V Interlude

Interlude:

There was a slight dimming of mirth* at Lucy's place this morning when it was discovered that one of the snails was dead. Lucy had suspected something for the past week when it hadn't been touching its food, but she had been giving it the benefit of the doubt. Now it was confirmed. There definitely is an empty snail shell at the bottom of the fish bowl. But who knows what potential lies in that empty shell? After all it isn't really empty, its full of water.

Once upon a time when Lucy was in Paris, she and Puss had caught the train to Auvers-sur-Oise, a place where Van Gogh had painted and died. Lucy had gone to visit his grave but had had to wait to show her respect for the woman who was talking rudely, in French, on her phone. While she waited, Lucy collected a bag of snail shells. There must have been a plague as there were many empty shells in that graveyard.

When she was in Auvers-sur-Oise, Lucy had seen this...

(picture not allowed)

The next time Lucy went to Paris she saw the painting.

On her way home through customs, the customs lady asked her if she had been in the country or had any dirt on her shoes. Lucy showed her the dirt on the snail shells. The lady held them in awe when she told her where they had come from. She said she would gently wash the dirt off and give them back.

Lucy had plans to turn them into works of art. But people don't always follow through with their plans and the snail shells are still in a plastic bag in the locked cabinet, waiting for their potential to be revealed. This is what Lucy has in mind for them...

The potential of an empty snail shell

There are possibly only three of these in the world. One had been given to Lucy's first cat friend, Megan, the daughter of Lucy's Fairy Godmother,which kind of makes her a Fairy's God-Daughter. And, yes, Lucy does have a fairy Godmother, but she lives far away, over in the hills, and her name is Norah. Another painted shell had been created for the security blanket, he assures me it is safe and sound. And this one, which had been given to the evil picnic rug and left behind when he had packed up his basket and gone.

*Mirth - humour

Now we return to the story.