Garden of Empress Cassia (6 page)

Helplessly, Mimi watched through the shop window as the garden slowly dissolved.

The Lake of Secret Dreams, the Pavilion of the Mysterious Way, the Dragon Wall, all became rivulets of murky colour that slipped over the curb and into the storm water drains that criss-crossed beneath the city. The pastels were lost and now too was the garden. And the rain did not let up until Mimi had cried herself dry.

Josh waved at her through the window, then entered the shop. ‘Hiya, M, I'm starved. Is your mum serving dumplings today?'

Mimi turned to face him.

‘Hey, what's wrong?' he asked.

‘Something terrible's happened.'

‘What is it, M?'

Mimi took a deep breath, then, like a dam wall bursting, she told Josh about Miss O'Dell's gift, the curse of the pastels, her meeting with Old Ma, the story of Empress Cassia and the healing power of the garden.

Josh stood listening in disbelief.

‘Wow! That's amazing,' he said when she had finished.

‘But now,' said Mimi. ‘Gemma has stolen the pastels.'

‘What? How did it happen?'

‘She came to see me and stupidly I left her alone in my bedroom.'

‘It'll be okay, M. Don't worry. She'll get the guilts and give them back.'

‘No, not Gemma. I'm really scared for her. Miss O'Dell and Old Ma said the pastels can be dangerous.' Mimi buried her head in her hands.

‘Did they tell you anything about the curse?' asked Josh.

‘No. I never asked. What am I going to do?'

Josh stood up. ‘I'll go over to Gemma's right now and get them back,' he said with determination.

‘It's no use. I tried that already.' Mimi's voice was tired and lifeless.

‘What about Miss O'Dell? Have you told her yet?'

‘I can't.' Mimi was almost in tears again. ‘She trusted me and I broke my promise.'

‘But it wasn't your fault. Come on, M, you have to tell her sooner or later.'

‘I know,' said Mimi. ‘That's what I'm afraid of. ' She took a deep breath and sighed then looked at Josh.

‘What?'

‘I'm scared for Gemma.'

‘Yeah, me too.'

‘But I also have this bad thought in my head that says
I'm glad, I'm glad, serves her right.
It's horrible . . . You see? I don't deserve the pastels.'

‘That just means you're normal,' said Josh. ‘If you weren't meant to have the pastels, you wouldn't be able to create the Garden of Empress Cassia, would you? Come on, M, Miss O'Dell has Saturday art class, let's see her before she goes home.'

Miss O'Dell was busy at the trough washing palettes and paint brushes. ‘Hello, Mimi, hello, Josh. What a pleasant surprise.'

Mimi kept her eyes glued on some paint splashed on the lino floor. ‘I have something to tell you.'

Miss O'Dell wiped her hands on a towel and came over to the big wooden table. ‘What is it, Mimi?' she asked with concern.

‘Gemma's stolen the pastels, Miss O'Dell. I left her alone in my room. I knew I shouldn't have. Now she won't give them back.'

Mimi looked up at Miss O'Dell's face. It still held the same soft, kind expression.

‘And the garden . . . it's gone too. The rains washed it away . . . I'm sorry.'

‘It wasn't M's fault,' Josh said loyally. ‘It was Gemma. She was jealous.'

Mimi's eyes widened. ‘Jealous? Why would she be jealous? She has everything.'

‘All that attention you got with the garden, that made her plenty jealous, especially when your photo appeared in the paper. And who's the popular one now at school? It's not Gemma.'

‘Josh is right, Mimi. It wasn't your fault,' said Miss O'Dell. ‘Did you tell her how dangerous they can be?'

‘Yes, but it only made her want them even more. You know Gemma.' Mimi sat down. ‘What would happen if she used them?'

Miss O'Dell's face went a deathly pale and a shiver ran through her whole body. Mimi and Josh looked at each other in surprise.

It was then that a cold fear for Gemma's safety crept slowly over Mimi as she realised that Miss O'Dell must have used the pastels too. But what was so terrifying that she could hardly speak about it?

A part of Mimi didn't want to know. To her, the pastels were pure and good and beautiful.
How could they be a curse?

‘I used them once.' Miss O'Dell looked out of the window.

‘What happened?' Josh asked. ‘Was it really bad?'

‘Far worse than I could ever have imagined, I'm afraid.'

Mimi and Josh waited for Miss O'Dell to continue.

She turned to face them. ‘As a child, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandfather's small cottage in the country. He was a cook on a merchant ship and collected souvenirs from all over the world which he kept in a tall wooden cabinet at the end of the hall. There were masks made of shells and feathers and mud. There were strange shaped bottles, jade cups and statues, bones and necklaces. It was like a museum in a shoebox. The cabinet was always locked. No one was allowed to open it. Only Grandfather had the key. Every time I visited he would unlock the cupboard, pull out one of his treasures and tell me a story about it. I would never tire of these stories, no matter how many times I had heard them before.

