A Curious Vigilance
Part Two
Tickling Dragons
The story Concludes
Acte 6
Ginny whispered :
"There is a man watching us from outside the gate A car parked behind your brother’s. Could it be a night watchman?”
“Nightwatchman? “I answer, looking at Ginny as her eyes are still staring past me at the newcomer.
“We have never seen one here before. I guess we just need to go and ask him.”
I turned, and Ginny, her long dress making swishing sounds from behind, as we both approached the gate.
He didn’t look anything like a watchman, didn’t even have a flashlight.
And I suppose I should have been warier of a stranger.
But he appeared to be a very affable chap by the way he smiled at us, hands casually place in his pockets as he watched us approach.
Rugged good looks as they say, and he was dashing in a turtleneck and trousers. I did feel he should have been smoking a pipe to complete his look.
“He looks like a spy,” I said over my shoulder to Ginny, who giggled.
“Cheers.”
Ginny said in greeting as we reached the open gate.
He nodded.
It’s amazing how telling a little nod can be. If a person nods a certain way as you greet him, you know thinks your looney. Or if he is suspicious, you can also tell by the way he nods his head. No words were necessary.
But this chaps nod, told me he was obviously intrigued by something, probably by us two and why we were here, all dressed up?
So of course he asked us:
“What in the world are you ladies up to.”
His words come out easy. I was right, he appeared to be indeed affable in an urbane manner.
Ginny starts to tell him right off, explaining how we had left a wedding reception to come to one of our haunts to drink and indulge in a little role-play, then how we thought he was some type of watchman.
He seemed quite interested, and when Ginny had finished, asked:
“I would very much like to learn more. Perhaps even join in if you two lovely ladies would be game?”
Acte 6
We invited him over to the pagoda stairs and talk it over with him
Ginny handed him the whiskey. He took a sniff, then a small sip swished it in his mouth before swallowing.
“That’s lovely .” He said handing the bottle back.
Ginny took a small swig and handed it to me, I did the same and handed it to the newcomer.
He held onto the bottle, as he started to explain himself.
“I was passing by, slowed down as a fox, coming from the cemetery, crossed the road in front. I looked over and saw two rather well-dressed ladies dancing up on a platform, in a cemetery?”
“The sight rather piqued my curiosity. You both looked too alive to be ghosts. The reception explains how you two are dressed.”
His eyes were on Ginny, Admiring her sleek satin high shoulder sleeve sheath dress, the glittery silver rhinestone Dragon decoration very shimmery, but not quite so as her dazzling pendant, now in my pocket, had been. I was sorry he wasn’t able to see it.
Then he turned his eyes onto me.
I myself knew how my purple silk dress and black satin jacket presented themselves, for I cannot lie, I practiced walking up to mum’s full-length mirror, admiring the flowing, swirling effect of the purple silk skirt pouring down from my covering black satin jacket.
Clearing his throat, almost sounding like he was gulping, the newcomer went on as his eyes went back to Ginny:
“Not sure if I should disturb, I then saw this one(pointing to me) lifting your necklace.”
Ginny’s hand shot to her throat, looking at me with a giggling smile:
“You devil.”
I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it back to her to put in. He might as well see the scintillating show it puts on.
He noticed… I saw his eyes open very wide as he simply said:
“Pretty.”
Before continuing, his eyes now glued to Ginny:
“Then as you two finished dancing, I was deciding if I should just leave or give you a warning.”
Ginny cut in:
“ I lifted her bracelet, you must have missed that bit?”
He nodded.
“I see, there was more going on than I had first realized. Because then I saw your friend holding you up to nick your bracelet and hair barrette.”
Looking at us both curiously, he asked:
“So is this something you do for fun, or are the two of you rehearsing for a play, a movie, or …something else? Could you tell me cause it’s killing me not knowing?”
Ginny answered him:
“No lad, this is something our friends and us do for fun. Have been doing it since we were little ones.”
He looked at us thoughtfully, lifting the bottle he finally took a mouthful, then handed it off to Ginny.
Swishing it thoughtfully around in his mouth he swallowed, then said:
“I might then ask if either of you have actually done anything before like this, for real I mean?”
I answered, cutting Ginny off:
“No, always just for play, never for keeps.”
He sighed, but the reason for him doing so was not clear to me.
“So then, I have seen the pair of you in action, and I sure was impressed with your deft light-fingered skill… I'd like to ask you if you'd be willing to show me a thing or two?”
