Page 18 of Mercury Rising

“Could I be an influencer?” Brooke asked.

Mercury nodded. “Anyone can be. It takes a lot of work. Normally I’ll post three or four times a day.”

“How do you think it all up?”

What a question. For the last few years, it had come naturally. Now he’d lost his nerve to show his face. As for the comments section, that would be a hotbed of vileness, more than likely.

Eddie got up and stood before Mercury. “Want to see something?”

“Of course.”

Mercury glanced at Nick. He had a hardness to his face that hadn’t been there before.

“Eddie, Mercury is here to work, remember. Not hang out all day.”

“I know. I’m only showing him the veg patch,” Eddie said.

“Fine,” Nick said. “I’ll be in the office. You need to finish up before you leave.”

Mercury followed Eddie through the kitchen and out into the garden. It was a decent size, mainly grass. Yet, at the end, he saw some raised beds.

“When did you do all this?” Mercury asked.

“In the spring,” Eddie replied. “Nick said we can cook a whole meal with what we’ve planted. Cool, eh?”

They reached the end of the lawn. The planters were filled with produce.

“What is it all?” Mercury asked.

“Lettuce, cucumber, radish, spring onions and potatoes,” Eddie announced proudly.

Mercury’s heart went out to this young lad with far too much responsibility on his shoulders.

“Sounds like all the right ingredients for a picnic,” Mercury replied.

“Nick said that,” Eddie said excitedly. “When they’re ready and if it’s not raining, we’re going to make food and eat it in the garden.”

Mercury took in the area. Flower beds were filled with colour. Whoever had created this had done so very carefully. He suspected Nick had a hand in it.

“It is beautiful, but the best place for a picnic is on the beach,” Mercury said. “Unless you get sand in your mouth.”

“What’s it like?”

“What’s what like?”

“The sea.”

Mercury’s jaw dropped and he quickly rectified it. He would never forgive himself if he made any of the children at Bodhi House feel less about their lives. Yet, the idea that Eddie had never seen the sea made Mercury want to cry.

“It’s…erm…I guess it’s huge. When you stand on the beach looking out, you can’t see anything but water.”

“I’m going to go one day,” Eddie said.

“And you’ll love it.”

“Mercury.”

Nick stood at the door.