The Garden of Grief

A Story by Kristopher Ray Pamintuan

Part 2 of Bismuth specials :))

The

Garden

Grief

Kristopher Ray Pamintuan

After the stupefying slime attack, the students headed a normal life just after a week from the invasion.

It was another Monday of their school life. It really was, again, boring. The class has decided to talk about their class outing. Sharmaigne, the class president, presided the planning.

“What do you want for our outing?” asked Sharmaigne.

“I suggest that we go swimming!” Sanz said.

“Go swimming on your own. We are not going to dive in a pool with you.” Rociel said.

“Yeah! The water would turn black if you’ll dip your body in there.” Sonny Boy added.

“Precisely. That’s why we won’t go swimming. Any other ideas?” Sharmaigne asked.

The meeting of the class continued. They had proposed many activities such as hiking, shopping, biking, boating, fishing, and even skydiving. They couldn’t agree on one thing. That is until Anna Suggested camping.

“How about camping?” Anna said.

“I think that’s good! Classmates, do you agree on camping?” the president asked.

“Yes!” the class agreed.

“But where are we going to camp?” Sharmaigne asked.

“I suggest our farm in Ilocos.” Akeley said.

The place that Akeley suggested was their ancestral home in Ilocos Norte. The site was close to a river, which never ran out of flowing water. It was a rich source of freshwater fish and shellfish. He described the place as beautiful; very beautiful.

“Okay, it has been decided that we will go camping at Akeley’s place this Saturday. You have four days starting tomorrow ‘till Friday to prepare. Bring your own food. Is everything clear?” asked Sharmaigne.

“What will we ride?” Billy asked.

“We will borrow one of the school’s service busses. It has a packaged bus driver when we will use it.” The president said.

The camping of the class was decided. Everybody was excited to go. They packed their things as early as Tuesday.

When Friday came, Ray decided to buy some food for the trip.

“Hey Ray! Where are you going?” Akeley asked as he ran towards Ray.

“I’ll buy food for the trip. Care to join me?” Ray said.

“Sure, let’s go!” said Akeley.

They headed straight to the supermarket. They went first to the canned goods section.

“Do you like tuna?” Akeley asked.

“Well, sort of. I like it fresh, though.” Ray said.

Anyway, Akeley tossed six cans of tuna to the cart. Next, they went to the vegetables section.

“Mmmm, fresh lettuce!” Ray said as he put a head of lettuce in the cart.

“I think I’ll get some Lycopene.” said Akeley.

“Tomatoes!” Ray said.

And then they went to the meat section.

“Can we consume a whole chicken?” Ray asked.

“That’s even not enough for Sanz.” Akeley said.

“Do you intend to give him food?” Ray asked.

“Not really. He should be in a diet.” said Akeley.

So Ray just got half of the chicken. Then they went to the shelf of instant noodles.

“I’ll take some of these and some of that…” Akeley said while Ray was reading the nutritional value.

They were about to turn their heads when Ray caught sight of Alyssa.

“Waaaaaah!!!” Ray shrieked.

“What? Surprised to see me here?” Alyssa said.

“Well, not really. Just don’t sneak up on us!” Ray said with relief.

“Yeah, you’re so frightening!” Akeley added.

The boys, together with Alyssa were about to go to the cashier when a cute dog passed their sight. All three of them turned their attention to the dog. Ray was still pushing the cart, but with his sight out of the way of the cart.

“Ouch!” a girl said as she was hit by the cart.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking. I’m terribly sorry………Ivana!?” Ray said as he looked at the girl.

“Ray?” Ivana responded with a puzzled face.

They were surprised to see each other on the supermarket. There was a moment of complete silence between them momentarily, until the cashier called the next person in line.

“We have to go. See you tomorrow!” Ray said.

After going through the cashier, Akeley and Ray went home in opposite directions. Ray brought the food to his apartment.

When he reached home, he turned on the lights and started packing his things. Ray carefully chose his clothes and other things. He included the food they bought earlier.

He then went upstairs and grabbed his sleeping bag. Ray folded it and slipped it right next to his bag. He was ready to go, and he finally prepared to sleep. His plan was to be up by 2:00 am, for the bus would leave at 3:00 am.

By the way, Ray lived alone in an apartment. His parents were in the province, and the only reason why Ray stayed in the city was because of his studies.

As soon as Ray laid on his bed, he fell asleep without noticing. He slept soundly, and he dreamt about their outing.

“Hey, Ray. I’m feeling something strange.” Ivana said.

“About what?” Ray asked.

“About our outing. The place gives me the creeps.” said the girl.

“Awww, don’t be silly! The campsite is perfectly fine. Besides, here’s your sidekick to protect you!” Ray said.

“Kring kring? Kring kring kriiing!!!”

“Kring what?” Ray said.

It was then that Ray was disturbed by the alarm clock. He’s been talking to it the whole night.

He woke up just on time. He brushed his teeth, took a bath, had a light breakfast, picked his things, and then went straight to school. It was just 2:45 in the morning, so it was chilly outside.

When Ray arrived at school, he hurriedly boarded the bus. He was so excited. Ray seated right next to Akeley, seeing that the seat beside him was vacant.

“Oh, Ray. There you are. Have you brought the food?” Akeley asked.

“Yes, I brought all of it.” Ray said.

It was not so long when Ivana arrived.

“Hey Ray, your girlfriend arrived!” Akeley said.

“I’ll keep on telling you, she’s not yet my girlfriend!” Ray answered back.

They had been busily fighting over the matter that they haven’t noticed Ivana walking towards their seats.

“Excuse me, Akeley. Could you kindly remove your butt off my chair?” Ivana said.

“What?! I came here first!” Akeley said.

“Well, yeah. But you’re sitting on my favorite seat.” said Ivana.

