Flash Fiction Day 9: "The garden shrank at night."

 Prompt: “The garden shrank at night.”

The garden shrank at night, every evening at eight, like clockwork. It would get small enough to fit in a child’s pocket, which it did. The young witch picked up the garden using the red checkered napkin underneath, which looked like a gigantic picnic blanket carrying the tiny garden. They had placed the napkin in the soil before starting to plant the garden, and a few quick spells here and there produced a lustrous green garden with clusters of burgeoning marigolds, tulips, daisies, and hydrangeas within a couple of weeks. Now, it would have been ideal if the garden was by the lake, but the witch would not be able to watch over it, with so many young humans and their pets running around and digging up the flowers that grew there. And so, every night, the little witch gently held their garden in their small, soft hands and walked it over to the beach. Once there, they would lay it down by the cool, still water, and wait. They patiently sat cross-legged on the sand, every night, for an hour or so, until ripples formed in the water. The garden grew once again to its original size, and the child waited some more. They enjoyed the wait. These evenings were treasured; the starlight, the nightbirds’ songs, the delicate breeze gently rocking the shrubbery, and the anticipation. The flora came to life in the stillness of the night, and so did the fauna residing in the lake. As waves formed in the darkness, if one looked closely, silhouettes of what could be mistaken as people could be seen emerging from it. The shadowy figures swam closer to the shore in silky motions barely stirring the water. The child grinned as they approached quietly, thrilled to show them the latest blooms in the verdant garden. The mermaids loved the child for bringing them the garden, for they longed to gaze upon its rainbow of colours and enjoy the flowers’ sweet aroma. They were freshwater mermaids, but this immense lake was new to them, having been transported there by a storm a few moons ago, and they missed their beloved blossoms by their old home. The unexpected encounter with the witch child who had been taking a night stroll had been a lucky one. Friendships are, after all, made in the most unpredictable ways, especially when witches and mermaids are involved.