Inside the Hollow Tree

by Laurel Veil

  Ty and I stood there for a moment. I was in shock. He gave me a gentle nudge. “Let’s get out of here.” Ty blew out the lantern and we ran inside my house and locked the door.

  “What—was—that?” he asked.

  “That’s what Jackson and I saw that day at the park.”

  Just then, a dark figure moved down the hallway.

  6.

  Ty stepped in front of me. I shut my eyes tightly and buried my face in his back.

  “Falon?”

  My eyes popped open and I stepped out from behind Ty. “Mom?” I couldn’t believe it!

  “Yes,” she said in a soft voice.

  I switched on a lamp and hurried to her. “Mom! Oh my gosh! You’re up! And you're talking!”

  We hugged and then I helped her make her way to a comfy chair in the den.

  “What were you doing outside? Were you in the garden?”

  “It’s just like old times.” I laughed. “Don’t worry yourself with all that. Look at you! You’re doing so much better, Mom!”

  She nodded.

  After I told her how much I had missed her, I dove right in and asked her what I had been dying to know. “Mom, who is Ruby?”

  My mom’s eyes flitted to Ty and then back to me.

  “Oh, sorry. This is my friend, Ty. I don't know how much you remember, but you actually met before, in the hospital. It’s because of him that you’re here.”

  She gave a tired smile. “Thank you.” Ty nodded. She turned her attention back to me. “Ruby’s just a friend.”

  I felt some relief, but it didn’t make sense to me that they were friends. “But, Mom—” I could tell my mom’s strength was fading quickly, so I decided not to push, for now.

  Just then, she gasped for air. “Can you breathe, Mom?” It looked like she was struggling. “Are you OK?” Had it been a mistake to bring her here? I began to panic. What if I caused my mom to die! “I shouldn’t have brought you home!”

  “No,” she said with surprising force that caught me off guard. “You did the right thing. I needed to get out of there. I’m feeling better already.” She took a deep breath. “I’m just weak. It’s going to take some time.” Her eyes closed and a moment later she appeared to be in a deep sleep. I listened closely when she began to mumble. I thought I heard her say the word tree.

  I gently shook her. “Mom. Mom, wake up. What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t go,” she said with her eyes still shut.

  “I’m here,” I assured her. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Before going completely silent, she said the word tree again—this time I was certain. Why would she be talking about a tree? The only tree of significance I could think of, was the large, hollow one in our garden. She had just asked me about the garden. I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to go to the garden and have a look around.

  I put my mom’s feet up on the ottoman and covered her with a blanket.

  With a quick nod of my head, I motioned for Ty to follow me.

  “Wait a second. You’re not going back out there are you? Did you forget about that thing in the woods?”

  “It wasn’t able to step foot on our property. Besides, you heard my mom.”

  “Yeah, she said tree and don’t go.”

  “Why would she say that though? I’m curious

  now and—”

  “Falon. Your mom is just rambling. She’s delirious.”

  My shoulders slumped. “I know. You’re probably right.”

  Ty sighed. “Come on. Let’s go check it out. It’ll make you feel better.”

  I instantly perked up. “Thanks.”

  I rummaged through the junk drawer in the kitchen, until I found a flashlight, and then we headed out back. I kept the beam of light on the ground the entire time, even though I heard an owl hooting nearby. I wanted to see if I could spot him, but I was too afraid to shine the light into the forest for fear of seeing the shadow creature again.

  When we reached the garden, we walked straight to the ancient tree.

  “Are you seriously going in there?” Ty asked as we stood in front of the dark, gaping hole of the tree.

  “Come with me.”

  He gave me a weary smile as he held out his hand. I took it and led him inside.

  I shined the light up above and all around us. “Wow!” Ty’s voice made a slight echo as if the tree were made of stone. “This place is even larger than it appears from the outside.”

  I nodded and continued to pan the area with the flashlight. I had no idea what I was looking for or what I was expecting to happen.

  “Wait a second. Go back,” said Ty as he reached for the flashlight.

  My heart skipped. “What is it? What did you see?”

  “I’m not sure.” He aimed the light in the center of the back of the tree. “There! See?”

  “No. What?” I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention.

  “Something is reflecting the light.” Just as he reached to touch it, I saw it—it looked like a tiny fleck of green glitter. We rubbed away most of the filth that had been covering it and an emerald colored oval stone, about the size of my palm, revealed itself. It twinkled in the light.

  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I gasped at its beauty. “I can’t believe this is here,” I said. “I’ve never seen it before.” I placed my hand over it and wished it could tell me how it had gotten there. “Oh my gosh!”

  “What?”

  “It’s getting warm!”

  ◆◆◆

  The last thing I remembered was Ty reaching for me and the sensation that my body was being pulled…

  It wasn't quite as dark now—but it was colder.

  “Ty,” I called out. The only thing I heard in response was the echo of my own voice.

