Inside the Hollow Tree

by Laurel Veil

  “I see Ty has a car now. Did the low life steal it?”

  My heart raced when I turned around and saw Daisy, Hazel and Angela looking back at me.

  “It’s mine,” I snapped.

  “All I know is you guys better not be going anywhere. My mom said you better have your butts in school.”

  “I didn’t think your mom really cared.”

  She made a disgusted face and Hazel and Angela snorted. “She doesn’t. But, she said if you don’t want her to report you as missing, you better go to school and not cause in trouble. She can keep getting her money and you guys can live wherever the hell you want. Got it?”

  I nodded and they walked away giggling. I paid with the money Ty had given me and headed to the car where he was waiting.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as he helped me put the bags in the trunk.

  “I ran into Daisy and her sidekicks,” I said. I gave him the run down as we headed back to my house.

  “Well, I didn’t plan on getting your mom until this evening, when it’s dark. Let’s just go to school so Alice doesn’t cause any problems.”

  We put the groceries away and headed to school in the car. We would’ve been late if we had to walk.

  Ty parked and when I went to get out, he grabbed my arm. I couldn’t breathe when I looked at him. “I’ll meet you at our tree at lunch, OK?”

  I nodded because I couldn’t speak.

  ◆◆◆

  Ty never showed at lunch. I searched for his face, every time I walked down a hall. I felt like a zombie as I tried to make it through the rest of the day. After my last class, I rested against the building out front and waited for him. I felt myself growing more anxious by the minute.

  “He’s not here.” Daisy said with a smirk.

  My heart thumped as I quickly scanned the lot for my mom’s car. Was she right? I tried not to let my doubt show. When I realized that the car was gone, the thought that I had tried not to let myself think, took over—he stole my mom’s car. What was I thinking? Why didn’t I take the keys? I barely knew him. I thought about how he’d grabbed my arm that morning before we’d gotten out of the car. Could he tell the way he made me feel? Is that why he grabbed my arm, looked at me that way and told me he would meet me by our tree? He had me so distracted, so flustered, taking the keys from him was the last thing on my mind. It was the same way he had distracted Daisy the night we left. I felt so stupid.

  “So, let me get this straight,” said Daisy. “He left you…with your own car?” Hazel and Angela were already laughing. “Classic. What an idiot.”

  I went back inside the school and hid in the restroom. I didn’t want Daisy to know she’d upset me and I wanted to make sure she was gone before I went back outside and rechecked the parking lot.

  I waited about twenty minutes before heading out. I prayed the entire way to the parking lot, that Ty would be sitting by the curb waiting on me, but he wasn’t. He was definitely gone, and so was my mom’s car.

  I was an idiot. I barely knew Ty and I let him take the keys to my mom’s car. If she ever got better, she was going to kill me. As I walked to my house, I tried not to think about how I was never going to get my mom out of that stupid nursing home. I wasn’t brave enough to do something like that by myself. I wasn’t even brave enough to have the idea—Ty had been. As I got closer to my house I wished liked crazy that my mom’s car would be sitting in the driveway. I almost cried when I saw that it wasn’t.

  Maybe it was parked inside the garage. I closed my eyes and made a wish. When I opened my eyes and peeked in the side door, I felt dizzy when I saw that it wasn’t there.

  Numbly, I walked into the house. I knew Ty had been too good to be true. Maybe he wasn’t even real. Maybe he was just a figment of my desperate imagination. My subconscious had finally decided I would never save myself so it sent me “Ty” to rescue me. I saw the ashes in the fireplace. Did that make him real? No, I could’ve built that myself. I saw our blankets stacked neatly on the couch. I picked up his pillow and inhaled.

  Tears poured from my eyes. I could smell him. Still clutching the pillow, I let myself sink into the couch. I couldn’t believe he would steal from me. And how could he lie to me about my mom?

  ◆◆◆

  Something loud woke me. One of my neighbor’s must have been edging, but it sounded awfully close, like it was coming from the backyard. I looked out the back window. Someone was in my garden!

  “Hey!” I screamed over the noise of the weed whacker that was being wielded about. The man turned around, removed his sunglasses and placed them on the brim of his ball cap.

  “You’re up,” he said.

  I was stunned. “Ty, I—”

  “What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I shook my head.

  “Listen, I’m sorry that you had to walk home. Someone reported me to the office.”

  “Reported you?”

  “Yeah, for showing up in a car that doesn’t have a school parking sticker.”

  “Someone happened to notice my mom’s car in that gigantic lot?”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure we know who it was.”

  “Daisy. She’s so evil.”

  He nodded, “Or Jacob, take your pick. Anyway, before they could give me any grief about the fact that it didn’t belong to me and how did I get it—I ran. I had planned on coming back to pick you up, but the tire I put air in this morning, went flat.”

  “Oh, no.” I felt guilty for assuming the worst about him. I promised myself I would never let Daisy get inside my head again.

  “It’s all good. I finally got it fixed, just not soon enough. I’m really sorry.” He looked up shyly through his bangs and gave me an apologetic smile.

