Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Silke’s breath caught in her throat. She sat back and looked at the child. No way was Evi making up the story. “Did you tell your mother and father this?”
Evi shook her head. “I tried to, but when I said he was acting mean, my father jumped up and kept saying ‘nonsense.’ My mother told me grown-ups have arguments sometimes, and because I’m a child, I didn’t understand what was going on.”
Silke recognized the hurt in her voice. She’d been disturbed and afraid by what she’d witnessed. She was seeking reassurance from her parents, but they reacted without hearing her out.
“My father said I wasn’t to repeat such nonsense to anyone. Raik was a good man and gossiping about him was forbidden.” She looked as if she might burst into tears and once again lowered her voice to a whisper. “Am I gossiping by telling you? I’m not making it up.”
“No, honey, you aren’t gossiping. That would mean you are repeating something to get attention. You aren’t doing that. You’re honestly seeking answers. You need advice, someone to help you decide what to do. There’s a big difference.” She sat back on her heels, regarding the little girl. “I know you don’t lie, Evi. I’ve always relied on your observation skills.”
Evi’s lower lip quivered, breaking Silke’s heart. “What should I do?”
“Be honest with your mother. Tell her you aren’t ready to go to Julia’s. Ask if Julia can come to your house. If she says no, don’t be upset. Tell her you’ll make your special cookies with Julia the next time she comes over, and she can take them home to her parents. In the meantime, I’ll drop by and visit Imka. If she talks to me about what’s going on, that would help, but I won’t break your confidence. No matter what happens, I’ll find a way to talk with Raik. If I’m close to him, I might be able to tell if he’s ill.”
“When I’m sick, Jelte told me I get cranky.”
The incident Evi had repeated sounded more than Raik being cranky. Silke was wondering if he could have a tumor or a blood clot in the brain. She knew something of that nature could change behavior. Certainly, what Evi had described was a complete behavior change. She hoped Raik’s condition was medical. There had been so many unexplained incidents happening in the village, she hoped this wasn’t an escalation.
“I’ve never seen you cranky,” Silke said.
Evi giggled. “That’s because I’m sick and have to stay in the house. Only Jelte and my parents see me cranky.”
Silke laughed with her. “That makes sense.” She gestured toward the next basket. “Do you know what that is?”
Evi wrinkled her nose. “Those are dragon lilies. I love the way they look, but the flower stinks so bad. You aren’t planting the seeds or bulbs, not sure what those little pods are called. These are partially grown. I can tell they’re dragon lilies because of the cool speckled stems.”
“These plants are poisonous. Never forget that. Also, once they take root, they grow huge and wild, reproducing like crazy.”
Evi shook her head. “It’s really beautiful, but the smell is like…”
“Rotting meat. A corpse,” Silke supplied. “Can you guess why?”
Evi frowned. “They have a reason?”
“They need flies to pollinate them. The stench attracts the flies and the flies become trapped inside until the plant has been pollinated. It produces its own heat, maybe to help the plant stay strong or maybe to keep the flies comfortable until the plant releases them.”
“That’s cool.” Evi was enthusiastic all over again. “They’re very smart plants.”
“You have no idea,” Silke agreed. She indicated the next basket. “These are tiger lilies. Gorgeous Egyptian tiger lilies. They are edible and taste like pineapple. They can be used to heal mouth sores and help with coughs. They can be used for skin problems and have even been an ingredient used in cosmetics. The flower is beautiful and very delicate. The leaves are long and narrow. Unlike the dragon lily, the tiger lily has a wonderful scent that can be used in aromatherapy. Originally it was grown for food and medicine. Now people grow it because it’s gorgeous.”
“I think I choose the tiger lily over the dragon lily,” Evi said staunchly. “The tiger lily helps us in so many ways.”
“Don’t underestimate the use of the dragon lily,” Silke cautioned. “If I was stinky, I still could fight our battles, couldn’t I? The dragon lily has a purpose for us, just like the tiger lily and all the other ferns and trees in our forest. This is the place that you can come to if we’re ever attacked by outside sources. The forest will protect you, including the dragon lily.”
Evi frowned. “You believe we’re going to be attacked, don’t you? I heard my mom and dad discussing the possibilities. When they realized I could hear them, they stopped. I’d rather know and be prepared.”