Clue (An Adaption)

Part 2 – Dinner

The guests crossed the hall to the dinning room, which was, like the rest of the house, elegant.

"You will all find your names where you will be seated," Wadsworth said.

Everyone found their seats and sat down. Wadsworth poured another glass of champagne for Ms. Scarlet, to her pleasure.

The others noticed that the seat at the head of the table was empty.

"Is this seat for you?" Colonel Mustard asked Wadsworth.

"No, sir," the butler said. "That seat is reserved for our seventh guest, Mr. Boddy."

"Guest?" Mrs. Peacock asked. "I thought Mr. Boddy was our host."

"No madam."

"Then who is?"

Wadsworth only chuckled with a closed smile. The guests looked at one another with concern.

"Wh-what's this all about, butler?" the dragon asked. "This dinner party, I mean."

Wadsworth was silent for a moment. ".....'Ours is not to reason why.....ours is but to do and die.'"

"Die?!" Professor Plum said.

"No, sir, I was only quoting Alfred, Lord Tennyson."

"I'm more of a Kipling guy myself," Colonel Mustard said. "'The female of the species is more deadly than the male.' Do you like Kipling, Ms. Scarlet?"

"Sure, I'll eat anything," Ms. Scarlet said, unmoved.

Yvette came in from the kitchen carrying bowls of shark's fin soup. All the guests looked around again, not sure whether to star eating without the seventh guest.

"Well," Mrs. Peacock said, taking a slurp of her soup, "if anyone's going to break the ice it might as well be me. I'm actually used to hosting parties myself. It's part of what my husband does for a living. Oh, I forgot, we're not supposed to say who we are, but I don't know why. I also don't know why I'm here or why anyone's here, but I'm determined to enjoy myself and - oh my - this soup is delicious!"

The guests looked at her in bewilderment.

"What is it that your husband does?" Mrs. White asks.

"I probably shouldn't say," Mrs. Peacock said.

"I know who your husband is," said Mr. Green.

"What?!" Mrs. Peacock almost yelled. "How?"

"I work in Canterlot, too."

"Oh," Professor Plum said, "so you're a politician's wife."

"Y-yes, I am," Mrs. Peacock confirmed.

"So who is your husband?" Colonel Mustard asked.

Trying to move the conversation, Mrs. Peacock turned to Mrs. White.

"So what does your husband do?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Mrs. White, almost cutting Mrs. Peacock off.

"Nothing?"

"He just.....sits around on his flank all day."

"Sounds like hard work to me," Ms. Scarlet said.

Yvette brought in another dish and the guests ate.

"Mmm! One of my favorite recipes!" Mrs. Peacock said. She turned to Mr. Green. "So what do you do in Canterlot?"

Mr. Green was silent.

"Oh come now! How are we going to all get acquainted if we don't know anything about each other?"

"Maybe he doesn't want to get acquainted," Ms. Scarlet said.

"Well," Mrs. Peacock said, bothered by that previous statement, "if I didn't keep the conversation going, we would be sitting in an embarrassing silence!"

"Are you afraid of silence, Mrs. Peacock?" Professor Plum asked.

"Well, a little? Why?"

"Ah, I see. You're suffering from what we call 'pressure of speech.'"

"'We?'" Mrs. Peacock asked. "Who's 'we?' Are you a shrink?"

"I know a little bit of psychology, yes."

"So you're a doctor!" Mrs. White said.

"Yes," Professor Plum confirmed, "but I don't practice."

"So what do you do?" Ms. Scarlet asked.

"I work for the UNO, United Health Organization."

"Another politician?!" Colonel Mustard explained.

"No, I work for a branch of the UNO, the WHO - World Health Organization."

"What's your area of expertise?" Mrs. Peacock asked.

"Family planning." Plum turned to the Colonel. "What about you? Are you really a colonel?"

"I am, sir!" Colonel Mustard said proudly.

"Are you going to tell them that you also live in Canterlot?" Mrs. Scarlet asked.

"How did you know that?!" the Colonel said, bewildered.

"I've definitely seen you before. But you may not have seen me."

"Does this mean you live in Canterlot too?" Mr. Green asked Ms. Scarlet.

"Sure do," she confirmed.

"Is there anyone here that doesn't live in Canterlot?" Mrs. Peacock asked.

"I don't," Professor Plum said.

"But you work for the UNO!" Mr. Green pointed out. "That's a government job! Is there anyone here that hasn't made their living off the government?"

Fed up, Colonel Mustard stood angrily and faced Wadsworth.

"That's it!" he yelled. "Butler, you better tell us who our host is and why we were brought here!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.