‘On a trip to China, he brought back with him a beautiful box of pastels. An old street vendor in Shanghai sold them to him. Grandfather told me that the box sat amongst the dusty old painting brushes, ink-stones and scrolls like a sunflower in a winter graveyard. When he was leaving with the box of pastels under his arm, the old man said, “The pastels are not of this world. They can be a treasure to some, but a curse to others”. I don't know if he believed the old man, but Grandfather never lifted the lid even though I pestered him to do so constantly.

‘One day, I found myself alone in the house. Grandfather had left his keys lying on the hall table. I opened the cabinet, took the box down, then lifted the lid. In an instant, my mind filled with nightmarish visions, and even though they were so terrifying, I had to draw them. I couldn't help myself. I went outside to the woods at the back of the cottage where there was a flat bed of rock and began to draw something sinister and horrible. All the while I could feel it laughing at me. I was scared. So scared I ran to the house to hide. But when I thought of Grandfather and how angry he would be when he found out, I put the pastels back in the cabinet and returned the key. The next day, with fear in my heart, I went back to that flat bed of rock. All the plants and bushes within a metre around had died. And do you know what? Nothing has ever grown there since. It was as though every bit of life had been sucked out of the earth.'

‘That's horrible,' said Josh.

‘But you're not bad, Miss O'Dell. Why did you draw a garden like that?' asked Mimi.

‘I took the pastels when they weren't mine to use. Just like Gemma has. They didn't belong to me. I can see that now. They didn't even belong to my grandfather. When he died, he left me all his treasures. I kept those pastels hidden away for twenty-two years . . . until I met you, Mimi. I knew from that very first day you walked into my class that they belonged to you.'

‘And now I've gone and lost them.'

‘It might not be too late,' said Miss O'Dell. ‘Come with me to the staff room while I ring around.'

There was no reply at Gemma's house. Miss O'Dell then tried Phoebe. Her father answered the phone.

‘Phoebe's dad said she went off with Gemma at about four but he has no idea where to,' said Miss O'Dell as she hung up. ‘Mimi, can you think of any place they might be?' She sounded desperate.

Mimi thought for a while then replied, ‘Only the shopping mall. She often hangs out there.'

Josh nodded in agreement. ‘If it's attention she wants, then using the pastels in the mall would be the perfect place.'

‘Right then. You two try the mall. I'll go over to Gemma's.'

When Mimi and Josh arrived at the mall it was closing time. The usual stream of shoppers was dwindling to a trickle. The mall was only a small arcade with a row of shops on the inside and another row on the street, but many of the kids from school used it as a meeting place and the empty carpark as a skateboard park.

‘I'll meet you back here in ten minutes,' said Mimi. ‘Hurry!'

‘Right,' said Josh.

Mimi searched inside all the shops that were still open then checked the toilets. Gemma and Phoebe were nowhere to be seen. Ten minutes later, she met up with Josh who was shaking his head.

Mimi looked at him in despair. It was getting dark.

‘There's nothing more we can do, M,' said Josh. ‘We'd better go home.'

‘Yeah, I suppose you're right.' Mimi followed like a robot. She was too tired to think anymore.

At the top of Rumba Street, they said goodbye.

‘Don't worry, M. It'll all work out okay.' Josh tried to sound positive.

As Mimi walked home, she thought how strange it was that everything could be so very good one minute then turn so very bad the next.
Now I understand what Uncle Ting was talking about. The cycle of change – yin and yang. I wonder how long I have to wait for the cycle to come good again.
She sighed and opened the door of the shop. Peppy danced around her feet, almost doing backflips, his little tail wagging furiously. ‘I love you too, Peps.' She picked him up and sat on the stairs. Peppy lay his head on her shoulder. He could feel her sadness.

Mimi sat thinking –
If I was Gemma, where would I go to use the pastels? I would want a place that was quiet, because I wouldn't want to be caught. But then again, I'm such a show off that I'd want everyone to see my fantastic creation.
Mimi went through a dozen places in her mind. Suddenly her eyes lit up.
Ghost Gum Park would be the perfect place! Empty on weekdays and packed on the weekends.
‘That's where she is, Peps, for sure.'

She grabbed the torch and told Peppy to
stay.
Only ghosts and crazy people went to Ghost Gum Park at night. A creeping fear began pricking her spine like a million icy needles. Mimi was neither a ghost nor a crazy, but she knew she had to go. She had to save Gemma and most of all, she had to get the pastels back.

