Karen's Magic Garden

  The grown-ups all had beds upstairs. But guess where the kids were going to sleep.

  You will never guess, so I will tell you. On a wide screened-in porch. It had wicker furniture, and a swing hanging from the ceiling. And there was a big pile of sleeping bags.

  “See?” said Diana. “It will be great. We can listen to the ocean all night. Let’s put our sleeping bags right next to each other.”

  I grinned. I liked Diana a lot. “We can whisper to each other in the dark.”

  “We can tell stories,” Diana said. “Secret stories.”

  I thought I had been very tired earlier. But now I felt wide awake. I hugged myself and wiggled with excitement. This was going to be the best family reunion ever!

  Cousin Diana

  I thought I would never fall asleep that night. Diana and I whispered to each other. We told jokes. We giggled. We listened to the ocean waves. They crashed on the beach again and again.

  Then I opened my eyes. It was morning. And I was in Lobster Cove, having a family reunion. When I looked at Diana, she opened her eyes. We grinned.

  “Come on!” she said, jumping up. “Last one in line for breakfast is a rotten egg!”

  See? That is what I liked about Diana. She probably had a hard time remembering to use her indoor voice.

  We hopped over the kids who were still asleep. Besides me and Diana and Andrew and Kelsey, there were six other cousins. Not to mention two babies who had slept inside. But Diana and I were the only ones who were seven. Besides us, there were:

  1. Theresa and Edward and Jonathan. They were all twelve. Theresa and Edward are twins.

  2. Henry. He was eleven. He is called Little Henry.

  3. Sarah, who was ten.

  4. Jennifer, who was five.

  More cousins were coming on Sunday. But today was only Thursday.

  For breakfast we had corn muffins, bacon, fruit salad, and scrambled eggs. I was starving.

  “Mommy,” I said while we ate. “Diana and I want to explore the yard. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said. She held up three fingers. “Three rules.”

  “What are they?” I asked.

  “One: Do not go near the water unless a grown-up is with you. Two: Do not go on the road or off the property. Three: Stay together so you do not get lost.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Okay,” Diana said.

  Are you wondering why Mommy said that about getting lost? I will tell you. Great-aunt Carol and Great-uncle John had a gigundo yard. Big enough to get lost in.

  “Let’s go!” I said to Diana. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and shoved back her chair.

  “Excuse me,” she said. Then we ran out the kitchen door and into the backyard.

  Well, I do not think I have ever been in such a big backyard. First there was a lawn. Huge bushes with hot-pink flowers surrounded the lawn. At one end was a small metal arch. A rosebush was growing over the arch. There were no roses. It made a little doorway. We went through it.

  “Let’s pretend we are fairy princesses,” I said to Diana. “And we live in the garden. It is our job to keep the garden nice.”

  “Yeah!” said Diana. “We have to paint flowers different colors and be nice to honeybees. We wear leaf dresses and flowers in our hair.”

  I grinned. Pretend games are very, very fun if you play them with the right person.

  “We have to have flower names,” I said. “I will be Princess Violet.”

  “I will be Princess Rose,” said Diana.

  As soon as she said that, I wished I were Princess Rose. But it was too late. “Hey, look at this,” I said.

  We were in a garden closed in by tall hedges. The garden was square, but the plant beds were different shapes and sizes. There were narrow paths. Some of the plants had labels.

  “Look at these vegetables,” said Diana. “Great-aunt Carol uses them to cook with. Here are some carrots.”

  We walked through the garden, looking at the different vegetables. I saw cherry tomatoes and bell peppers and lettuce and cabbage. (Ugh.) The sun was making my hair hot.

  “I am thirsty, Princess Violet,” Diana said. “Let’s get something to drink before I shrivel up.”

  “Me, too, Princess Rose!” I said. We ran back through the arch and across the yard and into the kitchen.

  We found a big pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen. We each slurped down a glassful.

  Diana and I heard people laughing in the living room. The living room was very big. There was a stone fireplace that I could stand inside.

