the lying gardener.

Nanny Rose who had been eating a bag of cookies as she read the news magazine on the table labelled GOSSIP FIRST looked up as the door flung open and an extremely pretty freckle-faced girl ran in hurriedly and snatched the pack of cookies away from her. Nanny Rose look confused "what exactly does she want to say now" thought Rose to herself and she quickly stopped the girl from taking any of her cookies "give that back Mona" she said with a pair of hunting eyes looking straight at Mona "whoops my bad Nanny Rose I was just too excited and hungry" she said dropping the cookies back. " So spill child something must have happened "Rose said hopefully "well something did happen but how did you know "Mona asked looking shocked "well for one I've never seen you wear the wrong pair of shoes but now you aren't wearing any at all "Rose chuckled pointing at Mona's feet. Feeling stupid she said laughing "oh yeah anyways trust me what I'm about to say we will knock the old fashioned sandals of your feet ". rose looked at her and let out a sigh "ok ok I get it so spill "Mona looked around the kitchen and out the windows when she was sure there was no one about she sat on the chair opposite rose and said "you know the gardener's is a liar right "Rose look at her that fully "what has he done this time "she said "well didn't you grant him a sick leave last Tuesday "Mona said seriously "well the poor boy said he was sick and the garden and the lawn look perfect so I told him to take a short holiday I didn't do wrong did I "Rose replied "well no you didn't the only wrong thing you did was believing such a blatant lie "Mona said frowning "can't imagine he used your kindness to get himself a bride how horrid "she continued with an even sadder frown "whatever are you talking about please explain I'm getting a headache just thinking about this "Rose sighed "well the lad wasn't sick at all he did go home but on Thursday while I was buying a few lemon drops from the candy shop I spotted a couple walking into the store they looked familiar so I wore my hood so they wouldn't notice me then I took the table behind them and waited, about 5 minutes later the boy went down on one knee and proposed to the girl with a ring worth thousands of dollars a ring that I bought or should I say I gave cousin Merry and if you remember when she was here last month she lost it while picking berries in the orchard so I looked closely and realised it was the same ring but how did that young man get it so I followed them as they left the shop and as soon as I saw his face my heart skipped a beat it was James Larson our very own "sick" gardener the girl was also no stranger to me I recognised her immediately as thr school beauty of the local high school I think Jolly is her name yes Jolly Brown. I was honestly stunned by the whole situation then this morning when I went out to the flower shop I saw Jolly flaunting my cousin's ring to her friends and saying what a lucky girl she was I got mad and ran back home to see you and unfortunately I lost my shoes on the way" explained Mona who had now gotten herself a glass of warm milk and chugged it down as she fumed about the situation Rose looked up at the ceiling and then done at her feet then she said calmly "go to your room dear I think you need to sleep at least for a few hours "Mona looked at her and said "fine I will and I pinky promise I won't tell anyone about what I just told you "she said running up the stairs "I know you won't dear I know you won't" Rose said after her, looking out the kitchen window she saw a fig picking roses into a bouquet he was the gardener "really a bouquet of roses what a chilvarous liar" thought Rose she decided not to keep quiet about the matter and hurried out the kitchen through the back door and with her deadly stare and authoritative voice she said out loud "stop right there James I've got a few words to say to you Mister sickler" and with that she grabbed him by the collar, snatched the flowers from his hands and dragged him to the little cottage, James who had no idea what was going on could do nothing but comply.

..........

"Nanny Rose wherever have you been" said a pretty young looking woman with copper red hair smiling" beating up the gardener that where" smiled Rose back at her "a gardener, Rose what a thorn you are" the pretty woman smiled again "now where is Mona "she continued "in her room Ma'am"replied Rose politely "thank you I have a few things to tell her see you at tea Rose "the lady said going up the stairs "will do madam" curtesied Rose. The young but not so young woman was Mrs Chen her boss a very nice one and an even nicer friend, she was pretty and had a mop of glossy copper red hair. she was tall and had an amazing figure. she had the prettiest clothes and an even prettier smile everyone loved hershe was British and although her husband was a Chinese he didn't look it well not that much though they had six kids Chichi, George, Money, Mona, Xintai and Jinha. "three annoying boys and three extra ordinary girls.... the perfect set" thought Nanny Rose smiling to herself working with the Chen family was the best thing ever and now with the help of her trusty partner inspector Mona they had once again solved another mystery. "The case of the lying gardener" she said to herself midst laughter.......

