THERE IS ALWAYS THAT ONE ABANDONED HOUSE IN EVERY town or city or village, and it’s here that red always decides to take up her residence. usually these little rundown shacks are on the outskirts of the town, or in a dark and relatively untraveled part of the city, forgotten and ignored. which suits her just fine —— there’s a certain anonymity to it that she likes, and she’s gotten quite good at restoring these places: fixing holes in the roof, reversing the rotting of unloved wood, repairing the door that was left unopened for too long, replacing broken windows, and just bringing the place back to life.
and every single one, regardless of shape or size, will have a vegetable-and-herb garden in the back of the house, or on the side, depending on which gets the best sun. after about a week of her living there, THE LAND WILL RESPOND TO HER CARE AND GROW IN KIND. ivy will start to creep in, caresses along the walls, and wildflowers will blossom all along the grounds that she calls her own, if only for a little while. and the animals will follow: bees will set up a hive and trade her honey in exchange for protection; injured birds will take shelter in the trees; foxes will nurse their young for a few weeks until the kits are old enough to play and run. some call places like this holy ground. red disagrees.
but even after she leaves, the garden with its wildflowers will still grow, and the animals will still linger, and the house will stand tall and proud for its next visitor: JUST ANOTHER LITTLE RIPPLE THAT SHE LEAVES BEHIND.
