Part 4: Isabel
When she opened her eyes the next morning, she noticed
a young housemaid cleaning up the room busily.
Maria gazed around the room. It was covered with
different tapestries. On the left side were two grand
windows. She gazed out. "What's that?" She
exclaimed.
"The desert." The young housemaid answered.
"Who are you?" Maria questioned.
The housemaid was tall, with dark eyes and blonde
hair. "I'm Isabel. I work here."
"Oh."
"Do you like the desert?"
"Oh no!" Maria exclaimed. "It's dreadfully dull."
Isabel smiled. "That's because you haven't lived on
it. It's really quite wonderful."
"You live on the desert?" Maria exclaimed, full of
awe and wonder.
"Yup, me and my family. I've got two brothers and a
sister."
"I've got no one."
"Well, you have your uncle don't you?"
"He doesn't want to see me."
"Miracles happen every day. Don't discount those."
Maria looked at Isabel with wonder. People in
Washington weren't like that. They were always so
busy, and formal. Nobody really talked to each other,
except for as her Nanny had said "To chew the fat."
"You are a strange servant."
"And you are a strange charge."
"Who's going to dress me?" Maria cried.
"A child your age can't dress herself? What a
disgrace!"
"Servants always dressed me in Washington."
"We do things differently here in Roswell." Isabel
said, going to the wardrobe.
"So I've noticed." Maria remarked, sadly.
"Oh, suck it up." Isabel exclaimed, and helped the
girl get dressed.
"Those aren't my clothes!" Maria exclaimed. "Those
are nicer than mine."
"No, they are yours. Tess picked them up in
Albuquerque. Mr. Valenti ordered it. He didn't want
a child wandering around here like a lost soul, all
decked out in black."
"Oh." Maria decided that nobody could be to bad that
loved colors. Colors were important.
"You're lucky, you know. In my family, we have to
make do with what we have. Liz has to wear my hand-
downs, and Max is stuck with Michael's. Liz is older
than you, and Max is younger. You're what…"
"Ten."
"Ah. You're the same age as Michael. He just turned
ten a little bit ago. Liz is fourteen, and Max is
eight. Michael's good with animals. He has a whole
menagerie out at our house. And Max wants to be a
doctor when he's older. "
Maria looked with disgust at the breakfast which had
been set for her. "Ewww! I don't want it."
Isabel sighed. "It's oatmeal and radishes. Its good
for you."
"If it doesn't kill me first." Maria said, sticking
her tongue out.
"Go out and play. It'll do your appetite good."
"Out? Why?"
Isabel shrugged. "What do you have to do if you stay
in?"
"Will you go with me?"
"I've got to work, love. Would if I could. Tell ya
what…if you towards that statue there, you'll be going
towards the gardens. Not much is in bloom right now,
but later on in the year there will be. One of the
gardens is even locked up… Nobody's been in it in ten
years."
"Why?" Maria exclaimed. "Why would anybody keep a
garden locked up?"
"Mr. Valenti had it shut up because his wife died so
suddenly. He won't let anybody go in. He locked the
door, and buried the key….oooh…that's Tess' bell
ringing, I've got to go, Maria."
After she left, Maria started to walk outside. She
went the way Isabel suggested. She was still fixated
over that garden. Why would anybody lock one up?
Gardens were meant to grow and be enjoyed, not hidden.
She went into one of the gardens, one of the many.
But it wasn't locked, so it obviously wasn't the
secret garden.
Inside, an older man was watering the plants.
"What is this place?" Maria asked him.
"One of the gardens. Who are you?" He asked.
"Maria. Who are you?"
He stepped off his ladder and extended a hand to
Maria. "The name's Riverdog. I'm the gardener here."
"Can I look at the gardens?"
"You're free to look, Maria, but there's not much to
see."
Maria skipped off. Plants were beautiful, and
wonderful. They were all alive, and green…
"People never like me, and I never like people."
Maria sighed. "But plants, I like."
Then Maria noticed a robin, singing up in a tree. A
tree that she couldn't get to.
"I bet that's the secret garden!" She said. "Little
robin, how did you get there?"
She walked back until she saw Riverdog.
"I went in to the gardens. And the orchard."
"There was nothing to prevent, thee, child."
"But there was one garden I couldn't get to."
Riverdog looked up. "Oh, Mr. Robin is trying to tell
secrets again?"
The bird flew away.
"Oh" Maria said dejectedly. "I was hoping he would
be my friend."
"Well, you can't be an animal trainer like Michael in
one day."
"You know Michael? Isabel's brother?"
"Who doesn't?"
Maria would have liked to ask more questions. She was
almost as curious about Michael as she was about the
secret garden. But Riverdog stood up, and made his
regrets, and went off to the orchard.