"mum said what? "

whilst having tea Mrs Chen put down her half-eaten scone gently on the plate and said rather seriously "I hope everyone can be present at dinner I have a few words to say "with that she ate up her scone, dabbed her lips with the napkin and stood up she walked to the window, took a breath of fresh air and walked out of the dining hall "I wonder what making her come to tea with bunny slippers "snickered the Parlour maid Anna Jones "haha well guess we will find out at dinner" laughed Nanny Rose. And of course they all did, at dinner the atmosphere was rather tense "ahem" coughed Mrs Chen "so I want you all to say your goodbyes to Mona she is leaving in a week" said Mrs Chen sipping her red wine slowly "leaving whatever for" said the Nanny Rose a bit scared "nothing bad I promise she is just going to a new school" Mrs Chen reassured her "Oh really, then why the goodbye she'll be back by Christmas won't she" said the Governess Betsy Ryan "no Betsy she's going to China" Mrs Chen sighed. she had just dropped the biggest bomb in front of her employees , they all simply adored Mona but sadly they had to let her go. "no wonder she has not been out of her room since then poor girl must be shocked" thought Rose to herself. The rest of the dinner ended silently, the maids took away the plates and every other person decided to go in early "Nanny Rose" called Mrs Chen "yes madam" replied Rose "please just talk to her ok" Mrs Chen said walking down the hall to the study, Rose watched her open the study door and go in, then she hurried upstairs she could hear sobs coming from Mona's room but when she opened the door she saw that those weren't Mona's sobs so she walked in and said cheerfully "Bai Zhe you can stop crying now I really thought it was Mona or some weak girl soaking up the tissues" a black haired boy looked up at Nanny Rose and smiled "I'm so sad nanny Rose Mona can't believe it I just don't believe it I mean no" the boy said gloomily.Bai Zhe was one of Mona's best friends and the sole heir to the Zhe group, he had black hair and was pretty cute, he always made Mona lighten up now he was the one acting all soppy. "There there Bai just breathe okay it is not the end of the world just breathe" Mona said cleaning his face with her fingers. "Mona can we talk" Rose said smiling "if you are here because Mrs Chen told you to then I don't want to hear any word of it okay" Mona said coldly "Mrs Chen? Mona honey that is your mother" Rose said sternly "Mother? haven't you heard of the saying out of sight out of mind I am leaving in a week and I'm going to make that saying a reality now if you don't mind I'm free loading at Zhe's tonight I need enough time to hate you guys" Mona said staring Rose straight in the eyes. She went into her closet through a few things into a bag tied her hair in a bun and left the room, Bai stood up quietly and followed her "well there goes the talk" Rose said looking after them. "Nanny Rose Nanny Rose" called a voice from the kitchen "yes who is it?" Rose replied "it's me Harley I've just received a call from new York ms Money will be back on Thursday" the voice said "okay thank you Harley" Rose replied, she walked a little further down the hall and reached at a door, she brought out a bunch of keys and tried one to the door, the door sprand open then she put on the lights "first Ms Mona leaves now Ms Money comes back what exactly is going on" said Rose as she opened the window nearest her, a cold and icy wind blew across her nose "it seems to me like a mystery "Rose chuckled to herself.

..........

Thursday came earlier than expected Mona and her mom were still in a cold war. Rose tried her best to make everyone happy which was very appreciated. Mona was at the little cottage reading up about her new school when a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind "peekaboo guess who" the voice said "um I don't know" Mona said "it's meeee" the voice said again "oh... Money I'm quite sure it's you I know that high voice of yours" Mona replied to quite sure of herself "yep it is me" the voice said removing her hands from Mona face. Mona smiled as a beautiful red haired girl sat across her, she was wearing a pair of shorts and a hoodie, her hair was long and curly, she had a pair of flip-flops on and crossed her legs as she sat down, an aura of authority hovered around her. "so whatcha doing" Money said casually "oh nothing so sorry I couldn't come pick you up they all left without waking me up" Mona said rolling her eyes. money was in the same class as Mona they were twins but Money didn't school in England she was a straight a student at a prep school in New York one of the best in the country. she and Mona really close sisters and even closer friends what Money didn't know was that the distance between them was about to get even father. "shop you seem down what's up" money asked her eyes shining "hasn't mom told you" Mona said smiling "no but now I'm interested spill" Money said excitedly "well mom says I'm going to........." Mona said telling her everything that happened Mrs Chen had told her that night two days ago. Money went silent and let her talk without interrupting. then she took a sip of Mona's water and put her hands together, when Mona was done she took a deep breath and said sharply "mom said what?". "that's exactly how I felt but no worries I'm not a pushover maybe it might tickle my fancy" Mona said holding Money's left hand. "Don't worry about me I.....can do this" Mona continued reassuring her. after a few minutes of talking about the holidays and he two girls walked into the house hand in hand. In 48 hours Mona would be at the airport, all those who lived at the Chen house were determined to make these remaining hours the best hours of her life, and in fact they did.

#1 A series of unfortunate events.

