Somehow part two didn't make it. Sorry for the mix up. v
Part 2 Slowly Edwin walked down the line of elephants. The shock was starting to fade, but the questions remained, as did the elephants. Who had done this and why? The biggest question he had though was how. Edwin marched back to the gathering group of groundskeepers. He had the slight satisfaction of watching them straighten and wipe the looks of wonderment from their faces as he approached. “How?” He demanded of his men, unable to keep his most pressing question to himself. “How did someone manage to sneak onto the grounds and create this?” An invasion of any sort would not be tolerated. Today it was elephants, tomorrow the interlopers could waltz up to the residents and do god only knew what. He was the first line of defense and he would not falter. Edwin resisted the urge to wave his hand in the direction of the topiary as he thought it would affect his dignity. He was fairly certain his color was up and that was bad enough. He tugged his starched uniform straight. While those under him wore the same staff uniform, their garments were often wrinkled and stained with the efforts of their labors on the estate grounds. His was worn with military precision, crisp and ready for a dress parade. He even polished the buttons each night before bed so they gleamed. No one answered his demand. He stared at the men, making sure to look each on in the eye as his gaze slid over the mass of them. “Who was the last out here yesterday?” “I…I was sir,” Lucas raised his hands and the others shifted, parting around him as though they expected him to be lightning struck. Lucas looked around and realized he was very much on his own. He swallowed hard and turned back to face his commander. “Someone reported seeing bees in this area so I was searching for any signs of a hive. Everything looked normal then, sir.” “Bees?” Edwin said a stab of horror hit him. Bees were not restful. They could not be allowed on the grounds. They could not be allowed to disturb the residents. Edwin shivered in revolt just thinking about them. Their buzzing through the air with their fat, hairy bodies, collecting pollen and flying back to their hive where they made mounds of sticky, gooey honey. Edwin hated honey even more than he hated bees. Its slow, viscous pour was torture as you knew once it touched you it would coat your skin, clinging to you, calling dust from the air to join it in adhering all manner of filth to the skin. Just thinking of it made his flesh crawl. “Did you find them?” he asked trying to suppress his inner revolt. Edwin had no idea why bees would even be on the estate grounds. He had ordered all of the flower beds turfed over so they would be less appealing for the vile creatures. “No, sir,” Lucas replied. “No sign of any form of hive or even a single bee.” “Good,” Edwin declared. “Now clearly someone had to sneak onto estate grounds in order to do… this.” He continued as he marched stiffly back and forth in front of the assembled staff. “I want the grounds searched for any sign of this perpetrator and answers as to why he came here and how he managed to gain access to the grounds. And while you are at it, keep alert for signs of bees. But be discrete, no running willy-nilly. We must not disturb the residents.” Even the mention of bees made Edwin want to wash his hands. As his men scattered about the grounds, Edwin returned to his office, eager to be away from the elephants and to find some antibacterial soap.
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Valerie GaumontJust the record of the random flotsam and jetsam of an insomniac writer's mind Archives
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