Suzy of the house Miller

Bonus Chapter

            Morning sunlight streamed through the glass panels of the greenhouse as Earl, the High Priest of Pan, awoke. He slowly sat up, feeling the grass and wildflowers around him. He brushed a few petals out of his beard and stood up, yawning and stretching. He walked towards the door, where a woman around his age stood. Barbara had wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, but so did he. Even now, his heart would light up and he'd be filled with bliss whenever he saw her.

"Good morning, Dear," He said through stifled yawns.

"Good morning, Earl. Sleeping in the greenhouse again?"

He nodded and stretched once more. "There's something invigorating about sleeping in the grass and flowers."

"You could've asked me to join you," She said, stepping back into the house.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't have the heart to wake you," Earl said, hugging her.

As he took a cup of morning coffee he noticed a small envelope on the counter. He picked it up and eyed it, squinting through the morning drowsiness.

"What's this?" He asked, turning it over in his hand.

"It came for you this morning," His wife said. "From one of your followers."

"Miller," Earl said, reading the name on the return address. "Good man, has a wife and kid and takes good care of his garden."

Earl tore open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper with clean, neat handwriting. He read it aloud as his wife listened and drank her coffee.

Dear Earl,

I am writing this letter to respectfully ask for your help and guidance in this time. Your insight has helped me in the past and I feel like this question can only be answered by someone like you. My eight-year old daughter has recently found her god and they seem to have taken quite a liking to each other. However, it seems that for some reason she is his only follower, making her the new High Priestess of Anubis. She's been trying her best to help him in any way she can, but I feel like I'm unable to help her in this. What can I do to help her, as her father and as someone who worships a god from a completely different pantheon as well? I want to support her in any way I can, but I feel like there's nothing I can do and I'm afraid she won't be able to handle the responsibilities of being a High Priestess yet. Any advice you may have is welcome, and I hope you receive this letter and can give me some guidance.

Yours truly,

Daniel Miller.

P.S. The mint seedlings you sent out last time have taken root and grown quite nicely. Thank you for taking care of us Pan followers and for sharing your love of nature with us.

Earl finished reading the letter and then sat down at the table and took a long drink of coffee. After sitting for a while in silence, he got up.

"I guess I'll go for a walk," He said. "Maybe I'll find what he's looking for."

"Poor girl," His wife said. "I hope she does alright."

"So do I," Earl said. He put on a pair of sandals and stepped out of the front door.

"At least put a shirt on!" His wife called out after him.

"No shirt," He muttered as he walked out of the house. He considered himself fortunate to live out near the woods. Barbara had complained that it was far away from her job at first, but he knew she loved it there. After all, she was the one who'd put the bird feeder up and kept it well stocked for whatever might want a meal.