Door to the Garden

Madeline found herself in front of a door. She felt dazed and confused as she stared at it, trying to remember what she was doing there. She was vaguely aware of herself opening the door and stepping inside the room. Only it wasn’t a room. It was an enormous garden, filled to the brim with plants that she couldn’t have imagined in her wildest daydreams. Magic rolled off each and every one of them, filling the garden with an electric buzz. She took her time walking through the maze of tables and shelves, each stuffed as full of plants as they could possibly be. She let the roots on the floor guide her to her destination. She wasn’t exactly sure what that destination was, only that she was here, and she couldn’t remember how she arrived. 

The roots wove underneath tables and between pots, some forming around statues that had clearly been there for years. The roots became larger and larger as she neared her target. Vines had to be brushed out of her face from hanging baskets that were spilling over with flowers and leaves. She closed her eyes for a moment and took it all in. She had never felt a place so peaceful before. 

She walked for a few minutes, winding her way through the space and taking her time to admire everything she could. The sound of running water slowly grew louder and louder as she walked. Movement caught her eye through the plants on a shelf. She rounded the corner to greet her host but stopped short as she saw the goddess. She was flitting around the area, plants bending towards her to bask in her love and care. The flowers in her immediate vicinity seemed to be blooming even more brilliantly, as if trying to impress their doting mother. There was a large fountain settled just behind a table and chairs, dotted with lilies and lily pads. The water almost seemed to glow with a golden hue, and sparkle as it flowed. 

The goddess turned around and noticed Madeline staring. She swept over to her and smiled “Welcome my love! It’s been so long since we have seen each other. Come, sit! I’ve prepared your favorite.” 

Madeline found herself being sat in a chair by the goddess. The goddess came around her carrying a tray and set it down on the table between them. Questions swam in her mind as she watched the goddess gracefully pour tea into the two teacups. 

Once the tea was served the goddess picked up her own cup. “I really have missed you, my little blossom,” she sighed. She looked at Madeline as if she were the one to be admired. 

This shook Madeline out of her daze. She picked up her cup and looked at the goddess. “Sorry, but I think you might have the wrong person. We haven’t met.”

The goddess laughed. “I suppose you are right. I haven’t met Madeline yet. But a soul doesn’t forget. This will all come back to you.”

Madeline’s head swam even more with questions as she tried to make heads or tails of what the goddess was saying. “What do you mean, you haven’t met Madeline? Aren’t I Madeline?”

“Yes, you are. But you are not just Madeline. A soul can live as many lives as they wish. And you seem to have a particular love for living that your siblings do not share.”

“My siblings?” Madeline asked, confused. 

The goddess set down her cup. “Let me ask you this, Madeline. What do you remember?”

“I-” Madeline stopped short. What did she remember? Wisps of memories that she couldn’t quite hold onto floated through her mind. She had a family, that much she could remember. But the details were hazy. What was her mother’s name? Her father’s? Did she have a mother and father? What about brothers or sisters? What were their names? Did she have a job? She thought she did. But what was it? 

The sounds of birds and of bubbling water from the fountain filled the silence as Madeline failed to remember. “I-I can’t.”

The goddess smiled warmly and put a small pastry on a plate in front of Madeline. “It’s okay. It seems to be harder for you with some lives. Don’t stress yourself out. It will come back in time.”

Madeline nodded and took a drink of tea. The warm, sweet flavor coated her tongue and she couldn’t help but smile at its familiarity. She felt her body relax into her seat as she slowly sipped on the cup. She absentmindedly looked at the garden around her. 

“This was always your favorite spot in the garden. If you weren’t sitting at my feet naming all the flowers you were here, having tea parties with Dianthus,” the goddess laughed. 

Memories flooded Madeline’s mind. Her as a child, sitting in this chair and a rather disgruntled looking cat sitting across from her as she sipped from a pretend cup. The same cat, much smaller, stuck in the middle of a chrysanthemum bush, the bush from which it got its name. 

She laughed. “That cat put up with a lot from me.” 

“He did indeed. He’ll be so happy to see you again.”

