Sky Pirates

Chapter 54

Mildred, not quite ready to tackle cleaning out the fountain, turned her attention to the first major side aisle from the center toward the honey bee wall, as it had come to be known. She had not been molested again by the bees, although Perry had stopped working on that side of the garden and was now weeding his way around the opposite wall. She was on her knees sorting out weeds from desired plants. Mildred took cuttings of those items that were foreign to her with the plan of attempting to match them in a book in her father's study.

She hummed a tune to herself, not sure of its origin as she worked. It was a brilliant afternoon. Not too hot with a high sun and fluffy clouds dotting the sky. An earthworm, unearthed by her activity, was working its way back underground.

"Mildred!" called Edith.

Mildred gently untangled herself from under the thorny rose bushes and overgrown weeds. "Edith!" She was pleased to see her friend. "Do you care to join me down here?" she asked. The look on Edith's face made her laugh. "Well," she rolled around to face her friend, "help me up."

Edith extended her hand, which, after helping Mildred to her feet, was covered in dirt. She wanted to wipe that hand on her skirt, but thought better of it, being dressed in a flowery print that would show the filth. She held her hand aloft until Mildred took it in her own hand and brought them both to the dirty apron she wore over at her waist. The girls laughed as Mildred wiped both their hands in the cloth.

"It's so nice to see you," said Mildred through her laughter. She waited for the return of those deep emotions from the previous night, but felt nothing similar. She felt happy to have a friend, but the touching of her hands caused nothing emotional, nothing, sexual. Confusion flooded her for a moment and then flittered out like one of her bees.

"I've been wanting to visit with you, too. Might we have a cup of tea?"

"Of course." Mildred picked up her basket of sample plants and led the way to the center walk and toward the garden gate. "Perry, I'm going up to the house," she called.

Neither of them could see Perry, but from the rustling in the tall grasses heard: "Yes, Miss!"

"Do you mind if I look in father's books while we visit? I'd like to figure out what these plants are before they wilt too much."

"Whatever you would prefer." Edith slipped her hand into the crook of Mildred's arm, drawing herself close to Mildred; she'd seen married couples in the village do this, come close together; it didn't feel nice to her so she gently added space between them, careful to not actually push Edith away.

The girls walked up the path to the house just as the clock chimed three times.

"You've fixed the clock! Father told us, but I had forgotten. The bell sounds lovely."

"Shh. You must never say it like that. Cole fixed the clock. That is what you always must say."

Edith looked hard at her friend's profile, but tripped on a paving stone. Mildred, with fast reactions, kept Edith from falling.

Edith whispered conspiratorially: "Father said it was you who fixed the mechanical horse and that, based on that, it was probably you who fixed the clock, too."

Mildred looked around the yard. She could see Isaac working the new colt in the corral. She longed to go to the fence and watch him. She loved the way he broke and trained the horses, especially the new arrivals. But, Edith was gently pulling her toward the house, not as a way of avoiding the horse training session, but because that had been their established path. Mildred contemplated asking her friend to spend some time watching, but then remembered the withering plants and Edith's desire for tea.