Greenhouse

The greenhouse was located at the center of Carla’s sprawling property. Incongruously, it was surrounded by a tall fence with angry red ‘Keep Out!’ signs mounted at regular intervals. Neither the fence nor the signs seemed necessary, since the greenhouse was surrounded by woodland and the only way to get to it was via a narrow trail running from her house. There was a reason, however, for the seemingly unnecessary security measures - the greenhouse was sometimes used for a purpose other than growing things. It was, in fact, being used for that purpose right now. ...

The seeds arrived in an ordinary padded envelope. Debbie poured them out onto the kitchen table. She counted them: a dozen, no, only eight, dark green beans. “I’ve been stiffed. There were supposed to be twelve,” she said. Elizabeth sighed. “How much did you pay for this junk, anyway?” Debbie furrowed her brow and squeezed her lips tight together, peering angrily at the beans as if she could will another four into existence. She snatched up the envelope and peered inside it. “Lizzie, Lizzie? What do you mean pay? I got them from Kevin. I didn’t pay him anything.” ...

continued from part one Part Two At first, Gwen could not be sure whether the light that filled her vision was blinding her because she had opened her own eyes or not. Her mind was fogged, as though she were waking up with a terrible hangover and it was hard to make sense of her surroundings. While it seemed to follow that she must have been inundated with the light because she had just opened her eyes, there was the inescapable feeling that they had already been looking into some kind of impenetrable darkness when something else changed and admitted the relentless beams. ...

Sue-Ellen loved it in here. The humid smell of the garden soil and the lingering scent of her flowers and herbs filled her small greenhouse. Already the morning sun was pouring its heat into the little glass structure as she surveyed the familiar spot. She had already completed most of her spring plantings and all that was left were a few small pots of basil and rosemary lining one wall, waiting to be planted into her herb beds. ...