The Shadowers 3 Acte Play - a photo on Flickriver

St Guiles Outdoor Theatre Productions
Promotional poster photo Series
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St Guiles Outdoor Theatre Productions
Promotional poster photo
THE SHADOWERS
Performed by the University theatre troupe The Pelagia Players
An Autumn Play that was performed in the ST. Guiles Outdoor Amphitheatre summer of 1996.
This was a student written and performed play in 3 acts.
For a bit more information on the Players, please visit:
flic.kr/p/Hz5nt4

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Synopsis Below
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Midnight Shadowers

The Disconcerting
Maybe is because of the specific role-play games my twin and I grew up playing. Maybe it’s also because of My love of dressing up in elegant attire and the wearing of jewellery. Or just maybe I am one of those mystic magnets of a soul that attracts this sort of thing to happen?

I had actually written this one out a year after it happened because someone suggested to me to do so, but wish now I had done so right after it happened so I would have a more descriptive memory of it.

It’s brief because the actual incident as it played out, happened so fast that it all was such a blur, there are no real recollections as far as detailed descriptions go.

Not even sure if it fits in with this collection of stories based on role play and similar games from youth and young adulthood.

For it may have been a game, but it certainly was not one of ours.

££££££££££

This rather harrowing experience occurred on the evening of a fancy dress Girl’s only party I attended some years ago.

My twin brother I were 22 years old at the time, as was my best friend Ginny.

The party mentioned was a BAFTA themed get together held in the nearby city.

Ginny and I were both attired for the party as though we were attending the real thing, which was the idea. And we were not alone in dressing up like that.

For at this annual party held by a university chum’s older sister, everyone attending was mandated to dress up like an actress attending the awards ceremony.

Ginny, as always when she does fancy proper, was drop-dead gorgeous.

She looked smashing, poured into her shimmering, off one shoulder gown of thin silk, silver with copper threads woven in. The gown really had a nice sexy fluid flow as she moved. Long elbow-length gloves of a dark copper satin, finished the effect.

She was wearing her good earrings. A pierced ear style set with real diamonds(1/2 Carat diamond with a dangling a pear-shaped 1 1/2 carat diamond), a diamond rhinestone choker, a matching rhinestone bracelet, and two cocktail rings. The 2 carat earrings and one of her rings were real, the rest good quality antique rhinestones.

Her silky hair, a darker natural red than mine, was worn up with an elegant bun held with a long silver clip on one side. Several strands purposely fell alongside her freckled face, adding a rather far too cute effect.

Myself, I was wearing a pretty party dress of Mum’s. One that I (and Papa) felt she looked breathtakingly beautiful wearing it on a night out.

It was a solid coloured sky blue taffeta dress that shone with a tight sleekness down along my figure. Maybe a bit too tight for it outlined my every curve, making me look sexier than I knew I was. The skirt was higher in front( touching just below my knees) than in the back where it swished a few inches above my ankles and my deep blue silk stiletto heels. The neckline of the dress was of a long open scoop and had wavy ruffles running along with its opening, the sleeves went to my elbows, ending in ruffles. With it, I was also wearing deep blue 3/4 length satin gloves.

For jewellery, I wore mum’s full set of enticingly sparkling rhinestones. The pricey imitation diamonds that Papa teased he needed sunglasses to look at her whenever Mum wore them out, which was a lot.

The centerpiece of the set was undoubtedly the long glittery necklace that looked like an upside-down,loosely attached, elongated pyramid filled with blazing diamond-like stones.
This eye-catcher hung down low along the open neck of the dress, swaying a few inches up from my (small)cleavage.

The set also had a matching bracelet, long earrings, and a ring. I added two more of my real gemstone rings for effect.

My own freshly washed long, naturally red hair was pulled back in a plait and I had a thin diamond chip encrusted silver Tiara to hold it all in place.

Please get a good mental picture of how Ginny and I were dressed up for the affair before reading on( and I hope you will read on) it should add a little clarity to the story.

Part 2
Midnight Ball (Faux)

To fit in with the party theme my twin brother actually was able to again borrow papa’s friend’s elegant antique car. An old dark purple Rolls Royce.

My brother dressed the part as a chauffeur( at Ginny and my puppy-eyed request), wearing a suit, formal shirt, and bow tie. He refused to wear the white gloves or hat though.

He thoroughly was into playing his role, opening the door for each of us as we were helped into the back, with him sitting alone upfront.

The party was at a house 30 minutes away in the city, with about 25 guests expected to attend.

All of whom had gone wild with their fancy dress ideas.

Gowns and formal dresses, many of which were old bridesmaids affairs, flowed, shined, and shimmered along with our fellow guest's youthful female figures.

