Farming
Going to bed was difficult. Not that the bed was a problem; the bed was the most comfortable one Rose had ever been in. It was an actual feather bed, yet another product of the sisters' successful farm. She felt like she could lay there for the rest of her life and never move. The problem was she hadn't slept in a room alone since the day her dad had died.
She tried so hard to sleep. Tried to put it all out of her mind, but it just wouldn't work. Finally, she let the memories come in a flood, and just lay there remembering her dad. What a great person he was. He was such a good listener. There were so many things she still wished she could talk with him about, like all the things she’d been through this summer, and so much she still wanted to do with him. He would never walk her down the aisle or see her children.
Thinking of his love for learning, she realized it was about time for school to start again. Wondering how the adults were planning to take care of her education, she sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to be home schooled for the rest of her life.
She couldn't help but think that, if this hadn't happened to him, they might all still be home living a semi-normal life. The anger inside of her bubbled up, and took over. Anger at the world for not understanding her and the people like her; at her mom for bringing her dad into this kind of life; and especially at her dad. He had left her; abandoned her. Now she was on the run, and it all started when he’d died.
What are you doing? she thought. Of course he didn't want to die, stupid! It's your own fault, anyway. He wouldn't have ever figured out about his gift if you weren't a sick baby. He should have just let you die.
As she lay there fretting, she found herself getting more and more restless and agitated. Tossing and turning, she tried to think of anything to change the direction her thoughts were taking her.
There was a soft knock at the door.
Rose snapped out of it immediately. It had to be Megan.
“Come in,” she called out, just loud enough for her to hear.
Megan padded across the carpet.
“Scoot over,” she said gently, nudging Rose aside.
Rose made a place for her in her giant bed.
“Megan, I ... ”
“I know,” Megan cut her off. “You don't have to tell me; I could feel it. It's not your fault, Rose. Sometimes bad things happen – it just happened, and nothing anyone could have done would have changed it.”
Rose’s jaw dropped. Staring at Megan for a moment, she finally said, “You're like Grandma.”
Megan nodded. “Only with certain people. I have to be pretty close to someone to pick up on things, and they have to be freaking out.” She nudged Rose gently.
“I just miss him so much,” Rose said with a sigh.
“I know.”
It was simple. Megan didn't try to make her stop thinking about him. Didn't try and compare Rose's loss with her own. She just understood. And she cared. Enough to be there for Rose without making it about herself.
“You're a good friend, Megan.” She smiled, and laid her head on Megan's shoulder. It was much better to lie together, and Rose fell right to sleep.
Rose slept more deeply than she had expected. It was almost noon when she woke up, and even then, she only woke up because the sun shone through the window at just the right angle to make the bed feel like an oven. Megan was already gone.
Rose found her at her own window in an old cushioned rocking chair, reading one of the many books from the shelves. She didn’t notice Rose. Deciding to give her some privacy, Rose went back to her room.
At the desk, she found a wide array of stationery and colorful pens. Picking the cutest paper she could find and a bright purple pen to write a letter to Amber, she wondered how she could explain what was going on. She couldn't tell Amber the full truth, but maybe she could tell her some of it. She wrote:
Dear Amber,
I miss you so much!
I'm sorry I haven't written to you. I'm not even sure you'll ever get to read this letter. My family had to leave in a hurry, and we have to make sure we can't be found. I'll probably have to change my name. I can't tell you the details, but my dad was killed, and we had to leave for good. I hope I can find a friend half as good as you someday.
I'm sorry I had to leave you without saying goodbye. I hope someday I can see you again. I hope you can find a good friend, too. You always were better at making friends, anyway. Don't forget me, though, okay?
I'm so nervous about my new home, and I still don't know where it will be. But even when I find out, I don't think I'll be able to tell you.
