Garden of Empress Cassia by Gabrielle Wang Page B

sold them to him. Grandfather told me that the box sat amongst the dusty old painting brushes, ink-stones and scrolls like a sunflower in a winter graveyard. When he was leaving with the box of pastels under his arm, the old man said, “The pastels are not of this world. They can be a treasure to some, but a curse to others”. I don’t know if he believed the old man, but Grandfather never lifted the lid even though I pestered him to do so constantly.
    â€˜One day, I found myself alone in the house. Grandfather had left his keys lying on the hall table. I opened the cabinet, took the box down, then lifted the lid. In an instant, my mind filled with nightmarish visions, and even though they were so terrifying, I had to draw them. I couldn’t help myself. I went outside to the woods at the back of the cottage where there was a flat bed of rock and began to draw something sinister and horrible. All the while I could feel it laughing at me. I was scared. So scared I ran to the house to hide. But when I thought of Grandfather and how angry he would be when he found out, I put the pastels back in the cabinet and returned the key. The next day, with fear in my heart, I went back to that flat bed of rock. All the plants and bushes within a metre around had died. And do you know what? Nothing has ever grown there since. It was as though every bit of life had been sucked out of the earth.’
    â€˜That’s horrible,’ said Josh.
    â€˜But you’re not bad, Miss O’Dell. Why did you draw a garden like that?’ asked Mimi.
    â€˜I took the pastels when they weren’t mine to use. Just like Gemma has. They didn’t belong to me. I can see that now. They didn’t even belong to my grandfather. When he died, he left me all his treasures. I kept those pastels hidden away for twenty-two years . . . until I met you, Mimi. I knew from that very first day you walked into my class that they belonged to you.’
    â€˜And now I’ve gone and lost them.’
    â€˜It might not be too late,’ said Miss O’Dell. ‘Come with me to the staff room while I ring around.’
    There was no reply at Gemma’s house. Miss O’Dell then tried Phoebe. Her father answered the phone.
    â€˜Phoebe’s dad said she went off with Gemma at about four but he has no idea where to,’ said Miss O’Dell as she hung up. ‘Mimi, can you think of any place they might be?’ She sounded desperate.
    Mimi thought for a while then replied, ‘Only the shopping mall. She often hangs out there.’
    Josh nodded in agreement. ‘If it’s attention she wants, then using the pastels in the mall would be the perfect place.’
    â€˜Right then. You two try the mall. I’ll go over to Gemma’s.’
    When Mimi and Josh arrived at the mall it was closing time. The usual stream of shoppers was dwindling to a trickle. The mall was only a small arcade with a row of shops on the inside and another row on the street, but many of the kids from school used it as a meeting place and the empty carpark as a skateboard park.
    â€˜I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes,’ said Mimi. ‘Hurry!’
    â€˜Right,’ said Josh.
    Mimi searched inside all the shops that were still open then checked the toilets. Gemma and Phoebe were nowhere to be seen. Ten minutes later, she met up with Josh who was shaking his head.
    Mimi looked at him in despair. It was getting dark.
    â€˜There’s nothing more we can do, M,’ said Josh. ‘We’d better go home.’
    â€˜Yeah, I suppose you’re right.’ Mimi followed like a robot. She was too tired to think anymore.
    At the top of Rumba Street, they said goodbye.
    â€˜Don’t worry, M. It’ll all work out okay.’ Josh tried to sound positive.
    As Mimi walked home, she thought how strange it was that everything could be so very good one minute then turn so very bad the next.
Now I