Story A Day--- Cross and Martin, part 21--- "Greenhouse", 573 words.....

Greenhouse

I stood at the gate of the Adell estate, struggling to find the words to tell Miss Mary of the death of her second fiancé and the danger that she might be in, though I knew not what this danger actually was. And, I’m quite sure that Cross would never have told what he suspected the danger to be, even if I asked him.

From the beginning, I disliked my role is the entire affair, but never as much as I did at that precise moment. Who was I to be bringing such terrible news to such a lovely woman?

I stared, hopelessly, through the bars of the gate, as if the answers to all my problems might suddenly spring from the verge. The garden appeared the same as before. I suppose I should have taken comfort in the consistency of the garden’s beauty. It was something to see, the exotic foliage, creeping and coursing through the front lawn of one of our city’s manor houses. There were only one or two plants that I vaguely recognized, and I’m sure I had their names wrong.

The pace I took along the garden path that led to the Adell’s front door was slow, slower even than the speed I took in my journey from the police station. With no more haste than I moved, I found that I was able to take in a full view of the house and its surrounding gardens. The last two visits to their esteemed estate did not allow me the luxury of such a view. It was this third journey through the Adell’s foreign foliage that allowed me to see a small greenhouse just to the east of the house.

The whole greenhouse was nearly covered in creeping vines so that the casual passer-by might miss it, or, so that the casual passer-by should miss it. I paused for a moment when I saw the movement of someone in the greenhouse. Someone moved through the greenhouse, exiting through a door closest to the manor house. From the distance that I stood, the only characteristic I could make out of the person was that he was male and he wore a long workman’s coat. Once he slipped into the manor house, I continued my slow pace up the front steps to the door.

I was greeted by the same fresh-faced maid as before, and was left standing, unceremoniously on the front steps as before. The same shocked look covered the maid’s face so that I wondered, honestly, if she had any other expression.

When the door opened once more, Miss Adell stood at the threshold, her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. I never thought that so lovely a face could hold such harsh features. “I didn’t expect to see you here, ever again.”

My face burned as her words were all but spat at me, “I know. I do apologize for my intrusion, yet again.”

“Come now, Mary. Don’t be inhospitable,” came a voice from further in the entranceway. The figure that turned to face me, just behind Miss Mary, I recognized immediately as the person who fled from the greenhouse when I stopped along the garden path. I knew, now, that I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Mary’s father, Jonathan Adell. “Show our guest in, I’m sure he could do with a cup of tea, he does seem to be a bit harried.”

L is for Loch Ness Monster....

With Kelpie, for my 'K' entry, still fresh, I thought it'd be fun to stick to the water for a bit. So, while we're in the realm of Celtic water creatures, why not visit with the most famous and widely known of aquatic beasties---- the Loch Ness Monster. Though, Nessie, sort of skirts the line of supernatural creature as it is purported by many to be a cryptid, a creature whose existence has yet to be identified by the scientific community. Those who believe Nessie an unidentified animal, have speculated that it is from the line of Plesiosaurs, while the scientific community claims it's just a modern-day myth, or at the very worst--- a hoax. I've included the Loch Ness Monster as part of my Supernatural theme because, like Bigfoot, there's an, albeit EXTREMELY, remote chance that it's real, but, like ghosts, I won't believe it until I see it myself----- I'm a card-carrying skeptic, but, I can enjoy a smidgen of the illogical now-and-again-...

K is for Kelpie.....

Today's entry is dedicated to my wonderful social club pledge sister, who sent me off from our college sanctuary with a copy of "Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales", containing an inscription that the "magic and mischief of the Kelpie follow me".... She knew I had an affinity for water and for mischief...and for all-things Celtic--so the Kelpie seemed to suit---- though, I'm not quite as savage as many folktales paint Kelpies. Kelpies are Celtic water horses, believed to haunt the lochs and rivers of Scotland and Ireland. The Kelpie was known to appear as a "lost pony", though, its identity is given away by its constantly dripping mane. Most stories give the color of the Kelpie's coat as black, though there are a few that mention the color white. The texture of the Kelpie's skin is likened to the smoothness of a seal, but its temperature is "cold as death to the touch." Like many other tales of supernatural creatures, the Kelpie...

A to Z reflections....

Another A to Z challenge comes to an end--- another collection of posts and poetry have been written, another deep breath of relief is released. For my fellow bloggers that survived as well, it's another 'challenge-completed' notch carved into the writing desk. I've come to enjoy my yearly foray into the world of all things alphabetical. This was my third year, though it was only the second year I had a workable theme (which made the challenge substantially easier than the first year I attempted this challenge.) And, though my first year was difficult because my focus was so scattered, I found this year was more difficult because I lost the enthusiasm that came with the first year excitement----excitement which helped me plug along until the end of the challenge. Year 3 was a success in the sense that I completed the challenge, though, this was the year that almost wasn't---- Somewhere about a third of the way through the challenge, I seriously considered...

From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

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