There was only a fraction of a moon that night, partly covered with streaks of grey clouds with the occasional star struggling to shine through them. Mimi trembled and her teeth chattered as she entered the park. She knew it wasn't from the cold.

As she headed down the main path she saw the huge ghost gum on the rise. Its stark white trunk and branches with long spindly fingers looked like giant arms stretching out to grab any passerby. Locals called it the hanging tree.

At the south end of the park, the usual trickle of Black Grass Creek had become a raging river. Mimi skidded down through the bushes to a muddy path that ran beside the creek.

The canopy of trees above created an eerie light. Some people said they had seen ghosts of the hanged in the woods down there.
But I don't believe in ghosts,
Mimi reminded herself. She set her mind on her goal – finding Gemma and the pastels.

The smell of onion weed was strong in the air and the rushing water of the creek seemed to be calling her name,
Meeemeeee . . . meeeeeemeeeeeee . . .

Then she saw it, the glow of a fire on the other side of the torrent. Two dark figures moving, their long shadows dancing upon the face of the cliff.

Mimi could see why Gemma had chosen this spot. The huge rock face was like a giant TV screen. Any drawing could be seen from almost anywhere in the park.

She headed for the bridge which was about a kilometre upstream. A sudden piercing scream rose above the sound of the rushing torrent.

‘Gemma!' Mimi yelled frantically, but her voice was carried away by the wind. Mimi knew there was no time to get to the bridge.

Where Mimi was standing, the creek widened, then cascaded over rocks in a series of rapids. Boulders, like giant bowling balls, had fallen many thousands of years ago from the cliff above. Normally, this was the perfect place to cross, but today the boulders were surrounded by a flood of raging white water. Still, Mimi knew she had to take the chance.

She walked back ten paces, then ran as fast as she could towards the water's edge. Landing on all fours in the middle of the first boulder, she clung on to its slippery surface as white water gushed around her, splashing up and soaking her clothes.
Only two to go,
she told herself. But the next jump was going to be far more difficult. With no run-up, she would have to do a cat leap.

She calmed her breathing down, then pushed off. But her jump was not long enough. She landed hard on the side of the boulder and slipped down its rough surface into the water. A searing pain ripped through her knee. With all her strength, she clawed and clambered back up, then sat on top of the rock nursing her bleeding wound. The pain turned into a throbbing ache. She felt faint.

It's impossible,
Mimi thought, as she looked at the last boulder, that now seemed so far away.
I'll never make it.
Then she groaned when she realised it was just as far to go back. She felt as helpless as an injured cat on a peak hour freeway.

Over the roar of the water, came another piercing scream. Suddenly she remembered why she was there – the pastels, the garden and Gemma.
Come on Mimi, you wimp. Get up! You might already be too late.

Mimi stood up, the white water surging around the foot of the rock. She focused her mind on a spot in the middle of the next boulder, forgetting about the space in between. She counted to three, asked Uncle Ting for help, then took a huge leap. Her feet landed perfectly this time. Gaining her balance, Mimi jumped easily onto the bank.

There was no path this side of the creek-just a ledge sticking out from the cliff. She sidled along, her back flat against the rock until she reached a clearing. She could hear Gemma's voice.

‘These pastels are unreal! My garden is just as good as Mimi's.' Gemma stood back, admiring the huge drawing she had created on the rock face.

‘I didn't think you could draw as well as that, Gem. Let me have a go,' came Phoebe's impatient voice.

‘Stop!' yelled Mimi.

‘Hey, Smells, you're just in time to see me put the last stroke on my masterpiece. Tomorrow, when everyone comes to the park, I'll be famous!'

The light from the fire flickered onto the cliff face. An icy finger ran across Mimi's neck and down her spine. Gemma had drawn a dark and terrifying garden. It was like death itself.

‘Get away!' Mimi yelled frantically. 'It will suck you in!'

‘
What did you say?
' The two girls doubled over with laughter.

‘I know it's good, but come on now.' Gemma scoffed. ‘You're just jealous because my garden's better than yours.' Gemma held the box of Empress Cassia Pastels high in the air as if it were a trophy. ‘I can draw just as well as you can, now these are mine.'

‘Hey, Gem, what do the words say?' asked Phoebe turning her head sideways to decipher the scribbly writing on the rock.

‘It's brilliant. Came to me in a flash. Listen.' Gemma touched each word as she read the inscription, ‘
In the Garden of Darkness all nightmares begin . . .
'

Suddenly, a great mass of clouds rose out of the garden. It had the force and the sound of a gigantic whirlwind. And out of these clouds appeared repulsive serpents with whipping tongues and blood red eyes. They crawled and twisted and devoured each other.

