The lights of Wayne Manor swayed in Gotham's rainy night like candle flames that could go out at any moment. Yet they had shone here for decades. Whether their master returned or not, the loyal butler would always remain here, guarding the beacon that led one home through the long night.
Alfred picked up a garden spade, uprooted a head of broccoli from the garden, and tossed it over the wall. It struck a crazed pedestrian right on the head, making him let out a scream.
Alfred made the sign of the cross over his chest and said, "I'm terribly sorry, but if it helps bring you to your senses, then perhaps it's for the best."
Then he shook his head and said, "Miss Aisha doesn't like broccoli. Although I think she should eat more vegetables, there's no need to let the entire garden fill up with broccoli. It makes her sneeze."
With that, he continued clearing out the broccoli that had grown from Vines. A garden spade in one hand and a felling axe in the other, no broccoli could survive more than three minutes in his hands. Before long, the chopped broccoli had piled into a small mountain.
Just then, he heard the bell on the mailbox ring. Alfred looked up at the sky. Clearly, this was not the hour for a newsboy to deliver the paper.
He frowned, but still set down his tools, went to the nearby Tool Room to change his clothes and shoes, then crossed the hall to the door. There, he saw Merkel in a raincoat, his face full of anxiety.
"What brings you here at this hour?" Alfred asked as he opened the door.
"Actually, I should have come sooner." Merkel's voice was terribly hoarse. "But I had to shake off the