BEE A FLOWER

    WHAT IT IS

Hammer’s horse let his head droop slightly, flicked both ears in unison and then exaggeratedly swayed his head from side to side. It was time for water! Scanning the road up ahead, Hammer could make out a crumbling barn further down the road and he hoped an old well might be close by.

It took some coaxing and a degree of patience but soon the horse was lapping up the water as Hammer sat on a collapsing garden wall watching a lone bee pollinating a single Hosta that still survived among the thistle, goldenrods and asters. As he watched the bee work, a fox pup caught his eye, as it hopped through the tall weeds and into the barn.

The Polacka’s greeting was nothing short of amusing. A goofy smirk came across his face as he stretched his long neck on the ground. His chin vibrated uncontrollably; his wide eyes transfixed on Hammer as he stood in the barn’s doorway. The Polacka abruptly flipped on to his back and punched the air with all four feet, before finally laying on his side, head cocked toward Hammer and his eyes dreamily leering at his newly found master. When Hammer whistled, the Polacka sprang to his feet and the two companions were together at last.

At the far end of the barn Hammer watched the fox pup standing stone still, intently looking at the side of the barn. As Hammer approached, the fox scurried away and he saw that the pup had been fascinated by an unusual pattern in the wood created by dozens of wood boring insects. Hammer recognized the pattern as something very close to the layout of Plot 82.

WHAT IT IS NOT

When Adnan is not a turkey vulture looking for misfortune, turning and twisting the fate of unfortunate circumstance into something auspicious, he fancies himself as the hard working bumble bee pollinating plants and flowers, the giver of new life, the bearer of new fruit and the sower of new seed. He is a student of life, his two degrees in the social sciences carefully tucked away in favor of a handshake and contagious smile. His wit for the nimble businessman, his warmth for the downtrodden, his analytics for the academics, his emotion for the apathetics and the entire cauldron of tricks and traits that he wears  like a well fitting suit,  is what brought him to this point in his life.

He neither believes nor questions the messaging  from his boss, his awkward friend and occasional confidant, Miles Hobbson. Adnan’s web is spun in many directions and one of those threads, due to history and predicament, is Miles Hobbson. For now, the two are linked, they travel a path together that may very well alter the direction of humankind, or on the other hand, they may both drift into absolute obscurity.

Adnan looked at his watch, the tall robust man walking along the edge of the food court was right on time. Without saying a word, Slim dropped an envelope on the table where Adnan was sitting and exited through a nearby door. Adnan opened the envelope, set aside the cheque for a quarter million and read the note inside. This is an investment, not a donation…expect repayment in full within six months.