Rootbound — Flat No.14, Page 3
By Suha · Published
Transcript
Fern steps out of the corridor into a humid orchid house. Blue and coral orchids tier on dark timber staging, and faint steam hangs in the warm air. At the east bench stands the ghost of an elderly woman in a 1950s tweed coat and round spectacles, holding a single long dried blue orchid stem. Fern pauses at the door in quiet recognition.
Image description
Fern steps into a humid orchid house full of blue and coral orchids on dark timber staging. An elderly ghost in a 1950s tweed coat and round spectacles, Opal Renwick, stands at the east bench holding a single long dried blue orchid stem.
About this chapter
The ghost of Opal Renwick, the garden first head gardener who died in Glasshouse 03, asks Fern for one last favour tied to a dried blue orchid she gave away in 1957. Fern search of the ledger, a grave, and an old love letter leads to Ida Thorpe, who kept the pressed blue flower all her life. When Fern shows Opal that the promise was kept, the ghost passes on, leaving a single living orchid. A cozy, melancholy murder-free mystery.