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"...I love them and they are my family. If you can't handle that..."
From Chapter 1, read below
Enjoy chapter one of:
415 Raspberry Picket
and the Seven Sacred Seeds
The Keeper
The Keeper of All Things pulled her robe spun of the finest stardust closer to her body. She felt a sudden chill as she looked out toward the edge of the swirling masses of stars and countless planets and endless suns that made up the Milky Way Galaxy. The Keeper scanned the outer ring of the swirling mass of hot burning stars trying to find the tiny yellow sun and the almost unnoticeable orb of blue and green. Ah! There it is, the tiny planet called Earth. The Keeper of All Things flapped her sparkling robe more tightly around herself, and thought to herself, “Something is out of sorts here.” With that thought, the Keeper adjusted her view of the tiny orb. “Hum-m-m… this certainly has the potential to go either way.” Yes, what was about to take place on that tiny world would seal its fate forever.
415 Raspberry Picket
Buttercup saw one of the boy’s eyes open and excitedly started slurping at Darach’s face. Darach moaned and tried to cover his face with the sheet as the overweight Keeshond tried desperately to get the curly blond-haired, blue-eyed boy out of bed. Darach peeked out from the corner of the sheet to see the furry, masked dog grinning from ear to ear; he eagerly wanted to get Darach out of bed. It was the first day of summer vacation. Darach had big plans for his first summer with Uncle Rubus. He and his neighbor friend Andy planned to spend the summer making a fort in the woods and building a telescope from scratch. Darach patted Buttercup on the head scratching her ears as he lay looking up at the exposed, wooden trusses of the floor joist covered in spider webs in his basement bedroom.
Bright sunlight poured through the green holly bushes outside into the tiny basement window. All was well at 415 Raspberry Picket. It looked like a fine day. Darach was happy to be living with his Uncle Rubus. After being taken from his dad and step-mother, Darach came to live with Uncle Rubus. His uncle was a fine man, a dyed-in-the-wool bachelor who had never been married or had children. Darach thought it must be difficult for his uncle to have an active eight year old running around the house.
The old, green house had been built in the mid 1800’s. It was on the middle of a very wide street in a small town in Ohio. Darach could remember visiting with Uncle Rubus when he was very young. A raspberry painted picket fence surrounded the yard. Vines, red and salmon-colored roses, and plants of all kinds grew in the tiny yard. He always enjoyed the yearly “Gathering of the Gourds” celebration that took place in late October. Going to the celebration was the most fun Darach had ever experienced. Now, he lived here, and this year he really looked forward to the food and the amusement rides.
“Boy, are you up yet?” asked Flora, the plump, white-haired housekeeper with a strong English accent, a round pleasant face, and crooked teeth came clunking down the basement steps with her arms full of dirty clothes. “So, you plan to spend your summer vacation in bed?” she asked smiling at the handsome, round face boy with a strongly dimpled chin, while wheezing with labored breathing as she dumped the soiled clothing down in front of the washing machine. Darach looked up at her and grinned. Flora, known as Flo, always looked like she had slept in her clothes and never combed her hair. Her cotton dress was splattered with stains of past meals and frequent snacks. The ear and noise pieces of her thick eye glasses were held together with globs of duct tape. Her double chin and rosy fat cheeks made her look like a happy chipmunk.
Darach quickly brushed his teeth and combed his hair in the little bathroom in the corner. Uncle Rubus even had plants growing down here under grow lights. Darach often thought there wasn’t an inch of space inside and especially outside where his uncle either was growing or drying plants and saving seeds or starting seeds. The neighborhood kids called their small yard a jungle! Darach zoomed up the basement steps and quickly downed a bowl of cereal and ran out of the house with Buttercup at his heels.
Uncle Rubus was out in his beloved, lush garden planting a new addition to his Datura collection. Darach loved how the large fluted flowers became wonderfully fragrant almost like magic as the sun set each evening. During the day, they had no scent; but nightfall brought an intense aroma. Magically, they seemed to bloom more abundantly during a full moon. Uncle Rubus looked up and smiled. He was a tall man with graying blond hair, bright blue eyes, and glasses. Darach could never figure out his uncle’s age, but Darach knew is father was younger. Darach shuttered at the thought of his mean father and cruel stepmother. Uncle Rubus was nothing like Darach’s father. A bit odd perhaps, but he was kind, gentle, and hardly ever raised his voice. He was mysterious and often wasn’t where Darach thought he should be. Sometimes, it seemed like he might even talk to himself! Uncle Rubus’ whole life was plants. Uncle Rubus was well respected as professor of botany at the local college. Now, semi-retired, Prof. Rubus spent most of his time in his own tiny garden.
