Luckily Andrew and Catherine were fine when we returned home, but we all kept a wary eye out for several days. It turned out, however, that Marcia had a few of her own charges facing her, and it wasn't long before she herself was incarcerated for quite a number of years, much to our relief.
With the legal stoushes more or less out of the way, Giselle and I got to watch our daughters grow up. Charlie stayed with us for a good few years, until the higher ups insisted it was time for him to move on. He did as he was told, but left his daughter Amanda in charge of looking after us. I think the higher ups realised they were fighting a losing battle, so they threw up their hands - or legs, as the case may be - and left Amanda alone. She proved to be as useful as her father and grandfather, and I smiled whenever I saw her interacting with the girls, who were very interested in the idea of guardian spiders. I wondered if perhaps that could be extended to other animals, and I asked Amanda about it one night.
'Maybe,' she said. 'I don't know. But you've got a good point. I'll ask the higher ups and see what they think.'
The next night, she told me the higher ups were very interested in expanding the guardian duty to other animals. 'They're going to tweak a few things,' she told me. 'But it'll only be a matter of time before other animals will take up the mantle. And it will be a good line of defence for anyone who's suffering at the hands of other humans. Grandpa was only allowed to be around because he begged for a way to assist you after he lost his original body, but I think the higher ups have realised it's time to make it a tradition rather than a once off.'
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The day Linda and Stella turned sixteen, Giselle and I were treated to shrieks of surprise, and we ran to their room. We found our daughters staring at the two animals who'd appeared as if by magic; a huge white wolf, and a python, both of whom were looking at the girls expectantly. 'Wasn't expecting that,' Amanda commented.
It was Linda who spoke first. "Apparently they're to be our guardians from now on," she told us, her eyes still wide as she stared at the python. I was not very comfortable with such a predator so close to my daughters, but if the python was here to guard and not harm, I could let it slide. I was less pleased about the wolf, but it seemed more interested in licking Stella's face and hands in greeting, so I let that slide as well, despite my raised hackles. Giselle shook her head in wonder.
"I think we've started a tradition," she whispered.
I had to smile at that. "I think we have," I agreed.
We left our daughters to make friends with their two new guardians, and Amanda jumped down to land on my shoulder. 'What do you think?' she asked, projecting her voice so Giselle could hear her as well.
"I think it's wonderful," Giselle said, smiling as she reached out to gently stroke Amanda on the head. "But I think it wise to keep it in the family, dear."
'That's what the higher ups said,' Amanda told us. 'That's about as far as they were willing to stretch the idea. The world isn't quite ready for a mass guardian delivery. But your daughters have earned it, and the higher ups seemed to think it only fair they be rewarded. So here we are.'
Here we were indeed. I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to keep the guardian legacy going, and my daughters were living proof. I idly wondered what the future might hold for their children down the line, but as they and their new guardians joined us for breakfast, I decided not to ponder the future too much. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM81oqic0OE
My daughters and their future children and descendants were going to be well protected. That was all that mattered to me, and I had Dad to thank for starting it all.
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END.
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