The Blank Canvas

The Gardener

Chapter I

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Holding the remote control, I watched how my toy helicopter roved in the yard. This was my parent's birthday gift to me, Chloe had received a robot doll which was like a real baby. It could laugh and cry. We were 9 years old back then.

My sister was in the gazebo, pulling the hair of her doll. The doll produced a real cry of a baby. When she pressed the arms of the doll, it cried. When she threw it, it cried. Luckily the robet was shock-proof,  so it could endure whatever pain the owner inflicted to it. Chloe didn' show any mercy to the doll. In fact, she was enjoying it.

I controlle the helicopter to land in the ground. Actually, I was not interested to play such toy. I had been expecting that my parent's gift to me would have been color pastels. I went to the gazebo. My favorite toys were there, papers and pencils. Chloe was still playing her doll, I suppose killing was the right term.

"Chleo, can I borrow your helicopter?" she asked.

"Sure," I said, not tinted with hesitation.

A fewmoments later, the maid brought us a tray of snacks.

"Where is Chloe?" the maid asked, as she put the tray on the table.

I looked around. Chloe, as well as my toy, was not around. The gate was open. Through the railing, I saw her talking to a man on the other side of the windswept road. He was wearing ragged shirt with a towel around his neck. I suddenly remembered an episode of my favorite cartoon. The kid with super power defeated the monstrous man who had seized many children to make his slaves. The antagonist in that show happened to be a gradener and he usedhis bewitched flowers to persuade the children to come with him. I decided to be a hero loke super kid. I got to my feet and run to them.

"Don't touch my sister," I told the man in dignified voice. I lifted the toy, pulled Chloe's arm, and went back into our yard.

"Mom said, Don't talk to strangers!" I reminded her, as if I was an older brother.

"He didn't hurt me. The helicopter flew into their garden. He gave it back to me, and he also gave me this," she said and showed a pink orchid. "He is a gardener. And you know wha? They have a beautiful garden. He asked me how was I, but you pulled me away from him." she added.

Since that day, I always caught glimpses of him sprinkling water o the plants, cutting grasses and staring at our house. I couldn't trust that man. I knew that he wanted something from us...Maybe, i was Chloe.

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