Whoever killed my dad, they're after my whole family. So you can't ever tell anyone I wrote to you. I think it might even put you in danger, too. I'm so sorry! Don't get me wrong, I don't want to put you in danger, but I also don't want to just disappear and never tell you goodbye.
Amber, I'm so glad you were okay that day at the water hole. I was so sure you were going to die! I sometimes have bad dreams about it.
I’ll always remember all of the fun times we had at the water hole. And riding our bikes, and snowboarding, and playing volleyball in the back yard. Oh what I wouldn't give right now for a good volleyball game!
I hope this letter gets to you somehow, and you are doing well. I'm not sure if you will ever be able to write back, and I'm sorry for that. I hope someday I can find out how you are doing.
I miss you, and I will always love you!
Your BFF,
Rose Wilson
Rose folded the letter into a heart, like she always did when she wrote notes at school, and found a cute envelope to put it in. She filled out the address for Amber's house, but left the return address blank. Then she put it into the drawer for safe keeping, hoping to figure out a way to send it soon.
She went into the closet and found a big surprise – it was loaded with clothes in her size, all with tags still attached. There were comfy pajamas, cute summer dresses and skirts, jeans and t-shirts, lots of shoes and sandals – a whole new wardrobe. In the middle of the closet was a bench for putting on shoes, and on it was a card in an envelope labeled, “Rose.”
Opening up the envelope, Rose read the inside of the card. It said, “Rose, we’re so excited to have you and Megan staying here with us. We know you left everything behind, even your clothes, so please take whatever you like from this closet – it’s all yours. Love, Hannah, Alex, Natalie, and Addison.”
Setting the card down gingerly, Rose spun around slowly, appraising this overwhelming gift. Spotting a bright pair of striped pajama pants, and a t-shirt to match, she quickly put them on, along with some fluffy slippers, and then she went downstairs to see what adventures today would bring.
Addie took one look at Rose and laughed. “So, you changed from pajamas to more pajamas?”
Rose grinned. “I haven't had a chance to lounge much lately. It's been a lot of hard work.” Looking down at her new pajamas, she said, “Those clothes are just too much. It's amazing of you just to let us stay here, but you're also feeding us better than we've eaten in months, and buying us new clothes now too? Are you sure about all this?”
“Listen, Rose, we're pretty excited to have you here. We like our farm, but we don’t get out much, and we don’t often have visitors. We're so happy to have some teenage girls around, we couldn't wait to make sure you were comfortable and happy.”
“But isn't it expensive?” Rose asked.
“Sweetheart, that's not a concern. Our big old farm gives us more than we need. We're glad to help, and we might as well all have some fun while we're at it. You're going to be here for a while, too. So a backpack full of ratty camping clothes just wouldn't do.”
Thrown off by that, Rose raised her eyebrows and asked, “For a while?”
“Yes. We're planning on spending the fall together,” Addie said.
“What?” Rose asked, stunned. “What about our families? And school?”
“Well, the plan is to meet up with your families later, when things settle down a little more. In the meantime, everyone wanted you two to be somewhere they knew you would be happy. You can do your schooling on the internet, and we'll make sure you don't fall behind.”
“Wow. The whole fall,” Rose mumbled. Not trusting her legs, which had suddenly become quite wobbly, she sat on the edge of the nearest sofa.
“Don't you want to stay with us?” Alex asked, as she entered the room.
“Oh, yes!” Rose said, with real enthusiasm. Looking back and forth from Alex to Addie, she said, “Don't get me wrong, I love your house, and you're all so awesome! I'm so glad we get to stay here. I just miss my mom. A whole season is a long time. I've never been away from her for more than a week before, except when I went to my Grandma’s house just before this whole mess started, and now with my dad gone …. ” Her voice trailed away. She wasn't sure how to end her sentence.
“Oh, honey,” Alex crooned in her airy voice. “We'll keep you plenty busy, and you'll be back with her before you know it!” Then she perked up, and her whole face lit. “I just know we'll be friends for life! You're going to love our farm, I promise!”
