It's funny how the years seemed to fly by for Beasly. His sunflower grew steadily and soon it was blooming all year round.
"That's the flower's special power," Lizzie had once told Beasly, "As long as you keep it in the sun and give it plenty of water it should bloom for years."
"I know 'ow to take care of flowers," he had retorted. Lizzie was holding her child in her hands, the beautiful baby girl she named Mary. Mary reached out for Beasly trying to grab hold of him. After a few close calls, Beasly had become used to this and skillfully avoided her.
Mary seemed to grow as fast as his plants did. Soon enough they were celebrating her fifth birthday. This was one of the most important birthdays for puzzle keepers, the first puzzle. Mary sat in a highchair with pieces of cake stuck in some of her long light brown hair. Her mother and father sat close beside and Augustus and his new bride Violet were there too waiting in anticipation.
"Well, 'ere it is puzzle number zero, zero, one," Beasly flew in the room almost dragging along a stubborn glowing puzzle. He placed it in front of Mary; she reached for the puzzle but in moved out of her reach.
"Mommy?" she looked up to Lizzie who in turn looked to Beasly.
"No problem, I'll get it, they can be a bit skittish," he chased after it but it refused to get anywhere near Mary. Mary frowned and started to sniff, "No, no there is still no problem, um, puzzle zero, zero, two!" A new glowing light floated into the room but once it saw Mary it fled.
"Beasly, what's wrong?" Bruno asked.
"Bring Mary to the puzzle 'ouse," Beasly said suddenly.
The party moved to the living room, where puzzles were flitting about. Lizzie took Mary's hand and walked towards the house as puzzles steered clear of the two. When Lizzie opened the door the resting puzzles all awoke and left as if they had been startled. Mary started to sob, Bruno rushed to her and the two parents tried to calm the child down. Violet and Augustus looked worried and began whispering to each other. Beasly just could not figure out what was going on, which may have been the hardest puzzle he had ever faced up till now.
"I don't care, Mom, I hate puzzles!" Beasly hid behind the sunflower and flinched as he heard things crash to the ground. It was almost fifteen years later.
"Please Mary listen," her mother pleaded, it was then that Beasly noticed Lizzie's voice sounded so much older than when they met twenty-four years ago. Mary came running down the stairs holding bags, and tears down her face.
"They hate me too; they can't stand to be around me. I'm never going to become a puzzle keeper Mom, just, goodbye!" she pulled the door open and slammed it behind her. Lizzie came as fast as she could down the stairs, she was now fifty years old. But she couldn't stop her only child, Beasly heard quiet sobs and flew out to try to comfort her but he knew he couldn't do much. Ever since that birthday party it became clear that puzzles didn't like Mary at all, and Mary really didn't have any interest in puzzle keeping either. But Lizzie kept trying to make it work, trying to train her into a perfect puzzle keeper but it just kept driving them apart until Mary, fed up, just left.
"Maybe if Bruno was here, and not off with Augustus again working on his machines, he could have stopped her," he heard Lizzie say.
"It's not 'is fault," Beasly said quietly as he tapped his lightly on her shoulder. They stayed like that for hours until Bruno came home and they all cried together.
The shop was closed for weeks on end. The puzzled grew restless, itching to be solved. Lizzie just didn't have it in her to open up shop and Beasly couldn't do it all on his own. One day Bruno came home around noon, and raced to the kitchen where Lizzie was preparing lunch for herself and Beasly. He took her hands and with a big grin on his face told her the news, "Lizzie my dear, we're moving!"
"We're what?" she asked.
"Moving, to the town of St. Mystere," he said beaming.
"Where?" Lizzie said still very confused.
"Augustus has invited us to live there, everyone in town loves puzzles, think of how many will be solved!" He exclaimed. The puzzles seemed to glow brighter than before, they all crowded the kitchen all buzzing around excitedly, "And Beasly," he turned to the bee, "it is in the countryside, there are miles of wild flowers and fresh soil for you to plant your own, what do you say?"
"That would be nice," he said imagining it all.
"So Lizzie?" Everyone looked up at her eager for an answer.
"Fine," she said, the puzzles seemed to cheer and began flying every which way in excitement. And Beasly saw Lizzie laugh for the first time in ages.
The train ride there was eventful to say the least. They got stares from every passenger, with the small house, talking bee, and glowing lights trailing behind them. And of course, Beasly was complaining the entire time. "It's too bumpy, it's 'ot in 'ere, why don't they 'ave any flowers on bored?" Lizzie would giggle then ignore him, "I'm never going on a train again."
"Don't be so sure, I see us on a train in about, what? Twenty years?" she said.
"Ugh," he groaned and collapsed on the seat, receiving more giggles from Lizzie.
After a quick car trip, they were there, walking across a drawbridge into their new home, this curious village.
This is a year late! Sorry! I hope you liked it nonetheless.