I am wondering if there is something subtle going on here with Camelot and Calm having similar first syllables....
Calm before the storm "Did you pick that couch yourself or did it come with the property?" Mrs. Agelfinch turned at the question and raised an eyebrow at the young police-officer who had asked it. He, in turn, was pointing at a forest-green overstuffed two-seater couch that was pushed against one wall of her 'receiving room'. He smiled as though he couldn't see her quizzical expression. "That one, miss," he said, pointing again. She lowered her eyebrow. Not many people called her miss these days, and while she didn't dislike being called ma'am precisely, she definitely found she liked miss better. She ventured a half-smile, as the police surely counted as servants, and considered the couch. "We bought it," she said, thinking back. "Harold -- that's my husband, he's a Senior Banker, you know -- felt that the old couch was uncomfortable and wanted something he could... sit comfortable in." His actual words had been "sprawl on like a cat that's just had kittens" but that was a little indecorous, even if she made it clear she was quoting it against her better judgement. "It's in the wrong place," said the police officer smiling nicely. He was dressed very smartly, all the buttons on his uniform gleamed with polish and the creases in his trouser legs were so sharp she suspected he could cut things on them. Something about his face was oddly commonplace, so much so that every time she looked away from him she forgot what he looked like. "It's blocking the flow of qi through the room, and when you take into account the vase over there, you're going to get a little eddy that will bubble things around. There'll also be an argument waiting to happen in here."
Mrs. Agelfinch opened her mouth to deride this arrant nonsense, and then paused. All her arguments with Harold had happened in here, except the ones in the shops, or on the streets, or in the bedroom. As she thought about it, she remembered arguing with her sister in here as well, and with her neighbour. "Really?" she said, wondering how a policeman knew about this kind of thing. "Oh yes," said the other policeman. He was dressed in a sports-blazer, a shirt open at the throat and leopardskin-print trousers that she found both alluring and decadent. She was avoiding looking at them. "The room's north-facing as well, and you've got nothing in here as a gesture to Boreas so the room's probably icy-cold all the time as well. I wouldn't be surprised if people were always getting ill after being in here." "The heating bill has been high recently," she said, thinking that she'd argued with Harold over it, in this very room! "How do you know all this?" "Feng Shui Crime Prevention," said the first young man promptly. "We're new, so for the moment we're very much calm before the storm stuff." "What he means," said the leopardskin-print young man, shaking his head, "is that while we prove the value of the team we're not actively seeking out possible crime spots, but we come along with other officers and see if there are things we can do to help lower crimes." "Other officers?" "Hench! Have you finished checking for fingerprints yet?" Mrs. Agelfinch jumped as a -- well, she couldn't quite decide if they were male or female -- person stepped out of her kitchen and half-smiled at her, then raised a quizzical eyebrow. "This is the owner," said the first young man. "She's got bad Feng Shui, but has she had burglars?" "That's not how you're supposed to phrase that, Ben," said the leopardskin-print young man. "Hench?" asked Mrs. Agelfinch, feeling slightly faint. This was getting very confusing. "Yes, it's a... nickname," said Ben. "Hench, can you move the nice lady's couch over to the other wall please?" He smiled at Mrs. Agelfinch. "I don't suppose you've got some peach cushions, or a light orange throw-rug, have you? That would help settle the storm and increase the calm in here. You'd have a much more relaxed environment for visitors." "Maybe?" Mrs. Agelfinch grasped at straws. "I'll go and check for you. Upstairs. Alone, thank-you." As she ran up the stairs to the airing cupboard Ben watched her go, then turned to the leopardskin-print wearing young man. "Right Bill, we have about two minutes if I'm any judge of character. Somewhere in this room there's a locket with an engraving of Boreas on it. Whoever finds it first gets to ride Hench home!"
3 comments:
I am wondering if there is something subtle going on here with Camelot and Calm having similar first syllables....
Calm before the storm
"Did you pick that couch yourself or did it come with the property?" Mrs. Agelfinch turned at the question and raised an eyebrow at the young police-officer who had asked it. He, in turn, was pointing at a forest-green overstuffed two-seater couch that was pushed against one wall of her 'receiving room'. He smiled as though he couldn't see her quizzical expression. "That one, miss," he said, pointing again.
She lowered her eyebrow. Not many people called her miss these days, and while she didn't dislike being called ma'am precisely, she definitely found she liked miss better. She ventured a half-smile, as the police surely counted as servants, and considered the couch.
"We bought it," she said, thinking back. "Harold -- that's my husband, he's a Senior Banker, you know -- felt that the old couch was uncomfortable and wanted something he could... sit comfortable in." His actual words had been "sprawl on like a cat that's just had kittens" but that was a little indecorous, even if she made it clear she was quoting it against her better judgement.
"It's in the wrong place," said the police officer smiling nicely. He was dressed very smartly, all the buttons on his uniform gleamed with polish and the creases in his trouser legs were so sharp she suspected he could cut things on them. Something about his face was oddly commonplace, so much so that every time she looked away from him she forgot what he looked like. "It's blocking the flow of qi through the room, and when you take into account the vase over there, you're going to get a little eddy that will bubble things around. There'll also be an argument waiting to happen in here."
Mrs. Agelfinch opened her mouth to deride this arrant nonsense, and then paused. All her arguments with Harold had happened in here, except the ones in the shops, or on the streets, or in the bedroom. As she thought about it, she remembered arguing with her sister in here as well, and with her neighbour.
"Really?" she said, wondering how a policeman knew about this kind of thing.
"Oh yes," said the other policeman. He was dressed in a sports-blazer, a shirt open at the throat and leopardskin-print trousers that she found both alluring and decadent. She was avoiding looking at them. "The room's north-facing as well, and you've got nothing in here as a gesture to Boreas so the room's probably icy-cold all the time as well. I wouldn't be surprised if people were always getting ill after being in here."
"The heating bill has been high recently," she said, thinking that she'd argued with Harold over it, in this very room! "How do you know all this?"
"Feng Shui Crime Prevention," said the first young man promptly. "We're new, so for the moment we're very much calm before the storm stuff."
"What he means," said the leopardskin-print young man, shaking his head, "is that while we prove the value of the team we're not actively seeking out possible crime spots, but we come along with other officers and see if there are things we can do to help lower crimes."
"Other officers?"
"Hench! Have you finished checking for fingerprints yet?"
Mrs. Agelfinch jumped as a -- well, she couldn't quite decide if they were male or female -- person stepped out of her kitchen and half-smiled at her, then raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"This is the owner," said the first young man. "She's got bad Feng Shui, but has she had burglars?"
"That's not how you're supposed to phrase that, Ben," said the leopardskin-print young man.
"Hench?" asked Mrs. Agelfinch, feeling slightly faint. This was getting very confusing.
"Yes, it's a... nickname," said Ben. "Hench, can you move the nice lady's couch over to the other wall please?" He smiled at Mrs. Agelfinch. "I don't suppose you've got some peach cushions, or a light orange throw-rug, have you? That would help settle the storm and increase the calm in here. You'd have a much more relaxed environment for visitors."
"Maybe?" Mrs. Agelfinch grasped at straws. "I'll go and check for you. Upstairs. Alone, thank-you."
As she ran up the stairs to the airing cupboard Ben watched her go, then turned to the leopardskin-print wearing young man. "Right Bill, we have about two minutes if I'm any judge of character. Somewhere in this room there's a locket with an engraving of Boreas on it. Whoever finds it first gets to ride Hench home!"
Greg - coincidental. I think.
Delightful take on the prompt. Always a pleasure to have a peek at what Ben and Bill are up to :)
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