The Ghosts of the Botanic Gardens

While Matthew chased a butterfly, Katherine walked along the paved pathway. Just as always, when she rounded the bend near the kiosk, she felt the familiar feeling of unease. She could never pass by the lake without that feeling. She couldn’t remember when it had started, but for as long as she remembered it had always been there. If she looked into the murky water, she felt something strange, that there was something not safe about the lake, and yet nothing had ever made them feel threatened inside their big garden. Because of the feeling of dread, Katherine always made Matthew stay away from the lake. A long time ago she had told Matthew that goblins lived in the lake, and once when he had ventured near, he had seen the nose and eyes of a turtle pop up through the surface of the water. He thought that he had seen a goblin and after that, he had stayed away.