Words for Wednesday -- July 28 -- Part 2

Next instalment in the story of Sarah:

1. secret
2. garden
3. walk
4. world
5. abandon
6. magic
7. life
8. forever
9. key
10. spring

Only two more words crossed out (thank you EC for help with naming this). This is going to be one of those marathon chapters again.

They bought one of those mother and child bouquets and Susan copied the daughter-in-law's name and address from the slip of paper Knud had written, deliberately sneaking in a couple of errors.
On they drove, houses becoming farther and farther apart and the suburbs giving way to fields, and then to gardens. Knud guided them to a small, thatched house, surrounded by a wild garden, many weeds and flowers grew everywhere, but the lawn was newly mowed and three children splashed happily in a large baby pool while a visibly pregnant woman watched over them from a porch swing and a man stood on a ladder cleaning the spouts.
As they parked in the gravelled driveway Susan noticed that there were no weeds in the gravel, and that everything else looked nice and clean. As she opened the doors of the car, she saw a multitude of variegated butterflies and bees and other insects alight from the flowers and bushes to both sides of the car. "Oh!" she said, "It's one of these modern, wild, insect-friendly gardens. It looks great. Maybe we should try some of the same at home!"
Knud turned his head a little: "Dearest Susan, we already have a wild garden, maybe not this wild, but anyway ... remember your manners now," he smiled indulgently at her.
The children looked up as they entered the gate. "Mummy, wake up, we have visitors!"  the oldest called. The woman in the porch swing gave a start and sat up. "Thank you Janet," she said and turned to Susan and Knud: "I'm sorry," she said, getting up with care, "as you can see, I'm not as nimble as I used to! But it will pass," She smiled a thin, but happy smile.
"Congratulations!" Susan said, "Please sit down again, we do not want to disturb, but we got these flowers while we were away, and we think they are meant for you." Susan stepped between balls, piles of clothes and plaything left by the children. She handed the flowers to Freya, who looked at the card: "Yes that's my name, but from whom. There's no sender, no nothing but congratulation and my name."
"Somebody know you're expecting a baby, and want to wish you luck, maybe?" Susan asked. Freya smelled the flowers and placed them on the table. "They're pretty. I like them!" she said smiling happily.

"Welcome. My name is Frank, and  I'll be down in a sec," the man on the ladder said. "I'll just get the last of those birds' nests out from up here."
"Mummy, should we get something?" That was Janet, the oldest girl again, she was 9 or maybe 10. She took command of her siblings: "Peter, please clear the mess from the table, while I get two chairs for the guests, and Carla, could you get the lemonade and some glasses?"
Peter picked the playthings and books from the table, putting them in stacks on the edge of the lawn.
And Carla returned shortly carrying a basket with 8 glasses, a bottle of lemonade, a bottle of cold water and a container of straws. She put it on the terrace next to the table, and Knud took the contents of the basket and put them on the table.
"That's a heavy burden for one so small," he said kindly. Carla turned red and said: "I'm 5 years old, mister, and I'm strong and stubborn as a mule. At least daddy says so!" A peal of laughter was heard from above and Frank said "Well out of the mouth of children ... I hate to ask, but could one of you please hold on to the ladder while I get down. It's not as stable as I'd like it to be."
"Of course," Susan said and took the two steps necessary to take her to the ladder. She placed one foot on the lowest rung, and held onto the sides with both hands. "Ready!" she said and Frank began the descent.
Peter put the glasses around and teased Carla: "Can't you count to 7? Here's 8 glasses. That's one too many"
"Of course I can count to seven,"  she protested. "I took a glass for the flowers!"
Freya laughed and put the flowers in the eighth glass. "They do not want lemonade, only water," she told Carla.
Over the deliciously cold lemonade they spoke of flowers, gardens and bees and as the children lost interest and drifted to their books and the pool once again, the conversation turned to pregnancies and childbirths. Frank shook his head and turned to Knud: "Do you care for a tour of the garden while the womenfolk discuss the bloodier details? I get rather wobby-kneed when they begin." Knud grinned and rose, patting Susan on the shoulder.
Frank led Knud through paths and around bushes, everywhere were colours, butterflies and things to see, taste and smell. "What a wonderful place," Knud exhaled. It's like one of those old witches' gardens filled with magical herbs and spices."
"Do you want to see where I work my magic?" Frank asked. Knud nodded, and Frank took a bunch of keys from his pocket and unlocked a door to a large shed near the greenhouse.
Inside was a lathe, and the most wonderful bowls and mugs and vases and plates Knud had ever seen. He stopped and could not speak from sheer surprise. Frank looked at him with a smug face. "Not what you expected, was it?"
"No," Knud said, shaking his head, as much to affirm his words, as to clear it. "No, I don't know what I expected, a plant nursery, something herbal or maybe a home brewery."
"No, nothing alcoholic," Frank said. "You could not know, but my parents; they were alcoholics. My father is dead, and my mother ..." He shook his head. "Let's look at those bowls instead," Frank said in a determined voice. "They give me so much pleasure to make."
"They are absolutely wonderful," Knud said earnestly, running a finger caressingly round the rim of a bowl that was so thin, it was almost translucent. "Susan once took a course in wood turning, but nothing led me to expect wonders like these. She'll have to see this as well. She'll never leave until you show her how."
"Yes, let's get back to the ladies. You've made our day. We moved here recently to get away ... Oh I seem to not be able to escape the subject of my mother ..." Frank shook his head in misery.
"Let's get back, and talk of something else for a short while yet," Knud said. "Do you make toys as well? I have some that might interest you in the car."
"Let me see them," Frank said, closing the door and testing the lock. "I don't want the children in here, they are good sort, but curious, and these tools are sharp."
"Yes and your works are delicate," Knud added.
"That too ..."

