Sunlight spilled across the blackened expanse of what used to be a magnificent garden. Burned stumps covered the ground like bones of a prehistoric beast. There was no more rustling of the leaves, no more nodding of the flowers, only rising trails of smoke, a scorched fence that used to be white, and the dark mass of forest behind it.
Ash seeped into Lilith's nostrils. She sneezed.
There were multiple calls. "Gesundheit!"
"Thank you," she said, turning around.
Blank faces greeted her. Her parents stared as if eager to talk, but perhaps not knowing where to start. Ed smiled at her with unmistakable admiration. Panther looked up in a way that could only mean, okay, we're done here, can we go home now and chase some squirrels?
There was a collective breath, a brief pause, and an explosion of questions, congratulations, and complaints.
"Lilith, you feeling okay?"
"What on earth was that thing?"
"It's burned to the ground!"
"Mutter! It was her! It was her who did it!"
"Where iz Alfred? I'd like to tell him what I think about zis unacceptable barbarity."
"Can your dog really talk?"
Voices merged into a gibbering, yammering cacophony.
Lilith sighed. She wanted to squeeze her mother tight, hug her father, kiss Ed, and cuddle with Panther. She wanted to tell them how much she loved them, but it had to wait. She had to make one final speech, to explain everything and to set everyone at ease. After that she could fall apart. She wiggled out of her mother's embrace. "Mom? Dad? I need to do something important."
"What is it?" asked Gabby.
"Mom, sorry, I have to ask Dad something in private. Nothing personal, okay?" She stood on tippy toes, whispering into her father's ear. "Can I tell everyone about Grandfather? And Grandmother? Her phantom said she died from fright, before Rosehead ate her, so it wasn't Grandfather's fault. You wouldn't mind if I told them, would you?"
"Lilith," Gabby began, reaching out with a trembling hand.
"She did?" croaked Daniel, his face white.
"Yes. That's what her phantom said. I want to tell everyone, may I? I think they deserve to know." Lilith caught Ed's eye. He gave her two thumbs up. She winked.
"Lilith," said Gabby again, hesitating.
"It's okay, trust me." Lilith regarded her mother with surprise. Hesitation was never one of her virtues.
Gabby fell quiet.
"Dad, I promise, it's the complete and utter truth," continued Lilith. "I only want to set the record straight and repair my reputation. It's something I need to do as rightful heir to this property. Everything that happens here is now my responsibility. Including the fire."
Daniel took Lilith's hand. "Pup, I'm—I don't know what to say. I had no idea. You know I'm not big on words..." He waved his hand. "Ah, go ahead."
"Thanks. I'm sorry about your dad, and mom, and everything."
"Don't be. Not your fault." He looked out the window, blinking. "You have my support."
"And mine," added Gabby. "For whatever it is you're about to do." She propped up her glasses.
Lilith nodded. With a heavy heart, she faced the crowd. People stopped chatting, as if anticipating her to address them.
"Dearest Bloom family reunion guests," she began, "as you well know by now, I am the new heir to the Bloom property. In light of this fact, I feel that it's my duty to inform you that Alfred Bloom, my grandfather, has been feeding people to the rose garden ever since he inherited this land from his predecessor."
There were gasps and a few cries of anger.
"Please," Lilith said, putting up her hand. "Let me explain. If I may remind you, I've been trying to communicate this fact to you multiple times, yet I have failed miserably. Before you rush to any conclusions, I must stress that it wasn't my grandfather's fault, he merely did what he thought was his job. Eugenia Bloom, my late grandmother and his wife, whom he loved dearly and in whose honor we have gathered here, unfortunately, based on the evidence I have gathered, met the same fate when she got lost in the garden. She was eaten by it; specifically, by the enormous monster you all witnessed killing the elephant. Except my grandmother's death was an accident. She died from fright before the monster found her. My grandfather didn't mean for it to happen. He was devastated when he found out. This is why grandmother's casket was sealed at her funeral; I know many of you wondered about it, including me, albeit, I was hardly three years old back then."