  I cautiously stepped out of the tree. I froze when I saw tall, stone walls covered in ivy. What? I was in a garden, but it wasn’t mine. But how? Did my mom know about this, I wondered? Had this been the real reason all along that she never wanted me going into the garden? The moon didn’t provide much light, but somehow I was still able to see fairly well. It was as if the night wasn’t as dark here in this place. I startled when I heard a splash. To my right was a small pond speckled with lily pads. Frogs that sat hidden on the pond’s bank croaked and I could hear birds in the canopy overhead. Suddenly, all at once, it was eerily silent. I was paralyzed when I saw a thick, almost creamy, white fog roll down the path of the garden toward me.

  From the fog, a wisp of smoke separated itself. In the same way an image in a photograph slowly develops on paper, the face of an angelic creature began to appear. Her long strands of purplish hair floated about her as if she were underwater.

  I wasn’t sure if I should be afraid or not, but something inside of me told me I was safe.

  She squinted as she observed my face, then suddenly smiled. “It’s really you!” Her voice was kind. “You’ve come back.”

  Did I hit my head? Was I dreaming? Was I dead? There was no possible way this could be real. What was happening to me?

  Maybe if I spoke, I would wake up, I thought. “I’m sorry. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

  “I would know you anywhere, Princess Falon.”

  7.

  How did she know my name? I felt light headed. “Excuse me. Did you say, princess?”

  The ghostly creature came closer and encircled me like a ribbon around a maypole. Our noses almost touching, she looked deep into my eyes. As if she had scanned my irises, she confirmed my identity, and floated back from where she had come. “Yes, without a doubt you are she, Princess Falon.”

  “My name is Falon, yes. Falon Miller. But, I am not a princess.”

  “Your surname isn’t Miller, it’s Fawlstar, and it says otherwise. You are a descendent of a royal bloodline.”

  The sound of swiftly moving horse hooves came out of nowhere and stopped abruptly just outside the garden’s wall. The horse whinnied probably
from the reigns being pulled to tightly. “Is someone there?” demanded a husky voice.

  The ghostly creature darted toward me. “Go—it’s not safe!”

  Without hesitation, I stepped back into the tree from which I had just come. Now what? Frantically, I felt all around the inside of the tree. Was there something I needed to touch in order to get back home? Home. I thought about my garden and then suddenly I felt my body being pulled.

  ◆◆◆

  “What the—” Ty said with shock when I appeared out of thin air. “Where were you? What just happened?”

  What did just happen? I hesitated before speaking as I tried to organize my thoughts.

  Ty put his hands on my shoulders. “Are you OK?”

  “Yes. You’re not going to believe it. I think I just traveled to another world. One minute I was here with you inside the tree and the next thing I knew I was in another tree in another garden. And there was this creature—”

  “Creature? Like a shadow?”

  “No.” I described her and explained in detail everything that had happened.

  “Princess? Wait, exactly, how long were you gone?”

  “I don’t know. A half hour maybe. Why? How long was I gone here?”

  “A second—a tenth of a second. You were here. Then you weren’t. Then boom, you were back.”

  “What? This is so crazy! Hey, why don’t you try?” I stepped aside. “I was touching the stone. It felt warm and that’s when it happened.”

  Ty looked hesitant. “OK. Wait—did it hurt?

  I shook my head hastily. I was eager for him to try.

  He slowly reached for the emerald colored stone. He gingerly placed his hand over it and waited. After a minute he looked disappointed and shook his head. “I don’t feel anything. I have to admit, I was afraid at first, but now, I’m disappointed.”

  I wanted him to experience what I had. At the very least, so I would know I wasn’t losing my mind. I reached out and placed my hand on the oval. “It’s getting warm! Quick, grab my hand!”

  We held on to each other as tightly as we could. A moment later, I found myself alone once again inside the strange, new tree. I stepped out just to see if the garden was still there. It was! Before anyone could see me I darted back inside the tree. A moment later, I was stumbling into Ty’s arms.

  “You disappeared again. Did you travel to the same place?”

  “Yes. And, I want to go back there. I feel like I need to. I don’t want to go alone though. I want you to go with me.”

  “If there’s a way, I will.”

  ◆◆◆

  We slept in the den with my mom. She was resting so well, I didn’t want to disturb her and left her resting in the chair.

  Ty laid on one sofa and I on the other. We tossed and turned most of the night. How could we sleep though, after what had just happened?

  When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was that the fire had been restarted. Ty was now stepping back into the den with a glass of water. “Hey,” he smiled at me when he saw that I was awake. “Here ya go,” he handed my mom the glass.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Mom, you’re awake!”

  She took a sip. “Yes, and I’m feeling better. Not one hundred percent, but much better.”

  “I went to the tree last night.” I could feel Ty’s eyes burning through me. I didn’t want her to think I was crazy, but I had to know what she knew.

  “Oh,” she said and then took another sip of water. “What tree?”

  “What tree? The tree, Mom. My tree—In the garden.” I studied her face for a long moment. It was void of expression. Was she suffering memory loss from her accident? “You know, the one I always played in when I was younger?”

  She smiled. “Of course. It’s just that it’s all grown over out there. How did you even manage to find your way to it?”

  I gave Ty a quick smile. “Ty cleaned up the garden. It’s just like it used to be. You should come take a look.”

