Piper's Dream

“Piper, bring me that basket. Yes, that one. Good. Now follow me and help me get these herbs in to dry.” Her grandmother GG called to her from the middle of the garden. The sun was filtering through the trees in beautiful golden rays. Her large, floppy hat hid her grey curls; but her pale green eyes shown with laughter. Even the lines of aging could not dull her vivacious nature.

Grabbing the large woven basket Piper headed into the large garden. The heat of the summer pressed into her skin until she reached the rows and the raised beds made some of the plants tower over her small frame. The shadows they threw over her were chilly fingers she ran through. Her bare feet sank into the warm earth, grounding her. The smell of fresh mint and basil mixed with the bitter bite of ripening tomatoes.

“Piper where are you?” her GG called, “Hurry up now.” Piper hurried her steps to find her. Turning the corner Piper stopped in her tracks when she found the row empty.

“GG?” Piper’s voice came out in a quiet question, then grew into a frantic call, “GG! Where did you go?” She started to run, finding the end of the row, and turning down the next. No GG. The basket hit the soil as she ran faster. Turn after turn the garden had morphed into a maze and Piper could not find her way out, she couldn’t find GG.

“GG!” Piper was shouting now, panic in her voice and tears cutting hot tracks down her cheeks.

Piper woke with a start, tears streaming down her face. The dream fading from her mind but the heartbreak and panic staying with her. The memory of the last time she had seen her grandmother twisted into a nightmare. The thin blanket covering her in the group home barely keeping the chill off her slim frame. It had been four years since she had known the freedom of that marvelous garden and the joy of GG’s infectious laughter. Four long, miserable years.

Listening to the sound of the other girls sleeping, she decided it was still early morning. The rough linen sheets scratched at her skin as she rolled trying to find some comfort in the firm cot. She had never known her parents, but GG had stepped in and raised her in sunshine and love as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The faint scent of fresh herbs teased her memory, and she missed the garden where GG loved to spend her afternoons. The herbs hanging to dry all over the house and porch had seemed so natural, like decorations. She had not known they lived a strange life until it was over.

It had been her last afternoon with GG that her dream had twisted from. That evening after gathering the herbs with GG she had headed over to the neighbors to share some of the fresh cut herbs. Dropping bundles was her evening routine before dinner and she had been hurrying to return. Coming down the long dirt drive she had an eye on the blooming marigolds lining the drive. They would be ready to cut tomorrow and that would round out the baskets for the market that week. That was before she noticed the heavy wooden door hanging ajar. Before she had found her GG missing, and eventually presumed dead.

A lump settled in Piper’s throat, making it hard to swallow the tears. She still had hope that GG would show up at the group home and take her back home. One day. She closed her eyes and did her best to sleep. Hours ticked by slowly as she tossed and turned, sleep evading her. At last she heard footsteps coming, then the lights were flipped on unceremoniously.

“Wake-up call!” The floor manager called. She was one of the older girls who would be getting out on her own soon. Piper hadn’t bothered to remember her name. Martha? Margery? It didn’t matter as another girl would take her place once she moved on. Just as she had replaced the last.

Piper slipped out of bed quickly, the tears and lack of sleep making her eyes feel full of grit and swollen. She hurried toward the showers make sure she didn't get a cold shower. She was counting on some hot water to wake her up and help her feel human today.

“Piper, see the front office before breakfast.” The floor manager (Mary?) called out as she was almost to the bathroom door. Her hand rested on the doorknob in hesitation, but she pushed forward into the locker room-style bathroom. Whatever the front office needed her for could wait until after a shower.

Hair still damp and clothed in misfitting hand-me-downs, she walked up to the front office. The bland tile floor and off-white walls feeling cold and institutional. Once she reached the metal grate that covered the window to the office she hesitated nervously before ringing the bell. She had been here for four years and had never been called up here. The front office is where friends and family could visit the girls who were only here for a little while and leave notes or presents. Those girls still had friends and family and were just passing through as their family got their problems resolved. There weren’t any visitors for orphans who would be here until they turned 18.

Piper pressed the bell firmly and an elderly woman came around the corner. The little lady gave her a surprised look. “Yes?” She asked curtly.

“Um, I was told to come up here before breakfast.” She answered. It was clear she had no idea who she was. “My name’s Piper.”

“Oh yes, I have a package for you, hold on.” She disappeared around the backside of the office again and Piper stood stunned. Package? Who could be sending her a package? She didn’t have anyone in this world.

