Garden of Death-Chapter Two
The next day seemed to just breeze by to Rowin. They completely finished the second floor's shutters and had a good start on the siding. Tobey came and had such a good time that he didn't even want to stop for his favorite lunch: fish and chips from the diner.
"We're going on a picnic tomorrow." Jasper said over his food. "I need you two to bring a blanket and paper plates. I'll brink food, cups, and utensils."
Tobey asked quietly, "Kool-aid? Grape?"
Rowin and Jasper smiled at him. Jasper patted him on the head. "Sure we'll have grape kool-aid."
Tobey smiled and continued eating his fish and chips. Jasper seemed to be deep in thought. Rowin was the first to finish eating; she sat down in the grass and laid back to watch the white puffy clouds float by in the powder blue sky. A butterfly came close to the table. Tobey momentarily forgot his lunch to chase the pretty monarch. Jasper ate the last bit of fish on his plate and went over to Rowin to watch clouds.
Sitting down he asked, "Mind if I join you?"
Rowin shook her head with a smile, "Go ahead. The clouds won't mind another watcher." Tobey could be seen still chasing the butterfly in the wide open yard. Robins and mockingbirds sang their life stories from the tall old oaks surrounding the boarding house. In Rowin's opinion, the day was the most beautiful day ever lived. Jasper made any day seem great to Rowin.
As if reading Rowin's mind, Jasper sat up and said, "Isn't this the most perfect day in history? In all of my life I've never seen such a day. It's tres bon, no?" Rowin nodded in agreement. Tobey had given up on the butterfly and had brought the reminents of his lunch over to Rowin and Jasper. He sat down beside his sister and continued eating his fish and chips.
Jasper reluctantly stood up and stretched. "We'd better start priming the second-floor siding. I'd like to start painting after our picnic." Rowin followed him over to the scaffold and instructed Tobey to stay on the ground. AShe climbed up beside Jasper and began pulling the rope on her side at his signal. Once at the top, they pried off the tops of the cans. They began applying the primer in total silence. They could hear Tobey playing in the grass below them. Several clouds passed over the sun, casting a pleasant shadow on the world. Rowin momentarily closed her eyes and sighed happily. She didn't notice Jasper sliding closer to her until she felt his sleeve brush against her arm. She looked into his bright blue eyes and had an uncontrollable urge to kiss him.
Just as she was leaning into Jasper, Tobey's shrill voice came from the ground. "Rowin, help! Jasper!"
They lowered the scaffold to the ground as quickly as possible and ran toward Tobey's frightened cries. They saw a man holding Tobey up and shaking him. "Tell me where the creature is!" he yelled at the frightened child. Jasper ran over to save Tobey, but stopped midway. He seemed to shake in fear.