“Oh come on! You just want to sit beside Ray!” Akeley said.

“Whoa! Stop this, will you? Okay, let’s just resolve this. Ivana, you sit on my seat. I’ll just transfer to...”

“Don’t sweat it, Ray. I’ll just transfer to another seat.” said Akeley as he gave Ivana an intriguing glance.

After their quarrel, the dispute was settled and Ivana sat beside Ray. Akeley found another seat near the back of the bus, just after the seats of Carl and Aleli. It was his lucky day after all, because Alyssa came in and sat beside Akeley.

“Is this seat taken?” Alyssa asked.

“Y-yes, I mean... no.” Akeley said nervously.

“Why are you shaking?” asked Alyssa as she sat beside Akeley.

“Oh,... uhmm,... er,... it’s cold! Hahaha!” said Akeley.

“Cold, huh? Wanna hug?” Alyssa said.

“Was that serious?” Akeley asked with a smile.

“Well, yes! Hahaha!” Alyssa said.

The conversation was interrupted by Archien.

“Hi Akeley!” Archien said happily.

“You’re joining us on a trip?!” Akeley asked.

“Obviously, yes! Aren’t you happy?” asked Archien.

“No.” said Akeley.

Archien sat beside Monica instead. Michael then stepped inside the bus. He wasn’t able to spot another vacant seat except the seat beside Rociel.

“Permission to sit beside you.” Michael said.

“Oh, sure.” Rociel said as she moved her bag to the floor.

The people who were the last to arrive occupied the improvised seats at the center aisle. One of them was Jessa.

After that, the bus driver came in and said “Everyone ready?”

“Ready!” said Ms. Fabella as she entered the bus.

The long, boring journey from Manila to Ilocos began. The students were drowsy, and their past time was chatting"plain chatting.

“Hey Ray. I’m bored.” said Ivana.

“So?” Ray said with closed eyes.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” Ivana said.

“About what?”

“Like, where were you born?” Ivana asked.

“Oh, I was born in Palawan.” said Ray with a low voice, ready to fall asleep.

“Palawan? What does the place look like?” Ivana asked further.

“Hmmm, you’ll love it there. There’s fresh air, beautiful beaches, kind people, and overwhelming sceneries.” Ray said.

“I want to go there, given the time.” Ivana said.

“Yeah, me too. I’ve missed the place so much.” Ray said.

In just a matter of minutes, Ray was finally lulled to sleep; his face leaning on the window. Moments later, Ivana’s head fell to Ray’s shoulder and they both were soundly asleep.

The class’ journey went on with sleeping students. The bus driver has taken a dose of vitamin C and a cup of coffee to keep his eyes wide open.

When they have reached halfway through their destination, the sun’s gentle morning rays touched their skin. The students started waking up, and they all peeped through the windows to see the beautiful scenery.

“Uhnnn...argghhhh......” Akeley yawned as he tried to stretch his arms. He couldn’t do so because Alyssa was leaning on his shoulder.

“Urgghhh... my head hurts.” Alyssa said.

“Ouch, my shoulder hurts.” said Akeley.

While Akeley and Alyssa were slowly stretching their muscles, Ivana peeped through the window and started shaking Ray’s shoulder.

“Ray! Ray! Wake up!!!” Ivana said as she shook Ray.

“Huh..., Wha...what?” said Ray as he stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes.

“Look! It’s so beautiful outside!” Ivana said.

Ray looked through the window. He was amazed as he stared at familiar scenery.

“We’re already in Pangasinan.” Ray said.

“You’ve been here before?” asked Ivana.

“Well, yeah. Our family goes here every vacation.” Ray said.

It took hours for the class’ convoy to reach the campsite, Ilocos Norte. It was past 9 in the morning when they had reached the spot.

The students went down the bus one by one, Sanz being the last person to come out.

The place was terrific. It was an open farmland which was near a hill, and it was really ideal for camping.

They went inside the farm in a single line. They headed straight to the hillside and started setting up camp.

“Okay class, I will divide you into three groups. Group 1 will make the boy’s tent. Group 2 will be responsible for the girl’s tent. And Group 3, you will be assigned for the food and bonfire.” Ms. Fabella said.

Ray was sent to the third group, including Akeley, Sanz, Ivana, Allayza, Angela, and Alyssa.

“Class, you could do anything you want. Just be sure to finish your tasks. All should be here by 6:00 pm so that we could start the bonfire.” said Ms. Fabella.

It wasn’t long when Akeley thought of going to the river.

“Let’s go to the river, Ray!” Akeley said.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll bring my fishing rod.” Ray said.

“Wow, you’re really prepared. Wait, I’ll get another rod from the barn.” Akeley said.

“Hey! Wait for us!” said Ivana together with Angela, Allayza, and Alyssa while Sanz trudged quietly behind them.

When they have reached the river, Akeley and Ray hurriedly ran down the riverbank to cast their fishing rods. They found a spot under a tree which was cool and shady. Allayza and the others basked on the warm waters on the bank of the river. Sanz settled on one side and started digging for shellfish.

“I got one hooked to my rod! And it’s big!” Ray said as he yanked the rod.

“Let me help you.” said Akeley while he helped Ray pull the fishing rod.

They both pulled with all their might. But to their best efforts, they couldn’t haul the fish into the bank. It’s too heavy.

The fish seemed to fight back. It suddenly jerked, and they were almost pulled by the fish.

“Hey, little help here?” Ray shouted.

Allayza and Alyssa ran to the spot where the boys were pulling the rod. They all grabbed the stick, and pulled hardly. They succeeded momentarily, as they saw how big the fish was. It was a giant river catfish.

“That is huge!” Alyssa exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s just normal here. The river is full of giant fishes!” Akeley said.

