The Tree and the Tablet (The St. James Chronicles Book 1)

by Kathryn O'Brien

  The sun took that opportunity to move itself from behind a cloud which blinded me from the amazing view I was gazing upon. My hand instinctively flew up to shield my eyes from the blinding sun. When I gained the ability to see again, he was gone. No, nooooooo! Why? Glancing both ways for traffic, my feet took over with a mind of their own and propelled me across the street to where I’d seen him. Running into the shops and looking around, it was as if he’d vanished. My heart dropped. It was probably just my imagination again.

  As my eyes dropped to the curb, I ran my fingers through my hair in disappointment. Something caught in my vision and I noticed right at my feet was the very same black feather wrapped in a leather thong and adorned with a turquoise and silver setting. Reaching down, I gathered the beautiful necklace to me. It wasn’t a dream. He had to be real. Looking around again, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, he was still not visible.

  I decided that I’d leave my name and number with the lady in the shop directly in front of me just in case he decided to come back and look for it. It just had to be his. As I exited the store, I looked at my phone to see the time, it was getting late. Just as I looked up from my phone, a raven swooped down and grabbed it right out of my hand. As I ran after it, I yelled loudly, “Stop, you thief!” It flew straight up, swiftly disappearing from sight. Standing there with my hand shielding my eyes, I just shook. Anger coursed through me. Damn birds. If they aren’t haunting my dreams and my house, they’re stealing my phone. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided I’d just go get another phone tomorrow.

  I stopped to pick up Peanut on the way home. She looked adorable with her little red bow in her hair. When we got to the house, I let Peanut outside and walked back to my bedroom to freshen up before dinner. Deciding to put the feather necklace on my dresser next to the raven feather from the morning, I reached to set the necklace down and noticed the other feather was gone. Wondering where it had gotten off to, I looked around for it, but it was nowhere to be seen. How odd? Did I dream it? I think I'm going crazy. No. I promised myself that I wasn't going to over analyze this stuff. Shaking my head, I walked toward the bed. As I turned to sit on the bed and remove my shoes, I saw the feather on my pillow.

  Startled, I looked around half expecting to see some apparition. Picking it up and looking at it as if I suspected it would jump out of my hand and start running around the room I said softly, “Alright, this isn't funny.” Slowly turning back toward the dresser, I set the feather next to the necklace. It seemed as if the two feathers were magnetic. When I placed the feather next to the necklace, the two were drawn together by some invisible force. So strange!

  Oh, well, I don't have time for this, I need to get ready to go to Sherri’s for dinner. The doorbell rang and I just about jumped out of my skin. Laughing at myself and my ridiculous musings, I went to the front door to see who was there. Upon opening the door, there was a short, stocky, but burly looking gentleman standing there with a clipboard. His jacket said, Lifetree, Inc. Founded in Estes Park, Colorado. Just behind him stood the most beautiful fifteen-foot-tall dogwood tree in full bloom of beautiful pink flowers. That was odd. Dogwoods don't usually bloom in winter and two-year-old Dogwoods aren’t fifteen feet. tall.

  He cleared his throat. “Are you Margaret St. James?” My head involuntarily nodded as I continued to gaze curiously at the tree. “I have your sister’s ash-pod tree here.” Looking back toward it and then back at me he asked, “Where d’you want it?”

  Chapter Ten

  After giving it some thought, I decided to place the tree about fifteen feet from the back of the left side of the deck toward the center-left of the yard. The gentleman made a large production of marking the spot and testing the wind with a wetted finger. After this, he stood back and looked over the spot and tried to visualize the placement. He said this was to determine if the tree would be happy in its placement. It was everything I could do not to start giggling at him.

  Not wanting to have to do the work myself, I just sat by and watched him with a twinkle in my eye and laughter barely bursting beneath my interested and calm facade. After listening to him carry on mumbling under his breath for a bit about proper placement of the tree, I calmly interrupted, “Just so you know, I’m an arborist.” He stopped his mumbling as I continued, ‘I think this is firstly, my yard and secondly, that I, being a tree specialist, would know where a dogwood tree, cornus-florida, would prefer to be placed.” Having stated the last part and thrown in the scientific name of the tree for good measure, I quietly waited for the information to sink in.

