turned.
A new plant shot up from the walk. Its leaves were darker green, and its flowers were different colors from the ones Beryl had drawn—lavender, white, soft pink with crimson hearts, stamens dusted with yellow or purple pollens.
Its branches reached for Flint. He jumped up and ran across the lawn.
Then the new plant became aware of the older plant. They sent branches toward each other, tangled tendrils, waved flowers at each other. The plant holding me shifted and rustled, and then it pulled away from me, and I fell on my butt on the lawn. Jasper and Beryl dropped beside me. Flint’s plant and Beryl’s plant interwove, a slow fireworks of exuberance, pressed pollen kisses into each other’s flowers, and paid no attention to us anymore. They even left Trina’s head alone.
“Wow,” Beryl whispered. “Flint did something that worked!”
Flint strolled back. “I heard that. And you’re wrong. I did two things that worked in one night. Cake, and the plant.”
Jasper stooped next to Trina’s head. She still looked and sounded like she was sleeping. He glanced back at Flint. “What would you do about her?”
Flint straightened. Jasper never asked for his advice. “She was talking about dreams, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Go where she really is and wake her up.”
Jasper studied Flint, then slowly smiled. “Couldn’t hurt,” he said. “Gyp, you want to come?”
“Thanks, bur I’m too tired. Besides, maybe I should watch all these
things. Not that I know what to do about them.”
“Here’s what you do,” said Flint. “Have some of my cake.”
I smiled at him. “Okay.” Maybe the cake would make me sick or make me change. Maybe it wouldn’t. That would be worth knowing. I had permanent gloves, and my best dress had a new color scheme, but so far my own curses hadn’t hurt me. Was that a rule, or just chance?
“I still have two corners left. Beryl, you want some celebration cake?”
“I’ve got a big history test tomorrow,” she said. “My teacher gave me special permission to take the test late because I was sick last week. I mean, my whole class started Christmas Break last week, but Mrs. Walker is coming back just to let me take a makeup test. Don’t want to get sick again and miss it.”
“Chicken,” said Flint.
“So true!”
Flint got me a piece of cake. Feeling fatalistic, I took a big bite. He was right. It tasted delicious. The cake was dense and moist and vanilla-lemon, and the pale frosting was orange butter-cream, fresh and wonderful. “Wow!” It might just be the best cake I ever tasted, including my own. No wonder Flint had eaten six pieces. “Thanks! You do good work.”
“Told ya.” He got another piece himself and sat next to me to eat. “Happy transition, Gyp.”
“Thanks, buddy. This definitely helps.” I took small bites, savoring the taste as it melted on my tongue, and waited for the curse part to kick in.
Nothing happened. Beryl stood up. “I have to study,” she said. “You going to be okay out here?”
I checked the plants. Now that they were involved with each other, their growth had slowed, though they were still inching across the front of the porch. I stood up for a better view. Yep, they had flowed up and over the porch walls, and their furthest branches were approaching the second story windows. “I’ll call you if it gets bad, I guess.”
“Okay. I’ll check back in an hour.” She edged around the plants and climbed the stone steps to the porch. The plants had sent fingers across the edges of the steps, too.
“When you get upstairs, could you toss me down my green jacket?” I called. Now that things had stopped erupting and I had time to notice how I felt, I was cold.
“Sure.” She went inside.
A couple minutes later a window opened upstairs. Beryl leaned out and dropped my green jacket and a blanket for Flint. She guided them through the air so they landed gently right on us.
“Thanks,” I
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