Copious amounts of Gemstones, mostly rhinestone with more than a few real ones, were glittering with amazing brilliance from their mistresses.

As you can imagine, I was really into that atmosphere and it was really for me, a quite enjoyable and engaging experience.

The party itself was a lot of fun and very enjoyable for all in attendance. This was the pre-cell phone era, so we all were quite focused on the party.

On and off we watched the awards show, but the main attraction was the drinking and guessing games we played.

We also had a fashion show with a makeshift red carpet that everyone did a catwalk along.

My mum’s rhinestone attracted a lot of notice, they sparkled so much.

And yes, once when mum was wearing them out a lady actually asked if they were real. We all had a good laugh over that.

My brother and even Ginny commented on how they would sparkle in the city street lamps as we drove under them on the way in.

By the time the party was winding down we all
were feeling pretty well lit, and very huggy.

All too soon it was time to go.

After my twin brother had dropped us off, he waiting for us at the riverside pub named Poet and the Peasant.

He told us to call at the pub and then wait inside the house for him to arrive. The neighborhood was nice enough, but still, it was the city, so he felt more comfortable if we were to not be out wandering.

He would honk the Roll’s horn at the curb to let us know when he was there.

We called from the house after midnight when ready and he told us he’d be there in about 15 minutes after leaving the pub where he was playing darts with a few lads.

We had told others about the Rolls Royce, and some had asked to see it. So, ignoring my brother’s request, we all gathered outside to wait.

Twenty minutes later my brother drove up, spying our group he honked the horn as he pulled up curbside.

Playing the part in front of so many well-dressed ladies, my brother was in his glory as helped each of us slip into the back seat of the rolls Royce, closing our doors like a gentleman, before hopping back in the driver's seat to take us home. Honking the horn again to the few remaining jealous admirers who waved us on.

We felt like real movie stars at that.

And like real movie stars, we soon had a following.

Part 3
Midnight Followers

It was after my brother turned off the street where the party house was located, that he first noticed the red auto behind us.

He was not sure where it had come from, but, something he could never put a finger on, made him think that it was a deliberate appearance

The red auto, keeping about two car lengths behind, began to match my brother’s turns as he began to take his usual way home. The car never signaled its turns he noticed.

Not saying anything to us chattering away in the back leather seats, he turned off into a side street at random to see what would happen. The auto turned down the same street following, again no turn signal.

My brother then turned down another street and pulled the Rolls over midway along it, stopping at the curb directly in front of a house, so the auto could pass if he also turned In behind.

It did come around the same corner, but instead of passing the parked Rolls, the red auto ominously pulled to the curb about three houses behind us, leaving its lights on.

Ginny and I had been chatting happily in the back seat, my brother stopping the Rolls Royce first drew our attention that something was up.

When asked what’s going on, he said that he thinks someone in an automobile is following us.

We laughed at him, thinking he was trying to play games with us.

On the way to the party, he kept teasing us on how sparkly our jewels were in the rearview mirror when illuminated by street lights.

I had snickered saying
“it’s a good thing your here to protect us then Luv.”

He had looked back at me with a wicked smile in his eyes. “Ah, true lass, but what if I was a thief in disguise?”

So now we both thought he was just trying to put a scare into us playing off on those remarks.

Not smiling at our taunts, he sternly told us to just turn around and watch the auto parked down the road with the headlights on.

Part 4
Midnight Apprehension

We both turned in our seats, surprised to see that he was right.

“Who do you think it is?” Ginny asked reasonably.

“Really don’t know, Luv?” He answered putting the Rolls in gear.

He pulled away, and after a few seconds so did the auto with the headlights on.

My brother then took two more random turns down roads and we realized he was really telling the bloody truth.

We knew then it wasn’t something my brother had dreamed up as role-play with his lads. He would not stoop this low and besides, to tell the truth, he was not all that good of an actor to pull it off.

The auto kept pace, matching
us turn for turn.

I would think by then whoever was in the red Auto knew that we realized they were tailing us. But they still kept following.

I remember as we watched from the back, Ginny and I turning to look at each other, both of us not really knowing what to do if even there was anything we could have done?

I can also clearly recollect how Ginny’s diamond earrings were glimmering as I looked into her concerned face. But bit my tongue.

I did not want to alarm her with my thoughts. Knowing how expensive her earrings were. That, plus the fact most of the jewellery I was wearing belonged to Mum, really gave me worries. Still, I knew Ginny was also harboring similar unsaid concerns.

Neither of us daring to give voice to those worries, lest it became a reality.

But two elegantly clad young ladies being driven around inside a Rolls Royce with a chauffeur at the wheel could say the least, easily attract notice. Something we had not given any thought to as we planned out this evening.