  All the grown-ups (and the two babies) were on the floor. Piles of scrapbooks and boxes of photos and papers were spread around them.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “We are making a family tree,” Aunt Ellen said. “We have taped together these long rolls of paper. Now we are writing in all of our names.”

  “And all of our children’s names,” said Mommy.

  “And all of our parents’ names,” Aunt Janet said. “And their parents’ names.”

  “As far back as we can go,” said Uncle Henry. (Little Henry is named after him.) “This way, we will have a record of our whole family.”

  “Cool,” I said.

  “Look, Karen,” Mommy said. “Here is our branch of the family tree.”

  The Princesses Explore

  Mommy showed me where she was on the tree. There was her name, Lisa Packett Brewer Engle, and a small picture of her. Then there was Daddy’s name. A line led to a blank.

  “Fill in your name,” Mommy said, handing me a pencil. “We will paste your latest school picture here.”

  I wrote my name: . I wrote my birthday next to my name. Then I glued my picture onto an outline of a leaf. Andrew had written: . Mommy filled in his birthday and his last name. He glued down a snapshot that Mommy gave him. It showed Andrew sitting on his tricycle.

  Another line led to Seth’s picture. “Seth Engle,” it said.

  “Way cool,” I said.

  Aunt Ellen showed Diana their family branch. Diana wrote her name and glued in her picture. Aunt Ellen had only one husband line. Mommy had two.

  “Why aren’t there any pictures down there?” I asked. I pointed to the bottom of the tree, by the roots.

  “We are still working on that,” Great-aunt Carol said. “That is the oldest part of the tree. We hope to fill it in, but it is hard. Some of the people were born over a hundred years ago.”

  “Wow,” said Diana.

  “Yeah, wow,” I said. “I like our family tree.”

  * * *

  After lunch Princess Rose and I were very busy. We explored the rest of the wilderness. We needed to find a safe place for a bunny family to live. They had been kicked out of their old home by a mean witch.

  (This is all still just pretend. There were no bunnies and no witch. Back in Stoneybrook there is a real witch, but that is another story.)

  The yard was so huge that we did not get to explore all of it.

  “Look at this,” I called to Princess Rose.

  “That is a summer house,” Diana said. “Mommy told me about it.”

  We were in front of a little building. It did not really look like a house. It looked like the bandstand in the park back in Stoneybrook. It was open on all sides, and had steps. Inside were benches. It was a good home base for a couple of fairy princesses.

  I stood on a bench and used my magic telescope. “I do not see the bad witch anywhere,” I said. “But I do see trees with real, live apples on them.”

  “We better go explore them, Princess Violet,” said Diana. “In case the bunnies want to live there.”

  There was a whole field of apple trees. The apples were small and green. We could not eat them. They would have made us sick. At the edge of the field was one very old apple tree. It had a branch that grew close to the ground. The branch was just wide enough for two fairy princesses to sit on, side by side. We could even bounce a little. With every breath I took, I smelled and
tasted apples. I was in heaven.

  “This will be our secret sitting place,” I said to Diana. “We can sit here and tell each other secrets.”

  “Yes,” Diana said. “And I know a secret right now. We are going out to dinner. All of us. Tonight.”

  I sat up. I sat up so high that I bumped my head on the branch above me. But I was not hurt. I laughed aloud. I love going out to dinner!

  Lobster, Clams, and Bread Pudding

  Well, there is nothing more fun than going to dinner with twelve grown-ups and twelve children and two babies.

  At the restaurant they pushed six tables together in a long line. Diana and I sat between my mommy and her mommy. There was a basket of crackers in front of us. We ate about a million crackers. For dinner we had the exact same thing: fish sticks and french fries and salad with ranch dressing. We were twins.

  Mommy and Seth both ordered lobster. Mommy gave me a little piece. I thought it was rubbery. Andrew wanted fried clams.

  “Are you sure?” Mommy asked.

  Andrew nodded hard.

