How Green Becomes Wood

It was a tiny little grocery store at the end of the coordinates, and he arrived just before noon. Two hours had already gone by, which definitely a surprise to him, but he supposed, with breakfast, and the clues at home, and the drive here, it made sense. As he got out of the car, he wondered where in this store he was meant to go. It wasn't large, but how was he supposed to know what aisle? What product?

Some other patrons of the store looked at him strangely, due to the way he looked around him as he walked up to an otherwise unremarkable place to shop, but mostly he was ignored. As he walked to the entrance, though, something caught his eye, and he paused with a sly smile as he walked up to it.

Outside the shop was a tiny, coin-operated carousel designed for children with three horses. Tied to the base of one of the poles, underneath the horse with a black and white saddle, was another box. There was a lock on the front, and a slot on the side, but when he lifted it and attempted to shake whatever was inside out, he noticed also attached to the box was a string, which he had overlooked because at the end of it was a small, metallic cylinder, which had stuck itself to a pole.

Leaning against the wall, Dark held the box and the cylinder, examining both carefully. It must have been a magnet, he guessed, and tested it on what he could to prove his theory. Then, he began running the magnet around the wooden box, until he heard a little thumb sound. Something inside this box was magnetic, certainly.

It took some time, but eventually he managed to slide the object out---this time, it was a few keys, each labeled differently: Rose, Dahlia, Bell, Wild, Drop, Heart, Lady's Slipper, Rod, California. He knew he could try each key independently, but also he knew there was a sort of pattern, here. He just needed to figure it out. Roses and Dahlias were flowers, he knew. He was pretty sure a Lady's Slipper was too. He wondered...

He took out his phone, and texted Tristan a picture of the keys, since he knew he couldn't ask Daizi, and he didn't just want to google, Do these mean anything to you?

~~

"Oh!" Daizi said, feeling her phone buzz and playing the text, "Dark left. We can go home. I'll let Cooger know, too."
 
Tristan was surprised to get a text from Dark, but he answered quickly enough. Without much context, those appear to be flower names. Roses, Dahlias, snowdrops, purple hearts, lady slippers, golden rod, and I would guess the California Poppy. There are a few wild flowers such as the wild blue phlox, the wild geranium, the wild hyacinth, the wild iris, and the wild rose or Spanish rose. I do not know what they have to do with keys, though. Does this help?

~~

"Excellent!" Sally chirped, and she guided the car back toward Daizi's home. "Time to have a little dress up time, and you must keep me in the loop."
 
Dark nodded at the text, looking at the different keys in his hand, You have about as much context as I do. Daizi sent me on a scavenger hunt. I am outside an "IGA" trying to get into a wooden box. One of these keys unlocks it. It breaks the spirt of the game to just try all of them. He scratched his beard before turning the box over in his hands, and glancing back at the mini carousel. There were more than three keys, but only three horses, each with a different coloured saddle. Are there any colours associated with Lady Slipper's typically? And Dahlias? I only know about Elizabeth Short.

~~

"It should be awhile still before he makes it to dinner. It's only noon. But I'm excited. He must be doing well, I think," Daizi grinned, "He's so clever." She turned in her seat slightly, "Right, habibti? Baba is so clever?"
 
Tristan did not know who Elizabeth Short was and took a moment to look it up. A black dahlia is difficult to produce but does technically exist. I believe the blue dahlia is likely the most well-known. The most commonly requested Lady Slippers are pink and white. Does this help? He wondered if he was supposed to give advice and help if this was a scavenger hunt set up by Daizi. Mostly, he was not sure what to say or do with this couple.

~~

Sally chuckled and drove to the house, willing to withstand the gushing of love for Daizi's husband without complaint, but Daizi owed her one!
 
Interesting. Thank you. It does help. Dark replied, feeling like he was figuring out Daizi's intentions, now. Clever of her to use a colour based clue, given her situation. There was a black saddle, a red one, and a pink one. Certainly, one of those was the correct key. Where was the box located when he came up to it, again? He hadn't paid that much attention to it, so he tried the Rose key first, considering its connection to their lives, but when it failed he used Dahlia and opened the box.

