Mary s Garden. Mary frowned. She hated politics and did not want to work on the mayor s campaign at all, but she didn t want to make anybody feel bad.

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1 Mary s Garden Mary smiled as she looked at her beautiful garden. She had flowers, herbs, and even a few vegetables. It made her happy to be out in the bright sunshine, digging in the rich soil, and tending her lovely plants. Good morning, Miss Chrysanthemum! You are looking exquisite today and so red. Look at you, Mr. Basil, you smell delightful. Mary went up and down the rows of her garden and touched each plant, complimenting every one. When all the plants had been watered, and even the most miniscule weed had been pulled, she went inside to make her dinner before her favorite television program began. As she was stirring a big pot of vegetable soup with peas and carrots she had grown in her own garden, the telephone rang. Hello, this is Mary. Hi, Mary. This is Bob. A group of us are getting together tonight to plan our strategy for the mayor s new campaign. We would love for you to join us. Mary frowned. She hated politics and did not want to work on the mayor s campaign at all, but she didn t want to make anybody feel bad. I m sorry Bob, she said. I have an appointment that I can t miss tonight. Give my best to everybody, though. Okay, Mary. Maybe next time. You have a great evening, Bob said. You too. Mary hung up the phone and felt a twinge of guilt for her little lie. She shook it off and went back to preparing her dinner. ****

2 Mary hopped out of bed the next morning with a smile. Another beautiful day, she said aloud. She put on her robe and slippers and went to the kitchen to warm the kettle for tea. As she waited for the pot to whistle, she looked out the kitchen window at her garden as she often did. What is that? she wondered aloud. That looks like a big ugly weed in my garden. How did it get so big overnight? That will have to go. I won t have weeds in my beautiful garden. Mary took her cup of green tea and headed for the front porch and the morning newspaper that would be waiting there. She had just gotten comfy in her porch swing when her gossipy neighbor, Cleo Fisher, waved and began to walk over. Mary stood abruptly and called, Don t bother to walk over, Cleo. I hear the phone ringing. I ll be back out later, and then we can chat. The woman looked disappointed, and Mary felt a little bad for lying to her, but she really wasn t in the mood to hear the dirt on all the neighbors. She sat down in her recliner and finished her tea and read the newspaper. As the grandfather clock in the corner began to chime, she saw that she had just enough time to get dressed and get to work. She went to rinse her cup in the sink and saw that the weed in her garden had grown a lot. Oh, my goodness, she gasped. What kind of weed is that? It s at least three feet tall, and that s just since yesterday. I don t have time to deal with it now, but I will pull it as soon as I get home. **** Mary thought about her garden several times while she waited tables at the diner. She couldn t imagine what kind of weed could sprout up so high in such a short time. It made her feel uneasy and upset thinking about it, so she resolved to put it out of her mind until she got home.

3 Two regulars came in, and Mary waved them to their favorite table in the back. She grabbed the coffee pot and two cups and was there by time they were seated. Hi, Jane and Bill, she chattered as she poured the coffee. How are you today? We re good, Mary. How about you? Bill responded. Just great. What can I get you folks? I ll have chocolate cake, and Jane has a hankering for a piece of your lemon meringue pie, Bill said. I m so sorry. We re all out of chocolate cake. How about a yummy piece of carrot cake? Mary crossed her fingers behind her back, thinking about the last piece of chocolate cake that she planned to wrap up and take home with her. She had been looking forward to it all day. Chocolate cake was her favorite. I guess I ll have to settle for carrot cake, but I was sure looking forward to that chocolate cake, Bill said. Me too, Mary whispered as she went to get the deserts for her customers. The day flew by because Mary was very busy. It seemed like she had just arrived when the boss went to turn the sign around on the front door to let people know the diner was closed for the day. Now it was time to clean up, the only part of her job that Mary really hated. She didn t mind the side work, folding napkins, filling salt, pepper, and sugar shakers, and all the rest of the little things that needed to be done, but she did not like cleaning. Mary began to work along with the other waitresses and the cooks. Every once in a while, she would sigh and hold her back. Eventually the boss asked her what was wrong.

