Page 30 of Whispers of the Elderoak

Ava pointed at one of the potting tables. “That’s where the make out session happened,” she giggled, head buzzing.

“I think I need to make out in a greenhouse too.” Eleanor sighed.

“We should have brought the joint in here.” Ava couldn’t stop laughing. “Then it really would be a green house.”

“Wow,” Eleanor said. “Get a little stoned and you’re suddenly spouting dad jokes.”

They laughed together. “Well.” Ava looked around. “I guess we need to explore.”

The greenhouse was mostly empty, save for some seed starting trays, garden tools and a few random bags of soil propped against the wall. It was much cleaner since she andHenry had discarded all the old trash and fixed the wobbly shelving.

Ava picked a spot toward the back left corner and started her search. Bending down and looking at the bottom of the wooden shelves, she ran her fingers along the seams and crevices of the wood. She got on her hands and knees and looked in between the floorboards and then stood to inspect the wall.

As she looked, she heard Eleanor humming a familiar tune. “Why are you humming the theme song from Indiana Jones?”

Eleanor looked at her from the other side of the greenhouse. “Because I feel like an archaeologist right now.” She giggled.

“I hope there are no booby traps in here,” she replied, hands on her hips.

“Yeah, because then Henry would be sad if your boobs got damaged.” Eleanor snickered.

“Who’s the king of dad jokes now?”

They continued their search but after twenty minutes, they had found nothing.

“Let’s ask Luna,” Eleanor announced.

“I’m high, but I’m notthathigh,” answered Ava.

“I am.” Eleanor shrugged and looked down at the cat. “Where’s the map, Luna?” Luna tilted her head, listening while Ava suppressed a smile. Eleanor tried again, kneeling and looking directly at the feline. “Show us the map, kitty cat.”

“This won’t work,” whispered Ava.

“Shhhh… she’s thinking.”

They remained quiet, the only sounds from the crickets chirping their nighttime song and the fall breeze rustling the leaves outside. Luna turned to look at Ava, tilting her head the other way. Huffing a feline sigh, she turned and walked through the open door outside.

The women followed as the cat padded around the yard tothe back of the greenhouse and stopped, pawing at the ground. Eleanor retrieved a shovel and handed it to Ava. “You’re stronger than me,” she said.

Ava laughed as she started to dig in the spot Luna had indicated. “Only because I’ve spent weeks hauling heavy bags of soil.”

She was quite strong, though. Before she moved out to the farm, she had been regularly attending weightlifting classes. The barbell had been another way for her to cope with her anxiety and grief, giving her something to channel her frustrations and boost her confidence. She also loved the feeling of being physically strong. Ava had never been thin, and it didn’t bother her like it used to. When she was younger, she was always too tall and too wide, towering over her peers and taking up too much space. But using her strength in the gym made her fall in love with her thick thighs and broad shoulders. Her body was one of the few things she wasn’t insecure about anymore.

She dug down for almost five minutes, starting to feel defeated there was nothing there. The hole was getting deep, probably close to a foot now, and she hadn’t uncovered any hint of a clue or foreign object. As she was about to take a break, the tip of her shovel hit something hard.

“I found something.”

Eleanor had collected two hand spades and knelt as she handed one to Ava while Luna watched from a few feet away. The two of them ended up on their hands and knees, scooping dirt with tools and fingers, excitement hovering around them like an electric charge, anxious to unearth their find.

Finally, Ava’s fingers were able to grip what felt like a tube.

“I think I can get it out of here.”

She pulled it out with a groan and laid it on the ground, light from inside the greenhouse casting an eerie glow. The moment Ava pried it from its home in the earth, she was overcome with a feeling of dread. The crickets were silent and thewind stopped, as if the forest was on alert, anticipating what was to come.

Silent, she and Eleanor stared at each other, eyes wide. Even Luna had perked up, ears listening for danger.

“Let’s bring it inside where there’s better light,” Ava suggested.

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