I looked over at Ginny. She nodded that we accept him in.
For my part, I was down deep thinking. he would do for the male parts like my brother would have been playing if he had been here with us instead of throwing pointy things at a board.
Ginny turned her deliciously made-up eyes from me to the newcomer:
“Sorry luv, We never introduced ourselves…
My name is Ginny, this is Cadence, Cade for short. What’s your name?
Just call me ‘Watchman’ he said with a sly smirk.
Acte 7
I stand up. Proud that I wasn’t wobbling too very much from all the straight whisky we had been drinking.
Going over to my cell, I select a few slow dance songs and start them off.
Coming back I see that Ginny was already up on the platform, swaying to the music.
The ‘Watchman’ was at the bottom of the steps. waiting for me.
Okay, lad. This is me being your first victim
“Lesson 1 .”
I hold up my wrist, exposing my remaining bracelet.
“Wow, that’s sparkly!”
Lesson one, in lesson one..." I giggled
“ luv, make sure you never remark upon the jewels your potential mark is wearing
He cleverly pulled an invisible zipper over his lips
“Examine my bracelets’ clasp. This is a common slip-in clasp. Simply push down here and it releases. Ginny’s is the same way. Feel it and try undoing it with one hand.”
He does so, smiling
“I feel like a real thief, though this is not real, right, just play?”
I just smiled mysteriously, then said encouragingly.
“You can see it as play, or pretend in your mind it is real. Now you did great, practice refasten it and undo its clasp a couple more times.“
He did as instructed.
I then tell him…
“ I’m going to walk past you. “
“As soon as my back is to you. Come up and tap the opposite shoulder of the arm where I’m wearing the bracelet you want to nick from me. As you do take your other arm and reach down and undo the bracelet. Then hold it behind your back as you apologize for mistaking me for someone else.”
I went up aways, turned around, and walked past.
He was standing in the shadows.
I pulled up my cuffed sleeve, making sure he saw my bracelet as it now dangled freely.
He pulled it off without a hitch.
Coming up behind me, tapping me on the shoulder.
Even though I knew it was coming, I did automatically turn in that direction.
I felt him go for my wrist, doing a passable job of lifting off my rhinestone bracelet.
I turned and saw him dangling it in front of me.
I held up my wrist and as he replaced it, I called up to Ginny.
“Your turn girl, as this gentleman approaches, walk down the stairs and smell the flowers.“
I turn to the ‘Watchman’, eagerly eyeing Ginny.
“As your victim walks down, walk up behind her bumping her as she is bending over. Nick her bracelet as you do so.
Ginny made it easy as she held the hand with the bracelet up over her back as she bent down ( necklace dangling) and lifted up a flower to smell with her other hand
He walked up and with one hand lifted another flower to her nose, while his right hand's fingers easily undid the emerald bracelet and slipped it from her wrist.
I walked up as he helped Ginny back on with her bracelet:
“Ready for lesson two?”
He nodded to both of us.
Acte 8
“Ok then. Onto Lesson two…Necklaces.”
I could ‘feel’ his eyes studying ours, smiling wistfully he said:
“This should prove interesting, I’ve seen some very pretty necklaces being worn in my time.”
I smiled, lifting mine as a glimmering teaser…
“You may be surprised at how easy it can be, sir.”
He gave me his boyishly handsome grin:
“You are on, surprise me.”
I tell the ‘watchman’ that Ginny and I will start dancing. You observe us, then come up and cut in, take me first.
Ginny and I walked up to the platform. There we began dancing around the platform of the pagoda, twirling and swirling about in the fast falling dusk.
He watched us from down below for maybe a minute before coming up.
He taps Ginny on the shoulder.
“May I?”
Ginny breaks off and dances to herself as she watched over us
He took me up in his arms, dancing like he was no stranger to it, it was rather lovely I had to admit.
I began the second lesson.
The one that would have him target the diamonds and sapphires that hung down glittery from around my neck.
“Now lad, take your hand from my waist and gently caress your way up to the back of my jacket to my throat.”
He did so, my figure prickling under his touch, and over what I was having him do.
“Now with a bit of a caress, lift my necklace and pull it down, gently now, that’s it. Once you have it laying on the back of my jacket, you're free to snap open the clasp…very good, I did not feel that!”