Coming back around the corner and moving with a swinging gait the elderly woman placed a small package wrapped in plain brown paper through the lower opening in the grate. It was simply tied with a brown string, the rectangular shape fitting in two hands easily. Hands trembling Piper reached forward and gently touched the crisp paper. “You’re sure it’s for me?” She asked. The package was a blank brown and she didn’t see any lettering or tags to identify it.

“Yes girl, it got dropped off this morning. The only information was ‘This is for Piper’ so it must be for you.” She answered. “Hurry up and get down to breakfast now.”

Piper clutched the plain package to her chest and turned away from the window. Her mind was swirling with questions. Was it a coincidence she had dreamed of GG the night before this mysterious package arrived? The small package was heavy for its size and Piper could feel the firm corners pressing the paper into crisp lines.

Instead of heading to the cafeteria for breakfast, she headed back to her cot. Sitting on the edge she cradled the package and slowly slid the rough string loose. Pulling one cornerback at a time she revealed a hint of dark wood. She slowly removed the paper, careful to fold it, and set it aside. She revealed a beautifully polished box with a gold inlay Marigold pressed into the center of the lid. The cool smooth sides slid like silk under Pipers fingers. She didn’t see a latch anywhere, but as she turned it over, she could feel something sliding around inside. Puzzled she picked up the plain paper it was wrapped in and looked it over again. Nothing. Not a single clue as to who would have sent this beautiful box to her.

The room was eerily silent without the other girls and goosebumps rose on Pipers' arms as ran her fingers over every inch of the smooth silky wood. Once she had checked the sides and bottom of the box she turned it back to the front. The golden marigold seemed to sparkle against the dark contrast of the wood. It drew her attention to the shape of the marigold. It caught the light in the looping curls that almost looked like tiny woven G's as she turned the box this way and that catching the light. Gently she ran a finger over it, reminiscing on her dream and the marigolds growing in the driveway. She had never really thought of them before, even though they had lined the length of GG’s driveway for as long as she'd walked down its path.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed as she felt a sharp pinch. Abruptly the lid loosened with a sharp click, and Piper almost dropped it in surprise. She placed her injured finger in her mouth to stop the small drop of blood that had risen from the center of her fingertip. Golden sparks seemed to escape, sparkling and burning out in a wink. Piper blinked rapidly, “Must be the sun catching the dust.” she thought.

Carefully she lifted the lid and peaked at the mysterious contents. It appeared to be an odd deck of cards. They were longer than they were wide fitting to the edges as if the box were crafted just to hold them. The back was facing up, and they were the fanciest cards she had ever seen. The pattern was simple and geometric but in the center a gold flake marigold caught the eye matching the box. Piper did not know a lot about cards, but these seemed expensive. Too expensive to be sent to an orphan. She tipped the box and the deck fell into her open hand. The cards seemed warm to the touch and they had a texture as if they had been painted by hand. The face of the top card displayed a beautiful young woman that sat on a throne-like chair. She held a golden hand mirror in one raised hand and cradled a small child in the other. Her chin was tilted up with a powerful air and her eyes drew Pipers. They were the beautiful pale green that had shown in her dreams. They seemed to flash out from the painted face on the card, almost alive. When Piper looked closer, she saw the shape of the marigolds pressed into the back of the small mirror. Beneath the woman, the words “The Empress” were clearly printed in matching gold flake.

Piper had seen only a few pictures of GG as a young girl, but the resemblance was obvious in the mysterious card. Piper sat the box aside to flip through all the beautiful images on the cards. Each one was different and painted to perfection. Swords, cups, wands, pentacles, and others that puzzled her. The cards stayed surprisingly warm as she flipped through them, the paint soft against her fingertips. As she went to place them back in the wooden box, she noticed a small inscription burned into the bottom where the cards rested. Squinting, she saw two G’s intertwined, then underneath them, it read “Trust The Cards.”

“GG?” Her breath caught. It wasn’t possible. Four miserable and lonely years had gone by. The town had even put on a small funeral when she was officially presumed dead.

“Piper you’re late to breakfast!” A girl's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, and she jumped. Shoving the cards back into the box and closing it with a sharp click she hurriedly tucked the box into her clothes bin under her bed. The floor manager (Merry?) came into the room and gave her disapproving glare. Piper meekly headed toward the cafeteria. Her mind swirling with hope for the first time since that fateful day.

Maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t an orphan after all.

To be continued…

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