Then she came over and gave Rose a big hug. Rose wasn't expecting it, so it ended up a little awkward, but she could tell Alex meant well. She was just ... so … girlie. But Rose decided she liked Alex anyway. She was such a nice person.
Just then, Megan came down the stairs. The sisters had prepared a fantastic lunch for them, so they all sat down and ate.
At the table, Hannah asked, “Would you girls like to see the rest of our farm?”
“Oh yes!” cried Rose.
“I'd love to!” said Megan.
They ate quickly and went outside.
The sisters took them to a big red barn, and Hannah pushed the ancient, creaky wooden doors open wide. Inside, there was a huge tractor. It was a perfectly normal tractor, with the words ‘John Deere’ printed on the side, and big knobby wheels, just like every tractor Rose had ever seen. There was just one unusual thing about this particular tractor – it was bright pink. Squealing, Rose and Megan rushed over to check it out. White, furry seat covers were on all the seats, and purple fuzzy dice hung from the gear shifter.
“We're not riding in the tractor today girls,” Hannah said with a mischievous smile. “We're going in the golf cart.”
She pointed to her left, and the girls saw a grape-purple golf cart. Looking at each other with disbelief, they burst out laughing. They ran over and climbed in.
Hannah took them driving until dinner time. She showed them all the animals. The cows, horses, sheep, and in a smaller area they saw pigs, geese, and one giant hog named Hank.
Next, they saw the chicken coops, and a double row of rabbits. Rose was sure she hadn't even seen all of the animals, but she loved every minute of it. She hoped the sisters would let her ride a horse at least once before she left.
After they passed the animals, they came to the vegetable fields. There was corn as far as the eye could see, and of course, being in Idaho, they had potatoes galore – fields of potatoes of every kind. They stopped for a while and sampled the most delicious strawberries, and ran for a while through the rows of apple and peach trees. On the way back, Hannah pointed as they passed peas, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, onions, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes ... you name it – they were growing it. Rose couldn't believe her eyes! All of the plants were lush and colorful. And huge. Then, they came to the pumpkin patch. Rose found a pumpkin as tall as she was – clearly the product of somebody’s gift.
She played with Megan in the pumpkin patch for a while. Then, Hannah brought them back to the house, and they took some time to check out the back yard.
“It was all made by our gifts,” Natalie said. “The pool’s water is routed from an underground stream. It drains away through another one, so the water stays fresh.”
“How smart,” Megan said, inspecting it.
“Chlorine isn't necessary this way,” Addie added, “and it's always the perfect temperature.”
On closer inspection, Rose notice the candles weren't what she thought. They were actually made from stone, each with a little flame on top.
“How do you do this?” Rose asked.
“Addie did it,” Natalie said. “She places the little flames on the pillars of stone with a protective bubble over it, so the wind won’t blow them out.”
The hot tub was also carved from the earth.
“How do you make it hotter?” Megan asked.
“It has water bubbling into it from an underground hot spring nearby,” Hannah said.
All around, there was seating made from tree trunks, vines, and stone. The thin canopy overhead was made of vines, and some spots had perfect shade, some were perfectly sunny, but most were dappled with just enough sunlight.
In contrast to the natural things, there was, of course, the barbecue grill, a nice set of patio furniture, complete with a huge glass-topped table, and eight cushioned chairs, the TV, and the stereo system.
In the pool was a huge variety of pool toys. Rose suspected they had been brought in for Megan and her, along with the clothes. She couldn't wait to suntan in the lounge chairs, which were scattered on the patio and in the shallow end of the pool, so the water came just high enough to lie in.
When dinner was ready, they ate outside. Rose thoroughly enjoyed being clean and well fed, out in the open and breathing the fresh air which smelled of water. After dinner, they spent the rest of the evening playing in the pool.
Rose liked the sisters a lot, and hoped they would be her friends forever.
