continuation

Later that afternoon, just before Old Joe was packing up for the day, across the lawn came the Baron and Baroness. “Joe we have come to see how it is all going” said the Baron. “Yes, I so want my first afternoon tea, so it must just be perfect” added the Baroness. Joe opened the door and led them in, pointing out plants, and explaining why they were positioned the way that they were, the Baron asked many questions, whilst her ladyship just looked down her long nose. “It is not at all as I envisaged” she said disappointedly, “Just where am I going to serve tea, you have left me no room.” “My dear” said the Baron, “this is a house for exotic plants not a tea room, surely you can have the maids set tea out on the lawn, maybe under the cedar, then you can give guided tours of the glass house.” she looked at him with distain, “that will just have to do, I suppose” she conceded.

Throughout the summer months the Baroness gave many tea parties, and the glass house enjoyed the adoration of her friends, it loved to here the envy in their voices. However the long winter months saw it unvisited apart from Old Joe and Jethro. It found that hard to understand if it was so beautiful.

This pattern continued for many years, Old Joe died and Sam took over, the war came and the glass house became more neglected year by year, no longer were there tea parties, and new plants, it was becoming tatty and so unloved.

Then horror of horrors, the newest Baron’s young son and his friend were in the garden looking as always to do mischief. They decided to put a marker against the low wall of the glass house and target small stones at different points of the target. All was well for a while, until they got fed up and boredom kicked in and the boys chose bigger stones, until thwack a stone hit one of the large panes and slowly it cracked, the cracks running all ways from the initial hole of the impact, the glass house was dismayed, this was the first damage it had sustained deliberately and no one would know, so it would not be repaired. The boys moved quickly took away the marker and picked up the tell tale stones, then between then they vowed a pact not to say anything about the accident. They knew if they did they would get in trouble, but if nothing was said the likelihood was it would not be noticed for a long time.

After they the glass house shuddered with disgust, looked around and truly realised it was old, dusty and now delapidated, many spiders had taken up residence spinning their webs everywhere, even birds came in through they door, that had not shut for a very long time. The only surviving plants were the orchids. Silently it sighed and gave up.