There were shouts now. Hanna Haas translated the speech to her blind mother, who belatedly shrieked "Eugenia!" and fainted.
Lilith raised her voice. "This terrible ordeal has been happening from the advent of Rose Bloom's death, whose husband Ludwig Bloom buried her in the garden under a rosebush and inadvertently woke up some malevolent deity that absorbed her remains and has been demanding human sacrifices ever since. We, that is to say, me, Ed, and Panther, who can talk, by the way"— Panther scoffed at being named after Ed and not before— "discovered this fact and tried to put an end to it once and for all. We succeeded, at last, with the help of the loyal Bloom family servants, Gustav, Agatha, Monika, and Bär." There was a satisfied rumble. "I thank them profusely, as they each contributed greatly to our investigation. I must also mention that Jürgen Vogel, Ed's father—"
Lilith paused, watching Ed tug on his hair.
"Had been trying to communicate the truth through his paintings for years. Desperate to escape the horrors of tending to a carnivorous garden, he took his life. I'm truly sorry for your loss." Lilith looked at both Ed and Rosalinde.
Ed studied his shoes. Rosalinde produced a silk handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. There were uneasy murmurs.
Lilith took a deep breath and continued. "That monster's name was Rosehead, after my twenty-times great-grandmother's nickname, naturally. I don't know who called her that for the first time. I suspect it must've been Ludwig who, in his grief, cut a rosebush to his late wife's liking. It's my belief that from that moment on, Rosehead became possessed by an evil garden deity which, most likely, acted as a primary culprit in the murders that have occurred since. This is the explanation behind Bloom & Co.'s success. The roses that my grandfather sold fed on human blood, which explains their extraordinary characteristics."
The room crackled with electricity, all eyes poised on Lilith. Murmurs grew to agitated whispers.
She continued, nonplussed. "I must, regrettably, spoil your mood furthermore. Every Bloom heir's destiny was to eventually perish in the clutches of the garden, including my grandfather. He is no longer with us. I'm very sorry I wasn't able to save his life; I honestly tried. However, the rose garden is dead now, the spirit thing that possessed it has been expelled by fire, and it will trouble us no more."
She took a deep breath, feeling quite proud of herself. People gaped at her, dumbstruck. She misinterpreted their stares. "Yes, it was me who set it on fire. It was the only way."
A swelling silence stretched for several seconds.
Lilith's heart fell. She waited with bated breath. Did they think her a loony once more? Did she manage to fail spectacularly yet again?
"Nice speech, pup, nice speech! You sure can talk, can't you?" Daniel hugged his daughter. "This thing you did..." He shook his head. Gabby fidgeted, opening and closing her mouth without sound.
Lilith blushed. "It wasn't just me, really. If not for Panther's incessant reminders and Ed's generous help...you should see his secret places, Dad! If you hide under his bed, it—" She fell silent, horrorstruck. Panther gave her a warning look.
The stupor left the crowd, replaced with urgency, not so much to grieve, but rather to leave the mansion as soon as possible.
"Good job!" cried Norman Rosenthal over the chatter. He walked up to Lilith and slapped her shoulder a couple times. "Good job. My condolences. Good riddance, if you ask me." He shook Daniel's hand, Gabby's, and then leaned over Panther. "I say, who cares for flowers? This is where the money is. Talking dogs!" He stretched out his hand to pet him.
"Pardon me, but I'd prefer it if you asked my permission first," snarled Panther.
Norman backed off, dumbstruck.
Next came Sabrina. "Abominable, simply abominable. Words seem inadequate to express my sadness. It was a very brave thing you did, very brave." Red spots crawled up her neck as she attempted to quiet Petra who flung herself at Lilith.
"You burned the monster! You burned it! You burned it!" Petra let go and squeezed Panther, nearly making his eyes pop.
"Sorry for your loss. Better than catching butterflies, though. Setting gardens on fire," said Patrick with shining eyes, edging closer to stroke the whippet.
