Littleton

Chapter 2

The long months of renovations finally closed in on a full year of routine demolition, refuse removal, structural reclamation and reinforcement, esthetic application, technology integration, final refinement of appearance, visual approval, and more paper-work.  This cyclical process became the normal state of affairs for the Tralliaerd clan and created a sense of calm and purpose for the small family.  It was no surprise that when the largest known sections of the estate became completed, there began to grow an uneasy feeling equivalent to nearing the end of a favorite story.  None of the family members wanted the project to be finished.  They had all devoted so much time and passion into the estate and enjoyed every step of the process so much that life without the comfortable cycle was almost unimaginable.  However, even the ancient, giant Flowers estate had boundaries.  All the main buildings had been revitalized and most of the support and staffing structures were nearly completed.  There appeared to be not much left to tackle, save the massive, overgrown gardens and forest that occupied the expansive property.

The day the focus of the revitalization of the Flowers estate moved to the gardens, Mr. Tralliaerd insisted on the entire family eating lunch from the giant main house back balcony because it offered the best view of the vast overgrown maze that once showcased thousands of plants and flowers from all over the world.  The variety and volume of the gardens had rivaled even the most famous collections around the world.  Dr. Flowers had captured the interest of royalty, celebrities, and botanists alike thanks to the diversity and careful selection of plant-life that was included.  Unfortunately, the ravages of decades of disregard had left the famous gardens in shambles and unrecognizable from it's former glory.  Mrs. Tralliaerd felt personally determined to resuscitate the collection and bring it back to it's former impressive stature.  In fact, she had insisted on overseeing the replanting of the gardens as part of the deal with Mr. Talliaerd for purchasing the Flowers estate.  She had a real passion for integrating nature and technology harmoniously.

The family lounged in the sunshine enjoying their afternoon meal while bulldozers plowed down the acres of overgrown shrubbery and weeds.  Many of the original plants had been over-run by invading pests and more aggressive plant-life.  However, anything that could be saved the family had removed before the first round of reclamation began.  Just as they were finishing their meal, one of the foreman overseeing work on the grounds approached the Tralliaerds and asked to speak with them.

"Can you please come with me?  You need to tell us what you'd like us to do with something we found in the forest."  The foreman began.

"In the forest?" Mr. Tralliaerd confirmed.

"Yes sir.  It seems there's another complex of some sort buried in there." he explained.

"Really?" Mrs. Tralliaerd replied with a hint of excitement in her voice as she rose from the table.

"Yes ma'am.  It's large as far as we can tell, but nobody's going inside until you come down and see it," the foreman continued, then directed his attention on Mr. Tralliaerd.

Mr. Tralliaerd looked at his wife with a wide smile, then to his three children and asked, "Anyone up for another adventure?"

Jumping up from their seats, the children nearly knocked their father over from the excitement and joy they felt at his question.  The answer was a resounding "yes" that took the form of shouts and squeals of glee with bouts of bouncing up and down.  Once the group settled down a bit, the smiling foreman waved to have them follow him to a waiting jeep.  It wasn't unusual to need a vehicle to review a section of the construction due to the thousands of acres that made up the property.  However, it was surprising that any substantial structure had been missed in the initial surveyor's reports and that large buildings would be that far from the main house and surrounding structures.  A mystery was unfolding and the entire family found themselves caught up in the wonder of the unknown.