The Abandoned Greenhouse

Chapter 8 (Edited)

It was very dark inside the greenhouse. Almost no light entered through the dirty glass panels. What little she could see was covered in plants. Some of them were full of flowers; some had spikes, but all of them moved around the floor, creeping around like snakes. She tried to break free from the stems, only to find they were gone. Her brothers were nowhere to be seen, but she could hear something rustling.

"Arthur? Lance? Is that you?" Ginny asked, but no one answered.

She got up and, following the walls, tried to explore the greenhouse. It was quite big, and she hesitated, trying to avoid touching the plants.

In one of those tentative steps, she found a hole. She couldn't tell how big it was as it was impossible to distinguish it from the rest of the floor. She kneeled next to it. She was examining the dimensions of the hole when one of the plants graced her leg. She jumped forward and found herself falling into the hole.

One of the plants grabbed her in the air and gently set her down. Inside the hole, she saw a tunnel, and farther away, she could see a gleam of light. She followed it.

The plants became more numerous as she got close to the light. It came to the point where it was impossible to walk without stepping on them, but they didn't seem to mind. The tunnel opened up into a small cave, and the source of the light became visible. It was a bioluminescent mushroom. It was hanging from the ceiling, lighting up the whole room with a warm yellow glow. Inside the cave, a bed leant on one of the walls. Next to it were some bookcases, which were filled with anything but books, and a bedside table. On top of it, a shining object that Ginny recognised as her mother's keys had been hung from the ceiling. A small sofa stood facing away from Ginny.

Her brothers were tucked in the bed, and someone was sitting on the sofa, reading a book to them. She couldn't see who it was, but the voice sounded familiar. Lance listened attentively to the story, and Arthur was gaping at whoever was sitting on the sofa.

Ginny stealthily walked behind the sofa and turned it. A screech filled the cave

"Aaaaah, don't hit me again," screamed the creature, reading the story.

It was ......

"Wait, you are the Wernel."

"Yes, yes, but don't hit me," cried the small creature.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ginny.

"I could ask the same thing. This is my house, you know," said the Wernel, getting offended.

"I was looking for my brothers. The ivy dragged us into the greenhouse."

"Oh yes, yes, Ivy can be a bit forceful. She's just trying to protect you. It's been ages since there has been a kid staying at the house. I had almost forgotten the smell," It said inhaling deeply.

"The smell?" Grimaced Lance, trying to see if he smelled.

"Yes, yes, the smell of innocence," Clarified the Wernel.

"Do you always repeat things twice?" asked Lance, who wasn't bothered at all by the situation.

"No, no, I don't," It said, but thinking a little about his answer, he corrected himself. "I mean, no, I don't," The Wernel laughed awkwardly. Lance giggled.

"See, I had forgotten the sound of giggles. All those adults and not one giggle," The Wernel shook its head in disapproval. Something replaced the Wernel's previous joking behaviour, and he mumbled. "But it's not good you're here; it's the eighth year."

"Wait, you said it was trying to protect us. From what?" Asked Ginny, sitting on the small bed.

"Oh, you shouldn't ask about it. Even the mention of her name brings nightmares to children." The Wernel closed the book and grabbed from the bookcase a mug filled with something. "Do you want some mossy chocolate?"