They were all busy having a fuss over the giant fish that they haven’t notice the fast erosion of soil beneath their feet, and they were still holding on to the fishing rod.

The fish started to struggle and it took a big leap towards the water. Ray and the others lost balance due to the eroded soil, which resulted in their big fall towards the river with fast and strong currents.

“Hold hands, quick!” Ray shouted.

Alyssa quickly embraced Akeley from his back.

“You’re choking me!” Akeley said.

“Oh, sorry.” said Alyssa as she clung to Akeley’s arm.

Allayza grabbed Ray’s arm.

“Stay calm.” Ray said.

“I’m trying!” Allayza said as she was obviously struggling to float in the water.

Ivana and Angela noticed that their classmates were drifting by the currents. They gave a chase on the riverbank.

“Hey, where are you going?” Ivana shouted as they ran to keep up with the current.

“I don’t know! This river is taking us to its end!” Ray shouted back.

“Then what is its end?” Ivana asked.

“WATERFALL!!!” Ray and the others shouted.

Their fall was catastrophic. Ivana and Angela were stopped by a deep cliff from which the waterfall was flowing.

They tried to peek from the top, but they haven’t seen a sign of them. They decided to go back to camp and ask for help.

Meanwhile, at the lake below the waterfall, the campers rushed to the shore. They were nearly drowned, considering the fact that the current was fast and the waterfall was high.

“Geeez, that was absurd!” Akeley exclaimed.

“Now what? We’re in the middle of nowhere!” Allayza said.

“Just relax. All we need to do is…um…well…” said Ray.

“Panic!!! Waaaahh!!!” Alyssa yelped.

Alyssa ran in circles, with arms waving above her head. She slipped onto a mossy rock and almost fell head first on the rocky floor. Good thing Akeley was able to catch her.

“Th-thank you.” Alyssa said with blushing cheeks.

“Be careful next time, and don’t panic!” Akeley said.

They were on the same position for several seconds, with their eyes looking towards each other.

Allayza whispered to Ray, “They are so sweet.”

“Yeah. They retained their position until now.” Ray said.

When Ivana and Angela reached the campsite, they had remembered that they were assigned for the bonfire. They arrived just in time for the bonfire.

“Where have you been? And where are the others?” Ms. Fabella asked with an elevated voice.

“Oh, we’re…huh…we…ma’am…help!” Angela said as she tried to catch her breath.

“What happened?” asked the teacher.

The girls narrated everything to their teacher with much exaggeration. Ms. Fabella became worried because she thought that the lost campers may be dead by now.

While Ivana and Angela were relating the story, the other students went to the field to find some food.

“Are you sure that there is something edible around this area?” Jessa asked.

“I don’t think so. All I can see is grass.” Aleli said.

“Hey guys, look! There are some cabbages here.” shouted Sonny Boy as he called the attention of the others.

“There’s plenty of broccoli here.” said Arielle.

The students had their luck as they found more and more vegetables on the field. To their surprise, the vegetables never ran out considering the fact that the campers had gathered a huge number of vegetables.

“Students, these vegetables are enough for our consumption.” Ms. Fabella called.

Meanwhile, Ray and Akeley were busily finding ways on how to return to camp.

“This is the best time to use survival strategies that I learned from Bear Grylls.” Ray said.

“Man vs. Wild! I love that show!” Akeley said.

Okay, you both love it. So, what’s next?” Allayza asked.

“First, we must gain energy. So we must eat.” Ray said.

“But what will we eat?” Alyssa curiously asked.

“We will eat anything edible and available.” Akeley said.

“Akeley, look! My fishing rod drifted along the current, too!” said Ray as he pointed his finger to the floating fishing rod.

They went to the water to get the rod while the two girls stayed on land.

The giant fish was not anymore hooked to the rod. So they just brought back the rod so that they can catch some fish.

“Akeley, use my fishing rod to catch some fish.” Ray ordered.

“Sure, I’ll find some bait first.” Akeley said as he went to the lake’s edge and started digging up some worms.

“Allayza, go with Alyssa and find some edible vegetables.” Ray instructed.

After finding some bait, Akeley went straight to the edge of the lake to catch some fish. The girls scoured the thick bushes in the jungle to find some low-lying vegetables, while Ray started to collect dry wood for the fire. It was getting dark so fire was Ray’s priority.

“Come on, ignite!” Ray said as he struck a piece of flint to a rock.

“It’s working!” Alyssa said upon returning from the nearby forest.

“Flame on!” Ray said as the fire went blazing through the wood.

The fire has started, and Akeley started grilling the fish that he caught. Ray thought on how to cook the vegetables that the girls had gathered. Alyssa managed to get a huge cabbage, while Allayza got three tomatoes and some pods of peas.

“Hmmm, this cabbage is weird. It has fang-like projections on both of its sides.” Ray said while inspecting the cabbage.

“Yeah. And this tomato has a very faint pulse.” Alyssa said as she held the tomato near her left ear.

“Ouch! Someone threw a pebble on me!” Allayza irritably exclaimed.

“It’s not me, I’m holding this cabbage.” Ray said.

“Me neither. I’m holding a tomato.” Alyssa said.

“Ouch! Something also hit me!” Akeley said.

“Waaaa!!! The peas are alive!!!” Ray shouted.

Ray was right. He saw right on cue that the peapods were spitting peas on Akeley. When he pointed the mutant peashooters, the cabbage that he held shook violently and then opened its mouth. The cabbage bit Ray’s right hand and didn’t let go.

“Youch!!! Waaa!!! Get it off! Get it off me!!!” Ray shrieked as he ran around in circles while he shook the cabbage off his hand.

Alyssa noticed that the tomato’s pulse was getting stronger and faster. When it was shaking violently, the tomato exploded and Alyssa was covered in hot, skin-irritating ketchup.

