#avamore

Eliza wondered out to the garden around two in the morning. It was the new moon, but she had been up for a couple of hours already, but the stars were out and her eyes were adjusted well enough that she could make her way around without much trouble. The garden was quite beautiful in the daytime, but in the dark it just looked grey and bland, like her hair. Eliza stood at the entrance for awhile and consisted if it would be better to go back to bed and try to fall asleep again, but eventually decided to make her way further into the garden. She hadn’t had much time to explore it since she had been sent to grandparents by her mother, in hopes of getting her back to normal before school started next month. Considering she was still averaging an hour of sleep a night and not eating much more then soup, normal still seemed a long way off, but it was nice to be away from Avamore and memories of Cade’s death.

Despite her intention of exploring unknown parts of the garden, Eliza found herself making her way to the most familiar part. It was a small pond near the edge of the garden; close enough that Grandpa could easily feed the goldfish everyday. This early in the morning, that water was completely still and reflecting the night sky, along with Eliza as she leans over to see the fish. She stopped to study reflection for a moment. Gray hair frames her face, which looked as tired as Eliza should have felt, and she can now see the goosebumps on her arms. The summer night is not quite cold enough for full pajamas, but the t-shirt and shorts Eliza has on wasn’t quite enough for the breeze flowing across the garden. That breeze was almost enough to make her go back in and curly up in a warm bed and hopefully fall asleep, but Eliza sure she still wouldn’t be tired enough. Her refection stared back up at her, showing all the reasons for go to sleep, but Eliza pulled away from the water and moves on.

She could have walked the path around the perimeter, but that would have taken her past the strawberry and raspberry bushes that she and Cade planted when they were ten.  So she takes the path right through the center instead. In the center of the garden is a large angel stature. The angel seemed to glow a little bit, partly from Eliza’s tired eyes and partly due to the fireflies that were flickering near by. She stopped and watches their light come on and off.  It is hypnotizing and Eliza lets her mind wonder to Cade. If he was here right now, he would drag both of them back to the house and they’d make a sleeping potion together and everything would be good. But Cade not here and Eliza would never be able to make a potion again.