A topical drabble and double drabble: pure self-indulgence, because you have to do something while listening to Daniel Radcliffe on TMS. I apologise for the fact that probably no-one will get these, especially if you're from the Americas. If there are any fellow fans here, I hope you enjoy them. Commiserations Australia.
Just Not Cricket
Butler came upon the twins as he made his routine security patrol of the grounds. They'd found their father's old hurling equipment and were attempting to shoot the ball into a makeshift goal. Beckett, somewhat confused as to the rules of the game, either used his hurley in the manner of a tennis racket or simply threw the ball. He launched it into the air at the exact moment that a shielded elf, visible only through Butler's filtered lenses, began her descent.
'You're hopeless, Simple-toon,' jeered Myles.
'Oh, I don't know,' Butler murmured, 'he's managed to bowl a maiden over.'
Ashes to Ashes
The Manor, so recently a hive of activity, was a shadow of its former self. No longer was there a stream of dubious visitors and millionaire dinner guests; nor were there likely to be now that the cook, no longer wearing her customary broad smile, had handed in her notice.
Mrs. Collingwood and her son, the gardener, hadn't been paid for months prior to their departure; unsurprisingly, they were just the latest staff to swan off after the Fowl Star incident. Poor Butler was constantly on the trot: answering the bell, gardening, cooking and keeping faith with his employer by ensuring that no-one could harm his son.
Artemis had taken on his father's mantle, desperately trying to repair the family's fortunes. Every moment was obsessively devoted to making money: even his ringtone was Strauss's Be Embraced, You Millions. Butler was worried about what the strain was doing to the young boy; it sometimes seemed he was becoming a different person, even colder and less caring than before. He had always tried to emulate his father, but he was now so stony-hearted and single-minded it was as if he were less a chip and more a flint off the old block.
A/N: A little test for fellow fans: there are 11 significant words to find here. I'm sorry some of them are so contrived.
