Green Marks the Spot

A black duffle with the safety deposit box contents hung from my shoulder as I hurried out of the Ivory Western Bank. In my hand was the picture of Amy and a stack of documents from the closed account. I was going to need more supplies. Heeding my surroundings, I shoved the stack of papers into the side of the bag, not noticing the man watching me from his car. I quickly climbed into the driver’s seat and tossed the duffle onto the floor next to the broken marigold pot. Pulling the gun from my waistband, I placed it in the glove compartment.

As I sped away and out of sight, the man got out of his car and walked over to where I was parked. Faced down on the pavement was a photo. Bending to pick it up, he was surprised to find out what was on the other side. Amy. She’s alive, he muttered. Looking around the nearly vacant lot, he folded the photo in half and walked briskly back to his car.

My mind was racing as I sat impatiently at a red light. Amy was alive! The love of my life, whom I buried not three weeks ago, was alive! The bottomless pit of agony inside my chest was full of hope again. Hope that I could once again pull you in close to me, submerging my face in your silky red locks. As I began to daydream, an agitated driver began honking at me. The light had changed. I really needed to stop doing that if I wanted to keep a low profile. No more daydreams, I told myself. Gently accelerating, I made my way down Main Street.

I had to hurry if I was to make it to the cabin before sunrise. Most of what I needed could be found at home. Clothes, a shovel, hiking boots, gloves. As I pulled onto Monroe Lane, I slammed on the brakes. My sister’s car was sitting in the driveway. I had to get rid of her and fast. But how? I had been avoiding her since the funeral. If I walked in there, bloody and in disguise...

I parked my car up the street and dialed her number. As the line trilled, I nervously kept an eye on the house. Make it short and sweet, I said to myself. When she picked up, I got an earful. Just let me be here for you, she scolded. After she was done, I told her I planned to stay at the cabin for a while. I need space, I pleaded. She begged me for directions, having never been. Thankfully, Amy and I kept our getaway a secret. Only my sister knew it existed. We hung up, and I waited. A few minutes passed before she appeared. She was on the phone with someone else as she hopped into her car and drove off.

Rummaging through my closet, I threw what I needed onto the bed. Hangers clacking and hitting the ground. Don’t forget socks. I left the closet for the dresser. Pulling drawers out without closing them, I tossed socks, among other things, to the bed. Darting to the bathroom, I threw my toiletries into a bag. I paused at the vanity mirror. Hanging around my neck was a golden, heart-shaped locket. Gently, I grazed the locket with my fingertips. Remembering fondly the night you gave it to me. We said I love you for the first time. Suddenly, my heart was overwhelmed with how much I missed you. Tears welled up in my eyes. I had to get to you. Get moving, I told myself.

Up on the ladder, I reached for your suitcase. I knew to use that one because of the marigold sticker you put on the handle when we were in Rome. I could hear your voice in my head, “Follow the marigolds, my love.” Plopping it onto the bed, I unzipped it. It was empty except for a brown paper package. For a moment, I stared at it. It was wrapped so perfectly. So tidy. I knew you had left it there for me. I flipped it over. The package was sealed with a marigold sticker! Plucking it open, I found the blue dress we buried you in and another note. Setting the letter down, I plunged my nose into the dress. It smelled just like you! After a second whiff, I dropped the dress into the suitcase and picked up the letter. It read:

My Dearest Olivia,

Before you take this dress so blue to visit stars so bright, you must remember graver pastures and the greenest light.

With all my love,

Amy

A riddle? Right now!? The greenest light…the greenest light…? I whispered this over and over as I ransacked the vanity. Things fell to the floor. With no luck, I headed to the bookshelf. Touching everything on the shelf, no titles by that name. The greenest light…the greenest light? That’s when it hit me!

I flew down the stairs and into the garage. In one of the drawers was a small gardening shovel. Grabbing it, I headed to the backyard. I walked along the fence, marigolds the entire stretch. About halfway, I stopped and turned toward the fence. The greenest light I had ever seen danced through the breaks in the wood. Our strange neighbors kept green bulbs in their porch lights. They never turned the lights off. We never asked them why but joked about it often. An inside joke. At my feet was where I was meant to dig.

The rain started a few minutes into my digging, making it harder to see. Faster and harder, I dug. I had forgotten about the cuts on my hands until I gripped the shovel. The wooden handle felt like sandpaper against my wounds. You can do this, I told myself. My blood was staining the wood. Finally, the shovel hit the top of the box! I was almost there. Tossing the shovel aside, I scooped the mud from around the edges of the box. It wouldn’t come out. The rain poured harder. Picking the shovel back up, I pried one side out of the ground. I removed the box from the earth. Hastily, I replanted the marigolds before running back to the house. Forgetting the blood-stained shovel in the dirt.

Dripping a puddle of water and blood onto the garage floor, I started at the box. The wood was dark and caked with mud. An intricate pattern was carved along the sides. I was afraid to look inside. Opening the lid, I had a flashback to the night it happened. The night that changed everything. It was all there. Slamming the lid shut, I began to sob. They had taken something from me that night. Something I can never get back. It changed me -what they did. What I did. Still sobbing, I took the box to the trunk of the car, tucking it away. Gazing in, I saw my bloody, dirt-covered clothes from earlier that morning. Looking down at my soaking wet, muddy clothes clinging to my damp skin, I undressed. This was my life now.

Stripping off my clothes, I wrung them out and placed them in the trunk next to the others. Naked, I walked back upstairs to shower. While the water cascaded over my head, I wailed in sadness. The steam got thicker, hiding me from the world. I could have hidden in it forever. The nozzle squeaked off as I finished up. Under the sink was a first aid kit. It was time to properly dress my wounds.

The suitcase was packed, and I was dressed in dry clothes. I made my way through the house, cleaning up my mess. Scrubbing blood here, scrapping mud there. Placing night cream jars back on the vanity. When I felt confident the evidence of my secret box was gone, it was time to leave. I wondered if we would ever come back here. I was angry at the situation, but we loved each other here. We built a life around our secret here. Part of me wanted to stay forever. The other part wished we could light a match and watch it all burn. Either way, things would never be the same again. I checked my watch. It was a quarter after eight already. The sun was long gone. Time to go.

Back in the driver’s seat, the engine turned over. A song you love played on the station I hate. A smile spread across my face. Knowing I would see you again brought a profound calmness to my heart. That was my first smile since…well, since your death. Clicking the remote, I opened the garage and backed out of the driveway. Idling, I sat in front of the house for a moment longer. With the radio turned up, and the windows rolled down, I drove towards my new life as Hannah Marie Goldstein. Not noticing a car pull off the street behind me, a man followed me all the way to my secluded cabin.