Breaking Through the Weeds

Cassidy was not ready to leave Wonderland. She frowned at the dry Colorado land where she sat flanked by dead weeds, not snow. She tried closing one eye, left then right, to see the promise of spring. The dead remnants from last season didn’t change into vibrant colors. Everything was still shriveled, crispy, and yellow. “What did I do to deserve this?” She asked the trees around her. They didn’t reply.

Cassidy broke off a twig and stirred the dirt like a witch’s brew. The soil was hard and dry, and her scraping only made dust. Her twig snapped, flying broken pieces away. She angrily collected a bundle of sticks in her hand and used it as a rake, scraping the hard pebbles away from the center. The drawn lines in the sand crisscrossed in patterns. It reminded her of a Zen fairy garden, making Cassidy melancholy.

Cassidy got up and dusted herself off. “It’s that white robin’s fault,” she said. “If it wasn’t for the robin, I wouldn’t have fallen out of the tree!” She stomped the grasses flat around her in frustration.

Then Cassidy was distracted by the red scarf. The ends tied to the fence post quivered like a sad castle flag. If there even was a castle in Wonderland, Cassidy complained to herself. The robin said it wasn’t here yet, so how would she find something that didn’t exist?

Then she had an idea. The scarf was in both worlds. Cassidy could affect Wonderland by what she did here. If she built a castle on this side of the fence, the castle might appear on the other. Cassidy used the side of her shoe to sweep aside the dried leaves and weeds. Next, she collected pinecones and stood them on end next to each other. One by one, Cassidy placed the pinecones in a horseshoe shape around the fence. When the half-circle was complete, Cassidy crossed her arms. “It looks like a castle wall to me!” she said.

Cassidy felt invigorated, having created something. “I’m done with Wonderland for today. I’ll look for that greenhouse instead.” That sounded like exactly what she needed. So, Cassidy left, following the fence until she found the old gate again. Then she rediscovered the deer path. It snaked around holes that Cassidy was careful not to step into. The trail swooped around small bushes with curled branches that might promise berries in the summer. It stopped at a few sleeping spots or hiding places in larger bushes that could have been for fawns. Before long, the trail led her to the clearing in the second backyard.

The mass of vines and dirty glass stood majestic, like a castle waiting to be reawakened in the meadow. Cassidy sifted through the tall grasses like before and reached the door. She tried the handle, but she wasn’t feeling lucky. Cassidy jiggled it, but the door didn’t respond. The door was still locked. She crouched down, closing one eye and looking through the keyhole.

“Hello?” she called out, trying to push her voice through the keyhole. “Is anybody there?”

No one responded, not even the wind. Cassidy squinted at the lock. The clasps and pins were too small to see, and she knew nothing about picking locks.

Her eyes traced the edges up the corner to the gutters, across the pointy ridge at the top, and then down the other side. The painted trim around the door was faded and peeling. The concrete slab was crumbling in places, and the tangle of old weeds and forgotten plants crawled up, around, and over everything. Cassidy grabbed furiously at a vine on the building and ripped it away. It made a shower of dried dust as it splintered into pieces of seasons past. Then, Cassidy threw it aside to the surrounding field with a satisfying crunch and crackle, where the empty seed pods held onto the end of the dead stalks as they hit the ground.

Suddenly, Cassidy started grabbing at any plant within her grasp. She wasn’t sure who or what inspired it; maybe it was her mom or the fairy, but Cassidy tore away the plants trying to take over the building. She pulled up roots and broke off stalks. Violently, Cassidy ripped at the dead stems and leaves like unwrapping a birthday present. She didn’t care where the shredded pieces landed. She would find spring somewhere under here!

Once she had cleared away all the weeds away from the front of the greenhouse, she stopped to breathe. She felt better, taking out her anger on the invasive plants.

“Only if I can get inside,” she muttered. Cassidy wished some of the magic from Wonderland carried over to help her unlock this mystery. If only it was as easy as finding the magic of spring in Wonderland. She closed one eye, imaging a handle of a key sticking out of the lock. Nothing magically appeared. She tried the handle again, but still, the door refused to budge. Cassidy sat down near the door.

“What do I need to do?” she asked the locked greenhouse. As her heart rested again, Cassidy began to hear the noises of the quiet meadow. The birds in the pine tree trilled a few short notes, not yet ready to share their full song. A lone fly buzzed, landing on a tall weed that wobbled under its weight. A cold breeze blew across the field, rattling the dry grass stems like an angry child on the xylophone. Everything around her was annoyed about waiting for spring too. But nature knew the field would be graced by green again. Spring would come. “My mom said we all start as seeds. We only have to add a little sunshine, water, and love.”

Cassidy looked at the greenhouse. The front looked clean, but the other three sides were still a tangled mess. Maybe I must prove myself before the greenhouse will open. She could restore this castle to its former beauty, but it would take work, and she would need to get started. The greenhouse needed sunshine, water, and love. Cassidy could do that. She could fix the outside and let more light through the glass windows if she removed the weeds. “Let’s clean you up,” she coached the building. “A makeover for spring!”

Rummaging in her backpack, Cassidy produced the winter gloves and pulled them over her hands. She flexed her fingers. Purposefully this time, Cassidy grabbed at weeds, pulling them from the soil. She shook the dirt free and collected them in a big pile.

Hard at work, Cassidy remembered her mom teaching her how to weed. When pulling weeds, check for seeds, she would say. If the seeds from dormant plants were already distributed, the remaining leaves, stems, and roots could help the next growing season. But composing took time and warmth to activate the microbes and prevent roots from sprouting again where you didn’t want them.

Cassidy wasn’t familiar with these Colorado weeds. There were so many of them, she knew it was hopeless to check for seeds. It would be hard to grow tomatoes in the open field of natural flora. The greenhouse was the best solution for growing anything purposeful. The field could grow a little wild.

With each old skeleton removed, Cassidy revealed more of the greenhouse walls. Now, the floor-to-ceiling windows could let light in and warm the inside. Vegetable plants could survive from the Colorado temperatures and weeds. The roof protected the inside from the harsh elements and from hungry animals. This was a place she could grow her own garden, just like what she and her mom did together during other Spring Breaks.

The sun was setting when Cassidy finished, and she stepped back to admire her handiwork. Her hands were ragged and sore because the gloves were too hot to wear. Cassidy had used them on the most dangerous plants but had resorted to bare hands for the simpler vines and grasses. Her hands were stained green in places, but thankfully only a few thorns had broken the skin, leaving jagged and dotted marks of blood that she now noticed looking at them.

The building was beginning to look like more than a beautiful greenhouse. It was a little piece of heaven. With its windows exposed, it was Cassidy’s sanctuary. She could see the brickwork from the base where bricks were inlaid in concrete. They outlined the door and supported each corner, and the muted red accentuated the mystery behind the reflective windows. A few windows on the top popped open at slight angles to allow heat to escape.

I will come back tomorrow, she promised. Now that the outside stood like a jewel in the meadow, Cassidy wanted to do more. Cassidy couldn’t wait to come back. As she hiked back to the house, she started to plan. Cassidy would find some cleaning supplies for the windows. She would add a pathway to the entrance. And inside, she would grow vegetables like peas and tomatoes. It was like she was building her own wonderland right here, nestled in the Colorado valley, surrounded by the forest, and baked by the sun.

“I don’t need to go back to Wonderland ever again,” she confidently said to herself. “Who needs a silly white robin or owl? I bet those animals will want to visit me instead! I’ll bring spring to me!” Yes, Cassidy was convinced this secret garden was the key to her Spring Break in Colorado.

“I have to find a way inside,” Cassidy said. “I must find that key!”