"Simply heroic. My deepest sympathies," chimed in Hanna Haas, whispering something into her mother's ear, who spread ten spidery fingers to feel Lilith's face.
Next came Rosalinde Vogel, balancing on high heels and expressing her gratitude to Lilith for clearing her late husband's memory. Trude sauntered up and gave advice on how to turn the ruined property into a profitable pig farm, with her talking dog as a shepherd. Bär glowed with pride, as much as you can imagine a mastiff glow. Gustav pledged his servitude to the Bloom family. Agatha's condolences were short and curt. Monika said something quick in German and stuck a bowl of steak right under Panther's nose. Last were the Schlitzberger twins with their omnipresent mother. She nudged both girls forward.
Daphne stumbled, "I'm—we—are saddened to hear about your loss. We are sorry we didn't believe you. Lilith." She tried to make a convincing face and elbowed her sister.
"Yes. We are," added Gwen.
"It's okay," said Lilith dismissively. "I understand. I didn't expect you to. Sorry about the elephant joke, and the sucking finger one, and everything."
"It iz okay," said Daphne through gritted teeth.
They scowled at each other.
"Doezn't fit in my head. Alfred. I can't imagine. My heart iz wiz you in zis difficult time." Irma passed a pudgy hand over her brow. "I alwayz said you had a fierce child. I love fierce children. My girls are fierce, look at zem. Zey would've helped, if your daughter only asked zem to. Too bad she didn't. We hope to see you again soon. Good-bye." She scooped her twins and quickly marched them out of the hall to their shrill protests.
Ed shuffled up last in an inconspicuous manner, as if simply passing by, and whispered feverishly, "Thanks. About dad. Did it. Rip him apart? I missed that bit."
Lilith rolled her eyes. "No, it sucked him in like a nasty leech and didn't even burp."
"Bummer." Ed pursed his lips, disappointed.
"Ed, darling." Rosalinde raised her brows.
Ed blushed. "Daniel. Gabby. Lilith. Panther. My condolences." He looked at Lilith. "I want to give you. Something. I will come back. Don't leave." He staggered out behind his step-mother, leaving the little Bloom family alone.
"Lilith," started Gabby. She took off her glasses, cleaned them on the corner of her cardigan, and put them back on. "I—I just wanted to tell you—I've never—your stories were always so...will you ever forgive me?"
"Absolutely and unconditionally," said Lilith, hugging her mother. "Can I make a request though?"
"Of course. Anything you want." Gabby gazed at her daughter, squeezing her hard.
Lilith wondered how long this display of affection would last. "Can you please stop knitting from wool? It stinks," she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Oh," said Gabby.
"Actually, yes. Plus one," added Daniel.
"Plus two," came from below.
"Mom, I lost your beret, the new one?" Lilith disentangled from her mother's hold, which by now escalated into the bone- crunching variety.
"Who cares about it!" exclaimed Gabby a trifle too enthusiastically. "I'll knit you ten more. Any color, any shape. Would you prefer orange, like the flames? No? How about pink?" Lilith winced. "All right, purple? With polka dots? Or pompoms?"
"Actually, I don't want any. No more knitted things. No berets. Nothing. Is that okay?" said Lilith quickly.
"At last," grumbled Panther with a sigh.
A look of utter disappointment flashed across Gabby's face. She glanced at her husband, who shrugged. Gabby's lower lip trembled.
"All right. If that's what you want..."
"Wool stinks of sheep piss, in my opinion," growled Panther.
"Who would've thought?" said Daniel incredulously, kneeling. "The runt of the litter. I still can't get used to you talking, buddy."
Lilith was very tempted to say, I told you so.
"It's the small things that make the biggest difference." Panther thrust out his chest and received Daniel's affection with proud purring. "Incidentally, I can also speak German."
Daniel's jaw dropped open.
"You won't parade me in a freak dog show, will you?" added Panther hastily.
"Never," said Daniel.
They launched into a dog conversation. Panther professed his opinion on whippet breeds and how it related to successful racing. Daniel listened with avid interest, occasionally supplying a comment or two.