Since that key had been used, he decided to remove it from the ring and put the key from the nursery on it, because it was unlikely the Dahlia key would unlock two locks today, and this way it was out of mind.

The puzzle piece went with the rest, but to his surprise, in addition to the letter, there was an MP3 player earbuds. It had been awhile since he last used one, but he quickly remembered how to pull up the track listing: there was only one file on it. This letter read:

I wanted to send you to a Carnival, my love, I really tried to find one, but I'd have to send you hours away, and that didn't seem feasible. But I hope this is near enough, for you. Do you remember the first one you too me to? I was terrified to go on most of the rides, and you didn't force me to, but you were so calm, it convinced me to try. Do you remember kissing me on top of the Ferris Wheel? It wasn't our first, but it was the first you initiated. You bought me cotton candy and I tried desperately to win you a prize. Do you remember when the sun set, and I was shivering? I lied, then. I wasn't cold, I just wanted you to put your arm around me. You let me wear your jacket. I didn't say it then, I couldn't, but I knew I was going to marry you some day the moment it was on my shoulders.

I told you before, your heart beat is a calliope, and I wanted to bring you to something you love, while you hunt me down. I'm still waiting, by the way, isn't it getting late? Hurry, darling. I'm growing impatient, here all alone. Go to where we always said goodbye, when the sun had hardly risen, where steel horses run, where if you go at the wrong time, you can hardly breathe. Go North. When you're there, remember to listen. And hurry, you need to arrive before half-past.

Well. A bit esoteric, that one, he thought. But, there was a time limit, so he hurried back to his car, texting Tristan quickly, Dahlia was it. Thank you.

~~

Once they made it home, Daizi took the carrier, with Ivy still in it, out of Sally's car, "I'll get the rest of the seat out once she's inside, Xander will need it later. Thank you so much for driving us around, I really appreciate it. It would've been so much more stressful if I had to take a cab, even though I really appreciate the ones Peter set up, and they help me a lot in other times."
 
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Tristan nodded, a bit puzzled but letting it go. They still puzzled him, but they were a nice couple. He did not regret knowing them in the slightest! The bell over the door rang, and a pair of giggling girls came in. It didn't take long for him to add a couple more tallies to his notepad.

~~

"You are very welcome! It was a delight. Are you ready for a makeover now, or should we give it a bit more time?" she asked, making certain Daizi had everything.
 
Sitting in his car and drumming at the wheel, Dark thought through where it could possibly be that they said goodbye with... steel horses. There was a time limit on him, this time, and struggling with it, he went into his bag where he had stashed a notebook and a pen, and set about writing every place he and Daizi regularly visited. The clue said always said goodbye. That meant it had to be somewhere they went regularly. After hurriedly writing down everywhere, he crossed off ones that wasn't north, until it hit him: The train station. It wasn't north of this store, but he needed a northbound train. He drove quickly but safely, arriving at the station before 12:30, but not by a lot. He stood, trying now to figure out which train he needed, when someone came up to him.

"Excuse me, Sir?" The man asked.

Dark turned to face him, "Yes?"

"Are you Mr. G.M. Dark?"

Unsure if he should be surprised, unnerved, or impressed, Dark replied with a cautious, "...Yes." Upon receiving the answer, the man handed him a train ticket.

"I spoke with your wife, Dr. Daizi Wahid. She asked I give this to you."

That answered the question of his stop. Dark thanked the man, and offered to tip him, mostly because he felt like... that is what people did, right? But the man waved him off, wished him luck, and told him to hurry so he didn't miss his train. So, Dark did exactly that, getting on the train just in time. It wasn't crowded, thankfully, and he was able to sit down. His stop wasn't too far away, and he took out the MP3 from his bag, and began to play the single track on it.

