Chapter 23

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CH 23

We stood before the kingdom of debris, scanning over the place. I took a deep breath. There wasn't much compared to the other side of the cliff, but there was enough. For what we were looking for anyway.

We decided that the best way to do this would be to make the wall out of thick branches or smaller trees instead of massive logs that were impossible to carry. Our concern was that the branch we will be hanging between the two trees won't be strong enough to hold a wall made out of huge logs. Not to mention, this branch we hang will be five or six feet up and attached to the two trees. It needed to be light if we want to be able to lift it that high.

So our objective right now: find a ton of thick branches. Some of the small trees that the storm pulled from the ground were acceptable too, but only if the tops of them were broken off.

We were successful and fast with it. Once we found long enough branches, we dragged them to the pile we were making next to the creek. Which wasn't hard; we had enough options thanks to the storm. Staring down at the pile of thick branches and some skinny logs, I added one more to the collection with a grunt. It would be hard to get these back to camp. It was a hassle just carrying some of them to this pile. It's not like we're gathering sticks. Sure, they needed to be light enough so we could lift them but they also needed to be heavy enough to protect us and form a sturdy structure.

"It's going to be hard carrying all this back," I said as he dragged another long branch over to join the rest. Groaning as he let it go, he glanced at me as I continued.

"Well, it shouldn't be too bad if we each grab an end, considering we are still sore."

I hated how well his ideas were. I didn't want to offer him any credit, but I nodded in agreement. I did want more details. "So we are going to have this as one wall. Other than that, we will be wide open. What if it rains or the wind comes in from a different direction?"

"I figured that we could stitch those long leaves up along the sides and maybe hang some in front," he answered. "We have a lot of options actually."

After talking over other ideas of how to get this done, I was ready to get the bad part over with: carrying it all back. Which is what we did for the next few hours. We each grabbed an end like he suggested and started walking the ten minutes it took up the creek and to camp.

When we dropped the last one and sighed in relief, I turned towards the creek instantly. It was painful to be sweating the whole time and not jump into the water. I was dripping at this point and could cool off with our job done. However, as I turned more towards the creek, something caught my eye. It was a little daisy. And before I knew it... a memory came to me. One that I can't believe I managed to remember.

"Mommy, this is crap," I whined, throwing my small pink gardening gloves off. My pigtails were pulled behind my ears to keep my hair from sticking to the sweat on my chubby cheeks. The sun was as hot as it was on this island today. Back then, it was the first year of our flower garden.

My mom took me to the store and let me pick out all the flowers I wanted. I pointed with an excited finger to all the bright tulips because they instantly caught my attention. She bought those, and when we actually started, she gave me the job to dig the holes and put the plants in. She practically made me do it all because that was about all we had to do. The soft soil was ready and, as I dug my first hole, I saw that below the dirt lied thick roots that were coming from a tree close by. I couldn't get through them with my little arms. Of course at that age, what do you do when it gets hard or boring? Give up.

However, mom had a different idea. She set the red tulips beside me and brought out the mulch as well. She got down beside me and spoke. "Baby girl, unscrew those tight lips." I flicked my eyes at her, thinking I looked tough and cool with my arms crossed. Her smile made me falter. It always did.

"But, Ma! It's too hard and hot. Alex can help you instead," I said.

"Well, fine by me. But do you know what that means?" she asked in a goading voice.

"What?"

"You can't say you helped because you didn't. If you want something done, you need to do it and be proud of yourself. Everyone needs to work for it. Did Alex ask to make a garden with me?" she asked as she shifted so we were facing each other fully in the dirt.

"No," I said quietly.

"Well, then who did?" Her smile lit her face. What could be accusing words came sweetly to her lips and innocently.

"I did. I want to build a garden with you, mama. But," I sighed dramatically to get my point across. "It's just so, so, so, so hard!"

She slid next to me and pointed to the back of the empty garden. Or what I thought was empty. I couldn't see it before since it blended in well with the color of the dirt. But there was a stem that could be mistaken for a stick. It was slumped down and nearly hit the ground. Its top revealed it used to be a flower, the petals holding barely any color other than the yellow of dryness. "Why is it still in here?"

"It was here when we first moved into this house, honey."

I gasped. "It's been there for that long?!" Long meaning older than I was at the time, which was a gasping six years!

"Yes, it has."

"But why didn't you get rid of it?"

She bent down and whispered in my ear. She used a voice that said this was top secret information. I leaned in eagerly and felt her warmness when her hands rose to cup over my ear. "To see if you have the power of the green thumb," she said even quieter.

My large eyes fell on her when she moved back. She looked at me with her white smile and excited eyes, which convinced me she was serious about this. "What's a green thumb?" I whispered.

"It's a power some people have when gardening. If you have the power of the green thumb, you can make almost anything grow."

My mouth dropped open at her words. "Almost anything?!"

She chuckled and nodded. "Oh yes." She played with a little frown on her face. "I don't think I have the power. It just won't seem to grow no matter how much I want it to," she sighed loudly.

"But mom! You said if you want something bad, work hard! You have the power to make it grow."

"Well, I don't know. Don't you want those tulips to grow?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, then you need to work hard. If you can handle that, I guess I can try my power."

I nodded and got back to work instantly. I kept at it and eventually managed to dig the holes despite my issues with the intruding roots. Mom helped me pack the dirt in around the flowers when we put them in the holes. By the end, it looked great. I smiled up at her with all my hard work showing. "Now, we have to help that flower," I said, pointing to the dead looking plant.

She nodded and filled up the small child-sized watering can. I took it and ran up to the dead stem. I carefully watered the plant. From then on, my mom and I would go outside to see its progress each day.

"What kind of flower is that?" I asked when it actually started to turn green. She shrugged and said that we would find out if the green thumb power came through. And after checking on it to see if it magically grew back to a healthy flower, it gradually did. Among the red and tall tulips stood a short, small flower that was very much alive. It had a yellow bead with little white propellers surrounding it.

"That, baby girl, is a daisy. Always take care of it because if you work hard, you can see its beauty and the effort you put into it. Don't ever give up if you want it bad enough."

Her smile faded as I focused on where I was now. That flashback lasted no more than a few moments until I was back to reality. I wasn't sure why I relived that memory now, but it made me smile. It made me smile and think that no matter how bad this is, or gets, I will be fine. I will be fine if I don't give up.

I hadn't given up before, and I won't be anytime soon. Those words assisted me as a guide to keep me going after she died. I wasn't going to give up on life no matter how I felt. I wanted to when she died and I couldn't. I can't now even if what was ahead meant being stuck here forever. Whatever did happen...I just knew that I couldn't give up.



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