“Waaaah!!! Hot! Hot!” Alyssa yelped while she ran to the lake and washed her body.

The peapods continued to shoot peas at Akeley and Allayza. Akeley grabbed a long stick and he slammed it to the pods. They were squashed like insects.

“Eeeew, they look like squished bugs.” Allayza said with disgust.

Ray desperately hammered the cabbage with a rock. But to his best efforts, the cabbage still clung onto his hand and seemed that it would never let go. He thought fast and hurriedly went to the fire. Ray scorched the mutant vegetable like a roasted chicken, and voila! The cabbage’s mouth opened and fell on the pile of charred wood.

“Crazy vegetables, we could have been their dinner!” Ray said as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Your wound is deep. It must be bandaged immediately.” Allayza said.

The girl brought out her handkerchief and used it as a bandage for Ray’s wound. She skilfully covered the wound and tried to stop the blood from oozing.

“Much better. Thanks.” Ray said.

“Where’s Alyssa?” Akeley asked.

As soon as Akeley asked, Alyssa rose from the water and walked towards them. She was wet, and she was lucky for the acidic ketchup was rinsed immediately and hadn’t burned her skin.

“I’m fine, just some minor itching all over me.” said Alyssa.

“We really have to get out of here.” Akeley said.

“Wait, if there are crazy vegetables here, there may be some at the farm!” Allayza said.

“Yeah, you’re right. We must know their status now.” Ray said.

“But our phones got wet when we fell on the river.” Alyssa said.

“Hahaha! Well, not mine! It has a plastic!” Ray proudly said as he reached for his phone on his pocket.

“Wow, you’re really prepared.

Ray instantly dialled Ivana’s number and tried to contact her.

“Hello, Ivana speaking.”

“Hey, this is Ray.”

“Oh Ray, you’re safe! How about the others?” Ivana asked.

“They’re fine. I have to tell you something.” said Ray.

“What is it?”

“We have encountered mutant vegetables a while ago.” Ray said.

“Mutant? What do you mean?” Ivana asked.

“They are carnivorous.” Ray said.

“Really? We haven’t seen them yet.” said Ivana.

“They may be stalking the whole class by this moment. Stay vigilant and call if anything comes up. We are already finding our way back to camp.” Ray said.

“Oh, okay. By the way, do you have some food? We are starving here.” Ivana said.

“Get it on my bag. There’s some chicken and tomatoes at the front most compartment.” Ray said.

“Thank you! Hurry up and go back here now.” Ivana said and she ended the call.

Ray wrapped his phone with the plastic and put it back to his pocket.

“They are safe. They haven’t seen the strange vegetables yet.” Ray reported.

“We need to go back there now.” Akeley said.

“Yeah, this place gives me the creeps!” Allayza added.

“I got it! If we will retrace our routes back, we will be able to reach camp!” Ray said.

“So, we have to climb the cliff, right?” Alyssa hesitantly said.

“Yup, that’s our only way home.” Akeley said.

They carefully planned their next move. Akeley found some thick and tough vines that would help them in scaling the cliff.

“Make sure that the vine is not mutant.” Ray said.

“It would have whipped and whacked us if it was mutant.” Akeley said.

Their plan was to work by pair, one boy and one girl. They would tie the vine to the nearest rock every time they climb a step up. The other end will be tied to the waist of the girl. The boy would guide his pair until both of them would reach the top.

“I’ll go with Ray.” Allayza said.

“There’s no room for failures, and failure is not an option. Let’s go!” Ray said.

“Come on, Akeley! They’re ahead of us. I’m excited!” Alyssa said as she grabbed the vine.

Ray and Allayza started the deadly climb on the cliff. They carefully worked as a proficient team to finish their job safely and smoothly. Rock after rock, they altered climbing and tying until they reached halfway through the cliff.

“We’re almost there.” Allayza said.

“But the next rock is too far from here.” Ray said.

Ray agreed to let Allayza step on his shoulders and climb the next rock. Allayza would then help Ray climb the next rock. It was risky but it worked according to plan.

“Let’s switch places. I’ll tie this vine to your waist.” Allayza said while she untied the vine from her waist.

“You’re tickling me!” laughed Ray while Allayza was tying the vine to his waist.

Their strategy was changed. Ray would climb a rock, and then help Allayza climb another rock. That strategy made their hike faster. After several gruelling minutes, they finally reached the top.

“Whew! Here at last!” Ray said with a hint of success.

“It was fun working with you!” Allayza said as she shook hands with Ray.

While they were celebrating and untying the vine, Akeley and Alyssa emerged victorious from the edge of the cliff.

“We made it!” Akeley said.

“Yesss! We’re saved!” Alyssa happily said.

At the bus, Ivana and Angela were searching for Ray’s food. They found it easily and they headed back to camp.

Ivana thought to herself “Ray was really prepared.”

When Ivana and Angela returned to camp, they have noticed something weird. The campfire burns a gloomy flame; their classmates were nowhere to be found and the place was a mess.

“Oh man! They have slept already!” Angela said ironically.

It was just then that Ivana felt something slither past her.

“Have you felt that?” Ivana asked.

“What? I haven’t felt anything.” Angela replied.

“I better call Ray.” Ivana said as she grabbed her phone.

Meanwhile, Ray’s lost group was now making its way back to the campsite. They carried wooden spears and torches for mutant plant busting.

“We totally look like an angry mob.” Allayza said.

“Yeah, it looks like we are hunting the hunter.” Ray said.

The path was covered with inky darkness and only their torches gave them light as guide through the dark alley.

“Waaah!” Allayza shrieked.

The boys quickly rushed to the girl’s position. They were about to throw their spears when the light from a torch shone on the foreign matter.

“Sanz?!” Ray was surprised.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Akeley furiously asked.

“I was waiting for you.” Sanz said calmly.

