Mrs. Bartlebee's Garden

The world of backtrack

    A long curly haired young woman gently strummed the strings of a ukulele in her backyard. She hummed while she laid in her hammock, rocking back and forth in the shade. Her yard was massive, filled with all sorts of rare foliage and statues. She suddenly sat herself up as she noticed a bush stirred, she watched carefully, adjusting her glasses and pushing her massive blonde mane out of her face. The sun kissed her freckles as she stepped out of the shade, grabbing her large sun hat and placing it on her head. She watched as the bush shifted again, the blonde smirked and approached like an unknown animal, swiftly and near silently.
    "I know you're here, come on out you little ruffian! You know you're my favorite!" The young woman called out with a giggle, her hour glass figure shifting as she placed her hands on her hips. A boy then crawled out of the thorn infested bush, his black wavy hair was tangled in his face, blocking his view. He looked up and stood to his feet, reaching a scrapped hand out to the woman. She laughed and took it, taking a step backwards and the world literally shifted and the atmosphere paralleled. The bright and sunny skies were suddenly dark, the moon was lit in the sun's place and the plants were alive, dancing and blooming madly, as if time and the seasons didn't exist.
    "Good night Mrs. Bartlebee!" The boy babbled as he wrapped his dark arms together, tapping where the scrapes and bruises were just seconds ago. He saluted her and scritched the chin of a dandelion, which was an actual lion made of various flowers and vines, he purred and nudged the tan skinned child.
    "Good night to you too, Rocketship! Welcome back to the world of Backtrack!" The tall woman replied, brushing the boy's hair out of his eyes and tying it back with a hair clip. She then turned around and began tending to her near alien garden. "What brings you here?" Mrs. Bartlebee questioned with a peculiar glance, a smirk and a shoulder wiggle added to her exaggerated nature.
    "I need something for my mom again,," Rocket mumbled as his tone softened and his words trailed off, he was clearly worried and torn. The older girl turned to him and frowned, tapping her head and thinking for a quick moment before she read the boy's sad forest green eyes. She nodded as she skipped quickly around several now awake statues, they turned to greet her as she moved. She dove down a rabbit hole and returned through a door in the back of a tree.
    "Let me guess, frostbite bit a little to hard after she fell in that frozen pond? I say! Your mother has the worst luck, kid!" The blonde exclaimed as she twirled and danced around the boy, her denim skirt flared out as she shook her hips, there was a permanent song in the woman's brain and the world always knew. Rocket nodded with a frown, sighing as he continued to pet the dandelion, he then watched the cub step out from behind him, the boy smiled and picked the cat up, cuddling the flowered baby softly.
    "Now this will reverse the curse! Frostbite's a mean little trickster! Now pinky promise me this is not a lie and you will never tell anyone what you saw today! You know the drill!" Mrs. Bartlebee called out, reaching her pinky out with one hand as she handed the dark skinned boy a small valve.
    "I promise, I would never lie to you!" Rocket promised as he wrapped his small finger around the woman's. They then shook on it, the woman then stepped forward and the world shifted again. It was daylight once again and the plants were earthly, there was no magic, no mysteries. The boy studied the valve, stared into the purple glittery elixir, he then smiled and hugged the blonde. "Hey,, what's beyond your garden in that weird magic world?"
    "Oh if only I was legally allowed to show you, Rocket. Hell, I'm not even allowed to show you my garden but,, oh well! It's our little secret, yes?" The blonde asked with a devious little smirk. She then began to gently press the boy back to the bush, then stopping as she noticed the tiny cuts on his arms and legs. She then pulled out a large smooth wand from her pocket, she breathed slowly as it began to light up, the bush then moved out of the way and the boy crawled through, leading himself through the fence and on the other side.
    "Thank you, Mrs. Bartlebee!" Rocket called out from behind the fence as he hid the valve and ran down the sidewalk. He approached his home down the block and entered quickly, placing a soup on the burned on his stove. He opened the tube and emptied it's contents into the soup, stirring it as it heated. The dark boy moved his hair out of his face again, removing the hair clip and smiling, placing it in his pocket. He then poured the soup into a bowl as it finished cooking. Rocket then slowly began to approach his mother's room.