Darach sat on the porch putting on his tennis shoes and tying them up. Flo got upset when he wore his shoes into the house; yet, she was such a horrible housekeeper. Darach wondered why Uncle Rubus hired her to clean when all she did was make messes. Her apartment on the side of the house was the messiest place Darach had ever seen. Books and magazines and papers and old clothes lay in piles throughout her apartment. Flo had three beagles and a Norwegian elkhound; they loved to bark and cry and chew up things. Betsy an easy going, crčme colored beagle was the mother to Duke and his sister Jolene. Rikisha was the non-beagle dog of the pack with a very regal, but slender frame, dark gray and silver hair and a beautiful dark face. In the midst of Flo’s chaos were large colorful flower beds and numerous containers filled with bright colorful flowers. She had filled old boots, baskets, pans, and crates, with vivid bright colored flowers. Often her pack of dogs was either running or lying in the middle of her flowers. Yet, it seemed nothing ever got smashed or crushed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Darach thought he saw Uncle Rubus slipped into his small, somewhat dilapidated greenhouse and quickly closed the door. Darach wanted some money to purchase the material for the homemade telescope he and his buddy Andy were making. Andy had been working on the lenses of the scope. Darach pushed his way through overgrown pathways of the garden to the raspberry painted door of the greenhouse. He loved the scent of the moist, humid air as he opened the door. Inside plants and flowers of every kind were crammed and stacked on the benches and on the earthen floor. Wild, exotic flowers hung across the path. Something intensely sweet met his nose as he moved to the rear of the greenhouse. Darach couldn’t imagine where his uncle was. The greenhouse wasn’t that big, and he was almost certain he had seen him come in.
“Uncle Rubus, Uncle Rubus, where are you?” shouted Darach. In the very rear of the old rickety building was a small pool of water, a tiny pond with a single chair sitting at the side. The water was always intensely blue and very still. Its surface was always mirror-like. To look into the small pool of water, one saw a perfect reflection of oneself on the cool surface.
Where was Uncle Rubus? Darach was certain he had seen him come in. Where could he have gone? Buttercup lapped up a drink from the still water and began barking and wiggling her bushy, curled-up tail. “Silly dog, must be barking at the reflection of herself in the pool,” thought Darach. “Come on, girl, let’s go!” Buttercup sat at the edge of the pool crying and wiggling her tail in large sweeps. “Buttercup, now, come on!” shouted Darach turning to make his way to the front of the greenhouse. Darach had his hand on the rusty doorknob of the greenhouse when he thought he heard his uncle’s voice. Buttercup turned and bolted to the rear of the greenhouse barking wildly. Darach ran after her and almost ran right into his uncle. Rubus seemed somewhat startled to see Darach standing in front of him. “I thought you were in here,” cried out Darach! “But I couldn’t find you. “Oh… ahh, I was in the back by the furnace checking on something,” Rubus said looking sheepish. “Can I have the money for the telescope parts?” asked Darach. “Sure thing” said Rubus, “Go into the house and get the money out of the money jar on the frig.”
“Thanks Uncle Rubus,“ shouted Darach!
The boy happened to glance at the pool as he turned to go. Funny, he thought. There were wet shoe prints coming from the edge of the pool.
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Andy carefully held the home crafted lenses in his thick, meaty fingers up to the light. He had calculated the correct focal point and grounded the glass lenses down to meet his mathematical specifications. Darach was so envious of Andy’s mathematical genius. He had problems with his multiplication table and with fractions. Flo planned to homeschool him the next school year. She told him he had to practice his math skills all summer, and she planned to make sure he did.
“Andy, I’m hungry; it’s way past lunch time,” moaned Darach peeling from his fingers some of the dried glue from the construction the telescope .
Andy looked at Darach in mock disgust, “I’m surprised you didn’t glue your fingers to the telescope tube!”
“I did,” laughed Darach stripping the goop from his finger tips.
“Mom hasn’t gone shopping so let’s go over to your house for something to eat.”
Buttercup who had been napping on the floor woke up when she heard the boys talking about food. “Flo always has something good to eat,” said Darach.