Gabby pulled her daughter aside. "Lilith," she began, studying her hands, callused from constantly knitting. "I have a confession to make."
"Sure," said Lilith, uncertainly.
Gabby propped up her glasses, fixed a knitting needle behind her ear, and propped up her glasses again. Her hands shook. "I was like you when I was your age," she said quickly. "Same diagnosis. I also felt buildings move."
"You did?" gasped Lilith, unable to believe her ears. Her mother, so prim and proper, so obsessed with pills and doctors. It simply didn't fit.
"Yes," continued Gabby. "It drove me crazy. My mom—your grandmother—didn't believe in drugs. She told me I'd grow out of it. I hated her. I wanted a pill that would stop my head from spinning. I was bullied, laughed at...you know what my nickname was?"
Lilith slowly shook her head.
"Loony."
Lilith's knees buckled. "And you never told me? You never even mentioned—"
"I'm so sorry. I wanted to protect you, make sure you had the best doctors, the best medical care."
"Oh, Mom!" Lilith opened her arms. They hugged. Then they hugged some more.
Finally, Daniel cleared his throat. "Love, I hate to interrupt, but we need to pack. Our flight is in four hours."
"What?" said Lilith. "What about the garden? The property?"
"I don't think any of us would want to grow any more roses, do you?" said Daniel bitterly.
"I certainly don't think I'll ever knit another rose motif in my life," said Gabby, straightening.
"I don't expect you'll want to come back. I'll get you guys on the plane, stay here for the funeral arrangements, and catch a plane home later. Unless you want to stay for the funeral?"
"No!" yelled Lilith suddenly. "I mean, yes. I mean, no, I don't want to go back! Yes, I want to stay—I want to live here!"
"You want to live here?" Daniel and Gabby said in unison.
"Astounding. Most curious turn of events," commented Panther.
"Yes. I'm still heir to the Bloom property, am I not?" said Lilith hotly.
"Yes. You are. With us as legal guardians, of course," confirmed Daniel.
"So I still have a say in what becomes of it, don't I?"
"Of course." Daniel blinked, staring at Gabby. She shrugged, which was highly uncharacteristic of her.
"Well then, I think..." Lilith paused dramatically, then winking at Panther who raised one ear in wonder. "I think it would make for," she wanted to say exceptional, spiffing, splendid, marvelous, spectacular, breathtaking, then decided perhaps she ought to let go of this habit of trying to impress people. It sounded immature. She cleared her throat. "It would make for a first-rate whippet race field. What do you say?"
A look of bemusement and then delight stole over her father, bringing color to his cheeks. "A whippet race field?"
"Yes. Panther & Co."
"It's what you always wanted, isn't it?" said Gabby to Daniel. His face broadened in a smile.
Panther barked and jumped, behaving like a proper dog for once. "May I put in a request? May I? May I? Squirrels? Will there be squirrels?" He wagged his tail furiously.
"Ed can draw a sign for it," Lilith said.
"Could he?" said Daniel enthusiastically.
"Yes. He's good at drawing. Mom, are you okay?"
Gabby conspicuously dabbed at her eyes. "Why? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I'm—Lilith, you don't have to see Dr. Crawford anymore or take the pills, if you don't want to." She blew her nose.
"Really?" Lilith felt warmth spread through her chest and, a second later, an intent stare on her back. She wheeled around. Ed leaned in the doorway, hiding something behind his back.
"Can I have a word. With Lilith. Alone?" he stuttered, stepping from one foot to another.
"I think I have a pretty good idea about what kind of word that might be," growled Panther.
"Of course!" exclaimed Gabby, a bit too loudly. She seemed to be fluctuating between her old self, the stern and controlling mother, and the new over-permissive one, both of which she enacted to an extreme. Lilith certainly preferred the old manner as she knew how to deal with it. The new one nearly made her jump.
"Ah. A word?" said Daniel, scooping up a grumbling Panther. "Sure, sure, I don't see why not. Don't be too long. She needs to pack." With that, they all exited, leaving the girl and the boy alone.