  He made my stomach tickle. “It’s OK. Really,” I said and I meant it.

  “Anyway, when I got home, you were asleep, so I thought I would come out here and clean up the garden. You know, like Jack said.”

  I peeked around him. “How long was I asleep? Wow, Ty, it looks great!” I smiled even more when I noticed how his chest puffed up with pride.

  I went to take a closer look. My hand trembled with anticipation as I reached for the ancient looking latch. When I stepped through the entrance, the familiar sound of crunching gravel beneath my feet settled my nerves. Large stepping stones looked like islands in the river of tiny rocks.

  I slowly spun around. “I can’t believe how much survived!” I inhaled the sweet fragrance the roses were emitting into the evening air. Other flowers were blooming too, whose names I didn’t even know. The herbs looked green and healthy and the tree limbs that made a canopy in the back of the garden had traces of fruit. “You know, it never seems to matter what time of year it is, this garden doesn’t obey the seasons. It produces what it wants, when it wants. I could always find just enough of whatever I was looking for. If I wanted a single apple to eat or enough to make a pie, that’s how much I would find. Not even the dead of winter was ever an obstacle. It’s like this place is enchanted.” Ty listened intently. “One time—actually it was right before my dad took off. I knew it wasn’t the right time of year for oranges, but I was really craving one, so I went to look. And, I found ten! When I brought them inside my mom was thrilled! She told me that my dad had lost his appetite and she was afraid he was coming down with a cold. She’d just been thinking she should make him some fresh squeezed juice.”

  Ty smiled.

  “Since my mom and I don’t have a good relationship, I don’t have very many happy memories. But that, is a great memory.” I sighed. “She was always doing thoughtful stuff like that for my dad. Collecting fresh ingredients from our garden and cooking for him.”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment as he stared at the eclectic orchard. “It looks like there’s enough fruit here, we won’t have to worry about earning money for groceries for a while. Heck, we could maybe even sell some of it.”

  “See what I mean?” I laughed. “Come on, I want
to show you my favorite tree. It’s in the back of the garden. I don’t even know what kind it is.”

  It was shorter than the other trees, so it was well hidden, but its base was enormous. It was covered in a thick, dark bark that reminded me of the Sequoias I’d once seen in a book. Ty followed me as I walked around to the backside of the tree. “Whoa,” he said, as he admired the hole in the trunk. It was large enough for us to step inside.

  “I used to play in there when I was a kid.”

  “This is awesome,” said Ty.

  “Oh, look." I pointed. "Lightning bugs!” I watched as they flickered in and out of the herbs.

  “That means it’s getting late—and it’s time to go get your mom.”

  “And bring her home.” My heart was full.

  He nodded. I got lost in his stare for a moment as more and more fireflies swirled around us.

  5.

  We eased into a parking spot. I inhaled and exhaled long exaggerated breaths to try and calm my nerves. I was excited and terrified.

  Ty looked at me. “We can do this.”

  I nodded and we got out of the car. We walked quickly to a cluster of shrubs and hid as we waited for a small group of women to walk by. Once they turned the corner, we darted toward my mom’s patio and crouched behind some large potted plants.

  “Open the door as quietly as you can, and just enough to peek around the curtain to make sure she’s alone,” said Ty.

  I did what he said, and quickly jerked my head back outside. “There’s a nurse in there!” I whispered as I ran back to hide behind the plants.

  We waited for maybe ten minutes, but it felt more like an hour. Finally, we heard the nurse say goodnight before switching off the lamp. Perfect! I thought as we smiled at one another. But then, the curtain suddenly whipped back and the nurse stepped outside. Ty and I didn’t move a muscle as she briefly scanned the yard. She stepped back inside, and slid the door shut.

  We waited a couple of minutes and then I reached for the handle. Sure enough, it wouldn’t budge. “She locked it,” I said.

  “Go inside and unlock it,” said Ty.

  “But—”

  “Just go. We don’t have a choice. There’s no other way.”

  My heart was pounding. “I think visiting hours are over.”

  “Go check, I’ll wait here.”

  I felt like such a coward when I saw that visiting hours weren’t over and realized that part of me had been hoping that they would’ve been, so I wouldn’t have to go through with Ty’s plan. I wanted my mom. But, I didn’t want to get in trouble. I was scared.

  I stopped by the front desk. Thankfully, no one was there! I pretended to write down my name and then proceeded to my mom’s room. I found some courage when I saw my mom and remembered who I was doing all of this for. A tap at the sliding glass door made me jump.

  I quickly unlocked the door and let Ty inside. Without speaking he got her wheelchair and rolled it next to the bed.

  I gently shook my mom’s arm. “Mom,” I whispered. To my surprise she woke fairly easily. I could tell she recognized me by the smile on her face. “Do you remember Ty?” I knew she understood, because she looked at him then back at me and nodded. I couldn’t believe it! I felt such hope at that moment. “Ty’s going to help me get you outta here, OK?” She nodded again!

  Ty helped me sit her up and I slipped on her robe. “On the count of three,” said Ty and then we eased her into her chair. “Make it look like she’s still in her bed and meet us at the car.”

