Shadows of the Redwood - By Gillian Summers Page 0,54
his hind foot. “Let’s just say you have friends in high places.”
“You’re a fairy, right?”
“You got it, Einstein.”
Knot hissed. “Yeow poser.”
Keelie stared down at Knot. “Wow, you must really hate him. I like him better already.”
Knot ignored her and washed his butt.
“I don’t know what you need to plant a tree,” Laurie said, as she arrived carrying a shovel, a watering can, and a bag of plant food. Her hair was disheveled and she had a smudge of dirt on her nose. “I’ve never been in a hardware store before, but since I’ll be banned from the mall for stealing a bush, I might as well get used to roughing it.”
Risa was dragging a huge bag of potting soil, and Sean hurried to help her. Risa glared at Laurie. “I told her we needed manure, but she said not in her BMW.”
Laurie stared at Keelie, at the tree, at a wet Knot, and then across the creek at the coyote. She froze.
“Hello, there,” the coyote said in a deeper voice. He stood up and paced back and forth.
“A coyote! Holy cow, they carry rabies. Get behind me.” Laurie dropped the watering can and the bag and held the shovel like a baseball bat. “Just let him come over here. I’ll bean him all the way to Wilshire Boulevard.”
Keelie couldn’t help but smile as it dawned on Laurie that she’d heard the coyote talk.
“Did he just speak to me?”
Keelie nodded. “He’s a fairy.”
“Being your friend keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Laurie lowered the shovel. Risa came to stand next to her.
“The coyote spoke?” Risa stared at him. “Do all coyotes speak here?”
Keelie ignored them and stood up. “What about me? My life keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
Knot grinned up at Keelie, then began washing his tail.
“Forget the coyote. Let’s plant this tree.” Keelie reached for the shovel.
“What are you doing with a coyote?” Laurie couldn’t seem to take here eyes off of him.
“I’m Keelie’s new guardian.”
Knot stopped washing his tail and hissed.
“No you’re not,” Keelie said. Risa took the shovel from Keelie and started to dig, laughing and ignoring all of them.
Laurie looked confused. “You have two guardians. Why do you need two guardians?”
“See, she has accepted the fact that I’m a talking coyote and that I’m your guardian,” the coyote said, peering at Keelie with disapproval.
“What’s your name?”
“Just call me Coyote. It’ll make life easier.”
“Like some cartoon character?” Keelie asked.
“I like it. It’s basic.” Coyote smiled, his shiny sharp teeth bright in the sun.
I’m ready to go into the earth. You’re right, I like it here. The pear tree rustled its branches.
“Grab that sack of dirt and rip it open,” Risa told Laurie.
“But he’ll die. Oh, you mean the potting soil, not the coyote!” Laurie laughed.
Keelie rolled her eyes, forgetting her promise to Grandmother, and helped them pull the tree out of the creek. Risa carefully arranged its roots around the deep hole and then they poured dirt into it, patting the soil, tucking him in. Laurie filled the watering can three times to make sure he had enough water, and then they were done.
The little tree sighed with relief. He reached out to Keelie with his branches and she accepted his prickly hug. He hugged Risa and Laurie, too.
You two take care of each other.
We will. Philia sent waves of green to Keelie.
Coyote hopped over the rocks, avoiding getting his feet wet.
“You did a good thing, kid, rescuing that tree. He’ll have a good life here. Before, the odds were stacked against him, being in that mall and with the …” He seemed hesitant to continue.
“And with the—what?”
“Just that the mall attracts unsavory types.”
Sean sauntered across the lawn. “Finished here? I cleaned out the car.”
“You made Sean clean your car?” Keelie couldn’t believe it.
“Duh,” Laurie said. “You should see all the dirt that your pet tree left in the trunk. It was disgusting. We could have planted crops back there.”
“Actually, no,” Risa said. “Crops require sunlight, although you might have planted mushrooms under certain conditions.”
Laurie stared at Risa as if she’d just landed her spaceship. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time we kidnap a tree.”
The minute the BMW’s doors opened, Knot jumped into the back seat, followed by Coyote.
“Oh no,” Laurie said. “I draw the line. He smells like a dumpster.”
Coyote grinned. “The best meals are those that are tossed out. People have no appreciation for aged meat.” Sean made a face and Risa looked queasy.