Faye Yardley took a wooden bucket of black seawater from her backpack. "Kingston, do you recognize this?"
"Ominous black water!" Eamon exclaimed, leaping back two steps.
Cole Kensington shook his head. "I don't recognize it."
"Eamon, you recognize it? Tell me about it."
Eamon scratched his head, looking a bit awkward. "Well, it's not that I recognize it myself... it's just, there's always been a legend where I'm from. It says that black water is the source of all misfortune, and it makes all plants lose their vitality. The water in that bucket just gives me a really bad feeling, like something terrible will happen if I touch it. That's why I shouted that out instinctively."
"Does it affect plants, too? Eamon, go pull up a head of napa cabbage with the roots still on."
"Okay, be right back."
Faye Yardley stroked Bella's head. "Kingston, will Bella really be okay? How long will it take for her to recover?"