Daizi's voice came over the headphones like honey and wine. I'm glad you made it on time, I was afraid you'd be late. But you're a clever man. I don't often miss commuting on the train every day, if I'm honest, and I don't often miss living in a city, even though I only lived in them until you and I left to follow Cooger. But I miss those years we spent after I ran away with you. Saturday nights on the L, when it was so packed with people, you didn't have an ounce of space to yourself."

For much of the recording, which Daizi had timed to be slightly shorter than the train ride, she shared romantic, spicy memories from when they were roughly between the ages of twenty four and twenty seven, including one where they got a bit handsy on a train because it was so crowded they were being pushed against each other anyway, and ended up missing their stop.

They were, of course, very alluring stories, but they evoked a different sort of emotion in him. He sat on the train, staring out the window, not really know where he was going, and listening to Daizi laugh and purr and sigh, and he had in his bag fistfuls of her words and her love. He was going to keep these forever, because while she flirted in his ear, tears came unbidden to his eyes. He was so lucky to have this, because one day she wouldn't be there to tell him these things. It was a constant worry in their relationship, on both sides. They both wanted to die before each other, so they didn't need to live without each other, but they also wanted to die after each other, so they wouldn't have to imagine their lover and dearest friend grieving them. He heard Daizi's voice in his ear and knew how... glorious it was that at the end of this, he'd get to see her, and that this wasn't the last he'd have of her. One day it would be, but he'd get to see her. He'd get to hold her. And one day, many, many years in the future, he'd be able to turn this on, and hear her voice from when she was young, telling him about when they were even younger, and remember when she did this for him. What a gift!

When you get off the train, Daizi's voice on the recording said, Seek out where it is green and sweet all year long. Walk our bridge, and a make a wish in our deep waters. I love you, Ghalib.

That one was easy. The Botanical Gardens.

~~

"Oh, I'd say a bit more time, if that's alright," Daizi replied, holding Ivy on her hip, "If you need to go, that's okay. You've done so much already. I just don't want to make myself look too nice yet, when I have a good few hours left playing with this one, who will add her own touch to whatever you decide to do."
 
"I cleared my whole day for this, so I am at your disposal. If you wish for me to stay, I shall stay, but if you wish for me to go so that you can have some time with your little ones, I will be happy to take myself off somewhere quiet where I can finally read that book I've been meaning to read for the last five years," Sally said cheerfully.
 
The Botanical Garden was a quick walk from the train station, so soon enough Dark walked inside, taking a deep breath at all the beautiful scents within the delicate glass building. Again, he was stopped and asked confirmation about who he was, and this time he was presented with a silk flower shaped like an Iris. Tied to its stem was a scroll of paper which read:

ALGJOPUSIQE
CYTWBNHRVDF
Letters Above Equal Below, and Vice Versa. Three Words. Fourteen Letters. Our favourite spots will be key.

Reading this, Dark, grim and fell as he was, couldn't help but chuckle in delight. A cipher. He had a cipher. This was incredible. He presumed "W" was the letter to start with, because it was unlikely she'd have bolded the deciphered letter first. Taking out his notebook, he wrote down the letter, and then, running his tongue across his teeth, cast his eyes about the garden. Their absolute favourite spot was the waterfall, and it's where he went first, and he found a wooden box with a lid painted to look like their wedding bouquet, sealed with a four number numerical lock. Again, he suspected he could guess at combinations until he got into it, but he supposed the answer likely would be found through this cipher, so he went looking for other spots.

Beneath the Weeping Birch tree, he came across a wooden box painted with a red rose, locked. He took out the keys from the carousel, used the key which said "Rose" on it, and the box lid opened. Inside, in addition to a puzzle piece, were two silk roses. One with a light green strip of paper to it which read S, and one with a blue strip of paper reading: Q Using the cipher, he wrote down what these two letters corresponded to.