  Raising his eyebrows skeptically at me and looking at the tree again, he said, “Well, excuse me but I think this tree is very special. Not every tree I deliver is this large or in full bloom in winter.”

  “Oh, I totally agree with you on that. I’m not sure what happened but this is definitely not a two-year-old tree.”

  “Yup, I think you got the one the boss was saving for himself by accident.”

  Slightly startled by this news, I wondered, “Maybe we should send it back?”

  “No, ma’am.” He exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at me. “That’s not allowed. Once a tree’s been placed with its pod in the receptacle, there’s no return unless the tree dies.” He laughed raucously at that and mumbled something under his breath.

  What a strange little man. Peanut kept barking at the poor guy, so I had to lock her up in her kennel, which she hated. While the gentleman, whose name I discovered through our witty discourse as being Bobby Roberts of Broomfield, Colorado, was digging the hole for the tree, I remembered the dream I’d had in Denver of Andrea. Slipping into my room, I went to my safe to retrieve the amulet so I could place it in the hole before the tree was planted. It almost seemed as if it were pulsing in my hand.

  On my way out to the back yard, having glanced at the clock on the wall, I noticed it was almost 6:30 pm and decided to take a minute to call Sherri so she wouldn’t worry. David picked up the phone. An exaggerated “Hello,” met my ears.

  “Hey, Dave. I…”

  “Hold on a minute.” In the background I heard, “Sweetie, it’s Maggie. Here, I gotta check the ribs.”

  Laughter was followed by, “Hi, hun. Sorry I didn’t answer the phone. I must not have your home number programmed. Thought you were one of those weirdos that’s been calling lately.”

  “Yeah, I called you from the home phone because a stupid raven flipping swooped down and stole my phone today.” I chuckled.

  “What?!? You're joking.”

  “No, I’m not. Little jerk flew down while I was on Bay street and took my phone right out of my hand. I’ve never seen anything like it.” My laughing started again as I remembered my antics in the street. “Oh. My. God. I think I actually chased after him and called him a thief. I must’ve looked like a crazy woman.”

  Her echoing enjoyment met my ears, “Oh, Maggie. What are you going to do?”

  “I guess I’ll call the cell phone provider and see if this is covered under my insurance. But right now, I have other issues to deal with.”

  “Really, what’s up?” Her voice sounded suddenly less joyful and more concerned.

  “Everything’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting Andrea’s tree to arrive today.”

  “Is it there now?”

  “Yeah, I was getting ready to head over to your place when the tree guy showed up. It's kinda weird though, the tree is huge, and the guy is kinda off, if you know what I mean. But I think he’s overall harmless.” Just then, Bobby traipsed across the yard and flung his hands up in the air animatedly as he appeared to be talking to himself. Shaking my head, I watched him pace back and forth a couple times while he was clearly talking but I couldn’t make out anything he was saying. Leaning sideways, I couldn’t see anyone else out there. Maybe he was talking to the tree? Sherri was chatting away on the other end of the line, but I wasn’t paying attention, so I missed it, “I’m sorry, sweetie. I think I should go see if this guy needs help.”

 
; “Oh, okay. Are you gonna make it over?”

  “Well, I’m thinking probably not.”

  “Do you want me to send Dave over to keep an eye on things?” Concern was laced between her words as the pitch of her voice sounded a little deeper.

  “No, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, I have bear spray. It works great! You know…for those long walks in the woods and funny little men planting trees.” I chuckled.

  A short burst of laughter met my joke followed by a more intense, “Seriously, though. Please be careful. If you want, why don’t you just let Kelsey stay again tonight since they’re having so much fun.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, I’d really love to have her home with me. I miss her so much.” Sighing, I asked, “How’s she doing?”

  “She’s fine. She already asked if she could stay over again anyway.”

  “Really? I wish I knew why she wanted to stay away. What do you think is going on with her?”

