Undergarden | Teen Ink

Undergarden

December 9, 2016
By fionawaterman BRONZE, Lafayette, Colorado
fionawaterman BRONZE, Lafayette, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Jennie Amaryllis stares defiantly out the window. Her dirty blonde curls cascade down the side of her face, providing a curtain between her green eyes and her parents stern glare. As she looks down at her phone, the words No signal pinch her heart. The quiet hum of the car hovering over the sea of purple flowers does nothing silence the rage building up inside of her.
“Why do I have to go to a stupid old cottage anyway” she protests, her arms crossed as she turns towards her parents.
“In the fifteen years you have been alive you have met your grandpa once. This will be good for the both of you.” her sweet mother explains. The mother's voice was so soft and light that could pass for a whisper in wind.
“We have explained this to you more then once Jennie. You're going. You're not getting out of it.” her father proclaims with a stern but kind voice. The father was an old army man from the 4th world war which in turn gave him weathered face and stern demeanor.
Now although her parents tried their very best, Jennie was a bad seed.  She was sent home early from her boarding school for bad behavior. Her parents thought a month away from technology, the war, and the advances of the 2040’s would do her some good. The plus of not having to look after her was also a plus.
The hover car floated to a stop and then ascended to the ground in front of the white wash old english cottage. The porch was falling apart at some places and the plants were reclaiming some of its lost territory. Jennie stepped out of the car and looked on with disbelief.
You have got to be kidding me she thought to herself as she grabbed her bags out of the car. She walked up the wobbly wood steps and into the house. Setting her bags down by door, she started to look through the cottage. The living was directly to the right of the creaky front door. It had two rocking chairs that sat in front of the fireplace. Blankets and newspapers were folded neatly in baskets under the foggy window.
I thought they stopped making newspapers 30 years ago, she pondered, God how old is this guy.
She moved on to the next room, landing in the kitchen. Hunger pulled on her stomach and she realized that she had been in the car for 5 hours and that she was extremely hungry. Looking around the old kitchen she found an actual refrigerator. One with a fridge on the bottom and a water dispenser and everything. She opened it revealing fruit, vegetables and pounds of raw meat.
“Do you want me to make you something?” a old raspy voice bellowed out across the kitchen, awaking Jennie from her horrified fog.
“You have raw meat?!” she said with distain and disgust heavy in her breath. She looked the old man up and down. This old s*** is part of my family? How the f***?
“Well, meat starts out raw, so yes I do.” the old man said with a smile. Hed had a worn face with wrinkles that told people that he was wise and kind. “How are you Jennie, I haven't seen you since you were a baby.”
“I’m fine.” she spit coldly as she walked outside to the backyard. I was already annoyed because my parents stuck me in the s*** hole, but now the the old man I have to live with is asking me questions about “How I am”. Like he cares.
To say the least jennie was annoyed. As she walked through the garden in the back of the house, she could hear the voices of her parents and the old man talking.
“She's a good kid really, she just has a hard time connecting.” A muffled voice explains inside.
  “Who cares what they think” Jennie said with the smallest hint of sorrow. She turned away from the house, walking down a path that lead to to an old willow tree and a well. The willow tree was easily older than the house or even the old man. The branches were weathered and wrinkled, drawn down by the leaves that droop over the medieval well. The stone well was engraved and chiseled, making intricate patterns. The wood over top the well, that carried the bucket, was carved into waves. Moving when you lifted the bucket up and down. The bucket was engraved with fairies and magical creatures that were dancing. Now of course Jennie didn't take in the majesty of the water well, she just sat under the weathered willow and sulked.
“How could they throw me under the bus like that. I’m not that bad, I'm just misunderstood.”
She continued to mumble on about how bad her life is as she walked towards to the well. Looking down into the well she expected to see her reflection in the cool blue water, but what she saw was quite unique. Instead of water she saw a garden. A garden with lanterns, plush grass, and trees that were glowing with a purple and blue hews. She blinked a couple times and leaned closer to make sure she wasn’t crazy, but upon learning further, her feet left the safety ground. Suddenly she was spinning, falling, and soon crashing into the ground below. She saw the ground approach closer to her with every flip, expecting her inevitable doom. Suddenly she was lying, quite comfortably, on the soft grass below.
“What the hell?” Jennie questioned while sitting up.
The space that she landed in was a garden, with flowers as tall as trees and trees that have glowing leaves. Grass that acts like memory foam and next to her was a grand lake that had glowing seaweed and golden koi fish. Although there was all of this beauty, she could only focus on the fact that she had slightly pricked her finger on a branch as she was standing up.
“I need a bandaid! Neosporin!” exclaimed Jennie. She started to look around for a way to get back above ground but all she could find was a shimmering waterfall and rainbow flower fields. She let out a weary sigh and turned around.
“AHHH” she screamed for standing behind her was mix between a badger and a skunk. The skadger was on its hind legs and was wearing a apron.
“You okay love?” The skadger asked. Jennie couldn't talk or even let out a sound. She was confused by the apron alone, now it started talking and with a scottish accent. Its voice was soft and pleasant and you felt strangely calm while listening to it. “You alright? I see you pricked her finger.”
She was shaken to her senses by the meson of her now bleeding finger, “Do you know how I can reach the top?” she desperately replied. The badger was taken back by the urgency in her voice.
“The top love?”  The skadgers face looked perplexed. Jennie now realized that she was talking to a skunk/Badger and was asking it for directions.
“Why am I asking you where to go. You're just a dumb skunk” The badgers face dropped and the pain that it felt was hanging in the air. Jennie was too much in a hurry to handle a badgers feelings right now. Jennie walked away from the creature, on a path that led between thousands of glowing trees and vast rainbow flower patch. 
“Hello child,” Jennie spun around to see a red crow perched on a purple and blue tree. “I just watch you and the skadger. I think we can be friends” the crow chirped cynically. The crow was slightly larger than any she had ever seen but also it was dark red so she already accepted non-normality. Not to mention it could talk.
“Hello crow, why would you say that.” Jennie asked.
“Just a hunch” He smiled, “you said you would like to get out of here?”
“Yes!!! Very much so! You see..”
“Yes yes, I’m aware. Follow me,” the crow leaped off the branch and started to fly over the flower patch.
Jennie hesitated to follow it. You see there was no path and the flowers were very close together. If she followed him then she would surely step on tons of the flowers.
“Needn't worry about the flowers child, don’t you want to get home?” The crow beckoned her. She did need to get home very badly, for somehow the cut had grown larger.
She started to follow the crow though the field. The walk wasn’t as long as she thought but she thought but she bad for crushing the flowers. Once she reached the end of the patch she turned around to see how much damage she had made. Her heart stopped and her breath shortened, for as she blazed a trail, she stepped on flowers and inside every flower laid the bodies of crushed fairy sprites.
“Don’t look back child. If you want something in your life you have to blaze trail. I you try to care about everyone you will get nowhere.” Horrified she looked back to the crow, who showed cruel smile, “You must be hungry now, follow me”. Jennie started to walk with the crow in a shocked daze and looked down to her cut finger which now grew into a cut hand.


