For Mosey; I thought you would enjoy the update.
Neptune ran across the yard and leaped over the fence.
"Come on!" He called excitedly to Harriet. She hesitated. Never before had Harriet stepped outside of the fence. Somehow she felt that doing so would break the greatest taboo of all: Under no circumstances was she allowed to cross that wooden barrier. To do so would incur the wrath of Grandmother Olga. Harriet laid a hand on the fence. A tingle ran through her hand and down her spine. Suddenly she did not care a fig whether or not Grandmother Olga threw a fit. Laughing aloud, Harriet hopped up onto the fence and scrambled down the other side.
"I've never been outside of the fence," she told Neptune.
"I didn't think you had," he muttered grimly. A long dirt road stretched North and South. An opened field lay to the West.
"I always wanted to run in that field," Harriet said wistfully.
"You may if you wish," Neptune said.
"I may? Really?"
Harriet cautiously crept across the road. The field stretched before her, flat, green, and enticing. She stepped delicately onto the grass, the cool softness tantalizing her feet.
"So," Neptune asked, leaning nonchalantly against the fence, "what do you think of the outside world?"
"It's - it's wonderful!" Harriet laughed, and she began to run across the smooth grass. Spinning, throwing her arms out wide, she drank in the joy of actually living. Neptune chuckled as he watched her trip over a mole hill.
"There are some days when I just love my job," he said to no one in particular. "Harriet," he called, "it is time for us to move on."
"What?" She stopped, still giggling.
"We must go now."
"No, we can't," she said, suddenly very serious. "We must wait here for Grandmother to come home!"
"Idiot girl!" Neptune said, exasperated, "haven't you been listening to me at all? I just told you that she isn't coming home at all! She was taken by the enemy and we must go rescue her."
"Oh. Well, then, let's go."
Harriet climbed over the fence.
"Where to next?" She asked.
"We must find the other guardians of the earth," Neptune said.
"Where do we start looking?"
"I'm not sure. We're looking for people who peel potatoes backwards, put their books on shelves upside-down and backwards, leave their faucets dripping, and paint purple circles in their closets."
"What you paint in your closet is hardly common knowledge."
"True." Neptune chewed his lip. "I was given the general location of where to find each guardian."
"How many guardians are there?"
Neptune counted on his fingers: "Seven."
"Including Grandmother Olga?"
"No, she is not a guardian. She is the high-commanding officer of the entire operation."
"And that operation is...?"
"To keep the forces of darkness from overrunning the earth," Neptune said.
"Oh." Harriet stood staring at the road for a moment. “What will you do now that she is missing?” She looked up at him, fear creeping into her eyes. “What will I do?”
“Come with me, of course,” Neptune said.
“But I don’t know you at all. You could be one of those creatures of darkness that Grandmother was trying to protect me from. You could be lying!”
“That is a distinct possibility, but of course entirely untrue.”
“And how am I to know that?”
“That is a good question, but one not easily answered. Right now you will have to trust me.”
Harriet laughed disparagingly.
“Oh really? Just like that?”
“But of course. Isn’t that how most people trust each other?”
Harriet could not disagree.
“Very well,” she said resignedly. “I will trust you.”
“There’s a good girl. Now,” Neptune said, “which way is Egypt?”
“Egypt?!”
“Yes, that is what I said. We will find a guardian in Egypt.”
“That is more easily said than done,” Harriet said. “Egypt is a rather large country.”
“I know, but it is a start, and is better than nothing at all.”
“I have no choice but to agree. I believe it is east of here, but I really do not know.”
“That is no problem for me. I have a built-in compass in my mind that tells me where each country lies on this vast globe.”
And that is how Harriet and Neptune found themselves
in the midst of the Sahara desert."Come on!" He called excitedly to Harriet. She hesitated. Never before had Harriet stepped outside of the fence. Somehow she felt that doing so would break the greatest taboo of all: Under no circumstances was she allowed to cross that wooden barrier. To do so would incur the wrath of Grandmother Olga. Harriet laid a hand on the fence. A tingle ran through her hand and down her spine. Suddenly she did not care a fig whether or not Grandmother Olga threw a fit. Laughing aloud, Harriet hopped up onto the fence and scrambled down the other side.
"I've never been outside of the fence," she told Neptune.
"I didn't think you had," he muttered grimly. A long dirt road stretched North and South. An opened field lay to the West.
"I always wanted to run in that field," Harriet said wistfully.
"You may if you wish," Neptune said.
"I may? Really?"
Harriet cautiously crept across the road. The field stretched before her, flat, green, and enticing. She stepped delicately onto the grass, the cool softness tantalizing her feet.
"So," Neptune asked, leaning nonchalantly against the fence, "what do you think of the outside world?"
"It's - it's wonderful!" Harriet laughed, and she began to run across the smooth grass. Spinning, throwing her arms out wide, she drank in the joy of actually living. Neptune chuckled as he watched her trip over a mole hill.
"There are some days when I just love my job," he said to no one in particular. "Harriet," he called, "it is time for us to move on."
"What?" She stopped, still giggling.
"We must go now."
"No, we can't," she said, suddenly very serious. "We must wait here for Grandmother to come home!"
"Idiot girl!" Neptune said, exasperated, "haven't you been listening to me at all? I just told you that she isn't coming home at all! She was taken by the enemy and we must go rescue her."
"Oh. Well, then, let's go."
Harriet climbed over the fence.
"Where to next?" She asked.
"We must find the other guardians of the earth," Neptune said.
"Where do we start looking?"
"I'm not sure. We're looking for people who peel potatoes backwards, put their books on shelves upside-down and backwards, leave their faucets dripping, and paint purple circles in their closets."
"What you paint in your closet is hardly common knowledge."
"True." Neptune chewed his lip. "I was given the general location of where to find each guardian."
"How many guardians are there?"
Neptune counted on his fingers: "Seven."
"Including Grandmother Olga?"
"No, she is not a guardian. She is the high-commanding officer of the entire operation."
"And that operation is...?"
"To keep the forces of darkness from overrunning the earth," Neptune said.
"Oh." Harriet stood staring at the road for a moment. “What will you do now that she is missing?” She looked up at him, fear creeping into her eyes. “What will I do?”
“Come with me, of course,” Neptune said.
“But I don’t know you at all. You could be one of those creatures of darkness that Grandmother was trying to protect me from. You could be lying!”
“That is a distinct possibility, but of course entirely untrue.”
“And how am I to know that?”
“That is a good question, but one not easily answered. Right now you will have to trust me.”
Harriet laughed disparagingly.
“Oh really? Just like that?”
“But of course. Isn’t that how most people trust each other?”
Harriet could not disagree.
“Very well,” she said resignedly. “I will trust you.”
“There’s a good girl. Now,” Neptune said, “which way is Egypt?”
“Egypt?!”
“Yes, that is what I said. We will find a guardian in Egypt.”
“That is more easily said than done,” Harriet said. “Egypt is a rather large country.”
“I know, but it is a start, and is better than nothing at all.”
“I have no choice but to agree. I believe it is east of here, but I really do not know.”
“That is no problem for me. I have a built-in compass in my mind that tells me where each country lies on this vast globe.”
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