Miracle grow harvest of love – The twin gardens tale.
He races over the bridge. Traffic is thin, so it takes less than twenty minutes to reach the other side of town. Even still, when he arrives, Wesley is astounded at what he finds. It is akin to a scene straight from a movie about magic and miracles. Of course he has to park down the block from Miss Garrett’s place because no vehicle is getting past that herd.
Furthermore, he doesn’t want to take a chance that the butterflies will come after him next. The need to rub his eyes in disbelief, feels instinctive, and he barely notices himself doing it. “What manner of mystery is this?” he thinks, as he slowly gets out of his car. Down the street, he sees Mary standing on Miss Garrett’s front porch.
Mary gives Wesley a small wave and then she gestures toward the spectacle and shrugs her shoulders. Wesley can’t help but notice the uncommon gracefulness in the way she moves. However, that might not help him when it comes to the herd of deer surrounding Miss Garrett’s property. In fact, he feels certain they are intent on keeping everyone away from Miss Garrett’s enchanted garden.
Miracle Grow Harvest
Mary woke up today with plans. There wasn’t a way she could have anticipated the events that followed her first cup of coffee. At least she got her morning brew. The plan on this Tuesday was to get ready, and get to work early. Finish the day early and return home to prepare for her date with Wesley. Her anticipation for the date was one of the reasons she was up early. And thank goodness for that, because otherwise, she wouldn’t have been prepared for the miracle grow chaos.
It began innocently. Chaos usually does. The day is quiet, then the sound of heavy machinery roaring to life shatters the peace of the early morning sunshine. Startled, Mary jumps to her feet just as the phone rings. She looks at the screen, Miss Garrett shows on the caller ID, and she answers immediately. Her neighbor and her friend Miss Garrett doesn’t hesitate, “My dear I think they intend to doze and destroy my garden.”
Mary looks out her window, the bulldozers and the excavators are roaring to life. They certainly were planning on destroying Miss Garrett’s garden. Mary can’t help but feel a sense of indignation toward the town council and its heartless messenger, Miss Anderson. It looks as though they weren’t going to wait for the vote at the council meeting this evening. It’s difficult not to see the agenda as personal in some way. However, Mary doesn’t have time to finish the thought because what happens next changes everything.
The Twin Gardens Tale
Swarms. No. Wesley corrects himself, “That is a swarm on miracle grow” he thinks, as he takes a tentative step toward Mary’s house. The herd of deer is so thick they fill the road, and every yard around Miss Garrett’s house. There is every size as well as bucks and small baby fawns. It is as though a migrating herd came from the prairies and the plains, and ended up here in Miss Garrett’s yard. Furthermore, he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that they are blocking the heavy machinery.
The operators of the bulldozers and the excavators sit motionless in their machines. “No doubt they are scared of the butterflies” he thinks as he begins to cautiously weave his way in-between the peacefully grazing deer. The butterflies must be a miracle grow swarm too, because they are everywhere. They cover the bulldozers and the excavators and continuously swarm the windshields. The air is so thick with them that it looks like shade.Wesley feels astounded at the sight. Furthermore, between the butterflies and the deer this is a major intercession.
Miracle Grow
The deer have already munched down on Mary’s neighbor’s flowers and apparently the Hydrangea plants were the best because Wesley notices they are bare as he passes by. However, not one part of Miss Garrett’s garden has been disturbed in any way. Similarly, Mary’s house and yard are curiously vacant. The sight is profound and Wesley can’t help feeling a profound sense of awe, as he continues to make his way to Mary’s front porch.
Mr. Conner has a special place in his heart for butterflies. When he arrived back home this afternoon, he found more than a few of them fluttering around the garden. Furthermore, he feels certain they are waiting. As in the old times, they linger, because they love the garden. And the garden loves them. Some things are stronger than time itself and do not suffer from its effects. Mr. Conner smiles to himself, if only that were true of old men.
Butterflies
As Mr. Conner makes his way into the garden he hears a vehicle pull up in front of his house. The day is still young so he feels a blink of surprise when he sees Miss Anderson walking up his sidewalk. He isn’t fond of the woman and he knows the feeling is mutual. However, for the sake of peace, he decides to make an effort. He turns away from the miracle grow of the garden and the delicate movement of the butterflies.
As he turns toward Miss Anderson he puts on his best diplomatic smile. “The council meeting is tonight and she must be after some last minute concession” he thinks. Never gonna happen. And he opens his mouth to tell her so, and then immediately clamps it shut when he sees the gun. He hears the shots after he feels the sting. And then all his strength seems to vanish. He feels himself falling, but he can’t do anything. He falls backward and watches the sky appear as he lands on the ground. The butterflies are swarming and the day slowly fades to black.
Thank you for reading! Like, follow and share The Frog Journal on X @1finja1 – and on The Frog Journal Facebook page click here. Subscribe to the free newsletter to stay up to date on new content and updates.
All original stories. Download in seconds, new titles weekly. The Frog Journal e-book shorts.