  And you know what? He liked them. He ate every one, except one he gave to Mommy and one he gave to me. I did not like it. I ate it very fast. Then I took a big gulp of water. Then I ate a french fry to give my mouth a new taste. Diana and Andrew and Kelsey and I all had bread pudding for dessert. When I was little I thought bread pudding sounded gross. But now I know it is very delicious. Unlike clams.

  Our restaurant was at the marina. We could sit and look out the window at the boats. The sun was setting and it made their sails turn pink. I decided Maine was just as pretty as Connecticut.

  By the time the grown-ups had finished their coffee, I was very tired. I was worn out from exploring all day. It is not easy being a fairy princess. Mommy was holding Andrew. I crawled into Seth’s lap. I leaned against his shoulder. I rested my eyes.

  I thought about Diana, and breakfast, and the family tree. I thought about vegetables, and the apple trees, and about lunch. I thought about the woods and the summer house that we had found. I thought about dinner and bread pudding. It had been a gigundoly perfect day, I decided. Tomorrow would be perfect, too.

  Exploring the Attic

  “Ugh!” I said as I opened my eyes on Friday morning. “This is not a perfect way to wake up.”

  I was in my sleeping bag. I did not want to get up. It was cold outside.

  “Yuck,” Diana said. Only her eyes and her nose were peeking out of her sleeping bag. “Double yuck.”

  Rain was pattering on the roof of our porch. Rain was splashing through the screens. Rain was running down the gutters. Rain was dripping off of every leaf of every tree. So much for another perfect day.

  Just then Great-aunt Carol came to the door of our porch.

  “Up and at ’em, kids!” she cried cheerfully. “Homemade doughnuts and apple-sauce for breakfast.”

  Diana’s face poked out of her sleeping bag.

  I came out up to my shoulders.

  We looked at each other. “Let’s go!” I yelled. We threw off our sleeping bags and raced inside.

  * * *

  “Now what?” Little Henry grumbled. It was after breakfast. We were sitting by the fireplace in the living room. The fire was crackling and hissing. I liked being toasty by the fire. But it was not as good as being outside.

  Some of the grown-ups were working on the family tree again. Some were doing a jigsaw puzzle. (It was too hard for me.) Some were in the kitchen. They were starting to bake and cook for the reunion on Sunday.

  “I wish we could go exploring,” I said to Diana.

  “Me, too,” she said.

  “I have an idea,” Little Henry said. “Let’s explore the house.”

  I thought that was a very good idea.

  “Yes,” said Diana. “And while we are exploring, we could look for my bracelet. The one with hearts on it. I cannot find it.”

  “Okay. I am the head archaeologist,” Theresa said. “We must explore this ruin. I say we start with the attic.”

  I did not think we would find Diana’s bracelet in the attic, but it sounded fun anyway.

  We went up to the third floor. We found five small storage rooms and three more guest bedrooms, but no door to the attic.

  “So far this exploring is not very exciting,” Diana said to me.

  I nodded. There was only one more door to open. I opened it. “I found it!” I cried. “I found the attic!”

  My cousins crowded around. There was a dark staircase, leading up.

  Theresa said, “Since I am the head archaeologist, I should go first.” She did not look sure about this. But we all nodded.

  Theresa crept up the dark, dusty staircase. We crept up after her.

  Jonathan found a light switch and turned it on.

  “Oooh,” I said.

  “Ahhh,” said Diana.

  The attic was huge, and full of all kinds of stuff.

  “This is what I call exploring,” I said happily.

  “Look over here!” Jennifer cried. “This trunk is full of old-fashioned clothes.”

  “Let’s try them on,” said Sarah.

  “I found a box of toys,” Jonathan said. He pulled out a small wooden horse. Andrew, Sarah, and Kelsey ran to the box.

  “Wow! This is so cool,” Edward said. “An ancient telescope. Let’s see if it works.”

  Diana and I looked at each other. We did not know what to do first. Should we try on clothes? Look through the telescope? Check out the toys? Then, far back under the roof, I saw a small, dark, dusty trunk. That was for us.

