YOU MAY ONE day come across the expression ‘ a stone’s throw away ’, if you haven’t already. Perhaps you’ve come across it while reading a brochure about seaside cottages, or have heard it from an adult while you were forced to walk somewhere instead of getting a ride from a reasonably priced taxi cab. The phrase simply means that the distance you wish to get to isn’t all that far from where you are at that very moment, & so you may as well walk there, as it would most likely be faster than waiting around for public transportation, getting into your automobile or, as Beatrice had just recently found out; hitchhiking with a rather nasty refrigerator repair person.
Readjusting her red wig & sunglasses, Beatrice pondered the location which her lover had described to her in one of his most recent letters. A small, inner-city suburbia that was rife with suspicious fires, especially since it was raining most every night. Beatrice had been located only a few towns away, a stone’s throw away, if you will, & decided that perhaps this case might need the assistance of not one volunteer but two, & soon, should her apprentice possess the skills she thinks he does, the help of two.
Of course she had written before hand -- their line of work rarely calls for surprises, though she knew that Lemony would have far more enjoyed the surprise of seeing her appear seemingly out of nowhere, rather than meeting her at a pre-disclosed location. & there he was, hat on, ever-mysterious, a worried frown cutting lines into his brow. He had his back to her, but if she knew him -- which she did -- he would be worried, because normally of the two of them, he was the late one. She took off her disguise, though she was sure he’d see right through it.
Perhaps there would be a certain element of surprise after all.
“ Sorry I’m late, darling -- my ride was cut short by a most unpleasant refrigerator repair person. ”
@scaredlater
