Catherine had learnt to deal with the Garden Gnome group slowly and painfully. When she had first begun building her dream coastal home, they had caused as much mischief as they could.
Aside from the lengthy building process causing her grief, Catherine had a problem she hadn’t even known existed yet. The gnomes had a new favourite hobby: making her belongings disappear.
From car keys to her phone, every time she stepped foot on the property, the gnomes would scuffle through their underground tunnels after her. They would wait until she put something down, pop out of the ground, and quickly pull it down under.
However annoying this was, Catherine wasn’t alone in becoming a target for mischief.
They had played with the labourers during construction, making equipment malfunction daily. Next, they pranked the planning consultants by adding salt to their coffee cups. No member of the luxury home designers sector was safe from the onslaught.
The group of gnomes that resided on the newly built property settled down once it was finally built. Catherine felt a sense of relief, no longer finding her car keys missing or her coffee machine broken. She was finally able to enjoy her new seaside property.
The Garden Gnome Group revealed themselves when she was finally settled in. They figured that was the best time to propose an offer. She had been in the middle of some tasks, thanks to the aid of some annual home maintenance companies near the Mornington Peninsula. The area was loved for its ocean breeze, but the salt in the air could cause wear and tear on parts of the house without regular maintenance.
In an event that nearly made her die of shock, the gnomes had all popped out of the soil simultaneously. Dozens of red pointy hats surrounded her on all sides. She had dropped her cleaning supplies in shock.
“We are the Garden Gnome Group and we are giving you,” one of the gnomes said, pointing toward her. “A very special offer!”
“An offer?” she sputtered, already thinking she had gone mad.
“An offer!” the group of gnomes all cheered.
Catherine couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth next. She shouldn’t have been entertaining the strange illusions, but she spoke anyway. “What kind of offer?”
The gnome smirked. “The magical kind.”