****
The next day, they went out to the fields again. Megan went out with Addie to learn what Addie could teach her about the plants and her gift, while Rose went with Hannah, in the purple golf cart, to help with the watering. They started at the stream at the border of their property. Hannah pulled the water into the dip in between the two rows of corn, and slowly walked up and down the rows. Rose focused on doing the same thing, and Hannah said she was doing great. She was a lot slower than Hannah, but it was exhilarating to her to do it at all.
They walked through the corn until lunch time, and at the end of the corn field, they found Natalie waiting in the golf cart to pick them up. She had just finished tilling a field that had already been harvested, and she was covered in grime from her head to her toes. Rose noticed her own clothes, realizing the same was true about her.
As she futilely brushed at her shirt, Hannah smeared mud on her nose.
“What the ... ?” Rose started to say, startled. Then she realized what happened, and retaliated in kind.
Laughing, the three of them cranked up the music in the golf cart and sang all the way back to the house.
****
Up in Rose's room, she and Megan shared the stories of the day.
“We walked through a huge field of watermelons,” Megan said. “Addie would touch each one, and I could actually see it grow just a little. She taught me how to do it, too.”
Megan was beaming from ear to ear.
“You already knew, I thought,” Rose said.
“Yeah, but Addie said with fruits and vegetables, if you make them grow too fast, they won't have a good flavor. She says a tiny bit each day is enough to keep the flavor rich, and make them grow to the perfect size. If she made them too big, like the pumpkins, people would start to wonder.”
They slept in Rose's room. Rose wondered if she'd ever be able to sleep in a room by herself again. She slept well, though. It was peaceful most nights now, for the first time since this whole thing had begun.
****
In the following days, they fell into a routine. They would go out during the day and work with the water and the plants. Then, they would have a nice dinner outside – not quite so elaborate once they were settled in – and they would swim at night before bed. Each of them had a special spot in the yard for some quiet time. Megan had plenty of books to read, and even Rose found herself reading much more than usual. She was learning to love the written word. It was a peaceful time, and Rose was enjoying it after all the drama of the last few months.
One day, Alex decided to take the girls out horseback riding. Rose's horse was an Appaloosa, which reminded her of a Dalmatian dog. It was all white, with small black spots everywhere.
“Her name is Aries,” Alex said, rubbing the horse's nose. “It's because we can't contain her, which fits with the sign, you know. She goes wherever she wants to – we don't typically corral her, but she knows the farm is home. She never wanders too far away.”
Megan's horse was a paint. She was white, with lots of big light tan colored spots, like big splotches of paint. Her name was Amethyst.
Alex's horse was pure white, with only a single brown spot on the forehead. It looked like a blob, but Alex called it a star. Her name was Maizie.
They went out and rode horses all day long. Because Rose and Megan were beginners, Alex kept the pace slow and easy, staying near the farm. Rose fell completely in love with Aries. She felt like she knew what the horse was feeling and thinking. By the end of the day, they were able to take on a light gallop.
At dinner, Addie asked, “How was the riding lesson?”
Rose and Megan responded in unison, “It was great!”
All the sisters beamed with pride.
Rose said, “Seriously! I hope we get to do it often! I love Aries. She's a great horse!”
Weekly horse riding lessons were then mixed in with their farming lessons. Also, they started to do some schoolwork online.
The days passed quickly, and Rose was surprisingly happy. She admired the sisters. She learned a lot from them, and also from Megan. They helped each other with their homework, and soon, they found if they concentrated they could finish a week's worth of schoolwork in one day. So, they helped with the farm work Monday through Friday, did schoolwork on Saturday, and took the horses out on Sunday.
It was a wonderful time. Rose was enjoying every day, and, although she missed her mom desperately, it wasn't so bad to wait. At least she wasn't camping anymore. She would see her mom soon enough, which also meant she would have to leave the farm. In some ways, she wished she could stay here forever.
But with her mom.