Short Story: Topiary

Topiary

“The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?”

Er’el shuddered as the Earthling continued toward the gathering place, glad to no longer be able to read his thoughts. He knew he needed to be careful, when he returned from his nightly wanderings. The barista was correct. He was a few inches off his normal position.

He despised his assignment… transform into an object no one would notice. He wanted to be a tall stately tree nearer the subjects of their survey. But no, his commander liked the shrubs called topiaries, so that’s what he became.

Cataloging those who arrived occupying his attention, Er’el barely noticed an Earthling approaching. Too late he saw the pruning shears coming toward him. Bystanders later swore they heard the topiary screaming while the gardener ran for his life.

 Word Count:  139

  Written for the wonderful writing challenge, Mondays Finish the Story. Each Monday, Barbara Beacham posts a picture prompt, along with the first line of the story. The stories must be between 100-150 words and must include the given first line, shown in italics in the story.

Special thanks to Barbara Beacham for sharing her excellent photography skills to provide such challenging prompts. Check out the MFTS blog… some great short stories posted.  https://mondaysfinishthestory.wordpress.com/ 

Direct link to this week’s stories…  http://new.inlinkz.com/view.php?id=541967