“You’re waiting for us? It would have been a good idea if you just asked for help!” Allayza irritably said.

“Ivana and Angela instructed me to stay here.” Sanz said.

“We must hurry up and head back to camp.” Ray said.

They started to move on and they were still finding their way out of the dark alley. Sanz quietly trudged behind them as they used the torches as a source of light.

“Kriiing! Kriing!” Ray’s phone rang.

“Hello?” Ray said as he answered the call.

“Ray! This is Ivana. I am starting to feel that something is really stalking us.”

“Stay alert, and don’t panic! We’re on our way.” said Ray.

“Another thing, Ms. Fabella and the others are missing! Even the campfire was out when we went back to camp.” Ivana said.

“This is bad. Listen, grab a light, sturdy, and long stick near you. Then go straight to the bus. Use your stick as a weapon, okay? Stay inside the bus until we arrive.” Ray instructed.

“Okay, hurry up!” Ivana said as they quickly found a stick and hurriedly ran to the bus.

When they reached the bus, they quickly locked the doors and stayed on one place. They can see the vines creeping on the glass window outside.

Ray and the others ran in a desperate effort to reach the bus and the campsite immediately. Their hearts were pounding in fear and fatigue. They were just meters away from the bus when they encountered an array of vegetables.

“Now what? There are turnips, carrots, tomatoes, cabbages, and string beans!” Alyssa said while she prepared to use her spear.

“Prepare for battle!” commanded Ray.

The greens charged together as one. Tomatoes jumped to spread their acidic ketchup. Akeley managed to hit some of them and they were sent flying. Turnips turned tops and were spinning like crazy. Ray kicked one of them and his shoe was slashed, proof that the turnip tops were sharp. Allayza used her spear to pierce the turnips by their tops.

They haven’t noticed that the carrots were already flying like darts. One of them slightly hit Ray’s right cheek and made it bleed.

“Stay alert! Those carrots are as sharp as knives!” Ray warned his classmates.

While the carrots were flying like there’s no tomorrow, the cabbages added to their burden and started biting the campers. Their razor sharp fang projections can pierce through clothing, skin, and flesh. The string beans fired their seeds and their slender bodies acted as whips.

One of the cabbages savagely bit Ray’s left thigh. Another one had bitten Akeley’s right foot. A carrot dart was about to hit Akeley’s chest when Alyssa pushed him and was sent rolling.

“There’s too many of them!” Akeley said as he lay on the ground and endured the cabbage’s bite.

“Yeah, we’ve got to get inside the bus!” Allayza said as she dodged a carrot.

They all ran to the bus while they avoided carrots. They had succeeded as they ran inside the bus victoriously, but the carrots bashed through the windows made of safely glass. It did not shatter, but the glass was slowly destroyed by the bashing carrots.

“Oooh…haaa…OUCH!!!” Ray said as Angela pulled the cabbage off his thigh.

“Aaaaah…YOUCH!!!” Akeley moaned in pain as the cabbage was being pulled off from his foot.

“These vegetables are really weird. They can kill everybody!” Alyssa said.

“We must act fast. Reinforcements may be coming by this moment.” Ray said.

The campers thought of something that would take them out of the bus safely. They considered all the ferocious vegetables and thought of a way on how to outwit them. Their plan was to rampage out of the bus and head straight to the barn.

Ray removed the thick hides on the seats and fitted it into their bodies for protection. The girls prepared bottles of water in case those mutant tomatoes would spray them with ketchup. They all sharpened their wooden spears using Ray’s pocket knife. They hurriedly prepared for their time was running out fast.

The carrots had broken a window of the bus and the other vegetables came rushing in.

“Everyone, out!” Ray shouted.

They all ran out of the bus while they used their spears in driving away vegetables. Some peapods were trampled, carrots were still flying, and cabbages chased the campers.

While they were running towards the barn, they saw broccolis armed with whip vines, garlic and onions with very pungent odors, and a giant pumpkin as their carriage.

“Run faster!” Akeley shouted.

They all ran towards the barn without complete encounter with the new army. They had succeeded momentarily as they have escaped temporarily form the crazy critters.

“Now what?” Akeley said as he put his weight on the door.

“Grab all possible weapons around!” Ray said.

Crazy farming tools were found on the barn like rakes, giant forks, shovels, and many more.

“Are you all ready? We’ll split into two. Akeley, Alyssa, and Angela, search for our other classmates. The rest, except Sanz, would go with me.” Ray said.

It was just then that they were able to smell a sharp odor. Their eyes started to water and their throats burnt like coals.

“What was that?” Alyssa said as she wiped her eyes.

“We must go out now. Sanz, stay here. Defend the barn!” Ray said as he ran towards the door.

“Let’s scram!” Akeley said.

Ray and Akeley hurriedly hacked and slashed through the thick number of vegetables. The girls followed behind. They had reached the fields when the group separated.

“Where are we going?” asked Ivana.

“We must find the cause of this.” Ray said as they ran towards a mango tree.

“The mother plant.” Allayza said.

“Correct. To eliminate the effect, we must erase the cause.” said Ray.

The three campers hurriedly ran towards the mango tree. Ray assisted the girls in climbing the tree when they arrived. They sat on a branch with a clear view of the whole field.

“I hope this tree isn’t mutant.” Allayza said.

“If it is mutant, it would start throwing mangoes at us right now.” Ivana said.

At a distance, they saw vegetables retreating for an unknown reason. They thought fast and visually traced the path of the vegetables.

“Our camp is at the foot of the hill. The vegetables came from the field towards the camp. If that’s true, then their source must be…” Ray said.

“Behind this mango tree!” Ivana exclaimed when she turned her head and saw glowing vegetables much larger than the troops.

