Rosehead

Chapter 4. Through The Arbor

Upon hearing a scary noise, most children typically scream and flee. Not Lilith. Excited by the prospect of solving a mystery, she ran after Panther, deeper and deeper into the sea of roses. The further they went, the taller the bushes became, changing from groomed shrubs to tangled bramble. Passages became narrower, turns sharper. Now and then stray canes stuck out, grabbing at Lilith's clothes. One of the thorns sliced her ankle, producing a few brilliant drops of blood. Panting, she stopped, letting Panther lick the wound clean, happy that she wore long clothes on this hot summer day. Presently, they found themselves in a cool shadow, the sun obscured by a tunnel of roses.

"How much farther?" Lilith licked her lips, gasping.

"Open your nostrils, madam." Panther lolled out his tongue. He liked calling Lilith madam when she missed something obvious. "Can't you smell it? My nose is telling me, around the corner."

"Yes, I can smell it, just can't tell the distance, my dear Watson. Whatever that thing is," Lilith said, bending to catch her breath, "it's indubitably revolting."

"Fine by me," Panther snarled. "I've been stuck all night in a cage next to Bär," he barked. "The stench that thing produces, you have no idea. He farted a million times. I thought I would faint. This"—he sniffed—"does not compare."

"Says a dog about another dog. You know, sometimes I wonder if you're a dog at all," Lilith said, perplexed.

Panther produced a noise that sounded very close to pfft! "Sometimes I wonder if you're a girl at all."

"Most certainly not. I'm a grown woman stuck in a girl's body, which is rather unfortunate."

"Are you? For a woman you lack a certain feminine nature."

"As much as you lack canine."

"I beg your pardon?"

Lilith stuck out her tongue at him.

"That's very mature," Panther growled.

They would probably engage in more banter, if not for a stray rose. It slightly brushed Lilith's face.

"What's that?" Lilith whirred around and peered at the closest flower. The flower pretended not to move.

"Your stray feminine nature?" came from below.

Lilith pretended she didn't hear and reached out. As if anticipating, a thorny stem swiftly slapped her hand, slicing it open.

"OWWWW!" Lilith jumped, sucking on the cut.

At the same time, distant voices penetrated the thick greenery: The high timbre of Daniel Bloom, the chitter of Gabby Bloom, and the low baritone of Alfred Bloom. That's right, Lilith remembered, he's showing them his new rosebushes. On first impulse she wanted to call out, but her gut instinct deduced that neither she nor Panther were supposed to be in this part of the garden and they'd get in trouble if discovered.

"Shhh!" She put a finger to her lips, eyeing Panther.

"Was I the one screaming?" he growled quietly.

They tiptoed away, walking backward, until Lilith's body pressed into an overgrown arbor. In another moment, it entwined them both with its thorny creepers, knitting them into an impenetrable cocoon. Lilith's scream died in her throat. Panther could barely whimper. They struggled to breathe as a mass of slithering leaves tried to part their lips to gag them.

Someone, or something, sighed again, this time much closer. Just when Lilith thought she would suffocate, they dropped onto a carpet of damp leaves, on the opposite side of the arbor. It stood sentinel over them, silent.