Story: The Ninja of Health, VII

( Part VI , VIII )

The anonymous Man and the anonymous Woman fell to the floor from their former perches on the now shattered non-visible tubes. The noise was brief and tinkled, apart from the soft puffs as the two ninjas of health hit the floor and barely made an impact. The voice was gone, as if it had never been there, and their Pattern on the chapel floor had returned to its former glory. Only the crunch of invisible fragments under their feet indicated anything had occurred at all.

The two fetched brooms and began to methodically collect the material that lay strewn about the floor, automatically following the spirals and curves of the floor as they worked, while their minds worked on higher problems.

"Did you know that the chemist on the High Street is going to be turned into a bouncy castle emporium?" Asked the Man suddenly, as he pushed a pile of tube fragments into the corner.

"No? Really? I had no idea there was a demand for bouncy castles to that extent." Replied his companion.

"Yes, I believe it's something do with the population boom in Toddlingham, and the relative lack of safety in bouncing on the regular castle. Something about a record number of confused children, and a shortage of sticky plasters."

"That sounds entirely unbelievable."

"Would you believe a small shack selling party balloons?"

"That sounds more likely."

As they chattered, the two swept their glances across the floor but their pattern remained undisturbed.

"I had a record number of appendicitis victims to deal with yesterday." Commented the Woman. "Three in total."

"Three! In one day? It's rare for there to be more than one appendix in a day, in a town this size."

"Yes, very rare. The probabilities are in the basement of the realm of credibility."

"You don't say. Do we have something to put all these bits in?" The Man politely asked.

"I'll fetch some of the boxes." The Woman disappeared into a side room. The Man looked thoughtful for a moment, and then collected up a bowlful of the material. Vanishing into the chapel's antechamber, a mild creak could be heard.

Underneath the Chapel, in the cellar, the two looked at each other and nodded. The Man put the material specimen in a small urn and sealed it up. They might still be overheard in the cellar, but it was less likely they would be visually observed. The Man mouthed 'Appendices', and the Woman nodded in return. Then, she looked grave and mimed 'Oracle', to which the Man grimly assented too.

They then both went upstairs, emerging from different stairs, continued to clear up the chapel.

To be continued...