Ghosts by Peter Cawdron

Author:Peter Cawdron [Cawdron, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-19T16:00:00+00:00

Paralysis

Molly is sitting on a wrought-iron seat in the shade, eating lunch on the edge of the South Lawn within the White House grounds. Lush green plants hide her from the secret service agents playing basketball on the court behind her. The court was originally added for President Obama but fell into disuse. Neither Trump nor Biden were ever going to shoot hoops. Newsom said he would, but he never wandered this far down the grounds. The secret service kept it alive. Occasionally, the Marines will play off against them, but normally there are only three or four agents doing layups.

Molly loves her secret garden. Technically, it’s not hers, but she doubts many people know about this particular spot within the grounds. Who would have thought such a delight was hidden away in the middle of Washington, DC?

Goldfish swim in a pond not more than two feet from her shoes. Slate tiles line the path. The shrubs show signs of topiary, but it seems the gardeners rarely come into this area as the bushes are becoming unruly. To Molly, the unkempt look adds to the beauty and mystique of the closed-in garden. She’s seen the First Lady and her entourage by the White House swimming pool and down by the fountain at the far end of the South Lawn, but never in this nook. Molly’s tempted to mention it to her as she’s sure if she knew about it, she’d find an excuse to sneak away with a good book and sit in the quiet solitude broken only by the bounce of a basketball and grunting nearby. For Washington, DC, that counts as almost complete silence.

Chief of Staff Susan Dosela walks down the narrow, winding path between the trees.

“There you are,” she says with a warm smile. Molly’s curious. How did the chief of staff find her? Molly’s got her phone with her. She has to surrender it before entering the Oval Office or any of the SCIFs like the Situation Room, but otherwise, she keeps it in her purse. Has the chief of staff tracked her electronically, or are there cameras catching Molly’s every move, even here in the garden?

“Hi,” Molly replies, munching on a mouthful of tuna sandwich and trying to swallow. Should she stand? She shifts on her seat, and the chief of staff signals with her hand not to get up.

Molly asks, “Is everything okay?”

The chief of staff laughs. “There’s an alien spacecraft far larger than any of our nuclear-powered aircraft carriers sitting off in the distance watching us, and you’re wondering if everything’s okay?”

Although she’s trying to make light of the situation and be friendly, the comment comes across as awkward. To Molly, it’s clear the chief of staff is trying not to be intrusive while intruding on her lunch break.

“Well, it’s a beautiful day to visit Earth,” Molly replies, smiling.

The chief of staff sits down opposite her in the garden. Sunlight dances through the leaves of the trees, rippling over her floral dress. This isn’t a social call, even though Susan Dosela is trying to make it seem relaxed.

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