Madeline focused on the familiarity of Dianthus, willing the rest of her memories to come back. Flashes of black, brown, grey, and orange fur flitted through her mind, each a different version of her beloved cat. 

“He’s more than just my cat, isn't he?” she asked softly. 

“He is indeed. Dianthus has lived as many lives as you have. Your constant companion, always coming to you when you needed him most. A guide, of sorts. He is as timeless as you are. Both of your forms ever-changing but still somehow finding each other. I’m glad you’ve always had him to go with you.” The goddess sipped her tea, smiling at her.

Madeline sat back as she absorbed all of this information. She wondered what other secrets this garden held and whether or not she would ever get to know them all. Her eyes wandered over the ancient vine covered statues and the flowers that were reaching towards the goddess, and now, as if they had finally seemed to recognize her, Madeline. 

The goddess followed Madeline’s gaze and smiled. “Answers are like flowers, my little blossom. They will bloom when they are ready to. Your memories will return when they are ready, and not a moment sooner.”

“What if I want them to come now?”

“Then this will be a good lesson on patience. All those lives and you still seem to have none” the goddess teased.

Madeline couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s hard!”

Before she could get lost in another spiral of thoughts, Madeline heard rustling in the nearby bushes accompanied by loud, impatient meows. A large fluffy black cat burst through a tangle of ivy. It seemed to light up when it saw her, and ran over, jumping onto the ledge of the fountain to settle itself beside her. 

Madeline choked up as big green eyes met her own. “D-Dianthus?” she whispered, joy overtaking her completely. 

He chirped in response and nosed at her hand wantingly. Madeline stroked the cat lovingly, feeling her mind untangle as she settled into his familiar presence. Whatever she was worrying about, she could get through as long as she had him by her side. 

Madeline let the emotions flow over her. How could such a small creature feel like such an important key to the puzzle?

Dianthus purred and settled his head in Madeline’s lap. “You always know how to make me feel better, don’t you big guy?”

The goddess, feeling a shift, stood and floated over to a small path that wound through the flowers. Her bare feet barely made a sound as she walked. “You’ve always been drawn to simple comforts. A warm cup of tea. A cuddly cat. They ground you. But come, there’s more to see. More to remember.”

Madeline watched her for a moment, a deep curiosity and longing tugging at her core. “I want to remember. I really do. But I can feel memories slipping through my fingers. I can’t hold onto them.”

“Then don’t hold onto them. You waste so much energy trying to hold onto them that you miss the memories worth remembering. You have lived hundreds of lives, Madeline. You cannot possibly remember every single detail of every single one. Not everything is meant to be remembered, especially at once.”

“But I want to remember,” she whispered softly.

“I know you do. And you will. But for right now you’re with me. With Dianthus. Come. Take a walk with us.”

Madeline stood and walked over to the path. “What if I don’t remember?”

“You will. Trust the roots to guide you. After all, they guided you to me didn’t they?”

Madeline stared at the ancient roots that broke through the top of the soil. She watched as ancient magics pulsed through them at a steady thrum, a flicker of understanding forming in her mind. Threads of connection were everywhere around her. Her feet on the ground, Her lungs breathing in the warm air. Her and the goddess. Even in the way that the plants seemed to bend towards them both, the flowers wanting their approval. She was connected to this garden. This garden was her home. 

Dianthus seemed to have sensed the shift. He jumped down from his perch on the fountain and began walking down the path, looking back at Madeline and the goddess. 

“I guess he’s ready,” Madeline smiled. She felt comfort in knowing that she wasn’t alone. She didn’t have to face the unknown by herself. She had Dianthus. She had her mother. 

She stopped, her head whipping back to the goddess, eyes wide. “You’re my mom.” 

The goddess smiled wide, pulling Madeline into a tight hug. “There’s my little blossom. Welcome home.” She kissed Madeline’s forehead. 

After a few moments, Dianthus chirped impatiently. 

“All right. All right. We’re coming,” Madeline laughed. As much as she loved living with mortals, it felt good to be home. 

Madeline followed her beloved cat down the winding path, content with the fact that what memories lied in her would be unlocked eventually, and not a moment sooner than that.