The Secret Garden of Ravenwood

Chapter 10: The Family Curse

Avery couldn't stop thinking about everything she had learned about her family's past, the good and all of the bad. It was as if a veil had been lifted, and she was seeing everything with new eyes. The rose-tinted glasses were gone, and what was revealed was a family history that she was determined to right. But there was still so much she didn't know, so many unanswered questions.

Day after day for the next two weeks, Avery found herself spending more and more time in the garden. It felt like it was futile, searching for clues and answers even though she didn't know where to begin. The clock was ticking until the summer was over, and now she had a mere two weeks left before her mother will come back to pick her up.

She was getting more and more frustrated, moving down the garden paths. The more time she spent in the garden, the more she felt that it was alive. But she cursed herself for being so stupid, of course it was alive, there were flowers blooming and the trees were healthy again. But she couldn't help feeling that the garden was its own being, like t was sentient.

One day when frustrations were high, Avery picked a random path in the garden and followed it. As she made her way down it, she realized that this path that she had taken many times before was different. The normally cracked stone was now in pristine condition as it looped her toward the trees. It was there at the end of this path that she stumbled upon a hidden garden bench, tucked away in a secluded corner of the garden.

She could have sworn that she had been in this part of the garden before, multiple times in fact, but yet this was completely new. The bench was wooden, and they had gotten rid of all of them because they were old and rotted. This bench was new and pristine, tucked away under the thriving trees where the leaves randomly fell, swirling in the wind as it blew away.

As she sat down on the bench, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. The skin on the back of her neck prickled and stood on edge as she glanced around, finding herself alone. The wind blew softly, like voices in the wind. She looked around again, but there was no one there. Avery was starting to feel more on edge now, her anxiety spiking. Just as she was about to get up and leave, she heard a voice that she had never heard before.

"Hello, Avery."

She jumped to her feet, her heart racing. She turned around wildly to check all around her, but there was still no one there. "Who's there?" she called out, terrified of who may be hiding behind a bush or a tree.

"Relax, Avery," the voice said calmly. "I mean you no harm."

Avery's curiosity got the better of her, she slowly sunk back onto the bench. She wanted to know who was speaking to her, no matter the danger. She had gotten no leads in weeks, even when she was working with Eleanor, so she was going to take this opportunity.

"I am the voice of the garden," the voice said. "And I have been waiting for you."

Avery couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was she going crazy? She pinched herself, thinking that she must be going crazy or that she must be dreaming. Maybe she had fallen asleep on the bench and was having a dream. Either way, she was going to listen to what her dream or the garden was going to say, maybe her dreams would give her good advice on where to find information on the ritual.

Avery asked softly, "What do you mean, the voice of the garden?" She continued to look around, trying to find the voice.

The wind swirled around her, as if the garden was laughing at her, "I am the voice of the garden, I have no one spot that I am contained. I am the entire being, I am the dirt your feet are rested upon, the bench you sit upon, the trees and plants you are surrounded with. I am the wind that flies between your hair, the ladybugs that land on your pants, and the dead leaves that fertilize the soil. You will not find my voice the way you are looking, because there is no place to be found. I am here," Her voice seemed far.