The source was just behind them. It looked like a barrack for army training, only shaped like vegetables. They saw the barracks for turnip tops, savage cabbage, carrot darts, tomato bomb, peashooters, garlic and onions, the broccoli army, string bean whips, and pumpkin carriages.

“Whoa! It looks like an army training field!” Allayza said.

“If that’s their source, then it must be fully guarded. We can’t just barge in and attack.” said Ray.

They were right. Just outside of the barracks were support vegetables like squash bouncers, potato mines, bottle and bitter (gourds) guards, and mongo bean turrets.

“Let’s just stay here and watch their activities.” Allayza said.

“I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since this afternoon.” said Ray.

“Me too, my stomach is complaining since the start of our battle with the greenies.” said Allayza.

Ivana remembered that she placed Ray’s food on her backpack, and she forgot to eat it because of the vegetables.

“Here’s some food that I had found on your bag. I wasn’t able to eat it because the vegetables were stalking us a while ago.” Ivana said.

They had a picnic on the branch of the mango tree. Bite after bite of the food replenished their energy lost during battle. When they had finished eating, they saw that the vegetables had already reached the barracks. One of the turnip tops went out o control and hit a potato mine. The potato flashed very fast then exploded, leaving mashed potato that corroded the nearby tomato barrack and the other vegetables.

“You insolent turnip!” the squash bouncer angrily said.

“I’m so sorry, sir. It will not happen again.” said the turnip.

“It really won’t.” the squash said. It jumped high in the air, and aimed to squash the turnip. The turnip top quickly dug through the earth and it avoided the assault.

Ray therefore concluded that the potato mines explode by reaction to stimuli, and not by their own free will.

Meanwhile, Akeley, Alyssa, and Angela went deeper to the farm to search for their classmates. They went to the cottages near the fish pond because Akeley assumed that the frightened campers ran to the huts after the attack of the vegetables.

While they were walking, Alyssa was chanced upon by a creeping vine.

“Eeeek! Go away!” said the girl as she shook her foot.

Akeley brought out his knife and sliced the vine. He succeeded and saw a twitching vine like a sliced earthworm.

“We must hurry up!” Akeley said.

They ran towards the cottages while they carried pitchforks and knives. They, again, looked like an angry mob.

Upon their arrival, Michael and the other campers were all hurdling on the bamboo floor of the hut. At the center was Ms. Fabella.

“Are you alright?” asked the teacher.

“Yes ma’am, we’re fine.” Angela said.

“Ma’am, you must come with us. We’ll start a revolution against the vegetables.” Akeley said.

“We’ll do our best. Let’s go class!” said the teacher.

The whole class charged outside the hut. They had encountered a huge population of mutated sprouts, but the campers still fought valiantly and heroically to clear their path.

A carrot dart was about to hit Rociel in the chest when Michael pushed her. Rociel was able to dodge the attack, but she fell on the pond.

“What’s the big idea?!” Rociel said as she wiped her face clear of pond water.

“I was just trying to save you!” Michael reasoned out.

“Well thank you for pushing me into the pond!” the girl said irritably as she swam towards the pond’s edge.

After that, Daniel shouted in agony when he was bitten by a cabbage. Michelle rushed to help him and tried to pull the vegetable.

“OUCH!!!” shrieked Daniel.

“We need to pull it off.” said Michelle.

“Stay alert! There are turnip tops coming!” Akeley warned.

The following scene was horrendous. It was a game of Plants versus Students. The students were all bruised and battered, while some vegetables were lopsided for their body parts were chopped off.

“Bernice, look out!” yelled Chris.

She was almost whacked by a string bean whip.

“Whew, thanks!” said Bernice.

The epic battle of the night continued. Green vegetable stuff was all over the pond’s edge where the battle was occurring. The campers were all wounded; almost all had cuts at the legs and arms. All were exhausted and battered.

Meanwhile, Ray and his companions were silently stalking the savage cabbage’s barrack. They were figuring their next move when they felt a mild shaking of the ground.

“What was that?” Allayza asked.

“Stay vigilant, it may be trouble.” Ray said.

Then suddenly, a hole appeared on the ground just meters ahead of them. A turnip top was seen crying beside the hole.

“It’s unfair! They won’t listen to me!” the depressed turnip said.

Allayza was deeply moved and decided to come closer to the vegetable. The truth is that she had a sinister plan dangling through her mind.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Allayza said while displaying an ironic smile.

“Maybe.” said Ivana.

“I think we have the strongest vegetable ally against the mutants.” Ray said.

They approached the turnip peacefully; their weapons down and with hands raised as a sign of a non-violent confrontation.

“We came for peace. We heard you a while ago and we would want to collaborate.” Ray said.

“Really? Aren’t you here to kill me?” the turnip sadly said.

“No, we want to help you.” Ivana said.

“How will I know that you will not deceive me?” said the vegetable.

“We’re on the same side now, bound together by the will to eliminate our enemies.” Allayza said.

“And our enemies are your comrades but still your foes, right?” asked Ray.

“Well, yeah. They’re so unfair! They even tried to kill me! I apologized but it did not make a difference.” said the turnip.

“Welcome to the team.” Ray said happily.

The turnip was convinced and relayed the secrets of the vegetables. It said that all of them were implanted by alien spores that gave them an ability to move and think independently. It also gave information about their queen and her dwelling.

“So, you mean to say that you queen is living underground?” Ray asked.

“Precisely. She just lies there all the time and produces spores that are implanted to the newborn vegetables at the barracks.” the turnip said.

“Where is the underground palace of the queen?” Ivana asked.

“It is located under the hill, about ten meters below the surface.” said the turnip.

“What are we waiting for, let’s attack!” Allayza said.

“You cannot easily penetrate the palace. The queen is heavily guarded by bouncers. The queen also has an incredible ability to regenerate quickly. No mortal can chop her fast enough to overtake her ability.” the turnip top said.