  My smile slipped from my lips when I looked back at her. She was looking down at her hands as she nervously picked imaginary lent from her blanket. Great. What was I thinking? This was the most coherent my mom had been in months and I was about to push her over the edge with thoughts of my dad. I quickly changed the subject.

  “So, do you want me to call Ruby for you?”

  My mom’s head shot up. “No. Why would I want you to do that?”

  I was taken aback by her response. “Well, you said she was your friend, I just thought she might be worried. That’s all.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’ll call her later myself. I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear the good news.”

  “How do you know her anyway? How come I’ve never met her?”

  “She’s just an old friend from my childhood. I’m sure I’ve mentioned her.” I was certain she hadn’t though. My mom was a clam about her past. She never discussed it. “We’ve managed to keep in touch,” she continued, “but we obviously don’t see much of one another.” There was a nervous pause. “You know, I suppose I better call Willow Bend. I’m sure they’re wonder—”

  My mom was interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone. I ran to get it and checked the caller ID. “Speak of the devil,” I said when I saw that it read Willow Bend.

  My mom reached for it. “I’ll take care of this. You two go on, I’ll be fine.”

  Ty and I slipped outside to give her some privacy. It was a beautiful morning. The air was crisp but warming quickly with all the sunshine that was pouring down from the cloudless sky.

  “I don’t think you should mention the tree, or the garden to your mom again.”

  “You’re right.”

  “And definitely not what happened last night. I mean, we’re not even sure what happened.”

  “I know. I’m dying to go back and see if it will happen again. It was so surreal. I want to make sure that place really exists. But, I don’t want to go alone.”

  “Hopefully we’ll figure something out. But, we should just keep what happened between us.”

  I nodded.

  “I wonder what Jack is up to right now,” said Ty changing the subject.

  “Do you think we can go see him?”

  “Sure.”

  My mind starting reeling. “Oh my gosh, Ty. So much has happened so quickly, it didn’t even occur to me until just now. Now that my mom’s home, I don’t have to worry about ever being forced to go back to Ms. Alice’s. And, Jackson can come here!” He smiled as I bounced excitedly on the balls of my feet.

  I stopped suddenly when I realized he seemed less than thrilled for me. “Oh, come on. Aren’t you more excited than that?” I searched his eyes. “Wait a sec—you know you can stay here too, right?”

  His smile grew bigger and he raised his fists over his head, shook them and said, “Yay,” as sarcastically as he could. But I knew he was very happy. I could see it in his eyes. And, then he hugged me.

  I couldn’t believe it. There I was, my face pressed into his warm neck, breathing him in. Before he let me go, I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed as tightly as I could. My life was finally falling into place.

  ◆◆◆

  I peeked on my mom before leaving. She was still on the phone and shooed me away. It definitely felt like old times.

  Ty and I opted to drive, even though it was nice out. We both feared needing to make a quick getaway. I felt my insides tense up as we approached Ms. Alice’s house.

  “I think I’ll park in the street. I don’t want anyone pulling in behind us.”

  “Good thinking,” I said. “I definitely don’t want to get trapped here.”

  No one answered when we rang the bell. “Her Suburban isn’t in the driveway, maybe they’re all gone,” said Ty.

  I shrugged. “Maybe. But usually, she runs her errands alone.” I decided to turn the knob. It wasn’t locked. My heart raced as I pushed the door open. “Hello?” I called out. The house,
like all houses, had its very own smell and it made my knees tremble.

  I made eye contact with Ty to settle my nerves. He put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, “It’s OK.”

  I nodded. “Hello? Is anyone in here? It’s Falon and Ty. Jackson, are you here?”

  When there was no answer, we ran upstairs to look around, just to make sure he wasn’t hiding somewhere. I froze when I came to our room and all his things were gone.

  The room started to spin. I looked under the bed and in the closet, calling his name as I searched for a sign of him.

  “Let’s go outside before someone comes home.” Ty tugged at my elbow and then stepped out of the bedroom.

  “What the—”. It was Daisy's voice! I could faintly hear music now. She must have been wearing her headphones and just pulled them down around her neck. “Why are you here? Did you decide to come back?” Her voice sounded hopeful.

  “We just came—”

  “We?” she interrupted Ty.

  That was my cue. I took a deep breath and exhaled before stepping into the hall. Daisy cut her eyes to me. The look on her face and the tone of her voice immediately changed.

  “What the hell were you doing in there?”

  “Like Ty was trying to say, we—”

  “You know what? Shut up! I don’t’ care. Just get outta here. Now,” she growled.

  Even with Ty by my side, she was still intimidating.

  She put her headphones on and went back into her room and slammed the door.

  Just then, Jacob came running up the stairs tossing a football as he went. He was soaked in sweat and I could smell him from down the hall.

  “Do you know where—?” Ty wasn’t able to finish what he was asking before Jacob shut his bedroom door and locked it.

  “When will your mom be home?” I asked through his door.

  “Not till late tomorrow. She’s at the casino. Go away!”

  “Where’s Jackson?” I demanded.

  “How am I supposed to know,” he yelled back.

  Daisy jerked open her door. In a staccato voice she said, “You don’t live here anymore. You have two seconds to leave before I call the cops on you.” And, then she slammed the door once again.