  “I’m not certain. She seems like she’s confused or upset but won’t open up with me or Dave. I was going to wait until you came over for dinner and see if we could get her to talk a bit about her feelings.”

  “I just wish I could get inside her little brain and help her. Has she had any episodes with the bird over there?”

  “No, not at all.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You know, Maggie, this is big for her, I’m sure she’ll talk about it when she’s ready. If you want to come get her, I’ll get her ready for you.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to push her. I know she loves me, but I don’t understand why she doesn’t want to be here.” Even in my own ears, I sounded whiney.

  “I’m sorry, honey. You know, the boys really struggled a lot when they came to live with me and Dave. They kept wanting to go to their friend’s homes rather than stay here with us. Looking back on it, I remember when we asked why, they said that they didn’t want to hurt their mom by loving us too much. Kids do things for the darndest reasons.”

  “Oh, I remember that.” Glancing out the window, I could see Bobby talking to the hole and laughing up to the sky. What an odd character. “Do you think that’s what’s going on with her? She’s just not sure how to handle it? I mean, you don’t think it’s this whole business with the bird, do you?”

  “It could be. Listen, give me a call after everything's done and let me know what you want to do. If you want her to stay tonight, it’s really no trouble since Dave wants to go pick up the boat tomorrow anyway. The forecast calls for clear weather too.”

  Thinking about it for a moment, I asked hopefully, “Can I talk to Kelsey?”

  “Let me see where she is.” Sherri set her phone down and I could hear her in the background calling to Kelsey. “Kelsey, your Aunt is on the phone. Can you come and talk to her?”

  “No, that’s okay. I’m gonna play.”

  “But she’s gotta go and won’t be able to come to dinner.”

  “Okay. Tell her I’ll see her later. I’m gonna go play now.” A squeak of hope in her voice, she asked, “Did you ask her if I could stay for a sleepover again?”

  “She said yes, but you really need to talk to her. She loves you bunches and would really like to hear your voice.”

  The “yes” was followed by a squeal of happiness but her voice quickly became impatient again. “I have to go potty. Tell her I’ll call later.”

  Sherri picked up the phone. “I’m sorry hun, not sure how much of that you heard, but she had to go to the bathroom and said she’ll call you later.”

  Glancing down at the small satchel in my hand, I recalled that I was supposed to bury the darn thing. My heart felt heavy, but I needed to go deal with Bobby and the amulet. A sense of urgency took me over and I responded, “Yeah, alright. I’ll just let her stay the night again, I’ll get her tomorrow when you bring her home. I have to go though. Love you.”

  “Okay. Love you, too. Don’t worry, honey. It’ll be fine.” She tried to sound chipper for me.

  “I’m sure you’re right.” The sadness creeped into my thoughts, but I tried to sound positive so she wouldn’t worry too much, “If she wants to call, that’s fine, otherwise, I’ll try to call later. I’m feeling kinda wiped. If I don’t get ahold of you, I’ll see you tomorrow. Tell her I love her and have fun.”

  “Alright. Call if you need me.”

  “I will, Bye.”

  “Bye,” she said. As I hung up the phone, I glanced through the kitchen window to the view of Bobby returning to attempt to move the tree next to the hole for burial, I moved toward the door. Odd that I thought of it as a burial rather than a planting. He limped away again.

  Setting the portable phone on the dining room table, I went out to the back yard. Hearing his voice still in the front yard, I made my way to the opening in the earth wondering briefly if he would be able to plant the massive tree without help. Glancing skyward, I thought toward the heavens, “I hope you’re right,” briefly wondering if I was doing the right thing. Making up my mind to follow my gut, and the apparition, I dropped the amulet in the hole still encased in its satchel. Getting down on all fours, I covered it quickly with some loose dirt. It worked out well because the satchel blended with the dark, rich soil. Getting to my feet, I inspected the base of the tree which was wrapped in some sort of biodegradable purplish skin that seemed to glow, appearing iridescent. The day seemed suddenly gloomy in comparison to the bright hues reflected in the material. Briefly, I wondered where the ashes were. Weirdly, as I put my hand gently against the base material, I could feel a pulsing sensation through the covering. Gasping, I quickly pulled my hand away and jumped back from the odd feeling. Don’t lose it now. It's just a tree. There’s no way it has a heartbeat.