‘
Get away from it, Gemma!
' cried Mimi. But the garden had already begun sucking her into its putrid black mouth that opened and closed like a weeping sore.

Mimi grabbed Gemma by the waist and pulled. It was too late. Gemma's head and arms were already trapped inside the Garden of Darkness.

Under the storming clouds, there was not a blink of wind, only a deathly quiet. Gemma opened her mouth to scream. A long, hoarse groan was the only sound that came out. She looked around in horror at the twisted trees and the bleak landscape. A full moon was rising above a cold, black lake but there was barely a glow. It was as though a giant web had been spun across the sky.

Gemma tried to run, but the bottom half of her body was still outside the garden. She could feel a pulling and a tugging; on the outside from Mimi and Phoebe and on the inside from a much more powerful force.

Then she saw something moving in the shadows. A hideous snake-like creature with slimy skin and evil green eyes came crawling and slithering towards her along an undulating wall. She tried to scream. But it was as though her lungs and throat were stuffed with cotton wool. Gemma was helpless.

As it came closer, she could smell its hot and fetid breath on her face like a rotting, fly-blown corpse. Then its claws gripped her shoulders, pulling and dragging her down into its jaws.

‘Quick, Phoebe, help! I'm losing my grip!' yelled Mimi.

Phoebe fell to the ground and desperately hugged Gemma around the knees.

‘It's too strong. I can't hold her either,' Phoebe yelled, as the Garden of Darkness sucked Gemma further and further into its centre.

Mimi suddenly felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She screamed.

‘It's only me,' shouted Josh over the tremendous noise.

‘Oh, Josh! Just in time. Quick, grab Gemma. The garden's sucking her in.'

Josh held Gemma around the waist, Mimi took her thighs and Phoebe pulled at the ankles. It was a deadly serious tug of war.

‘We can't let it beat us, try harder,' screamed Mimi, suddenly feeling herself being pulled towards the garden. ‘On the count of three. Let's do it. One . . . two . . . three . . .
PULL
!'

With the very last burst of strength left in them, they finally dragged Gemma free, falling backwards on the ground in an exhausted heap of bodies, arms and legs. They lay there stunned and exhausted.

‘What did you see in there?' Phoebe whispered.

But Gemma didn't answer. Her face was deathly pale. Mesmerised with fear, her eyes were still fixed in terror on the writhing mass that was the Garden of Darkness – the beginning of all nightmares.

Mimi felt a drop of rain on her face. Then she felt another and another. She looked up into the darkening sky. The rain fell over the park, splashing the rock face with arrows of water, destroying the garden, and cleansing the surrounding earth.

‘Let's get outta here. This place gives me the creeps.' Josh pulled his shirt collar up around his neck. ‘How did you find us?' asked Mimi, gathering up the pastels.

Josh bent down to help her. ‘Eliza knew where Gemma was all the time but didn't dare tell anyone. Finally, she confessed.'

They walked in silence along the bottom of the cliff towards the bridge that crossed the creek, further upstream. They didn't notice the rain. Gemma was like a zombie. She hadn't uttered a word since being inside the garden.

The creek was still swollen and flowing fast. Josh crossed the bridge first, then Phoebe, while Gemma and Mimi walked side by side.

Mimi held the box of Empress Cassia Pastels close to her body. She could feel them, warm and vibrant against her heart. She knew they belonged with her. ‘I'll never let you out of my sight,' she whispered. ‘My precious pastels. You're a part of me and I am a part of you.' She clutched them even tighter.

She didn't see Gemma's eyes widening into a mad stare or her sideways glance, nor her hands reaching out. It only took a split second. And by the time Mimi realised what was happening, it was too late. With the anger and fury of a violent tornado, Gemma wrenched the box out of Mimi's hands, ran to the side of the bridge and hurled it into the water. ‘Good riddance!' she screamed, as if she could push the pastels under with her voice. ‘You vile and evil things. Go back to where you came from.'

Mimi watched in horror as the Empress Cassia Pastels bobbed on the surface for a minute, then were gone, swallowed up by the torrent of raging water.

‘Gemma, what have you done?' Mimi cried.

‘I've done everyone a favour,' she screamed back.

‘But you can't destroy the pastels. Don't you know that? They've been around for thousands of years.' Mimi choked on her tears. She raced back along the creek, searching the water frantically with her eyes, hoping the box would surface again or get caught between rocks. But it was no use. The pastels were lost to her forever.

Mimi walked back to join the others. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't even hate Gemma. There were no feelings left inside her anymore. ‘I did you a favour, Mimi.' Gemma's voice was quivering and her body shaking uncontrollably. ‘If you'd seen what I saw in that repulsive garden, you'd have done exactly the same thing. I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life.'