The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert

Author:Mary Rickert
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2014-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

ROSEMARY Symbolic of remembrance, fidelity, and friendship, rosemary is frequently used as a funeral wreath, wedding herb, and as a guard against pregnancy. Rosemary is a remedy for diseases of the brain. Bathing in rosemary makes the old young again.

Nan can’t believe she slept all day. She’d be worried if she didn’t feel so good. She feels wonderful. Why, when Ruthie told her it was time to get ready for dinner, Nan didn’t believe it. Dinner? How was that possible? She had the strangest dream, though right now she can only remember the odd feeling and no details, which is fine, actually, because the odd feeling makes her feel, well, odd, and there’s no reason to linger with that sensation when she can enjoy feeling good instead. This bubble bath, for instance, feels very good indeed. She hasn’t taken a bubble bath in years. Why is that? There seems no reason for denying herself such a simple pleasure for so long, though she’s sure she did have a good reason once.

The bubbles feel like kisses, though of course that’s just silly. The bubbles are soft and warm against her skin; they pop, nothing like lips at all, though a definite pleasant sensation. Nan closes her eyes and leans back against the tub, remembering how she was once possessed of a body that was kissed; she once knew what lips felt like and made no uncertain comparison of lips to bubbles. Nonetheless, it is very pleasant indeed to be caressed by bubbles, so pleasant in fact that she responds to the knock on the door with something close to a growl.

“Nan, are you in there?”

“I’ll be right out, Mavis.” Nan tries to sound cheerful. After all, she has a houseful of guests; she slept right through the day and did nothing to help with dinner. The least she can do is be accommodating and not hog the bathroom.

Mavis, however, cannot wait. She sidles in, closing the door behind her, waving her hand as Nan tries to cover herself. “Don’t make a big production. There’s nothing there I don’t already know about. We need to talk.” She sits on the toilet, crossing her legs beneath the caftan she wears, leaning forward to fix Nan with an inquisitive look.

“Are you enjoying your visit?”

“Don’t be coy, Nan. We haven’t time for it. We have to decide what we’re going to do.”

“Do?”

“You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

Nan shakes her head, which she immediately regrets, because the lovely vanilla aroma is ruined by the scent of salt. She sighs. “Don’t look at me like that, Mavis, my memory isn’t what it used to be. Just catch me up so we can get on with it.”

Mavis does, first reminding Nan about Karl (the “interloper” Mavis calls him) tearing apart the garden, which, Nan thinks, is as understandable as it is devastating. Young ghosts are said to be quite dramatic and erratic in their behavior. Who can blame him? A dead adult is sure to be greeted on the other side by a welcoming crowd of loved ones, whereas a young ghost might not recognize anybody.

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