Next, he went to their favourite bench, tucked away in a quiet corner, and on it he found a box painted with bluebells. So, he used the key which read "Bell," and unlocked it, excitement clear in his eyes. It was like a second, smaller scavenger hunt inside of his scavenger hunt. Inside this box were three silk bluebells and a puzzle piece. Each bluebell was tied with a differently coloured strip of paper. Light green, blue, and red. The green paper read H, and both the blue and red papers read F. He suspected, with these evidence, the colours of the paper separated the words out for him, which would limit the number of incorrect words he could make, which he found thoughtful.

Next, he found the Lady Slipper's box, and the red strip of paper tied to the single silk flower read: L. After, he found the California Poppy box, which had a full four silk flowers inside. The red letters were C and S. The green letter was B, and the blue was V.

Finally, he found the box painted with Goldenrods, and inside were three silk golden rod flowers. Each one had a blue strip of paper, and their letters spelled: TPQ. He hadn't found boxes painted with a snowdrop or a purple heart, but he had all fourteen letters, so he presumed those two keys would be relevant later. Until then, he sat down and looked at the list of letters he had to break apart the anagram.

Before being decoded, the letters he had read: SHB. QFVTPQ. FLCR. He knew the J, which would be decoded to a W, fit into one of these three words.

~~

Daizi checked her phone, "He's at the botanical garden, now. That will probably he his longest... Actually, the twins should probably be getting ready go to the park, soon, he's going to be meeting them there, next, so I don't think they have the time to spend with me right now."
 
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"Then I guess I'll stay and keep you and Ivy company," Sally said.

Alec came in, dressed very nicely with a black pair of pants and a nicer, brightly colorful button-up shirt. "Is it time for us to go, Mama?"
 
Our Wedding Year. Of course. Hurrying back to the box, Dark input 2019 into the box, easily opening it to access his letter and puzzle piece.

The last date we went on before I told you about Ivy was to here, The letter read, I remember being terrified the entire time as I tried to act normal, as if I wasn't about to cry at any moment. I knew you'd react exactly like how I needed you to, and you did, but I didn't want you to need to react. I didn't want to have to deal with the reality of it. But you saw there was something bothering me, because of course you did, and I blurted it out and you brought me back down to earth. Because that's what you always do for me, darling. I get stuck in my head, I worry, I panic, but you hold my hand, keep me from floating away, and make me believe it's conquerable. For someone who claims to be a cynical realist, you have a remarkable way of reminding me to hope. And to breathe. There is so much I wouldn't have been able to survive if you weren't there to hold my hand. I can't tell you how grateful I am for you. I struggle to know what to wish for when I stand here, because I have you. And if I have you, I have everything.

We came here, also, on mother's day. The first mother's day I was ever able to celebrate: When you leave here, go to where we spent Father's Day. But first, have something to eat, you must be getting hungry, and make a wish.

At the bottom of the box, beneath the letter, was a simple coin. When he held it up, he noticed the year on it--2019. With a little smile, he looked down at the little man-made waterfall, shut his eyes, and flicked the coin into the water. Then he stood for a little while, with his arms resting on the railing, just enjoying how this made him feel.


~~

"Oh, Ivy's going too," Daizi explained, "Sorry, that was unclear. So it'd just end up being us, here..." She thought about it for a few moments before saying, frowning deeply, "I suppose, in that case, we could start getting ready now. Or, after they leave. It's all getting a bit complicated now that we're actually doing it. I don't know how long it will take me to get ready."

She turned to Alec, "Not quite, but close. He's probably just about to go to lunch at the cafe in the Botanical Garden, then he needs to take the train back to his car. So I'm going to feed Ivy, we need to put her car seat in the van, I'm going to change her, then you should go over and you'll arrive before he does."
 
"We can start once they leave," Sally told Daizi.

"I'll go get the car seat and put it in the van," Alec said. He paused and gave a slow turn. "Mrs. Hollis, how do I look?"

"Dashing, dear, but you missed a bit in the back when you were brushing your hair, and you need a belt," Sally told him.

"Oh, whoops. Thanks!" He ran back upstairs and grabbed a belt before fixing his hair. Then he came back downstairs. "Mrs. Hollis, is your car unlocked?"

