Dreams of Despair

I had long since left that dreadful loathsome garden for the dead, but the rain had done quite the opposite. Still pouring down, buckets at a time. The sky was black now... my watch had been flooded and the arms where stuck on 2:15 AM.

Grass, mud, sadness. Rain, steam, madness. Worms, wet, despair.

My mind was plagued with thoughts of so many horror I believed never to exist to me. Plagued, my mind was being infested with this loss. Memories of my parents.

I looked upwards, seeing the Manor just a few yards away. Suddenly I made up my mind: I didn't want to go home, not just yet. Taking a sharp turn to the right; I looked to where I might be headed. My mother's giant hydrangeas plant.

( hy·dran·gea:

n. Any of various shrubs of the genus Hydrangea, having opposite leaves and large, flat-topped or rounded clusters of white, pink, or blue flowers.)

She had been growing that ever since she came to live in the house. They had gotten so large that it was the size of a small van. Not in height, more like width, it stretched out for at least four feet each side. The pale radiant blue flowers looked beautiful mixed in with the grayness of the scenery.

"I wish mother could of seen it, one last time..." My voice trembled and squeaked from under the mournfulness of my current feelings.

I walked up to the huge plant, looked up to it's incredible height. Hearing only the drum-like beats of the rain agents the leaves and petals.

I balled my hands into fists; without thinking, I fell to my knees... and with a determined smile, I parted the bottom stems and crawled into the tangled jungle bellow the massive plant.

Surprisingly, the inside was quite cleaned out, there was a small clearing of partly-dampened soil in the middle. My dress pants and hands where already filthy but I didn't really care. I just wanted to be here right now. Water droplets occasionally came and fell on the top of my head. The light was scarce through all the thick vegetation.

One thing was for sure, it smelled really good.

I decided to lay down, on my side, completely destroying my sweater, and probably the entire right side of my hair. Finally, my logic had caught up with what had happened.

My parents where dead. Stabbed, murdered. They left everything to me. The end of the funeral, it started to rain. I crawled under a giant bush, and was now laying down in a pile of mud.

Then I remembered it; a long time ago. When I was about six...

"Artemis, Artemis where are you?" His mother called from far away. Artemis crouched and muffled his giggle.

"She'll never find me here, for sure!" Artemis laughed. It was almost like hiding in the hydrangeas plant was the best idea he had ever had. "Just wait until she finds the note I left her," Artemis said aloud from under the giant plant. "When she get so worried, I'll jump out and say, 'Surprise!'. " Artemis giggled again listing for his mother. She was close now. Artemis herd a ruffle of paper being unfolded. "She's reading the note!" Artemis whispered to himself.

There was a pause. Then he herd a horrified cry.

His mother slowly unraveled the mysterious paper she had found on the ground. "That Artemis, and his games," She muttered picking looking over the paper.

"Dear Mother, I have run away. I do not love you or father anymore. Do not look for me. From, Arty."

She read over the note several times, and then let out a horrified cry.

Artemis looked confused, peering out of the plant's holes. His mother was crying, and on the ground, screaming. Why?

"Artemis why did you go?!" She screamed and cried. Artemis frowned. He jumped through the leaves and shouted.

"Surprise! Mother, I'm right here! You don't need to cry, I was in there the whole time!" Artemis yelled. His mother stopped and looked at him, she made a short choking sound and they both stood staring at each other, neither of them moved.

His mother took a flying leap forward and threw her arms around Artemis's neck and began to sob. Artemis was still confused. "What's wrong, mother? I was just playing a joke on you." Artemis said sternly. His mother continued to cry.

"Please, Artemis, don't do that again. Don't scare me like that again. I love you too much," His mother whispered to him. Artemis began to gently hug his mother. "I love you too, mother."

Then, a strong familiar voice came from behind. "What happened, Angline?" Artemis's Father said from behind. His mother looked up and turned around, wiping her face.

"It was nothing, Dear, just Artemis gave me a little scare. Hiding in the hydrangeas again." She stood up and kissed her husband.

His father looked down angrily at the young boy. "Arty, you need to stop such nonsense. You are a growing boy, and are too old for games. Now go inside, Butler wants you to finish your studies." His father commanded. Artemis hung his head and obeyed.

Artemis stopped in the middle of his walk and turned to face his father once more. "Father..." Artemis squeaked. "Yes, what is it?" He replied harshly. "You'll never run away, right? You'll always be my father, promise?" Artemis asked trembling. His father smiled. "Of course, Arty. I'll always be your father."

Artemis grinned at his father and left.

I coughed harshly and turned over, still stuck under the hydrangea. "Too old for games, huh?" I whispered, and sighed. My eyes began to feel extremely heavy. I coughed again a few times. A forceful dry cough that stung the inside of my throat. I closed my eyes, and sure enough. I was asleep, in the dirt, under my mother's hydrangea.

I miss my parents...