World War XVII

The Past In Pieces part I

I was 9. I was small, Papa Dann and Gram Marcy took care of me while my parents where in the Military. They where doctors. It had been about a year since i've seen them last and I am starting to get worried but of course that idea never gets the better of me.

"Katherine!" Marcy called from the other room. I was in the lounge room playing with my hand customized horses that Papa had gotten me for my birthday that wasn't to long ago. One had a black and white main with a rust brown body and brownie colored legs. The hoofs where white and the tail was a light blue color. The other horse was a dark midnight blue with white flecks all over her back. Her legs where a dark night cloud grey. They face was rose/sunset pink. I named her Midnightflower and I named the rusty colored one Dotus.

I got up and quickly walked to Marcy's voice.
"Yes Grama Marcy?" I answered. She was beautiful. She wore an ivy green dress with a sky blue apron on. Her hair was starlight grey and her bright blue eyes shimmered in the afternoon sun.

"Would you like to help me in the garden? I need some new flowers for the table and i think the carrots are about ready to pick, we could make carrot cake later for Papa Dann." She said. I looked into the TV room and saw him sitting there in his favorite chair, reading the Sunday paper. I could smell the coffee that he was drunk on the morning. I sniffled and I nodded. Gram grabbed her basket and then walked into the garden. It was huge.

It had carrots, tomatoes, Basel, lavender, onions, apple trees, pear trees, orange trees, basil, we even had giant pine trees just for their scent. Marcy liked the way they smelled. As we walked over to the separate garden just for her crops i noticed how big and bright the garden seemed. Everything was blooming, the bees where out as well even though there weren't many, because it had become Spring not to long ago.

I Inhaled then exhaled breathing in the fresh air. I then was brought back to the present and looked around for Gram. She was over in her garden waiting for me. I scampered over to her and a few white butterfly's with black dots on the tips of their wings flew beside me and then went up with the current of wind.

"I see that the Angel Moths where blessing you with their god luck." Gram said in her sweet elderly voice that so was so gentle there was no way on earth that it would ever scare way even the most delicate of creatures.

"Really?" i squeaked. I grinned and then walked through the trail that Papa and i had helped make for Marcy to get around in. I walked over to the gate that separated all the special plants from the regular plants in her secret garden. I walked through the Ivy that hung down from a branch of a tree that was growing next to our shed. You couldn't see anything inside the secret garden from the outside and wouldn't even think it was a magical passage way that would lead you to another world.

I liked the design that the shadows of the leaves on my hands. There was a roof that Gram called a canopy and only allowed just enough light for the plants that live in here to grow. The Weeping Willow's arms brushed my smooth skin that didn't have a single scratch or scar, just dirt, the rich soil that made the earth what it is.

I looked over to the little pond that Papa made and there where big fish that where orange, white and black, Papa said they where Koi, a Chinese fish that where like giant gold fish. Dragonfly's flew over head and dropped down low to the pond and played with the fish making them jump and try to catch them but of course with their dragon wings they where too quick to catch. The water that trickled down from a place i didn't know of ran down the tree and into the little mound of rocks i helped Papa build and the water ran down them like a river smoothing parts of the rocks out where it will always run down.

The most amazing thing in the garden was the giant tree. The Weeping Willow, it was the biggest tree that i have ever seen. Gram and Papa said it was a magical tree. We named it Senas Medis it means Old Tree in Lithuanian. We gave offerings to the tree because we hope that it will live a long lasting life in our magic, secret garden. I heard rustling behind me and turned to see Gram walking in through the Ivy tendrils that hung down from one of the Willow's strong arms. Her white hair turned to a shadowy green color with dots of sun light.

"I wonder is the lavender is ready, it sure smells of it!" She said and walked over to where the carrots grew. The long roots of the Willow weaved in and out of the earth making a little web that we had to step over but it was so accustom to our walk now it looked as if we where dancing.

"Are we going to give Senas Medis any offerings today?" i asked with curiosity.

"We can give him three carrots if you would like Katie." Gram answered sounding excited herself that we where picking the first of the year's bushel for a cake that was for Papa!

"We need to pick the most beautiful and richest carrots for his cake!" I said making my goal and praying that this years group of carrots wouldn't go to waste like last years.

"Yes Miss Katherine, I'm pretty sure that this years carrots will be good for the cake." Gram reasured me and then we started to pick our carrots.

As we finished picking the last of the carrots i had noticed that the shadows had moved from the places where i staired at them for so long. Papa said that when the earth moved so did the shadows because the plants stay in one place and the earth circles the sun. I was still confused about the whole thing but i tried to make as much sense of it as possible.

"Are we going to make the cake today?" i asked.

"We'll have to, your parents are supposed to come home tomorrow!" Gram said with a grin.

"R-really?!!" i said. I was over flowed with joy. I would be able to see them again, the first time in 3 months! I do hope that their okay, i would see them even if they where in the hospital or at home well, i prayed by my bed side each night hoping and sending them luck that they wouldn't get hurt. They would be coming home althrough tonight and tomorrow and then arrive tomorrow night happy to see me. The last restless night for a long time!

We had to baskets one big Gram sized basket and a me sized basket, they where both filled with giant orange carrots that smelled of sweet things and dirt. Gram got up and walked to the exit and i fallowed, almost forgetting to give Senas Medis an offering. I picked 3 big carrots and put them on the hill that was right in the front of the Weeping Willow. I sat down on my knees and clapped my hands together and whispered, "Please keep my parents safe till tonight and live long and well Senas Medis good night." I then fallowed Gram out of the Secret Garden to go make a carrot cake for Papa and my parents.