Symptoms Of The Valley

Today is another day wrapped in mystery missions and hot summer days at our lake house. My parents are here taking a break from traveling and “questionable occurrences”. Sometimes you need to reset and relax, but it does not stop them from talking about their missions with the families around us. Uncle Wren is here along with three other families in the secret mission business. It is great to see other’s that are just like me. Some of them are recorders others are not. We all have different jobs, for example, there are historians, researchers, negotiators, accountants, public relations, and customer service. Sure, there are inside names we go by, but this is how we appeal to the outside world when doing our secret mission work. I identify as a historian (recorder) but also have researcher qualities. I mean you cannot tell everyone what is going on in a “secret mission” business right?

Most of the families here have multiple children in their families. I am an only child, so it is great to see and talk to others that are in the same business. I got along well with other children, but it was easier to talk to those that know what your life is like. Taylor Brooke, Charlie River, and Riley Stream, and I were playing by the lake discussing missions and life as investigators in training. Taylor was telling us about a mission that was remarkably interesting. Usually, I do not write about missions from other families but this one felt like it could be connected to a mission that had sentimental meaning for my family. I asked if I could write about the findings, and I got the go-ahead.

Taylor’s parents were on a mission in a valley town investigating a group of people that were reporting mysterious symptoms after they visited the town. These symptoms could not be explained by the people as to how a woman came to them and placed a marigold flower on their chest while sleeping. When They awoke and saw the flower those around noticed symptoms right away. This was interesting to me because before my grandmother disappeared, she dreamed of a single marigold every night for nine nights until she disappeared. There are exactly nine people showing mysterious symptoms.

I asked what the symptoms were, and Taylor did not know. I had a feeling it was delusion and the mark of a single marigold flower on their chests. I overheard my grandfather talking to my and uncle about the mission and he expressed his disappointment in not being included in the active findings. Riley’s family wondered why my family was not involved in the investigation too and concluded that my family would be too emotionally invested in what could be found. Since my grandmother may still be out there somewhere, my family is always on the lookout for clues as to how to find her.

My grandmother is a researcher and heavily connected to nature. She always taught the next generation about how important it is to honor the natural resources of the earth. When she disappeared a little over 2 years ago, she was investigating a valley of marigolds that seemed to go on forever. When you picked one marigold, another would grow in its place almost immediately. She loved the healing powers of the marigolds and loved to visit this valley whenever she could. She and my grandfather were called to the valley because the marigolds were no longer growing in abundance. The ground where they once were, was now dry and brittle. Grandfather said my grandmother cried when she saw that the once expansive abundant valley was now nothing more than large brown and black dirt patches. As if something drained the nutrients from the soil.

During the days of investigating my grandmother would visit the valley and spend hours walking and talking to the land. That is how my mom learned to respect the land that is so gracious enough to give us resources so that we can live. I too have the same respect for the land. Without it, there would be no us.

When my grandparents asked questions about the valley, most people had not seen anything suspicious leading up to the days that the valley went barren, but my grandmother began to change. She told my grandfather she had dreams of a lady singing to her and could feel her presence when she was in the valley. The lady would walk beside my grandmother as she spoke life into the ground and pretty soon the lady would be the only person my grandmother would speak to. At that point, my grandfather thought the exchange had gone too far and told my grandmother that they were going to leave.

Before they left the valley town my grandfather found through further investigation, that some people from outside of the valley were taking more marigolds than they needed to make herbal medicines and teas. There are sacred ways that are not practiced anymore on how to respectfully use what is produced by nature. His guess was that the land was violated and not appreciated so the abundance of marigolds decided not to grow anymore. My grandfather informed the people that lived nearby of his theory, and they set restrictions on the land so that it was allowed to regenerate.

Hearing about this current mission, it seems as if the land has had time to regenerate and marigolds grew once more. I really wish I could speak with the people that had the symptoms. After Taylor told the story I could not help but think that my grandmother may have had something to do with the regeneration of the marigold valley. I asked Taylor’s mom, with googly eyes, if she could tell me anything about the mysterious symptoms. She looked at me with sad eyes and breathe a long breath of angst. She told me that she was not supposed to speak about it because a team was going to be assembled to investigate the valley. A team including my grandfather, father, and uncle. She told me that one of the nine people that showed the mysterious symptoms said they saw the lady of the marigold valley just like my grandmother did over 2 years ago. When describing the lady of the marigold valley, the description matched my grandmother.

This news hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. I immediately ran away to my room at our lake house and cried. Would they be able to reach my grandmother? Is there a chance that I could see her again? I had a feeling deep down inside that I could reach her. That I would be the one to connect to grandmother and bring her back from wherever she is.

- Audubon Lake