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Rootbound
The Winter Trowel · Ch.2
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Fern Ashby turns a steaming compost pile alone in the walled night garden, a full moon overhead and one old apple tree at the far edge.
Fern pauses mid-turn at the compost pile, steam swirling, and seems to hear a faint name on the warm air.
Between the steaming compost bays stands a faint translucent young man in threadbare 1960s work clothes, looking at Fern with quiet hope.
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Fern Ashby turns a steaming compost pile alone in the walled night garden, a full moon overhead and one old apple tree at the far edge.
Fern pauses mid-turn at the compost pile, steam swirling, and seems to hear a faint name on the warm air.
Between the steaming compost bays stands a faint translucent young man in threadbare 1960s work clothes, looking at Fern with quiet hope.

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← Flat No.14 · Ch.1
Text Version A written companion to this chapter — for accessibility, screen readers, and search.

While raking the Compost Yard at night, Fern hears a name in the steam. The ghost of Joss Millard, her great-uncle who died in the yard in the hard winter of 1963, waits for one unfinished errand: he never buried his mother's trowel under the old apple tree as he promised before the frost took him. Fern searches, finds the trowel nicked at the corner with a fern stamped near the tang, and learns through Ida why Joss still lingers. When she buries it, the old apple breaks into impossible blossom and Joss fades. In the root pit he reveals the trowel's buried secret, opening the next numbered-location mystery at the Rose Bed arches.

Page 1

Scene: night in the 04 Compost Yard. Fern, small against the dark brick wall and the huge moonlit sky, turns a steaming compost pile with a pitchfork; warm steam drifts. A caption reads: "04 · Compost Yard." Fern looks up, listening. A second caption reads: "Some promises the garden keeps itself." (No speech bubbles on this page.)

Page 2

Scene: continuation in the Compost Yard. Fern braces the pitchfork and stops, listening hard as steam weaves into a faint shape before her. A caption by her reads: "...Joss?" An extreme close-up shows her tired grey-green eyes, the brass pin in her chestnut-and-silver hair, moonlight on her face. A caption reads: "Nobody's used that name in years."

Page 3

Scene: between two steaming bays, a translucent ghost of a tall lanky young man appears, edges glowing soft frosted-glass, grey work shirt rolled at the sleeves, brown braces, owlish brown eyes fixed on Fern. He speaks: "You can see me." Fern, calm, holds the pitchfork loosely: "I can." The ghost: "Then you're Judyth's girl."

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