“Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There? Book IV: Grandmother #50. Tragedy Strikes

Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?

By Kate Chamberlin

As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they’re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.

Book IV:  Grandma Grace

#43. Charles and David

#44. Grandma Grace’s S’mores

#45. Green Trillium In May

#46.  Search For Boy And Dog

#47.  The Hollow Tree

#48. So many Flowers

#49. Drumlin Woods Aflame

#50. Tragedy Strikes

Tragedy struck in mid-winter when Granddad, Grandma, and Peyton were killed by a drunk driver on icy roads.

Liam’s aunts and uncles gathered in the big, farm kitchen for the last time.

“Liam, you know that we all agreed that none of us would be able to come live on the farm,” Mom said putting her arm around Liam’s shoulders, which he promptly shrugged off. “Granddad and Grandma knew that, too, and have donated everything to the Land Preservation Society. The bog and drumlin woods will be available for everyone to share in its beauty. The care-taker will live upstairs and groups can hold retreats downstairs.”

“While we finish packing, do you and Sarah want to take a hike to see the wildflowers?”

“Sure,” he muttered, picking up his Granddad’s binoculars and heading for the pond with Sarah close on his heels.

“It’s not fair,” he complained fighting back tears. “Why can’t we stay here? I’m going to be a botanist when I grow up. I can take care of the farm.”

“Mom may have grown-up here, but our folks are city people now, they only like to come for visits. Wow,” she said. “Look at those Marsh Marigolds. It looks like a huge pot of gold. Let’s check out Trillium Heaven.”

Liam stood at the edge of the trillium patch and looked up to the trees through the binoculars and then swept them down toward the wildflowers. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Sarah, look at this trillium,” he said in a shaky voice, kneeling next to a small plant shading a toad that didn’t hop away at his approach.

“So, it’s a green trillium in a circle of a lot of other Green Trillium,” Sarah said.

“Not just a green trillium,” he said. “It’s a double green trillium don’t you remember what Grandma said about doubles?”

Sarah’s eyes filled up and brimmed over, as he said, “Grandma said, when two people are true soul-mates , they’ll come back to the place they both love.”

…Thus, the circle of life continues…

NOTE: adapted from “Green Trillium” by Kate Chamberlin, Illustrated by Mia Surakka, published 2010, available from Trafford Publishers.com.