  Diana helped me pull it out. I blew some dust off of it. On the front of the trunk were two letters: A and D. It was not locked.

  “Talk about cool,” I said.

  Inside the lid of the trunk was a name and a date: Annemarie Dillon — 1892.

  “That was one of the names in the roots of our family tree,” Diana said.

  “These must be Annemarie’s things.” I pulled out a doll. Inside the trunk was a small wooden box with doll clothes. And a photo album with a leather cover. It said “Memories” on it in gold ink.

  “This is a whole book of photographs,” Diana said. “I bet Mommy would like some for the family tree.”

  “I bet you are right,” I agreed. “Here are some other books, too. They are filled with writing. Let’s take everything downstairs.”

  “Good idea. It is very dusty up here,” Diana said.

  “I know just where we can go,” I said.

  The Secret Diaries

  “You are right,” Diana said. “This is perfect.”

  We sat on the windowseat in the library. Rain dripped down the windows. But now I did not mind so much.

  Diana opened the photo album. “These people are all wearing funny clothes.”

  “It is very old,” I said. “These three little books are diaries. Annemarie Dillon wrote them during the summer of eighteen ninety-two.”

  “Wow,” said Diana, peering over my shoulder. “What do they say?”

  “It is hard to read,” I said. “But I will try.”

  I read out loud:

  “June second, eighteen ninety-two

  “Dear Diary,

  “My name is Annemarie Eugenia Dillon. I am nine years old. This summer, my parents and I are vacationing with my grandparents in Lobster Cove, Maine.”

  I could not believe it. Annemarie Dillon had come to stay in this very house, over a hundred years ago!

  “This is so cool,” Diana whispered.

  “I know,” I whispered back. I read some more out loud:

  “Tomorrow I will meet my cousin Pauline for the first time. She is nine years old, like me. She is called Polly. I have planned many pleasant things to do together. And I have made her a gift: a pillow filled with rose petals from Grandmother’s garden. I have embroidered Polly’s name on it. I hope it will make her feel welcome.”

  “Is the pillow in the trunk?” I asked.

  Diana shook her head. “No, I do
not think so. You know what? They are just like us. They are cousins. They are the same age. And they had not met before.”

  I smiled. “That is so neat.”

  I skipped ahead to the back of the diary. The handwriting was very hard to read sometimes.

  “June fourteenth, eighteen ninety-two

  “Dear Diary,

  “Polly was crying again last night. I wish I could cheer her somehow. But since her mother’s death, she has been so very sad. I do not know what to do.”

  “That is awful,” Diana said. “Polly’s mother died.”

  “She was only nine years old,” I said.

  “June sixteenth, eighteen ninety-two

  “Dear Diary,

  “I have decided there is only one thing to do for Polly. Although I was sworn to secrecy, I will show Polly the magic garden. Perhaps once she is inside the garden walls and surrounded by its secret beauty, her heart will begin to mend.”

  “A magic garden!” I cried.

  “Shh!” Diana put her finger to her lips. “It was their secret. Now it is our secret, too.”

  I pretended to zip my mouth shut and throw away the key, to show I could keep a secret. Once I had gotten in trouble because I did not keep a secret. Since then I have been much better at it.

  I opened the next book.

  “July second, eighteen ninety-two

  “Dear Diary,

  “Dare I believe that Polly seems less sad? Today, whilst in the magic garden, she seemed almost to smile when a sparrow sang to her. And last night she had no nightmares. I think the garden is working its magic on her, as I knew it would.”

  “That garden must have been here,” Diana said, looking out the window. “They were staying in this house.”

  “But we explored the whole yard,” I reminded her. “We did not see any magic garden.”

  “Maybe it is not here anymore. Or … was it the vegetable garden?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “This magic garden has walls around it. I did not see any walls in the yard.”

  “Look through the other diaries,” Diana said. “Maybe Annemarie says where it is.”