Inviting attention, both when arriving in the city, and as well as when they were leaving it.

Both of us turned back to look out the window.

Again watching the bright headlights, I shuddered at another thought that popped into my head.

What if the occupants of the red auto had followed us in, and while we were enjoying the party, had been waiting patiently for us to leave it?

That really creeped me out and I shivered.

My brother, silent with unspoken worries of his own, was keeping to the well lit, residential streets while trying to think of how to get out of this if he needed to.

It could be just two joyriders doing this on a lark after all.

A second issue was that the big Rolls Royce was a lumbering beast not made to outspeed pursuit.

Then there was a third issue: He also did not want to lead our shadowers near to where Ginny or we both lived.

We still lived in a rambling country cottage with my parents. Ginny lived a few houses over in the old stone house that had once been a summer home for a large, prewar, estate owner.

Not voicing any of these concerns to his passengers, my brother stayed in the city, which he knew quite well.

Turning up a boulevard he saw a traffic light ahead.

We pulled up to it and the Red Auto stopped about a car length back.

We could make out the shadowy figures of two unmistakable males, talking to each other as they were pointing fingers.

They were not just pointing at us, but past us. That gave me the creeps as I told my brother what the occupants were doing.

The light turned green, and without signaling, he turned the Rolls to the right, entering a Main Street.

The red auto did the same, not signaling either.

Approaching another light as it was turning red, my brother ran it, cutting off a lurching double-decker just coming into the intersection.

As we received a blast of horns for our transgression, my brother shifted into a higher gear and forced the whining old Rolls into its top speed.

All I remember at that point, was thinking we were not going fast enough at all.

But this maneuver held up the red auto only long enough for us to turn down an alley between two businesses about 3/4 of a block past the red light. I was watching our rear and I knew the red auto, just leaving the intersection, had seen us turn.

My brother knew that the alleys on this street all let out onto a road that ran along the grounds of a rugby stadium.

There were street lamps on the opposite side of the road from the stadium. There were no lights on at all on the stadium side, making the area darker at night than India ink.

We pulled out of the alleyway without seeing any following headlights yet coming in behind us.

“There is usually a patrol car parked along the stadium at night, “my brother said.

“Keep an eye out”

But of course, tonight was the exception, no cars were parked there.

I was looking back at the alleyway we had left and I saw headlights casting along the brick walls.

I gave warning, but it came out as a girlish shriek.

“I see it.” My brother said, he had killed the headlights and was already turning into the exit end of the stadium’s long parking lot

My twin pulled the Rolls under the shadows of some trees that lined the inner side of the parking lot, facing the way we had come.

We all scrunched down and waited.

Part 5
Midnight Escape

A few very long seconds later, the red auto, driving slowly, appeared at the end of the alley and stopped.

Then, without signal,
it slowly turned off onto the street and started going in the opposite direction, at a crawl.

Looking For our Rolls Royce we probably rightly suspected.

Our hearts were pounding and I believe we were all holding our breaths with disquieting
trepidation.

The red auto went down past that end of the stadium.

My heart leaped into my throat as I put a hand to my beating breasts, watching it turn up the next street leading back to the intersection with the red light we had blown through.

My brother put in the clutch, keeping the headlamps off, he slowly turned the auto around.

Ginny and I sat up and watched behind us.

We turned off the parking lot went back the opposite of where our pursuers had gone.

Once in the street my brother turned on the headlamps and gave the old engine some gas. We turned up the next street and then some side streets.

Nervously we watched the streets behind us. But only saw a few headlights coming on the road, and they were all false alarms.

Finally circling around we made it back to the Main Street that led to the highway turnoff.

Nervously all three of us scanned the cars parked along both sides of the streets. But no one pulled out behind us that seemingly going on forever stretch of road.

Apparently, we had lost our shadower’s in the red auto.

We made it to the turnoff without further mischief befalling us and went onto the highway and headed back home.

We never saw the red auto again.

Ginny and I were spending the rest of the weekend in her basemen bedroom at her house, her parents bring out of town.

Neither of us was ashamed to admit we accepted my brother’s offer to spend the night upstairs.

When we got to her place, Ginny helped us raid Uncle’s small bar in the basement. We sat up for the rest of the early morning, still fully dressed, talking it over.

We all believed was no lark, hoax, or a joke being played on us. The occupants of that red auto seemed all too intent on something.

To this very day, none of us have any real idea of what that intent may have been, just only our speculation.

I do remember that we had come up with a whole gauntlet of theories before turning in.

But we are all quite ok with not finding out which theory was the correct one that night.

Taken on: February 4, 2015

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