Posting a little early this week. Enjoy. v.
Part seven By the time his morning cup of tea had been consumed, the mug washed dried and re-hung on its customary hook, all other detritus disposed of, Edwin had a plan. It was clear to him that the goal of the intruder was to penetrate deeper into the grounds with each invasion. He started on the south lawn, furthest from the main grounds and well shielded from casual view. When the outer patrols were beefed up, he slipped past them to Edwin’s wall. “It is doubtful he would be satisfied with the areas he previously struck and will seek to gain ground,” Edwin told his staff at a hastily called morning meeting. He disliked the necessity as meetings were held Monday mornings at precisely nine o’clock on the dot and this was not only Wednesday, but the clock in the staff room clearly read nine twenty two. Edwin tried not to grind his teeth. This reign of chaos must end. Order must be restored. “To this end,” Edwin continued. “The bulk of our evening patrols will be aimed at protecting the interior. There will still be patrols, in the south lawn and one near where this intruder’s tools were found.” Edwin paused remembering that even though they were watching his tools, the gamboling rabbits still appeared, carved from his neat row along the fence. He pushed the thought away for further contemplation. His men needed clear guidance rather than a questioning leader. He had to show authority. “While daily work on the grounds must be completed, new tasks are to be postponed until the perpetrator is caught as security of the residents is of the utmost importance.” Edwin inclined his head slightly to the roster he posted next to the door. The gesture seemed expansive to him and he instantly recoiled inside, but pushed on so he could return to his normal daily routine. “You will notice that both day and night shifts have been devised. Should there be a concern with your placement on the schedule, please see me and we will discuss possible alterations and alternatives.” With that, Edwin left the staff room and made his careful way around the grounds. “Inclining my head,” he thought to himself. “This is what comes of chaos. First it is external and then it slowly seeps inside like poison into groundwater.” He shuttered at the thought of the consequences should this villainy not end quickly. “Why reason and logic might very well cease to exist.” He shook the horror of the thought away. It was best not to dwell upon these things. Routine was what was needed. Edwin glanced at his watch and for a moment his mind blanked on what it was he normally did at this time on Wednesdays. “Measure,” he thought finally with some relief. This was the day he measured the hedgerows. Momentarily he quailed at the thought, his insides feeling like jelly. The could see the elephants marching in a line in his mind’s eye. “Still a determination must be made as to what shall be done with them,” he reminded himself, stiffening his determination. While he thought removing the row of elephants as well as the farthest row from it would be the best solution, it was only a guess. He would not know definitively that it was the best course of action until he measured. “And it will be reassuring to know the other components of the hedgerow are in perfect order.” His mind made up, Edwin moved to his office to retrieve the tools he would need. He was somewhat relieved when everything appeared to be in its accustomed place. He picked up his clipboard and took a moment to glance at the last measurements on his chart. Deciding a map might be in order, he added graph paper to the clipboard. He then attached a standard tape measure to his waistband, even though he did not anticipate using it. The tool he planned to use was contained in box in the back of the drawer. Edwin excavated the box and opened it, smiling, as always at his favorite tool. The Accutrac Laser measuring tool was his pride and joy. It had accuracy to within one eighth of an inch and neatly and efficiently displayed the measurements on the LED screen, no guess work involved with fading or chipped lines on a plebian measuring tape. Edwin remembered the advertisement for the tool. “Accurate point to point measuring up to one hundred feet,” he recalled, the details etched into his brain. Not only did his give him the accuracy of lasers but he did not have to crawl upon the ground to get the measurements. His uniform could be spared inconvenient stains, smudges and creases through excess bending and possible contact with the actual ground. Gear in hand, Edwin exited the office, closing the door behind him, and made his way to the south lawn. As expected, the elephants were a jolt to his system. Edwin took a deep breath and girded himself as he began his measuring. Knowing he needed accurate measurements of all the hedgerows, including the sculpted one, if accuracy was to be maintained, he began at the sculpted row. He felt that by starting there he could quickly finish and put it out of his mind letting himself sink into the comfort of the other still regulated rows. He tried to ignore the fact that his first measurement was taken at an elephant’s foot. Maintaining his precision, Edwin methodically began to move up the line of parading pachyderms. As he added his second notation to his clipboard he frowned and looked up. “Bells?” he half said to himself. He immediately shook the thought away. There were no bells on or even near the south lawn. Edwin took his next measurement, pausing as he once again heard the sound of bells once again. He marked down his measurement. There it was again. The light tinkling of bells whispered on the air. Edwin forced himself to look up at the elephants. As he worked, he tried to look only at his tools and the barest details of the topiaries, hoping to push through quickly. Now he was forced to study them as he listened for the ringing sound. Not a sound could be heard in the still air around him. He almost dismissed the notion as some sort of delusion brought on by stress when a light breeze wafted through the hedgerows and the ringing began again. It appeared to be coming from the elephants. Edwin peered in a little closer and saw a glint of sun hitting something metallic. The wind picked up and the metallic thing shifted emitting a light ringing sound. He stretched out his hand and found a small bell had been tied on to the hedge. He untied the string holding it and pulled it from its support. The bell was barely the size of his thumb. With the next gust of wind, Edwin’s eyes shifted from the small bell in his hand to the elephants. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could see them everywhere. Hundreds, if not thousands, of bells were threaded through the row of elephants glinting furtively from the leafy green, each one individually tied. “Bells,” he said. Horror of the effort it would require to find and remove all of them before they disturbed the residents etched that one word as it slipped through his lips. For a moment all Edwin could do was simply stare as the bells rang merrily through the south lawn.
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Valerie GaumontJust the record of the random flotsam and jetsam of an insomniac writer's mind Archives
March 2021
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