"one gin and tonic please"

"do you really want me to wear the" Mona said holding up the school uniform on her lap "yes I do and it's really nice not too long not too short just right" said Mrs Chen smiling "here I don't get it since when do I have to wear a uniform for school" Mona whined tossing the clothes away "well this is a prep school like the one Money goes to okay. No more fish nets, excessively tight tops and those things you tie on your neck. Just a shirt, a skirt and a blazer, I mean you can even get the trousers if you want, it's just perfect" Mrs Chen said happily "I miss my fish nets and those things I tie on my neck but if it makes you happy I won't complain anymore" Mona sighed. It had been a month since they already in China the city was busy "way busier than Manchester ever could" Mona thought to herself each time she looked out the window, Money had gone back to New York a week after she left. Nanny Rose and others were doing spending well. School started on Monday, the worst part of it all was the fact it was a boarding school. Mona didn't like the idea at first but decided to take it as though it were an adventure she did not know what the school looked like, she didn't know if the students we are any better than those at Eastwood high. She just wanted to get this over with. "Mona" called Mrs Chen "yes mother" Mona replied "do you fear not fitting in" Mrs Chen asked casually "not fitting in" Mona repeated "yes" Mrs Chen said "pssh hahaha puhlease I don't care about this kind of stuff I'm a one-man army always have been always will be besides since when do I have to fit in" Mona said haughtily, she was right, she never had to fit in, she always stood out and her appearance didn't help either, she was average heighted, slim figured and radiant, she had a length of red hair and freckles, she never wore heels and always had a pair of fish netted socks under everything she wore, a ribbon was always tied on her neck like a choker and a lot of gems were stuck on her face, her really pretty face, Mrs Chen was sure that even amongst a thousand people wearing the same clothes, Mona would still stand out, it was her modus operandi "you are right dear" Mrs Chen said patting Mona's head lightly " *yawn* you know what let's get some shut-eye, tomorrow is the day I leap out of the frying pan and into the fire" Mona said rubbing her eyes, she stood up and headed out of the door soon her room door closed shut, Mrs Chen stood up from the big fluffy bed and put the clothes on the chair, then she changed out of her jeans dress and into a silk nightgown, she tied her hair in a bun, took a book and went out of her room she headed downstairs and when she got to the sitting room, she sat on the single arm chair and began to read. Meanwhile Mona have locked her room door and changed into a pink dress and black boots, she tied her hair into a ponytail and put on a headband then she took her phone, checked the time and headed to the window. There was a tree that was quite reachable, Mona put on a pair of shades and took a leap out of the window. She caught hold of a tree branch and climb down. When she was on solid ground she carefully went around the big house, climbed up a hedge and jumped over the fence she dusted off the leaves on her dress, fixed her hair and admired the busy streets in front of her.

.........

"1 gin and tonic please" Mona said to the bar man. She had found her way to the dream nightclub and referred to herself as a legal adult using her big sister's student ID card, she got in and ordered any alcoholic drink that came into her mind. "But miss that's your fifth one now" the bar man smiled "and so what to give it to me Mr" Mona said obviously not sober "coming right up miss" chirped the bar man. A few college students were leaving the bar when they saw Mona and got charmed by her outstanding beauty, one of the boys then said "hey dude I dare you to get that chick's number" the boy he was referring to looked at Mona "woah she's hot" he said to himself at the moment he just didn't want her phone number, so he walked up to her and winked at the bar man serving Mona's drink "hey babe wanna go somewhere else seems like you need a bit of fun tonight" he said putting his hand around her waist Mona looked up at the good-looking boy smiling at her and smiled back "wish I could but I need to get back home I've got some really important stuff to do tomorrow" she said softly. The boy looked at her "really just a little fun it'll be the best you've had in your life" he whispered into her ear, Mona blushed a deep red and placed her head on his chest, she let out a heavy sigh and stood up hastily "Um nope trust me I would love to but like I said I've got things to do" she said as she paid for the drinks. The boy grabbed her wrist and pinned her to the table "sorry honey" he said harshly. "She said no" said a voice coldly "huh who the hell are you" the boy said letting go of Mona. The voice belonged to a rich looking boy with black hair, he swerved a punch at the college boy and knocked him down. Mona looked at the boy who helped her and said quickly "um thanks, I gotta go bye" with that she ran out of the bar and looked around her when she got outside, it was getting cold, luckily she found a taxi "magbe I should've been more grateful" she thought as the taxi stopped a few blocks from a huge mansion she paid for the ride and looked around to check if anyone was about then she climbed a tall tree and jumped into the garden, landing on top of a rose bush, she stood up and hurried back into the house. Morning came soon leaving Mona with only a few hours to get ready, she brushed her teeth, took a shower and washed hee hair, when she was done, she took a look at her pink torn dress and remembered the events of the previous night "thank you nice guy" she said to herself as she smiled. She took out a blue laced knee-length dress and a pair of black wedges from her wardrobe then she tied her hair and put on some light makeup, took her packed up bags and hurried downstairs. Mrs Chen was already in the car when she got outside. Mr Jerry the driver opened the door for her to get in and as soon as she did they drove off.

#1 A series of unfortunate events