****************************************************************************
 
“We are here now.” Shaken out of her daze by the crows piercing chirp, she looks up on a grand tree bearing fruit in plenty. The oak is as big as the old man's house, with branches big as her car. The fruit looks nothing like she has ever seen. There are apples that are translucent crystal, pineapples the size of grapes, cherries that are green and the size of apples. Blue raspberries.
“You should try all of them. There is nothing like fruit that is grown in the Undergarden. It will give you strength to get to the top. ” The Crow swore. Jennie nodded and looked for way up the massive trunk. She found holes all along the side of the tree that she used as stepping stools. With each step she took, the hungrier she got and without realizing it. Once she reached the top, she crawled out to the middle of the branch, where all of the fruits lay await for her.
“You shouldn't eat those” A small mousy voice exclaimed while Jennie was holding to the crystal apple in her hand. “She’s right you know” A small, slightly louder voice said.
Jennie, confused looked around to find a group of small squirrel like creatures with four eyes clinging to the side of the tree.
“And why not?” definitely, Jennie crossed her arms. “The crow says that I should try them all.”
“The fruit is only meant for those of the undergarden. If you eat it, who knows what will happen to you.” a bigger brown squirrel said, “Don’t trust the crow.”
How dare they tell me what I can or cannot do. How dare they tell me who my friends are. They are nothing. “You are just stupid little squirrels who know nothing. Also, you'll be happy to know that the crow is my friend. I don’t need advice from little rodents like you, so run along.” And with that she took a bite of the apple.

****************************************************************************************
Darkness. When will it end. I feel so alone.
“So child, you ended up here .” The red crow appeared suddenly, glowing redder than it had ever.
“You. You did this to me.” 
“You naive girl. I did not do this to you, your own mind did this. I only amplified your inner thoughts.”
“I don't understand. Where am I. What is happening.”
“Child, you are now floating in your disrespect. Unable to move. Held back by your own transgressions. The short answer is, your a s***y person, and for that you will surroend by your own bullshit until it eats away your soul and you finally die. Have fun. Goodbye Jennie.” With that, the crow vanished out of the darkness leaving Jennie to her thoughts.
I’m not this bad of a person right? Her thoughts wonder. In the darkness, memories seem to be stronger, more like real life. Her thoughts wander to the car with her parents, where many times she would ignore them or call them names, yelling them out the window in their neighborhood. She could feel emotions, but they weren't hers. The disappointment her parents feel hurts the most. Instead of an aching pain like rage or sadness, disappointment cuts, deep, like knife. She experiences the compassion her grandpa felt when he first saw her. The the way that compassion grew when she shut him out. The hope that she would come to like him and the house.
There was now a constant stream coming from her eyes. A constant stream of regret and sadness.
I really am that bad. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry to the skadger, to the fairies, the Squirrels, to grandpa, to Mom and Dad. I’m so sorry to everyone.
Those last words, even though not said out loud, radiated a message of love so far out, every creature in every land would feel them.


*****************************************************************************************


“Jennie, it’s almost dark. I have the raw meat cooked so you can come back inside now.” The old man exclaimed with a chuckle in his voice.
Jennie slowly got up from her spot underneath the old withered willow. She slowly started to remember what had happened and with haste, she sprinted over to the well. She looked down expecting to see the same amazing and magical sight, but instead found only her blond curls cascading down her face and her green eyes looking back up sorrowfully.
For a split second she wondered whether or not she had imagined it all, but she knows that the pain in her heart is proof. Proof that she can care and does care. Weather or not she dreamed it up or it really happened, something happened. With a newfound sense of pride and modesty she walks back to the house ready to change who she was. Ready to make her parents proud.
She will not be lead by the red crow no more. She will decide her own fate and Jennie Amaryllis will not travel that fate alone.


The author's comments:

This has influcences from Narnina, Alice in wonderland, and the video game Fran Bow. 


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