"Yes, go right ahead and fetch the car seat."

Alec ran out to get the car seat stand in the van.

"He's such an eager little fellow," Sally smiled at Daizi.
 
Dark went to the cafe, where he had eaten many times before with Daizi, and only a few times with Alec and Xander, and when he walked to the counter to order, once again he was asked for confirmation about who he was, before being brought to his favourite table, and told his food would be out shortly. Sure enough, Daizi had set it up so that the meal he ordered every time they came here was prepared for him, and brought out with another little puzzle piece. As he held this piece up--this one had part of a face, and one he knew quite well--he thought about that old quote: To be loved is to be known.

~~

"He really is," Daizi agreed with a bright smile, "I think he's really excited. Xander, too, wherever he is, but he wouldn't admit it as freely. We've all been waiting for this, I think, and... It's been a difficult few weeks, so it's a nice change. I'm going to bring her upstairs to nurse, you're welcome to join me, but if you want a bit of time to yourself, make yourself at home, really, you've done so much to help me today I owe you about two dozen favours, and I promise not to repay them by just giving you daisies."
 
Sally chuckled as she rose to follow Daizi. "I do not mind keeping you company, but I will certainly be calling in those favors at some point! Perhaps at my next company party or some similar nonsense. Peter told me that the school has been selling daisies for kids to use as flowergrams. I am not particularly supportive of such pressures on children to find 'dates' to thinks like homecoming, but I have to admit it is a lovely idea."
 
After enjoying his lunch, which he spent going back over the letters and objects he had acquired during this journey, he stood, confirmed his meal had already been paid for, and then walked back to the train station, and took it back to where his car was waiting.

~~

"That was actually Dark's idea," Daizi smiled, settling down in the rocking chair to nurse her hungry baby, "What happened is Tristan, the twin's biological uncle, and owner of the flower shop where Alec works, was accidentally sent far, far too many flowers, primarily daisies, and he needed some way to get rid of them. Dark gave him the school's number to pitch the idea, and everyone's happy. But I get how you feel about pressuring them to go get dates for Homecoming..." She stroked Ivy's hair gently, "I never went to homecoming, personally, but I remember when I was around flowergrams, a lot of people also just sent them to their friends. Which opened up its own drama, when not everyone in the friendgroup got one."
 
"It is almost like the schools encourage such behavior, and I just do not see how it is healthy," Sally complained with a sigh. Then she shook herself. "But never mind that. Today is not a day for griping over the shortfallings of the public school system. That is a brilliant solution on Dark's part. I am impressed." She paused and asked, "How are things going with... Tristan? I have not heard you bring him up much."
 
"I didn't have enough friends in high school to get into that sort of trouble, but I worry for the twins. And I worry for Ivy, when she reaches that age." She rubbed Ivy's back as she thought about it, "I worry it will be harder for her, girls can be mean. Not all of them, but I think the way we raise girls to act compared to how we raise boys causes different problems." She sighed, but then shook the concerns away, "Things are going okay with him, I think. He's been working with Alec well, and when Alec had a bit of a problem last week, he called him, since he wasn't ready to talk to us, yet. So he's not terrible. Dark filled in for Alec this past weekend, and he didn't report anything concerning about him, either."
 
Sally smiled and touched Daizi's shoulder lightly. "Knowing that her parents love her unconditionally and will always support her will make it easier." Sitting back, she said, "I am glad to know that at least two of the family members who have found you are not terrible people! I admit, I was worried for you, especially after that whole incident with... that other person." She waved it away. "Where is Dark now, do you think?"
 
"I was worried too, especially because Tristan is the other person's brother." Daizi said, removing Ivy and tucking herself away after she finished her meal. Then she took out her phone to check her texts, and since all of her texts played aloud, a robotic voice explained that about ten minutes ago, Dark had been seated for lunch. Setting it back down, she said, "I think we've got enough time to change her and they can make it there without incident. You finished your lunch just in time, didn't you baby? You must be really excited to see your Baba!"
 
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