Thus, that year, it was the last summer that butterflies and colourful birds visited Picaflor.
While fall and winter went by, the rumour-makers of the town spent most of their isolated time convincing each other that something needed to be done. Although no one knew exactly what, they feared that Spring and summer were approaching and the mysterious garden would, once again, demonize the children.
So, when the weed balls and the sands of winter made the road impassable and isolated the houses, the elders gathered in secret meetings with the priest and the mayor of the town to draw up a strategy to make Pete go away. They secretly decided to observe the garden for the first signs of Spring. Everyday, they would walk laboriously through the sand-covered alleys to get near Pete’s garden. They did that for days and weeks. Soon, the sand began to blow away from the town but to their surprise, no signs of greenery appeared in the garden. All around the land there was a deep silence. The air was quiet without birds or butterflies.
Their curiosity grew as the days went by.
One day, not able to resist their nosiness any longer, they decided to go and knock at Pete’s door. The intention was to scold him as no one had done before. It was only then, however, that they came to realize that the house was empty and unattended and still covered by the winter sand.