  I carefully arranged some pillows under her covers and switched off the lights. I was about to go out through the patio, when the door opened and an orderly entered my mom’s room.

  “Oh, uh…she’s asleep already.” I said. My voice sounded off; it was a bit higher than it should’ve been.

  She raised her arms slightly to emphasize the linens she was carrying. “I just needed to drop these off for in the morning.”

  “I can do that for you,” I offered and reached to take the items.

  “I got it.” She looked annoyed. I knew I wasn’t going to change her mind and the best thing I could do was leave and hope she didn’t check on my mom.

  I smiled nervously and quickly headed down the hall. I was relieved to see the car waiting for me at the curb. When I got in, I quietly chanted, “Go! Go! Go!”

  Ty stepped on the accelerator before I even got my seatbelt on. “What took so long?” he asked.

  “I got held up by an orderly.”

  I glanced back at my mom. I thought she already looked like she was feeling better.

  ◆◆◆

  Ty helped me get my mom inside. I was glad I had thought to put fresh sheets on her bed before we left to get her. She looked like a queen as she reclined on several large pillows.

  “It’s a little chilly tonight,” I said as I clicked on her electric blanket. “There. That should keep you warm.” I smiled. “I’ll come and check on you soon.” I sighed as I took in the sight of her laying there. “I’m glad we’re home.” Before I left her side, she reached up and touched my arm.

  “Good…night,” she strained quietly. I was stunned.

  “You’re doing so much better already. I knew you would if we got you out of there. Goodnight, Mom.” I tucked in her blankets around her and turned out all the lights in the house, so she could rest.

  I found Ty outside in the garden sitting in a wooden lawn chair, warming himself next to the stone fire pit my dad had made. Above him, an antique lantern hung from a low limb. It’s soft light brightened the tree’s canopy. I sat in the chair next to him and watched lightning bugs disappear and reappear in and out of the foliage.

  “How’s she doing?” he asked without looking away from the flames.

  “Much better. Just like you thought she would. She spoke.”

  "What?"

  "Yeah, she only said goodnight, but it's the first time she's said anything since her accident."

  We listened to the fire as it crackled and watched it spit out embers into the night.

  “Ty.”

  “Mm hm?”

  “What are we going to do when Willow Bend calls?”

  He sat there a moment. “That’s a good question…a really good question.”

  “Well?”

  “I haven’t actually thought that far ahead.”

  We both gave a little laugh. But I could tell he didn’t think it was funny either.

  “I know. I’m going to tell them that my mom’s sister…Jane, called me and said that she has my mom. That she didn’t say where they were going but that she’s fine.”

  “Aren’t you afraid they’ll turn your aunt’s name over to the police and that they’ll blast her face all over the news for kidnapping?”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t have an aunt. It will buy us some time, and maybe by then my mom will be better and it won’t matter anyway. She can release herself from Willow Bend.”

  Ty nodded. “I think that just might work. How’d you come up with that?”

  I smiled. “I always do my best thinking out here.” “Where ya going?” I asked when he got up.

  “I want to show you something, but the fire’s getting low. I need to get some wood first.”

  “While you do that, I’ll check on my mom and be right back.”

  A few minutes later I returned. “Where are you?" I whispered.

  “Over here.” His hands were full of limbs. “How convenient to have your yard back up into a forest.”

  “And a national forest at that,” I added. “That’s protected land. I won’t have to worry about anyone tearing it down and moving in.” I picked up a few limbs and we walked back to the fire pit.

  “So…what is it you wanted to show me?” I asked.

  He grinned and took a few steps towards the edge of the garden. He knelt for a moment and plugged two electrical cords into one another. Suddenly, there was a glow behind me.

/>   I gasped when I turned around.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  I gasped. He’d wrapped the white lights, from the box in the garage, around some of the trees in the garden. “It’s magical,” I said in a breathless whisper. “We could have a wedding out here. I—I mean not we. But, It’s pretty enough for something like that.”

  “We could have a helluva party for sure.” He grinned mischievously.

  We made our way back to the fire pit and took a seat. I prodded the coals with a stick and enjoyed the warmth that came when the fire kicked up.

  Ty leaned back and looked at the sky. “This was a nice way to spend a Friday night.”

  “Star gazing?”

  “Kidnapping.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  He chuckled. He had a low, pleasant laugh. I let my eyes linger on him.

  “What?” he asked.

  "Nothing." I quickly began stoking the fire again. I was glad my cheeks were already warm so that he couldn’t tell that he’d made me blush again.

  Just then a stick snapped from somewhere close in the forest. We looked at each other and then into the darkness. More sounds came, like footsteps on crisp leaves.

  Ty and I stood at the same time. He pulled me to his side. To our horror, a dark figure stepped to the edge of the woods. It was a shadow being, like from the other day. I put my arms around Ty and clung onto him, the way Jackson had hung onto me.

  “Who are you?” demanded Ty. “What do you want?”

  The shadow went to take a step onto my family’s property but then stopped abruptly, as if it had hit an invisible wall. It attempted once more and then turned and disappeared into the night.