continuation

A long year passed by, Sam and Jethro often talked about events of the war, about John and Ellen, who was now training to be a nurse. They spoke of the huge number of casualties the war was responsible for. With a heavy heart Sam told Jethro, he had not heard from John for some time and had no idea where he was.

Weeks went by until one afternoon when Sam and Jethro were hard at work, Ellen arrived looking for her father, her eyes were wide with fear. “Dad, you must come home, we have received a telegram, and mother is too frightened to open it.” she said breathlessly. Sam paled visibly and gave his keys to Jethro, asking him to put the tools away and lock up. He went off with Ellen.

The following day Jethro arrived on his own, this pattern followed for the next six days. Then a week after he had left with Ellen, Sam turned up, he told Jethro the sad news of John’s death, Sam choked as Jethro gave his condolences, he thanked him and sent him off to his chores.

Sam came inside and sat down just as old Joe had on the same upturned flower pot, he put his head in his hands and sat and cried, finally being able to stop being strong for everyone else, and allow his own grief to flow freely.

It stood totally surrounding Sam, taking in all his bewilderment and pain, but there was nothing it could do. It felt useless and old.

More years passed by, Jethro died in his sleep, Sam passed away, and the old master died, the estate passed into new hands. The new Baron Grace had very new fangled ideas, he did not employ gardeners, but contractors to care for the formal gardens, but no one came near their garden, it became a secret garden. Years went by and the garden garden neglected and unloved became a wilderness taken over by weeds and brambles, all around it nettles and weeds fought to choke it. So it went on year after year, until one day, it felt right down  by it’s right corner a very tiny heartbeat, rapidly beating as if frightened. All to soon it had passed and all that remained for it to see was a long golden tail, this was it’s first glimpse of Fleur, who unbeknown to it would become it’s saviour.