Father set down an empty pail in the grass. He straightened up and put his hands on his hips. “We’ll start over here.”
“Haah?” I surveyed the mess. It was a weedy patch of dirt along the side of the house. The soil had dried up into crumbled chunks. Stalks of green sprouted from the cracks, covered with eerily cute little bulbs of white. Other, smaller plants blanketed the rest of the space. It was like a patch of green hair with disgusting knots in it.
“We’ll start over here!” Little Sis cheered. She hopped forward and started tugging on one of the larger sprouts with oversized gloves.
Father chuckled, crouching down next to her. “That one is too big for you. Let your sister handle it.”
“Mm-nmh!” She shook her head. “I’m strong too!” Tugging harder, she popped off a few of the sprout’s flowerheads and fell backwards onto her bottom. The plant swung back upright, still rooted where it was.
“Aimi, help your sister out.” Father stood up. “I’ll get the shovel.”
I sighed as I tied up my hair behind my head. Little Sis got up and rubbed her bottom. She looked highly concerned, but determination quickly returned to her face and she jumped back at the plant. Crouching down beside her, I gently pointed deep into the growth. “Hey. Pull down here, closer to the root.” She followed with interest, widening her eyes to see where I was pointing. She slid down her padded hands and tugged. The ground around the plant cracked and swelled up, as if something had punched it from the other side.
“This one has a deep root. You sure you don’t need my help?”
“I got it!” she cheered through her held breath.
“If you say so.” I stayed crouched, watching her yank multiple times. Father came back with his shovel and yet another pail.
“Aimi, why aren’t you helping your sister?”
“Hotaru doesn’t want it.”
“Then help pull the other ones,” he coaxed.
I stared at the other stalks. I wasn’t eager to. These always made me itch. Reluctantly, I finally got up and started combing through the garden of weeds.
I found another large one and tugged. It was actually tougher than I expected. My bare hands kept slipping up the stem each time I pulled. Sighing, I stepped into the patch. The grassy hairs quickly enveloped my legs. At least I had large boots. I hunched directly over the plant and violently yanked upwards.
I felt the ground move below me, as if I had awoken something. After a couple more yanks, the plant came out like a firework, sprinkling little dirt pieces everywhere. A few got into my boots somehow. I let out a frustrated breath. This was why I hated garden work.
Tossing the plant to the side, I reached for the next one. This one was easier because of the crumbling crater left by the previous sprout. The ground gave away as I pulled, surrendering its possession. I tossed that plant aside, starting a pile.
“Big Sis, come here.” I turned my head and found Hotaru staring at me. She was still working on the same plant. She shook it some more, expressing what she wanted me to do.
Now she wants my help. I didn’t want to provide it just to teach her a lesson. Yet, I sidestepped through the garden to her spot.
“Here, I’ll pull the bottom, and you pull over here.” I pointed somewhat towards the middle. She grabbed it with her oversized hands, smothering the leaves rather than gripping the stem. Her thumbs pointed upward, which provided her little leverage. I didn’t bother to correct her, and moved to the other side of the plant.
I reached down and gripped tightly. “Ready?”
“Go! Go!” She began to pull, immediately slipping up the stem. Ignoring her foolishness, I gave it a quick yank. But to my surprise, the stem snapped. I was flung backward into the house, slamming my head against the sidings.