“Yeah,” laughed Andy, she looks like all she does is eat!”
“Andy stop! You are one to talk,” Darach said grinning at his stout friend. “Flo is really nice!”
“Yeah, she might be nice, but she’s really, really weird. She’s almost as weird as your uncle!” said Andy very smugly.
Darach stopped dead in his tracks and turned to glare at his pudgy, curly-haired friend Andy. Darach’s face was beet red with anger. “Don’t ever say anything mean about my uncle like that again!” shouted Darach.
Andy stopped laughing and realized he had pushed his joke too far. “I’m sorry Darach. I should not have said they are weird; but, they are both a little odd. Your uncle lives with all those plants and people say he talks to himself.”
“I don’t care what you say,” said Darach with a stiff upper lip. “I love them and they are my family. If you can’t handle that, then I guess we can’t be friends.”
Andy ran his hands through his thick, black curls and stuttered, “I’m sorry. Are we still friends?”
Darach’s quivering lips turned upward into a smile. “Yeah. Friends. Let’s go ask Flo to fix us something to eat for lunch!”
The peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat toast and a glass of ice cold milk seemed like a feast to Darach. Buttercup had begged and had gotten nearly half of his sandwich. “We still need the rubber bands to hold the lens in place when we glue it,” said Darach. “I’ll run upstairs and get some from my uncle's study.” Darach quickly climbed the dark, creaking, steep stairs to his uncle’s library. He didn’t bother to turn the lights on because the steps were so familiar. As he neared the landing, he saw a very pale, green glow. He crept up more slowly. He heard a woman’s voice. His heart was filled with joy; he heard his grandmother Rosemary voice talking to her son, Uncle Rubus! He heard Rubus whisper something about it getting more and more difficult, but could not make out what was getting more difficult. He heard him saying something about his greenhouse. He could hear his mother trying to comfort him and assure him everything would work out. Rosemary was always there to give love and support. Darach loved his grandmother with all his heart. She was the best, most wonderful person Darach had ever met. He knew he could always go to her when things got tough, especially when he had lived with his dad and evil step-mother. Grandma Rosemary was always there for him.
“Grandma!” shouted Darach as he pushed open the heavy oak door of Rubus study. There was a sudden crackling sound and to Darach’s amazement the only person standing in the room was his uncle looking bewildered and surprised. “I heard grandma,” smiled Darach rushing into the room. Darach looked quickly around the room; she was no where in sight. Now, it was Darach’s turn to be bewildered and surprised. “Darach, Rosemary is not here; she’s…traveling,” said Rubus very gently and quietly. “I was on the phone with her. Perhaps you heard her talking when I was on the phone.”
Darach was certain he had heard her in the room. “Oh, okay, Uncle Rubus. I came up here for some rubber bands.”
“They are in the top, middle drawer in a baggie.” The things on Rubus’ desk made Darach think of a museum. He had clocks, star charts, and other mechanical objects. Darach had no idea what they were or what they were used for. The shelves were stuffed and piled with books about gardening and plants. His uncle had traveled the world and kept journals and one entire wall was filled with shelves of his uncle’s private writings. The windows were almost covered over with ivies, banana trees, and spider plants.
Statues of dragons sat on top of books and on shelves and on shelf tops. Darach knew his uncle liked to collect dragon items. He even wore a large dragon ring with a purple amethyst stone held in place by the silver dragon’s claws. Darach was so used to seeing dragons he never even gave any thought as to why his uncle was such an avid collector. In the corner behind the computer hung an old tattered chart of the various kinds of dragons that ancients felt might have once roamed the earth. Dragon books lay in a large pile on the wooden floor. Darach heard his uncle say even tribes of Native Americans had many tales of dragons living amongst them. Dragons were known very well to the Native American people, and they drew pictures of dragons in caves and on rock walls.
Darach reached over to pull out the middle drawer of the desk almost tripping on the partially opened bottom drawer. Darach tried to push the bottom drawer closed; but something was jamming it. Darach pulled out the drawer to give it a big shove to close it. When he pulled out the drawer, he stopped in his tracks. Uncle Rubus’ phone was lying in the desk drawer with the phone cord wrapped and tied around the phone. Darach had almost forgotten Uncle Rubus having said last week, he had dropped his phone, broke it, and needed to buy a new one. Darach’s eyes quickly moved to the phone jack. There was no wire going into the jack! If Uncle Rubus had been talking to Grandma Rosemary—-how? Darach grabbed the rubber bands, mumbled thanks to his uncle, shot down the steps, and exited through the raspberry colored gate down the street to Andy’s house.