4 Oh, it s nothing really, just my back. I think I ve pulled a muscle or something. It s aching something fierce, Mary said as she continued sweeping behind the counter. Here, give me that broom, the boss said. We can t have our best waitress messing up her back. You go home and soak in a hot tub. That always helps me when my back is hurting. Mary had a hard time not skipping out the door. She was so glad to be getting out of the work she hated! She drove home with her chocolate cake and a tuna sandwich on the passenger seat, looking forward to a quiet dinner and then an early night. She thought about the weed in her garden but decided it would have to wait until morning. She was too tired for gardening now. **** Mary woke early the next morning and wondered why her bedroom was so dark. She glanced at the clock to make sure of the time: 7 a.m., the same time she got up every morning. It must be cloudy outside, she thought as she slipped on her robe and slippers and headed for the kitchen. As she filled the tea kettle at the sink, she pulled the curtains open to check on that pesky weed. Oh, my! she gasped. She saw the reason that the house was so dark. The weed in her garden was massive, its trunk the size of a giant sequoia tree. It shaded the entire back of her house. She couldn t see the top of the weed even when she leaned over the sink to look upwards. She stared in awe at the gargantuan plant while the teapot in the sink overflowed. She eventually noticed and turned the water off. She walked slowly to the back door, a little afraid to go outside. She stepped out the door and walked toward her garden.

5 She knelt and gently touched all the lovely plants that had been uprooted by the giant intruder. She put her hands on her hips and yelled at the weed. Why are you here? You re ruining my beautiful garden! A giant rope ladder unrolled down the trunk of the weed, ending right in front of Mary. A sign pinned to the bottom rung read Climb Me. Mary didn t think twice. She was so upset by her ruined garden that she began to climb to the top of the weed, hoping to get to the bottom of the strange affair. As she climbed, she could hear a buzz of voices, but she couldn t make out what they were saying. Her legs were about ready to give out on her when she saw what she thought was the top of the weed. She found herself surrounded by clouds as the very top of the monster weed came into view. Mary could hear the voices better and realized it was all her voice but coming from many directions. She stood still and listened. I have an appointment. The phone is ringing. There s no more chocolate cake. My back is aching. I gave at the office. My car broke down. What is this? What s going on? Mary looked around for somebody who could tell her what was going on. Suddenly there was silence, then distant laughter. She looked around and couldn t see anybody. She began to follow the sound, looking for the person who found this horrible situation funny. Where are you? Come out and tell me what s going on right now. With hands on her hips, she tried to stomp her foot, but the full effect was lost since it just sank into the cloud and almost made her fall. No sense in getting mad at me, Missy. It s your lying that brought this on you.

6 Mary twirled around and saw a wizened man with bright white hair sitting on a cloud that was a little higher than the rest. My lying? Mary said. But I don t really lie. Just sometimes I stretch the truth a little bit, and sometimes I might not tell the whole truth, but. The voices started again, and Mary could hear herself lying over and over. Some of the lies she remembered, and others she had forgotten. She clamped her hands over her ears and said, Please make it stop. Abruptly there was silence again. She looked at the old man whose eyebrows were raised. Okay, so I have a little problem with lying, she admitted. The old man laughed, Yeah, like the Grand Canyon is a little hole in the ground. Your lies have gotten so bad they are like a well, like a big giant weed that s choking out all the good you should be doing in your life. I ll never tell another lie as long as I live, Mary said. You sound sincere, but I don t know if I can trust you, the man said. How about if I send you a little reminder every time you tell a lie? Now let me think, what would work best? I could make your nose grow. Mary s hand flew to her nose as if to protect it. No, I ve done that before, the old man chuckled. How about the weed that seemed to get your attention. Every time you tell a lie, another ugly little weed will grow in your pretty garden. I promise you, I ll never lie again. In the blink of an eye, Mary found herself standing at the edge of her garden, her beautiful garden. No weeds, giant or otherwise, marred its perfection, but there was something new that hadn t been there before. Right in the middle, stood a statue of a little old man sitting on a stone pedestal. Around the pedestal, she could see an inscription: Truth is the most valuable thing we have, so I try to conserve it. Mark Twain

7 Mary turned and walked slowly back to her house, wondering if her imagination had taken her for a crazy ride. She paused at the screen door and glanced back at her garden. A shiver ran up her spine as she heard a low chuckling rustling through the vegetation.