“What? How the hell are we going to kill the queen?” Ray asked.

“All of us are replenished with water but are retarded by acids. Even the tomato bombs’ ketchup sends the queen scurrying.” said the top.

“That’s it! I had thought of a plan! Ivana please call Akeley. We’ll finish this deluge before the sun tweaks.” Ray said.

Akeley and the others had won the battle, but reinforcements kept on coming. They were still busily slashing when he received a call from Ray.

“Ray, the vegetables seem to know no end!” Akeley exclaimed.

“Those vegetables will not be thinned in number unless we kill the queen. I know where the queen is.” Ray said.

“What shall we do?” Akeley asked while throwing fireballs at the vegetables.

“Listen, we need a litre of acid. I think you could get some near the chicken coop. I saw a lemon bush full of fruits. When you have collected a considerable amount, meet us at the hill. We’ll stop this mess once and for all.” Ray said.

Akeley quickly instructed Claire, Monica, Anna, Sonny Boy, Sharmaigne, and Arielle to make several decoys for their escape. The students used some of their clothes and hay to make the dummies. They mounted it on bamboo poles inside the hut to lure the vegetables out of their way.

When everything was set, the campers were told to stay behind the hut and Akeley would do the rest.

“Hey greenies, I’m over here! I may not be yummy, but I can fill your tummies!” shouted Akeley.

The vegetables rushed to the hut behind Akeley. He instantly pulled an overhanging vine and slid past through the vegetables. The students hurriedly followed while the vegetables were still busily ripping the dummies apart.

They all ran to the hill where they would meet with Ray. Carl carried the lemon juice in a glass bottle, taking every precaution to avoid loss of the acid.

The whole class arrived on their meeting place at midnight. Upon their arrival, all spears were raised for they saw that a turnip was beside Ray.

“Whoa, relax! This is not our enemy.” Ray said.

“What do you mean that’s not an enemy? It’s a turnip and it may rip you apart anytime!” Daniel said.

“I have no intention to kill anybody. I am here to help you.” The turnip said.

“The turnip speaks of the truth. It is the one who told us everything about their queen.” Ray said.

“We’re running out of time. We must hurry up.” Akeley said.

“Here’s the lemon juice” Carl said as he handed the bottle of acid to Ray.

“We are ready.” Ray said.

As soon as they were ready, the turnip top quickly drilled a hole on the ground. The other students followed the digging with shovels. They had dug about ten meters below the soil and they fell to the underground lounge of the queen.

Corn cobs fired their kernels when the campers fell on the palace. The campers used their spears and battled again; a battle that seemed to end at the end of time.

“Ray, let’s go and find the queen!” Akeley said.

Ray and Akeley escaped the commotion and left the battle. They entered a dark cavern while the turnip followed them. They were shocked when they lit their torch and saw a weird amalgamated vegetable sitting on a golden throne of vines.

“It’s the queen.” said the turnip top.

“Oh, is it? All I see is a big fat lump of vegetables.” Akeley said.

“That is because she is a fusion of all the varieties of vegetables. She possesses all power known to our race.” the top said.

“So, all I have to do is spray her whole body with this lemon juice?” Ray asked.

“I don’t know if it will work. Lemons only have weak acids.” said the vegetable.

“It’s worth a try.” Akeley said.

They never noticed Claire on their backs. She followed the boys as they entered the cavern. Ray was about to bathe the queen in lemon juice when he heard Claire scream from the back of the cavern.

“Waaaa! Help me!!!” shouted Claire.

Ray turned his head to see what happened. He was about to run for her when the queen sent out her tail and strangled him up in the ceiling.

Akeley grabbed his knife and slashed the queen’s tail. Ray fell on the floor unconscious. The queen’s tail was able to regenerate quickly and strangled Akeley in return. Claire ran to the spot where Ray fell but a vine caught her in the foot and prevented her from going further.

The turnip top started spinning in high RPMs and slashed the vine that held Claire on the ground. Claire was set free and thought of using the bottle that Ray brought containing lemon juice. She grabbed the bottle and smashed it into the queen’s head without hesitation. The bottle broke and spilled its contents to the queen. The queen released her grip to Akeley and she squiggled in pain as the weak acid turned her body into pale yellow.

Vegetable troops came rushing in the cavern as the queen released a low-pitch moaning sound while in deep agony. The cavern was instantly filled with assorted species of vegetables. Akeley and Claire were worried, as they could not defend themselves against the vegetables, and Ray was still unconscious.

The turnip had found another way of going out of the cavern. They would climb the sandstone wall embedded with rocks to the surface of the earth. But they had a problem " Ray was still unconscious.

Meanwhile, the rest of the class engaged in an all-out battle against the mutants. They were all exhausted and weary, but they still kept fighting. Their teacher, Ms. Fabella, suggested that they must retreat because they were outnumbered and the enemies were too many.

“We must retreat now!” shouted the teacher.

The students hurriedly returned to the surface and ran to the barn, knowing that it was the safest place around. They hadn’t noticed that Ray, Akeley, and Claire were still underground and were in a big trouble.

“Ray! Ray! Wake up!” said Claire as she shook Ray by the shoulders.

“We must hurry up! The vegetables are charging at us.” Akeley said.

With the last glimpse of luck, Ray woke up with minor injuries.

“Come on, Ray! We must get out now!” Akeley said.

They rushed to the wall and started climbing desperately for their lives. Claire was the first to surface, followed by Akeley. Ray was about to reach the top when he noticed that the turnip stood still on one corner of the cavern.

“Hey, aren’t you going out?” Ray asked while holding on to the wall.

“No.” the turnip answered, “I must face my consequence, and that is death.”

Akeley grabbed Ray’s arms and forcefully pulled him up to the surface.