óóóóóóó
Flo asked Darach to go with her to the grocery store, a task Flo hated, but Darach loved to push the cart up and down all the aisles looking at the different kinds of foods. Flo parked at the far end of the parking lot along a row of white pines. Darach could never understand why Flo always parked so far away from other cars, maybe because she had been in so many auto accidents in parking lots. Darach jumped out of the car first waiting for Flo to pull her large, bulky body out of the small car. Suddenly, something hit Darach in the back of the head! He turned around to see a large pine cone lying on the ground. Darach looked around to see who was throwing pine cones at him. Whap, another pine cone hit him in the back. Darach turned around so fast he made himself dizzy. Whap! Whap! Whap! Three more pine cones were hurled at him. Darach looked up at the trees. He was sure someone was up in the trees or even a squirrel was up there throwing pine cones at him! A gust of wind blew from the trees. A faint, whispery voice said something. The inhuman voice seemed to be saying “Danger…danger.”
Flo finally pulled herself up out of the car and nervously glanced at the pines and commanded Darach very sternly to get into the store and stop playing around. Darach protested, “But, Flo, someone was throwing pine cones at me!” Flo frowned and silently pointed toward the store entrance.
By the time, Darach had gotten some chocolate ice cream and supplies to make homemade pizza into the cart, he had forgotten about the flying pine cones. Flo went down the dog food aisle and asked Darach to go to the produce department and get some fresh mushrooms and sweet onions for the pizza. Darach was making his way through the piles of apples and lettuce and potatoes. He looked at the packages of mushrooms sitting beside a big pile of fat, green heads of cabbage. He reached for the mushrooms and a saw the tightly wrapped leaves of a cabbage turn and slowly unfurl its top leaves.
A muffled, squeaky voice said, “Hola muchacho.” Darach blinked his eyes and stood very still looking at the big, green cabbage in amazement!
Without thinking, Darach blurted out, “Cabbages don’t talk in Spanish!” Just as Darach reached for the cabbage he thought had greeted him, Flo slid across the produce floor like a baseball player in the ninth inning making a slide run across home plate. She smashed into the display case. Her hands grabbed for the cabbage; cabbages rolled and bounced onto the floor in a hundred directions. Like balls fired out of a canon, green cabbage balls knocked over a stack of salad dressing causing glass to crash onto the floor. Cabbages landed in the bread rack flattening loaves of bread. One cabbage smashed through the fish counter and landed on a dull-eyed salmon lying on ice. Flo landed flat on her back with cabbage leaves in her hair and big, green cabbages under her and lying on her chest. Produce workers ran to her in horror and helped her up. Some falling on the still rolling cabbages and oily salad dressing!
With all the customers and grocery clerks glaring at them, they paid for their groceries and went out to the car to discover Flo had locked her keys inside.
“Flo, I think that cabbage said ‘Hello Boy’ in Spanish to me!”
Upset she had locked her keys into the car, she didn’t even look up at Darach, “Come on boy you know cabbages can’t talk! Just because they were grown in Mexico doesn’t mean they will talk to you in Spanish!” Flo seemed very nervous and anxious. Darach wondered why she didn’t want him to discuss a talking cabbage.
Flo was digging into her large, duffle-bag-sized pocketbook. “Now, where is that chicory?”
“What is chicory?” asked Darach, still mumbling. Flo found a red, velvet bag and opened it and pulled out several petals of dried blue flowers. She placed the herb against the key hole on the car door and whispered something under her breath. Darach heard a loud click; the car doors were unlocked! “How did you do that?” asked the astonished boy.
“Oh, the flowers helped lube the lock for the other key to work,” mumbled Flo shoving the red, velvet bag back into her huge purse. The same moment their car door unlocked, several alarms of cars in the parking lot started sounding! People from the store rushed out to the parking lot to see if their cars were being stolen.
Darach sat silently in the car, confused and bewildered, thinking about flying pine cones, Spanish speaking cabbage, and opening car doors with dried flower petals.
(Copyright R. L. Patterson; Chapter One of 415 Raspberry Picket and the Seven Sacred Seeds is presented on this page by the consent of author.)
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