Ma Babies (A Short Story) | LET'S MAKE A COLLAGE: Round #115

Hello everyone. Welcome back to my participation in Let's Make a Collage ("LMAC"). Once we reached the Round 100 round mark, we've been moving along nicely. This week in Round 115, we have another lovely landscape to transform into a unique theme. My theme for this week is protection.

To create the setting, I started with the photograph provided by @shaka in his contest post: Let's Make a Collage - A Contest for All Creatives on Hive - Round 115 - ✨194 HIVE in the Prize Pool!✨

^{Image used with permission of contest owner for contest}

Of course, I have a story to tell.

The last remnants of the rain storm was desperately trying to keep them in its grasp. High tides promised, then delivered and pushed the stream over its bank. Moderate flooding had already covered the roads. That was the scene Detective Bryson encountered as he navigated slowly a path he thought would avoid a trip to the mechanic. He hated the back roads through the woods. Always cautious, he made sure he wasn't alone. He was a big fellow and could hold his own. But in that line of business, he couldn't afford to be reckless. Following the narrow path, he finally entered a clearing. Only one way in, he noted. He parked in front of the small dwelling. An ominous cloud greeted him so he sniffed the moist air. His partner, Detective Adamms, grimaced at the abode they were about to visit. He nodded, signaling his desire to remain seated. Bryson slammed the car door and rushed to the front entrance. Bending several inches, he breathed in deeply and knocked.

Why did we have to draw the short stick for this assignment? his partner thought, cautiously canvassing the surrounding woods. Then again, one can't be picky in their choice of clients, he mused, when your agency is just getting started in an unfamiliar town.

The knock was heavy and rapid. Bryson was greeted at the door with a tear-stained face.

"Come in and have a seat, Detective Bryson," he heard from behind. Once inside, he tried not to fixate on his new clients.

"Thank you, Mr. Wolffe." His wife stood in a corner near the window, visibly shaking, with a handkerchief to her face. Clearly distraught, Bryson cleared his throat to move the conversation along. Attempting to sound professional, he began, "the sooner we get started, the quicker we can resolve this issue." His statement wasn't entirely meant for his clients' benefit.

"Now, can you piece together for me exactly what happened and the timeline?" Bryson's tone rose a pitch higher than normal. His attempt to detach himself from the unusual situation proved unnerving. He didn't want to add the obvious...bizarre.

"Do you have a photo of the three youngsters, Mrs. Wolffe?" Standard procedure to ask. He really didn't expect one. She reached inside her apron and pulled out a photo of three adorable white pups. There, in happy times, were the couple's three children frolicking near the stream. But they looked like other pups he'd seen. He pulled off his cap, scratched his head, then removed and replaced his pipe, attempting to hide his chagrin.

"I believe I can recollect with a bit more clarity. You see, my wife hasn't been well lately. Then two days ago, the boys disappeared. I don't know how much more she can bear." Bryson didn't hear a word. He stared at the photos, then looked at the pups' parents again just to be certain of the situation he was being asked to remedy.

He gathered the information, including the pups' names: Ajay, the oldest. Arthur and Arbor were followers. If anyone led the others astray, apparently, it was Ajay! But they always returnedbefore dinner. Sobbing hysterically now, Mrs. Wolffe, relayed a few personal details, was directed to lie down.

Stuffing the photo in his pocket, Detective Bryson bid the Wolffe's good evening. The rain had already started once he returned to the car. He handed the photo to his partner. They stared at each other in silence. Five minutes later, they dusted off some fur and headed back to their office.

"Can we trust them to behave civilly?" Adamms asked with a worried look on his brow. After contemplating the question, Bryson turned and reminded him of what the townspeople asked when they both arrived to set up their detective agency. "And rightly so; the town had every right to be skeptical of us," he added.

"Let's get to work then," Adamms roared, with a wry look. Within an hour, he pulled out a reference. A tracker by day; a magician after dark, and came highly recommended. They'd need all the help they could get dealing with this missing persons' case. Or...missing animals to be precise.

By nightfall, the detectives received a call to meet Angelica Broadcomb at the edge of the forest. Dressed in hooded black cape, gloves, and a warrior uniform, she resembled someone straight out of a medieval story. No time to judge. Expertise was what mattered now.

The rain was now intense. Silently, she signaled, and the Wolffe's appeared. She needed them there to calm their children. Standing at the edge of the stream, the moment she extricated the long stick from her cloak, the detectives knew they'd made the right choice.

"How in the heck did those boys manage to get themselves trapped inside a jar?" Mr. Wolffe shouted. And look at how tiny they are. What's going on here?

"Dark forces at work, ma'am. Through no fault of their own, they fell under a powerful spell. I hope I made it in time to reverse the spell."

Both detectives stood back and allowed Angelica to work rapidly. Duties such as this were clearly not in their job descriptions. They were happy to have contacts with knowledge of the dark arts. Suddenly, a white cloud appeared, then began spinning until lightning emerged.

The rain stopped at the magician's incantation. She stepped down the pathway behind the creature. With a tremendous force and rumbling, she thrust her wand high into the sky. The force reverberated and headed directly toward the mouth of the huge, venomous reptile. The parents looked on intently, praying their sons would survive this ordeal.

The next morning, Ajay, Arthur and Arbor were frolicking as usual near the stream. The parents indicated to the detectives they showed no signed of trauma from the ordeal. Apparently, they were in a trance. Angelica Broadcomb's business card was added to the detective agency's expert tracker resource.

Another satisfied client. Case closed. Well, to be clear, their first case. The detectives closed the office for two months and took an extended hibernation.

This story was a delight for me. To create the collages for the story, I uploaded the contest photo and all images into Canva. I utilize this program in accordance with my Annual Pro Membership Subscription.

Then I added the following images:

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