Page 2 of Enchanted By a Pirate
Anna shrugged. She simply knew and sensed what the plants needed. Sometimes, she believed the flowers told her what they needed through their thoughts — but that was nonsense, of course. "I've been working with you for a few years now and I've learned and tried out a lot."
Helene laughed and tugged the knot on her green apron tighter. "I've been working here for over fifteen years. Well, itdoesn't matter. The main thing is that you stay with us and the flowers. But now it's time for you to go home. I'll get the fruit trees ready."
"But I… "
"You're already off the clock and have better things to do, right?"
Not really, but her co-worker didn't need to know that. "Thanks." She threw the wilting flowers into the compost bin and wiped her hands on her green apron. Now she had to start her weekend.
Half an hour later, Anna was strolling through the park. Her top-floor apartment was tiny and didn't have a balcony, so she spent the sunny afternoon outside. She released the messy bun on the top of her head, allowing her reddish-blonde strands to tumble over her shoulders. She inhaled deeply. It smelled like a freshly mown meadow, and even the scent of the lilac growing several yards away by the small pond filled her nose.
She strolled leisurely along the gravel path toward the pond as she pushed up the sleeves of her blouse and smiled. Butterflies were flitting around the lilac bush and settling on its first blossoms while Anna sat on the park bench and turned her face toward the sun with her eyes closed. This would give her even more freckles, but that was just the way it was. Nele always said it made her look much younger than she was, but it was just people who didn't have pesky freckles all over their faces who said things like that. As a teenager, her friends hadurged her to wear makeup so that she could go to the club before her eighteenth birthday. But Anna liked her freckles and always refused. They were a part of her, just like her short stature and her penchant for glittery dresses and tales of royalty.
She heard a whisper in her ear, which startled her out of her reverie. However, there wasn't anybody next to her. Strange. Anna glanced around the area to see if anyone was nearby, but there were just a few other park visitors and they were far away, so none of them could have whispered anything to her.
Shrugging, she returned to her sunbathing. She drew her legs up, wrapped her arms around them, and with her eyes closed, enjoyed the warmth of the rays on her skin. A loud "Help!" made her jump. She quickly stood up and looked around, but it didn't appear that either the elderly gentleman walking his poodle nor the two students sitting on the grass drinking coffee had shouted for help. Perhaps it was one of the children on the playground? One girl was swinging rather high. Then again, it didn't sound like the cry of a child, but rather like that of a grown woman.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she settled back on the park bench, though now she could no longer enjoy the spring day. She sat there wide-eyed, her gaze searching the winding paths and tulip beds for someone who needed help or was playing tricks on her. Even though she didn't spot anyone, her relaxed mood was gone.
She tilted her head, her gaze wandering to the lilac shrub's purple flowers. The scent was heavenly and she deeply inhaled the familiar sweetness. If anything would help her to relax, it was the delicate scent of a flower. But then, all of a sudden there was another scent mingled with it. This smell, however, didn't calm her — no, it made her heart beat faster with excitement.
Frowning, she peered upward. What was it?
She wrinkled her nose as she tried to place it. Slowly, she rose and followed the scent. It was definitely a flower, but whycouldn't she think of the name of the plant? She knew them all and could recognize each one by its scent alone. Why not this one?
In deep concentration, she followed the scent of the flower across the meadow, all the way to the border where tall spruce trees were stretching their crowns toward the blue sky. In their shade grew flowers with delicate pink blossoms. When Anna recognized them, she heard a loud rustling.
Anemone nemorosa, also known as thimbleweed.
Suddenly, Anna felt woozy and the ground gave way under her feet, enveloping her in an unfathomable darkness. Images assaulted her: a ship, lots of glittering dust, a woman screaming for help. Then, Anna plummeted. As she tumbled downward, her stomach grew queasy and she tried to scream, but no sound emerged. She fell deeper and deeper into infinity until somebody grabbed her by the shoulder. The blackness faded instantly.
Dazed, Anna blinked. An elderly gentleman was squatting beside her, shaking her shoulder while his poodle sniffed her sneakers.
"Are you all right, miss? Do you want me to call an ambulance?" The strong smell of rubbing alcohol on him filled her nose and brought her out of her daze.
"Uh? What?" Anna cleared her throat. "I mean what happened?"
"You fainted. Have you been drinking?"
Anna shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You were unconscious." Anna nodded and the gentleman leaned on his cane and rose to his feet, groaning. His hands were shaking. "I was out for a stroll when I saw you collapse for no apparent reason. So, I thought I'd better check on you."
"Thank you, that was kind of you. But I'm fine now." She rubbed her arm, which hurt a little. She'd probably just fallen onit. Since the gentleman made no move to leave, she stood and brushed the spruce needles off her blouse and jeans. The man seemed reassured and spoke to her again.
"Well, thank goodness it was nothing serious. Goodbye. Come on, Bonny, we're no longer needed here." With difficulty, he continued on his stroll with his dutiful poodle panting behind him.
Meanwhile, Anna directed her attention back to the anemones that she had collapsed next to. She had never fainted before. Had the smell of the blossoms triggered the flood of images and the fainting spell? Had it awakened some memories? Perhaps reminded her of a movie? But no matter how hard she tried to recall everything she'd seen, the images slipped away like an elusive dream. Perhaps the images didn't mean anything at all and had only been a part of her stupor. Maybe she just imagined she'd seen something.
Lost in thought, she walked back to the gravel path when a loud jingle jolted her out of her reverie. The ice cream man was pushing his cart into the park, his bell beckoning those with a sweet tooth. Smiling, Anna headed straight for him. Though she still had to shop for groceries, a scoop of lemon ice cream was just what she needed to recover from the scare she'd had.
2
Afew hours later, Anna was lugging two shopping bags up to the fourth floor. As she was about to insert the key into the lock, she spotted twinkling speckles on the brown doormat, right there next to the sun and the umbrella.
Frowning, she set down her bags and kneeled alongside it. With her index finger, she stroked the glittery particles that stuck to her fingertip. Strange. Where had it come from? She was the only one who lived on this floor, which was so small there was only enough space for one apartment. There were two tenants per floor on the lower levels, and nobody had a little girl who could have lost the glitter dust on the mat. Odd.
Her gaze landed on the containers of raspberry ice cream and lemon sorbet in her shopping bags. She hadn't been able to decide between the two when she'd been at the supermarket. They really needed to be put in the freezer. It was finally warm enough to eat ice cream again — but even with deep snow or hail, Anna didn't need any convincing. She wiped the glitter off her finger with a handkerchief and unlocked the apartment door. As soon as it swung open, a strong draft hit her. The pages on the pinboard sailed through the living room along with the pins,while the pages of the gardening magazine on the coffee table flapped wildly as if the breeze was eager to discover the latest trends in flower arrangements.
