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The Boundary Stone - Chapter 6: Retrieval

Chapter 6 - Retrieval

The ants were already halfway across Parsnip Park before Dancer had even climbed the gates.  She hurried to catch them up.  She had to admire them, as their movements were so well synchronised and purposeful.  What’s more, the residents of Parsnip Park did not seem to be taking any notice of them.  Even better, the giant rat was busy at the other side of the Park and seemingly unaware of the army marching along.

When the ants reached the shed they headed straight for the gardener’s bucket.  The stone was up and out and being carried back across the Park in the twinkling of an eye.  They had almost reached the gardener’s bench when a strange figure threw a shadow across them.

Dancer tried not to panic.  She wasn’t sure who or what this was.  It looked like an evil little man in an elf-like hat.  She realised with dismay that it must be the notorious garden gnome.  She watched as he seemed mesmerised by the sight of the stone moving along.  Then a horrible smirk came across his face and he reached for his spade.  Raising it in the air, he was about to smash it down on to the ants.

Dancer dropped down on her emergency thread and landed on the back of the gnome’s neck.  She wriggled so much that the tickling caused the gnome to halt his arms mid air and try and rid himself of the irritation.  To avoid being swatted, Dancer rose quickly and deposited herself in the nearest bush.  The gnome spotted her movement and went to grab her.  Dancer went into her disappearing act and blurred herself out of site.  The gnome looked confused.  Dancer kept gyrating as long as she could but eventually had to stop and reappear.  The gnome blinked then tried to grab her again.  Dancer blurred herself once more, keeping it up for as long as she could and even longer, until she felt herself fainting and falling.

She felt herself land in what felt like a soft velvet glove. 

            “Oooooh,” said a voice.

Dancer looked up at a pair of beautiful eyes and realised it was Edward.

            “You seem to appear all of a sudden and out of nowhere,” he sighed.

Dancer hugged him as she realised that he had provided a soft landing and had probably saved her life.
“Sit on a green bit, not a red patch, and I’ll take you to the gates again,” he said, nodding his head gently.

Dancer held on tightly.  Looking back, she could see the horrible little gnome still searching for her in the bush.  Looking forward, she could see Captain Flame moving his team and the stone through a gap in the fence.

Chapter 7 - Celebrations