Pumpkin seeds and the new patch – The twin gardens tale
Detective Roy Thomas is a career man. Thirty years on the force and still going strong. He owes it all to his morning routine. Up before dawn, on the job by seven. In those same thirty years he’s seen some strange things. Furthermore, in a job like this, encountering strange things is inevitable. However, this particular situation is nothing like he’s seen before. For starters this background report has to be a mistake.
He presses the play button and cuts the speed by half. He watches Mr. Conner, the victim, in a video made with a doorbell camera. The quality isn’t high definition, but he can clearly see Miss Anderson approaching Mr. Conner from behind. Then the moment the victim turns, and then the slight jumping of the gun, in the shooter’s hand. Detective Thomas watches it all unfold and then watches as the shooter (Miss Anderson) points the gun directly at the camera. The doorbell camera of Mr. Conner’s neighbor, Wesley Tillman.
Detective Roy Thomas feels the hunch in his gut and immediately reaches for his phone. A crisp voice from dispatch answers and Detective Thomas has them connect him to the officer managing the scene. Since it is an ongoing investigation they are actively sweeping the scene and searching for the shooter. A moment later and Detective Thomas confirms that Wesley Tillman is not at his house. He has dispatch send two more units to the hospital where Mr’ Conner is currently undergoing surgery for his wounds. Then he hangs up his phone. A moment later, he’s out the door on the way to the hospital.
Fall of Love
The sound of the gunshot is almost deafening. There is a zip sound that echoes off the concrete ceiling as Wesley ducks and runs. The second shot hits the concrete floor directly in front of him and he launches himself sideways behind the cover of his truck. Not only is he astounded that he’s unhurt, but also he can’t believe the first shot missed. Rather than waste precious time wondering, he lets the fear propel him.
Not bothering to check if the deranged Miss Anderson follows, he scrambles on all fours keeping his profile low. Fortunately it is in the middle of the busiest visiting hours. Most of the parking spaces are full. He scrambles from one vehicle to another, trying to stay as low as possible. From behind him he can hear the clicking of heels as someone picks up their pace. He tries to angle away from those footsteps.
Pumpkin Seeds
His route brings him to the wall of the parking garage and now his only path is along the wall. He can’t hear the clicking heels anymore, but there are cars entering the garage now. A lot of them by the sound of it. He turns to see if he’s being followed and freezes. Miss Anderson is standing directly behind him, gun pointed directly at him, and sporting the same twisted grin. She smiles with clenched teeth and raises the gun to his head.
“No more time for you Wesley Tillman, it’s over. Then I’m going to finish the job inside the hospital. The magic ends here. Today.” Wesley can see the madness behind the eyes. This is something more than human. This is an age old rage. Something that has managed to find its way here from the past. Once again the hammer of the gun is pulled back and Wesley freezes. Then several things happen at once.
“Freeze! Drop the gun! Now!” Several more voices join in, all demanding that Miss Anderson drop the gun. She doesn’t bother looking around. She keeps her own gun trained on Wesley, the sneer never leaving her face. Instead, she lowers her voice and glares at Wesley.
“None of this ever involved you, and there’s nothing you can do to change things now. Goodbye Wesley.”
The Twin Gardens and Pumpkin Seeds
The alarm is loud and Mary hugs Miss Garrett close. There is an enormous amount of activity in the hospital now. She knows the gunshots involve Wesley somehow. How she knows this is beyond her, but it’s a certainty. She feels Miss Garrett squeeze her hand and she looks at the kind and worried expression on the older woman’s face.
“It would seem both our Prince’s are in jeopardy my dear. It’s time to put an end to this before harm comes to anyone else.” In the next moment, many things happened. Mary would find herself wondering about them, years later. Is magic real? Of course it is, and on that day, it was in abundance. The doors to the ICU open, and an ICU nurse comes toward Miss Garrett and Mary carrying a small package. She smiles at Miss Garrett and greets her warmly.
“Hello Miss Garrett, I’m from the ICU and while I don’t have any news on Mr.Conner’s condition, I do have a message, and a package, for you. It must be extremely important, because it was delivered to the hospital administrator, who hand delivered it to me; with the express directive that I hand deliver it to you.” She smiles again with a slight flush to her cheeks now. “I am also to make sure to relay that the message is from Marcus, loyal servant of Prince Stephen.” Now her cheeks flush red, and she hands Miss Garrett the package.
The Messenger
Miss Garrett accepts the package and turns it over to see the other side. Mary can see the address, and the details are handwritten. Additionally, on the top, there is an actual wax seal. But the most curious thing is what is written just below the wax seal. It is in the most elegant script and it reads: Pumpkin Seeds for the new patch.
Miss Garrett smiles a sweet smile, and thanks the ICU nurse. A look of intense determination enters her eyes. “We must go to my garden at once my dear.” Then, from outside the hospital, several more gunshots. And then the loudest silence, Mary has ever heard.
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