Ertifferrah Written By: Elay Understood CHAPTER 19 THE GREENHOUSE ...Elay TV Content Creator

 “Ertifferrah, why aren’t you in class?” Ruben asked.

Running up the steps with a grand smile on her face, she darted by the guard, but not without saying “good day to you Ruben! Ah, only one guard today?” She teased him because she knew that the other guard had been fired by him for never staying at his post.

She wasn’t in the mood for taking a glance in the gift room this time, besides, she really didn’t want to run into any more levitating surprises!

In the large foyer, she waited until someone called her, and after a while, a woman wearing a light green dress appeared and directed Ertifferrah into Lady Governess chambers.

“Ertifferrah, my love, look at you!  As radiant as the sun, if not more.  I’m pleased to see my potion is working for you.”  The Governess held a rather large clipboard in one hand and a pencil in the other.

“Yes, yes, my Lady, you have truly been of great help!  I thank you,” she said with a bow.

“Ah, no need for that my daughter, rise.”

Sitting the board on a large desk with both hands, Lady Governess picked up a clear, glass watering pot. “Come with me, dear heart, there are plants in the greenhouse that are in need of water. Would you care to help?”

“Sure!”

“There are extra watering pots where we’re headed.”

The greenhouse was exquisite! Tall glass walls shimmered, trimmed with natural décor, and vines from all varieties of plants and trees intertwined, forming a unique and natural bouquet-such a delight to see! -A perfect location to have a wedding. What made the greenhouse most splendid was hundreds of gorgeous butterflies of all sizes, fluttering about freely. Some flew together in bunches; and when they moved together in unison, they looked like one, massive, flying rainbow; how wonderful!

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” the Governess asked, already knowing the answer, sitting the pot on a side table and opening a cupboard above the silver sink.

“It’s beautiful! Everything, wow, how did you do this?”

“Time. Here is where I spend most of my free time,” she said with arms open wide, slowly turning around with a look of bliss on her face.

Ertifferrah was taken aback, for it was rare to see Governess in such a state of rapture because she was more of the serious type. Instantly, gratification filled her heart because she knew that she was one of the few who had the pleasure of experiencing a different side of Governess. She engraved this –once a lifetime moment into her memory, for it was truly a moment to remember.

“Plants give me a window into a different aspect of life. That may sound abnormal to you, but different varieties of foliage have different usages, from providing us nourishment to healing our bodies. In fact, those who choose to vaguely use or blatantly live without them are only disrupting their bodies of having a healthy balance. It still amazes me to this day, that something as small and simple as a plant can provide so much healing to the body.

A warm breeze brushed past Governess, and she smiled, embracing it.

In the back of the greenhouse was an area sectioned off with thick roots from an enormous tree that grew on its side. Crushed cedar chips were mixed in with deep purples and blue petals on the ground. Somehow, the grass was able to grow through it too, giving the area a softer feel. It was a deep wintergreen color.

“Ertifferrah, please take off your sandals and have a seat.”

She complied.

“You should either be home resting or in class.”

“Yes, I know, my Lady.”

“What brings you here? The potion is in full effect, this is obvious, I see.”

Swallowing stiffly, she grew a little nervous; she didn’t want to come right out and tell her that she took more of the potion than prescribed. She may see me as irresponsible and may not offer to give me more, Ertifferrah thought. “Uh, may I have something to drink please, my throat is a tad parched?”

“Certainly.”

On the side of the settee was a small drawer that slid out. She pressed a button and, in a matter of seconds, someone was there waiting for her to order. “Please, my daughter is thirsty.”

A lady greeted Ertifferrah with a warm smile and asked what she would like to drink.

“Pink lemonade will do, please. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, young lady.”

She made her exit and, moments after, returned with a pitcher filled with an icy pink drink and two glasses.

“So, tell me what brings you here?” The Governess continued.

With a soft voice, Ertifferrah spoke. “Uumm, lately, I’ve been having dreams that seem to have me involved more than my typical dream do. It’s like, instead of me having a dream and seeing myself in it, I’m me but a different person in another world.”

“Another world...?”

“Yeah.  And when I wake up, I feel so tired…more so than before I went to sleep.  I don’t understand.  I thought that the potion was supposed to help me. Well, it does, in a way, I do feel better, yes, but at the same time, I still feel mentally tired. What’s wrong? Is this a side effect, or maybe it’s just not right for me?

Though what Ertifferrah said was true, she just couldn’t remember why her plans of telling Governess the original story about using the potion as a bubble bath didn’t come out of her mouth. Instead, the horrible truth escaped her lips. She didn’t want Governess to know that part. Or the part when she had to conjure up yet another tale so Governess could give her more of the potion. Hopefully, through all of this, she won’t discover that Ertifferrah was hooked on it, well, hooked on Octavious.

Governess looked concerned, a little. “What you’re saying is that you get the notion that when you dream… you are no longer dreaming but actually living it, the dream?”

“Yes! It may be my imagination, but it seems so real, my Lady, so real.”

“I see. Perhaps this is a case of you longing for another life, because, I apologize, but you said so yourself, you do not care for yours right now. For you have no friends, no social life…Possibly, the strong desire for these things, may have somehow conjured up a vivid reality so strong, and that you crossed right over into a subconscious dream world.”

A trail of silence between the two of them.

Ertifferrah reflected on how sometimes when she dreamt and drifted off into this so-called world of hers, it felt as though she was sharing her body with someone. The mere thought of this was uncomfortable and frightening, but how could she tell that part to Lady Governess? Wouldn’t it sound a little, well, off-the-wall?  She just knew that if she told her this, the Governess would automatically inform her real mother of the matter. Then, her mother would force her to see a professional psychologist for the second time. “What if I can’t get another vial!”   She frantically thought.

She gasped, still thinking to herself. And what about Octavious? I’d never get to see him again! No, I will not allow her to take my world away from me, I must exercise extreme caution. There are things I haven’t yet discovered and, and…”

Her mind wandered, unaware of the look of bewilderment on her face.

“Daughter, are you okay?”

“Um, yes, I’m fine.”

“Now, there is no need for you to be alarmed with the extra curriculum occurring with your dreams, I’m quite sure there’s a logical explanation to these happenings. I see that despite our attempts to provide you with adequate sleep, our efforts have gradually dissolved in vain.” With this, the Governess sighed, for she did not take pleasure in miscalculating; anything.

“Darling, will you please sit here for a moment? I shall get back to you once I’ve finished with a few items on my agenda, there will be a change of shift coming up shortly, and I must see to it that everyone is filled in on what to do. I hope you’ve nothing planned this morning; I look forward to spending a little more time together.” And with that, she walked off towards the exit where servants awaited her orders.

“Here, take this, my love, and I hope that it will give you good bidding. The instructions are no different from before. In a couple of days, come back to let me know the results. I’m excited to hear the positive outcome, for I know that this time it will work. Now, Ertifferrah, this potion is a little more potent, so take extreme caution. We wouldn’t want you taking too much, now would we? 

“Having said that, take this little measuring stick with you. This way, we can be reassured you’ve taken the correct amount.”

“Okay.”

“And please, you don’t have to bother telling your parents about this particular potion. I have already informed them of everything, and they insisted upon you getting bed rest immediately upon your arrival home.”

The Governess walked towards the exit, but when she was halfway through the archway, she turned and added “Oh, and by the way, Ertifferrah, your eyes looked great. You have got to show me next time what color you were wearing.”

Ertifferrah gasped.