Chapter 56: An Application of Horticulture

~ "This," Esther Barcelworth announced, throwing open two beveled glass doors. "Is the atrium." Jaden felt his jaw go slack and he did nothing about it.

The room was huge, positively vast, even compared with the ones they'd already seen, and it was made completely of glass. It housed entire trees contained in massive pots. For a brief moment Jaden stared up at the gleaming walls and ceiling that was a good 40 feet above him, and wondered how many birds met their death per day at its expense.

For once Esther has stopped talking, apparently content to bask in the uncouth awe that the simpletons had for this place, the atrium. Jaden moved several more steps into the indoor garden and gazed around. There were shrubs, flowers, even stretches of grass like tiny, edged-in meadows. In a bower protected by the branches of three tall birch trees, was a wrought iron table with four matching chairs. There were flagstone paths leading off in several directions, meandering between flower beds and small bunches of trees, winding out of sight, as if you could go hiking. Inside. Jaden glanced back at his team mates. Andrew looked nearly as impressed as Jaden felt. Takyle looked appreciative, but impatient.

Jaden wanted an atrium. Right now he didn't even have a house. Didn't even have an apartment all to himself actually, but he wanted an atrium regardless. He wanted birds to die because he was keeping some of the outside inside, not Esther. People like Esther Barcelworth didn't deserve to have Outside in their homes. She probably never even came in here except to show it off.

Outside was rare where Jaden came from. Sure you could go out to the streets, but that wasn't real Outside. The idea that you could have some of it in your house, where you could visit it whenever you wanted to, was beyond amazing.

"This is beautiful Ms. Barcelworth," said Takyle sweetly. "But shouldn't we be getting on to that task you'd like us to do for you?" Jaden could tell immediately from her tone that she had had enough of the rich person ceremony and wanted to get down to business. Great, and just when they finally got to something that Jaden was really interested in. He felt slightly peeved at the unfairness of it. Why couldn't she have gotten impatient when they were all "enjoying" tea together back in the drawing room? Esther Barcelworth looked slightly peeved at the idea that Takyle did not want to spend time in every single room of her house, admiring her wealth and good taste. She silently turned and walked back out into the hall.

Andrew and Takyle followed her, and after one last long, envious look at the verdant green of the atrium, Jaden trailed along, leaving the doors open behind him intentionally, in the hopes that perhaps it would allow some of the Outside to leak into the rest of the house.

"Could you build an entire house like an atrium?" he wondered as he followed the others down the hall. He didn't see why not. Then you could just sling up a hammock between two nice maple trees and that would be your "bedroom". One wall could have a hearth and chimney instead of just glass, maybe even a dutch oven. Call that the kitchen. It would be nothing short of wonderful, Jaden was just positive of that much. Plumbing might be an problem, as well as privacy, but he was sure these were not insurmountable issues.

He'd discuss it with Andrew later. Andrew had solutions. ~