The two men walked to the car, where Knud grabbed the bag filled with brain teasers. Susan called from the table: "We're done with the gory details, you may return."
Frank and Knud returned, Knud pulled some of the brain teasers from the bag. Frank picked up the blue one and gave to his wife: "Here you are, Freya. This one's your favourite colour." Frank took a green one for himself.
"They are home-made, aren't they?" he said absentmindedly, intent on solving it. "They are well made, but the finish is  ... not so swell."
"I bow to the master." Knud said. He turned to Susan: "You'll have to visit Frank's workshop, he's a wizard with a lathe." He told her a bit about the garden and the wonders he had seen.  
"And in other ways as well; as is his wife." Susan said under her breath as Frank and Freya solved Martine's brain teasers and reached for another one. Knud gathered up the solved ones and scrambled them again. The children came sneaking, and Knud handed them each a store-bought and some of Martine's. He deftly picked all the home made form the table so that Freya and Frank had to tackle some of the store bougth ones next. "This one is better made, from a craftsman's point of view," Frank said finally, "but I can't solve it."
"I have the same problems with this one. Maybe I'm just tired," Freya added.
"Look at your children," Susan said. All three of them sat deeply concentrated, a solved brain teaser next to each of them. Janet looked up in triumph: "I solved this one too!" she said loudly, holding a green brain teaser over her head.
Freya caught Susan's eyes: "Great, Janet, could you please go into the kitchen and make some more lemonade."
 
"Dear Freya and Frank!" Susan said as soon as Janet was out of earshot, "We have something to tell you ... but  I don't know where to start ..."
"At the beginning!" Frank said, while Carla gave a triumphant yell: "I did it! I did it!"
"I can't solve this one," Peter said, on the verge of tears. He was fighting one of the store bought ones. Knud handed him one of Martine's "You choose the hardest of them all, try this one instead. Most people, even smart ones, can't solve that pink one." He gave a new of Martine's to Carla as well. "This one is hard," he said encouraging.

"The beginning ..." Susan said. "The beginning for me and Knud was many years ago, when we were young. We attended a summer school together with a lot of other children from all of the Nordic countries. Among those were a girl, and we think she is Frank's mother."
"Seems like that subject just can't be avoided," Frank sighed.
"No, probably not," Knud took over. "There's no way to soften the blow, I think."
"Is she dead?" Frank asked, tears threatening to overflow from his eyes.
"No, at least not as far as I know." Knud continued. "To be in the clear, your mother is Sarah, born Poulsen. She lives in Rødovre, and drinks way too much. Is that true?"
Janet returned with new bottles of lemonade and water.
"Thank you, Sweetie-pie," Freya said.
"Oh you're talking about grandma. I don't want to hear about her!" Janet said.
"That's OK, Sweetie-pie," Freya said in a calming voice. "You can take a glass of lemonade and go inside with Peter and Clara. You could watch Children's hour. It begins in a few minutes. No need to listen if you do not want to."
Janet's shoulder fell to their normal position, and she poured herself a generous glass. Whereafter she and her siblings disappeared in direction house.

"To answer your question," Frank said, "yes, that is a fair and not too unkind description of my mother. She is a bitter woman, even more so after my father's death. We moved here to get away from her. She accuses Freya of ... " He broke off. "But you were saying?"
"I met your mother today, or to be precise, I saw her. I was at the pub, and she was there as well with a woman and three male friends. Between them they drank ten beers in about as many minutes, and she said some rather unkind things about both of you." Knud paused to think, and Frank looked suspiciously from him to Susan and back again. His hand found Freya's and gave it a squeeze. "Why did you look for my mother, and why did you come here? Are you spying on us? Did she complain once again that we were unable to take care of our children?"
Susan answered: "No to all of these. She really sounds like a tough nut. But  ... you see the truth is ... Oh darn, it's so difficult. I still do not know where to start." Susan rose and pulled her wand from her bag. She then drew a deep breath and poured forth: "This is, believe it or not a magic wand, the real stuff, not a film prop or a dummy. I'm a witch, and so is Knud - a wizard that is - and so are you, and your children, and your mother and probably your father as well." She stopped, gasping for breath and Frank and Freya stared blankly at her. Then she turned slightly and pointed her wand at the rose bush next to the table. The buds unfolded, bloomed, withered and turned into rose hips that went from green to red in a matter of seconds. Susan stretched out her hand and picked a couple of the rose hips and gave them to Freya and Frank. "Those are not as delicious as the strawberries I was given, but they'll serve their purpose, I hope. We met your mother on a summer school, that's true. But it was not the 4H summer school, she will remember, if she remembers it at all. It was a school for witchcraft and wizardry. It was called the Unicorn Farm and existed as far as we know for a bit over three years."

I'm sorry about this cliffhanger ending ... I promise more and soon as possible.