The Way to Elaine

Part 1

  "Elaine's work," I muttered to myself. On the old wooden table sat a piece of thick, white paper. In her perfect loopy hand writing she wrote, 'keep going'. If that wasn't obvious enough, she left flowers scattered amongst the page. I brush the flowers off the table and sigh. The search for sister was not easy. 
  When Elaine took off, less than 24 hours ago, she only left one note. It read "Come and find me darling Gracie! It'll be an adventure! Just look for the flowers! XOXO. Elaine." When I read it, all I could think of what I would do to when I find her. But for now, I needed to focus on finding Elaine first. 

   It’s not like Elaine has never left me. Ever since our mom died and our dad left us, she’s been in and out. The social security people were nice enough to let me stay with Elaine, unaware that she would leave, days at a time. Only she never left clues as to where she was. Until now.
 So far, I followed a trail of flowers into the woods, down to a small pond. Once I reached the pond, a note was pinned onto the thin tree saying "You made it this far-you've got this!" So I had to walk around the pond to an opening from the trees in the clearing (and that's where I found the "keep going" note.) 
Still mumbling to myself, I continued to walk through the tall green grass that swayed with the whisper of a breeze. After walking for what felt like forever, I reached the end of a clearing-a bush, thick with light pink roses, blocked my path. Unable to see through the dense bush, I looked around. The bush looked like a continuous stream of roses and thorns, but I saw the slightest clearing in between two bushes a few feet away. As I was about to push my way through, I stopped. Going through the bushes meant being scraped by the thorns. And there must be some other way around, at least, I hope. I have to decide. And quickly.

Part 2

I sigh. The time has come to make my choice: Weather I go through the thick rose bushes or I don't and I have to find my way through another way. 

 "Doing this for you, Elaine," I mumble to myself as I walk over to where there is a small gap in between rose bushes. 

 Making my body as small as it can go, I squeeze through. The flowers' genital petals brush my face like licks of summer sunshine. When the thorns cut into my bare arms and legs, I close my eyes tight. I come out of the bush quickly and check my cuts. 

 "They don't look that bad," a voice says behind me. 

 I turn around to see a small cottage in the middle of the woods. Dirty, worn brick piles up to make the walls. The windows are broken, some missing, and the shutters hang off at odd angles. The only thing perfectly intact is the bright teal door with a single vine of roses cascading down the side and front of the cottage. Everything around the cottage is silent. No animals chirp to themselves, no wind decides to erupt the peaceful scene. The only noise I hear is the voice of a young, copper haired boy in front of me. 

 "'Ello! My name is Charlie, but I wish I had a fancier name like Toby or Mac," Charlie rambled as he skipped over to the cottage. This young boy, Charlie, was skipping over to the cottage. "So what brings you to my cottage?"

 "You live here?" I ask Charlie, suddenly skeptical of his skinny, freckled boy. “by yourself?”

 "Yup, ever since she came," He replied with a smile that reveals the gaps in his mouth were teeth haven’t grown in.

 "She? Who's she?"

 "Elaine Devenouto. She came here and dusted off the whole cottage. She came here every day to visit me. And the others."

 "Can I come in?" I ask quickly and head for the door once I realize that Elaine must be in there. Charlie has no choice but to follow.

Part 3

 I open the cottage door slowly. And much to my surprise, it opens fairly easily without the squeaking of the hinges that I expected. Inside the cottage, light filters in through the many windows. I see Elaine's handiwork everywhere: Stacks of books sit next to the open windows. Picked wild flowers rest in colorful vases all around the room. A colorful tea pot rests on a small table next to a few chairs.
   Then I see it. Under a slanted part of the roof, a desk rests underneath. I recognize it instantly- Elaine's old writing desk, the one that our dad gave to her. I swallow the lump in my throat and instead focus on what's on the desk. I tear through the room and over to the desk. Her desk faces out to the garden, which you can see through the large windows. 
   On the desk, typed sheets of paper rest inside an old, worn notebook. I flip through the pages. Elaine scribbled on them with different colored pens that sit on the desk. I can see her flower doodles in the margins.  A vase of flowers, freshly picked, sits on one corner of her desk. A tea pot rests at another.
  Ever since we were little, Elaine loved to write stories. That's why our dad gave her a writing desk. She used to let me read her stories, but recently she hadn't let me. Elaine also loves flowers and reading.  She loves to venture out into the woods alone.
   I, on the other hand, love to cook and bake. Baking and cooking is like a science, even though I don’t care for that subject in school. It's a rush of joy when you finally get the recipe right. I also love to sing, but not for other people. The only thing we have in common is the love to read.
  Curiosity gets the better of me and I pick up her writing and flip through it. Meaningless notes are written and the text makes no sense. I put the writing back down again. 
 "Excuse me! What is your name?" Charlie asks as it finally registers.  He tugs on the hem of my t-shirt.
 "My name is Gracie. Gracie Devenouto."
 Charlie gives a little gasp and his brown eyes give a spark of excitement, "You're Elaine's sister? Mack, Toby and Lizzie! Elaine's sister has come!" He smiles and dances around the room. I sit down in Elaine's desk chair and watch as, from out of nowhere, three more kids come in front of me.

 Part 4

   “Well, Miss. Devenouto, this is Lizzie, Toby, and Mack.” Charlie introduces me to a tall girl with wavy, chestnut brown hair, a short boy with messy black hair and a smile covering his whole face, and a boy about the same height as Charlie and could be his twin. As if reading my mind, Carlie adds, “And Mack is my twin brother.”

  “Oh. Well…. Hi. I’m-”

  “Gracie, we know,” Lizzie cuts me off, rudely. Her upturned nose enhances the idea of Lizzie being a snob.

  “Well..” I say again, unsure on how to respond. “Have you seen my sister, Elaine? She ran off a day ago. And she hasn’t come back. Only leaving me note with flowers.”

  “Elaine always runs away. She has a free spirit,” Lizzie defends my sister.

  “I know,” I reply impatiently. “I’ve lived with her for 14 years-longer than you have.”

  “What I was going to say, before you rudely cut me off, was that Elaine left me a note. She knew you would end up here.” Lizzie walked across the room to a book on the window sill. She flicked it open to a random page, marked by a scrap of paper. Then she came back to me. “Here is the note. It didn’t mae any sense to me, but you’re her sister so…”

I began to read the note.

My little Swan,

Upon a flowered lawn

I’ve hidden a key

To have some tea.

There is a note

That I have wrote

With directions to my other friends

Around the bend

Your on the right track

Keep going with Mack

And though he seems free,

Make sure to bring Charlie!

XOXO,

Eli

  “I know exactly what this means,” I say suddenly.

  “You do?” Lizzie cries in anguish.

  “Yes. My little Swan was her nickname for me. I think she wants me to go to the Botanical Garden where we used to have tea. I think she has directions to other people who will know where she is. And I’m supposed to bring Mack and Charlie.”  

  “Aww! No fair! I want to go on an adventure too!” Toby frowns.

  “It’s okay,” Lizzie comforted him. “We can stay and watch the cottage.”

   Charlie beamed with delight. “Gracie, I think we should set off straight away! I simply cannot wait to see Elaine again!” He began to spin in circles with Mack, dancing around the room.

   “I guess we should,” I mumble and glance back at the note. One step closer to finding Elaine.

X x X x X x X x X

Remember Keep Going, that one story I mysteriously stopped (and never named)? Well, I'm finishing it and thought of a name. Let me know what you think.