“The turnip has decided. Let it go.” Akeley said.

The three campers ran towards the barn because they knew that their classmates would also seek shelter on it.

The queen, still agitated by the acid, ordered her minions to bring her water. Watermelons rushed to the throne and sprayed the queen with water.

“How dare you, you good-for-nothing, white-bodied, soil-loving turnip! Because of you, the humans now know our weaknesses!” the queen furiously said.

“I’ll face all punishments. I just want you to know that... you’re fat, you’re ugly, and you’re a big fat pile of junk vegetation!” the turnip said.

“Finish it!!!” the queen angrily said.

The next scene was horrible. The turnip was chewed into millions of tiny pieces by a savage cabbage and then was spitted on the ground. The squash bouncers quickly stomped on the mash and a tomato bomb exploded on it and finished the job.

“Hear me, my loyal mutant crowd. It is now time to finish our job. Prepare for a vicious face-off against the mortals. Victory shall be ours!” the queen said.

The queen dressed in a glamorous golden leaf suit which she only uses for battling. She held in her right hand her wand, which is the source of the alien spores. She led the army of assorted vegetables above the ground and headed towards the barn where they picked up the scent of the students.

At the barn, Ray, Akeley, and Claire arrived with hearts stomping like elephants on a circus.

“The vegetables are headed to the barn!” Akeley shouted.

“Oh, what shall we do?” their teacher asked.

They all looked at each other in a moment of resonating silence. They could not figure out a plan brilliant enough to succeed.

“The vegetables are all coming here at the same time. We can’t fight them all at once.” Claire said.

“I got it! We now have a plan.” Allayza said.

Their plan was to trap the queen and the other vegetables on the barn, and then set fire on it. They found gallons of gasoline in the barn and they poured it in every corner and in the walls of the barn. When all was ready, the students hid in a bush far from the barn while some students were left at the gate of the barn to serve as bait.

“Are you all ready?” Ray asked to Akeley, Michael, Daniel, Claire, and Allayza.

“Ready.” they responded.

The vegetables arrived at the barn just minutes away ‘till 2 in the morning.

“Hey you stupid green-faced vegetables, we are here!” Ray shouted as they all ran inside the barn.

“So you want your death inside that old deadwood? Fine! Let’s go!” the queen shouted as she led her troops inside the barn.

Inside the barn, Daniel hid on the backside of the door for he would close the door upon signal.

“You want to eat us, eh? You’ve better brought your drinks because we’re blazing hot!” Akeley shouted ironically.

“Who needs a drink if we can feast on your blood!” the queen said.

“Daniel, now!” signalled Ray.

Upon command, Daniel closed the gate of the barn and put quick-drying superglue on its edges. He then lighted a match and dropped it on a haystack dripping with gasoline. An intense flame rapidly roared on the whole barn.

“Everyone, climb the ladder towards the roof!” Ray said.

They all rushed to the roof while the vegetables were trying their best to get out of the barn. They hadn’t noticed that Michael was trapped inside for the ladder was already burned to ashes. They jumped at the haystacks beside the barn and safely made it out of the flaming shed.

“Hooray!!! We’ve done it!” Claire happily said.

The other students who were hiding behind the bushes came out and rejoiced. They were all jumping in joy for the vegetables were terminated.

“Wait, I’ve got a feeling that we are not complete.” Aron said.

“Michael is still in the barn!” Rociel said.

They all looked upon each other and they had proven that Michael was not yet there. Ray thought fast and grabbed a big ladder, and he climbed the blazing barn.

He arrived at the rooftop exhausted and he can see Michael from his position. He threw a rope, and then Michael was able to climb on the rooftop.

“I thought that you’ll just leave me there to die.” Michael said.

“You can think of other people doing that, but not us. That’s what friends are for. ” said Ray.

They were about to jump on the haystacks below when the barn started to give up. Little pieces of it from the roof started crashing downwards, and a big part of the barn was rapidly turning to ash.

“Michael, jump!” Ray said as he held Michael’s hand and leaped for the haystacks.

It was another slowed moment. All eyes turned to see two campers falling from the top of the barn to the hay. The barn was now just a pile of crashed wood still burning.

Michael and Ray landed on the hay like they fell on a trampoline. They haystacks caught fire just seconds after they had walked away of the pile.

No words could describe the joy and happiness of the class after the event. Exhausted, tired, and weary, they all fell asleep on the grounds where they stood after the burning of the barn.

The sun peeped the next day and color again touched the surroundings after the dark and gloomy night. The students were up, dirty and hungry, tired but happy. They all looked upon the ashes of the old barn that served as their saviour.

They slowly stood up; initially quiet but then chattering normally like nothing happened. Their teacher decided to have a boodle fight for breakfast in celebration of their victory against the mutants.

All of them were all sitting in stiff bamboo chairs around a great table. Banana leaves were spread in the table which served as their plates. They started in a thanksgiving prayer, and then ate heartily ‘till their stomachs gave up.

“Last night was amazing. So many action-packed happenings compressed in one night.” Leo said.

“Yeah, there were so many untoward incidents.” Angela said.

“And it left us with many wounds... wounds of experience. Ray said.

“It tested the power of friendship.” Michael added.

“Which we will never forget...” Ivana said.

“Even in years or so...” said Allayza.

“But the most important part is our determination and team work.” Claire said.

“And that kept us alive.” Ray said happily.

Another mystery has been solved by unexpected heroes. They gained experience which they would carry throughout their life, and will be passed in generations to come. They ought to never forget the value of teamwork, sacrifice, and determination. Furthermore, they had learned a lesson that can be learned only by experience " The Power of Friendship.

End of the story!!!

.....NOT!!!.....

Catch the next exciting story, THE REVENGE OF THE SLIME!!!

Thank you for reading THE GARDEN OF GRIEF!!!