I wasn’t quite finished with the story I was telling by the time 2025 ended and so decided to continue it until it reached an ending point. Then I will start a new one. Besides, I kind of want to see where Penelope ends up. And so we have…
Day 185: Thinking of a second experiment, Penelope tried to think of something she might need a little bit of luck to get through.
Thinking of a second experiment, Penelope tried to think of something she might need a little bit of luck to get through. ‘It would have been useful in exams,’ she thought. ‘But I wonder if that is cheating?’
As she walked back to the house, pushing the trolley, Penelope’s thoughts oscillated between trying to decide if using a luck charm for an exam was cheating and trying to decide what sort of thing she could use as a test.
‘The second hand shop was a good test,’ she thought as she reached her gate. ‘I wish I had timed it.’ As she stopped the cart and opened the gate she realized she might have to do several tests to see if the length of time was consistent. The charm under her shirt was still warm which she was certain meant it was active, but she didn’t know if it was active longer because it hadn’t been used in a while or if it always lasted the same length of time.
‘I am pretty sure that with the walk home and the shopping time added together it was more than fifteen minutes.’
She wheeled the cart through the gate and then turned back to close and latch the gate. As she did she saw that one of the vines from the new planter her neighbor put in her patio area was flopped over the fence and into her space. It was a green ivy like vine that had pink spots decorating the leaves. Penelope liked the mix of deep green and soft pink. She reached for the vine lifting it up and stepping closer to the fence, thinking she might ease the vine back over the fence so it was all on the neighbor’s side.
As she moved, the door opened and her neighbor stepped out. The older woman was not alone.
Penelope looked up. The woman blinked in surprise, looking startled to see Penelope.
“The vine was over the fence and I thought you would want it on your side,” Penelope told her.
“Oh yes,” the woman said. “I am sorry about that. I wasn’t really paying attention when I put it down.”
“No problem,” Penelope said. “It is a lovely plant. I like the green and pink.”
The woman looked over to the man and they walked over towards her. “It is nice,” the woman said. She looked at Penelope’s arm. “You seem to have injured yourself.”
“Accident,” Penelope replied.
The man moved in front of the older woman. “I was going back to he store to pick up a second one,” he said.
“This is my …nephew,” the woman added hastily. “He helps me with things like this.”
“I see.”
“You are more than welcome to come with me,” he said. He gestured to the plant. “I don’t know what they are called but they are on sale and going fast.”
Penelope smiled. “I can’t today,” she said. “I’ll try to get out there soon though. Where is the shop?”
“It’s out towards Eastlake,” the man told her. “And I doubt they will last long with the sale going on. And with that arm it doesn’t look like you will be driving anywhere soon.”
“No, but I do have a friend who might take me,” Penelope said. “Hopefully, they will still be there.” Penelope looked past the man and saw Agent Michaelson was coming out of the parking garage down the street. She looked back to the people in front of her. She kept her polite smile in place.
The woman’s smile seemed carded onto her face.
Ten til Midnight 