When I reached home last Friday night, I saw an interesting package lying on the dining table.

It's white, thick, and A4.

Yup, it's the Toastmasters' International New Member Kit! And I was still wondering how to get my hands on it since paying for the membership a few weeks ago.

I've looked through the materials in the package. Interesting stuff. I look forward to my first project on Competent Communication after being assigned to a mentor soon.

______________________________

Dear Princess,

My first day of work as a guard was fine, I suppose. The gardens were as peaceful as always, with the fragrance of the flowers and grass and birds and the bees minding their own business. Occasionally, a few couples would drop by, pay the entrance fee, and enjoy themselves in the shades under the willow tree.

I was thinking about the interesting job application process that day at the Tower of Administrative Nonsense. I came by early in the morning, but many others were already queuing up for the various available positions. It was a little noisy then, though the guards there did a good job in crowd-controlling.

I was holding on to my resume, which was only a piece of certificate in basic fencing course I had signed up for reluctantly for the sake of it even though I could have brought the instructors down to their knees with just a wooden stick. I have sought apprenticeship with many masters of their trades, but would they give me a mere certificate for my accomplishments? At the thought of that, I tore up the worthless piece of transcript on the spot.

I heard a scream a little moment later. It came at the front end of the queue. Feeling a little irritated, I went forward to check it out only to discover a headless body lying on the floor, with a huge crowd of bystanders.

Strange as it seems, there's no blood, no smell, no taste, no sound, no movement at all. Yet it was indeed a headless corpse. And the people around me are dumbfounded. Then whispers began.

"Who or WHAT is that?"
"Beats me. That body looks so strange."
"What shall we do about it?"
"OMG it's scary!"
"AH!!!!!"
"What luck to see this kind of thing during my job application."
"Nonsense indeed."

Everyone just stood there, did nothing but whispers and screams. I got so fed up that I took out my wooden stick and poked at the body.

"Eww!!"
"Stop that!"

I glared at them, before getting up on my feet and went to the counter to ask for assistance.

"Please report to the nearest guard who is right beside me."

I was in awe by the absurdness around me before I asked the guard on duty right beside the receptionist to do something about that body. The guard rang up on the phone, and a few moments later, an old man in a purple wizard-like suit descended the spiral staircase with a wide grin like that of the Cheshire Cat.

"Ah, interesting piece of work over here," he grinned when he saw the corpse. And at the snap of his fingers, the body disappeared without a trace. "Oh pardon me, but I cannot afford to have a bloody corpse put here in the first place. It violates the Self-Censorship Act Section 120 on Blood and Gore in public, so I have to settle with an alternative." He was still grinning.

When the crowd dispersed with relief and disappointment, the wizard-like man approached me. I almost wanted to give him a "one-times-good-one" before he gave me a stern, piercing look. "You are here to apply for the position of castle guard?"

"Erm. Yes, I am."

"Okay, good. We need more guards with initiative. You're hired. Remember to fill in the indemnity form at the counter before we can officially assign you to the job. Get a queue number first," before he grinned his way back to the staircase.

And so that's how I landed my job. I am assigned to monitor and control the crowd in the imperial gardens for the first few months. It's been a while since I have stepped into the gardens ever since the captivating dance months ago.

The afternoon wind blows lightly onto my face, a little relief for the hot weather. I could see the dark clouds coming in a distance, giving me a good excuse to go under the willow tree later. That willow tree. I vaguely remember the presence of the wisps living in the hollows years ago. Brings back both fond and heart-wrenching memories. That shall be a story of another time, perhaps.

I look forward to exploring other unknown parts of the castle in future.