  Bobby came around the corner from the side yard at that moment and startled me. Squinting his eyes at me suspiciously, he asked, “Everything okay here?”

  At a loss for words, I mutely nodded in his direction. “I’ve never seen such a wrapping before,” pointing to the roots.

  His eyes widened slightly for a split second, but he responded with a soft chuckle, “Oh, that?” He leaned over and wrapped his arms around the trunk of the tree just above the soil and hefted with all his might, steadily moving the tree closer to the opening. “That’s a new product meant to protect the roots.” Standing up from his labor, he huffed a couple times and said, “I forgot the organic planting mix. Be right back,” and with an awkward turn, he started back toward the gate muttering to himself animatedly, “Gotta go get the “special” dirt for the tree,” his fingers made invisible quotations in the sky as he spoke and swiftly made his way to his truck.

  He returned shortly. As he spread handfuls of a green-hued substance, I queried, “What’s in that, I've never seen anything like it used before.”

  His response was a bout of crazy sounding laughter. He stopped suddenly and shrugged his shoulders, “It’s just a compost mix with vitamins and nutrients to help the tree take root.” At my skeptical look, he said, “It’s new, specially formulated for tree pods.” Figuring that would shut me up, he gently maneuvered the tree into its resting place.

  Casually remarking on the great effort it took for him to put the tree in the ground, “You’d think that for a tree that size, they would’ve sent two guys or a skip loader to take care of planting.”

  An abrupt, “Yup,” was the only response as he completed the job, filling in the sides, watering, then completing the fill-in, complete with a final tamping and moisturizing with the hose. It was getting darker by the minute. Turning to me, he said, “There you go ma'am.” He turned back to the tree and looking like a puffed-up rooster proud of his conquest, he put out his chest and whistled through his teeth. “Yes, ma’am, that’s a beaut.” He turned, and grabbing his paperwork off the deck, said, “Well, my work is done. I’d best be on my way. Merry Christmas to you and that little girl!”

  Shocked, I started to think back about our prior conversation, trying to remember if I’d told
him that Kelsey lived with me or that I had any children. How did he know that? He smiled, winked at me, then turned on his heel and made a funny salute, where he placed his hand on his heart and then moved it in a figure eight movement, then straight out to a third Reich type salute toward the tree. Turning on his heel, he hobbled his way through the side gate.

  Calling out after him, “Thank you.”

  A wave behind his head in my direction was his reply. Funny little man. As soon as I was sure he was out of ear shot, I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was the funniest thing I had seen all day.

  Taking a moment to admire the tree, I realized that I didn't receive any paperwork from Bobby confirming the delivery of the tree or what to do if there was a problem. Hoping to catch him before he made it out of the driveway, I walked briskly for the front door by cutting straight through the house. Peanut took that opportunity to protest her placement in the kennel for the billionth time. Turning my head toward the hallway, talking to her on my way through, I responded with, “I know, I know! Just a minute!” Reaching out, grasping the knob, and opening the front door, my mouth fell open as I saw that the truck and strange little man were both long gone. Well, that was quick! Staring toward the street, I remembered I’d gotten a brochure from Mr. Jacobs so I’d just have to contact the company on Monday since it was Friday and already too late to call.

  Shrugging, I turned and closed the door, locking the dead bolt. Peanut was soon released from her prison. Wine...Yes, that was a good idea. Purposefully, I went to the kitchen to obtain a glass and choose a bottle of my favorite blackberry merlot. What a crazy day. Normally, I would have dinner first, but I just wasn't hungry.

  Peanut had already made her way into the back yard through the open French doors. She stood at the base of the tree cocking her head from side to side as if she were listening to something. I could just make out her silhouette in the flickering lights on the deck. That was an odd behavior. Wandering over to the French doors, flicking the switch, the flood lights enhanced the ever-darkening view. The sun was setting which provided a very small amount of natural light. The tree seemed to glow in the soft hues of pink provided by the sunset. It was a little creepy looking.