He grinned at my praise, I could happily tell he was enjoying this. His eyes had the same look that my twin brother gets when doing this.
“Nod when you are ready.”
He did so with enchanting enthusiasm.
“So lift up one end of the necklace, then twirl me around, using the motion to pull off my necklace and hide it in your fist.”
He then executed a twirling of me with such perfect precision that I never felt a thing. “
“Good show!“ I complimented him
He had enjoyed it so much, that he shyly asked if we could do it again.
I replaced my necklace and went back into his arms.
This time he needed no prodding, and before I was aware of anything amiss, I felt his fingers depositing my necklace into my satin jacket’s side pocket.
Ginny was giggling, then beckoned him over.
“Try it on me next.”
She said, holding up her necklace.
He took her into his arms.
I couldn’t really hear over the music, but he was saying things to Ginny that were making her blush. Though I’d imagine the whiskey had a lot to do with it.
His hand whisked easily up the rich satin backside of her gown. I saw it disappear underneath her let-down silky soft hair.
I saw her pendant begin to unnaturally move up in between her breasts. Then suddenly, effortlessly, effectively, being pulled up by one end slipping up her sleekly covered front till it disappears over her shoulder.”
The dance ended, and our ‘Watchman’ kissed Ginny on the backside of her hand, the other hand clutching her jeweled pendant.
He came over and deposited Ginny’s necklace in my pocket, as I took him into my arms.
Seeing his eyes were curiously closed, I whispered, surprisingly, a bit hoarsely .”
“I think you are ready for the third lesson, earrings.”
His eyes opened wide…
“You are joking, aren’t you?”
I shook my head, feeling my earrings bouncing out, giggling.
“Follow along my suave thief, I know you have been desiring to nick them from us.”
Acte 9
We took the second dance a bit slower this time and I talked him through it:
I then began to teach him how to lift a lady’s dangling earrings.
“Really it can be done,” I tell him as he still looks unconvinced.
“You dance with your chosen victim. Tell her how pretty she is. Keep your eyes on the mark's eyes, make sure they are concentrating on anything but your hands until you are ready to make your start.
If her hair is down take your hands and lift her hair. Like that now as you do place your pinkie finger behind my ears and lift up on the back of the prongs, not all the way.”
He did so, clumsily at first, but I generously give him a few tries, until He managed to do it with little effort.
“Perfect…
Now tell her how gorgeous she looks as you drop her hair back down. As you reach my ear lobes, both hands at the same time, take your fingers and press up against each ear, then caress my earlobes lifting my earrings.
Then palm them and put your fists to my waist. Then drop them into a pocket .”
He appeared genuinely to be surprised by just how easy it was. And the way he caressed was very nice also, one might add.
I nod towards an eagerly waiting Ginny...
“You can have a go at hers next. If you would like?”
I could see it in his eyes, he very much would.
He moves over to Ginny and takes her in his arms. Swirls her around a few times till I can see she is dizzy.
“What a smashing idea.”
I whispered to myself, sending a compliment to his backside.
He lifts Ginny’s recently let-down hair, holding it there as he says something that made her blush a brite red.
Then he moves his hands back down, and the next time Ginny comes into my view, gone are her emerald earrings.
I go up behind her, like an accomplice, and he hands them to me. I pocket them and move off downstairs to have a bit of a cool down, and a drink from the bottle.
Soon Ginny and ‘Watchman’ join me.
Acte 10
As We passed the bottle back and forth again. The slow dance music continues, keeping the mood mellow and a bit, I’ll admit, swooning.
I then started really feeling flush, like Ginny had been looking on the dance floor.
Ginny giggles, teasing.
“Cade, You look hot, and I don’t mean in a sexy way. “
“Thank you, Ginny”
I said failing to have it come out as being sarcastic.
Our ‘Watchman’ murmured:
“No girl, your flush. Here let’s take that pretty jacket off you for a bit and get you cooled down.”
He went behind me as I stood up.
“Here allow me. “
I wriggle out of it. He takes it down and lays it by our purses and then taking off his suit coat, lays, it across the back of the marble bench.
“Such a gentleman…”
Ginny sighs.
He comes back. Lifting Ginny’s hand, then kissing it on the backside, her fingers down, he says.
“I heard that, thank you for that lovely compliment and, for such a jolly fun time.”
He then kissed my hand.
“I thank you also, for taking me under your wing, my pretty one.”
Now it was my turn to close my eyes as my face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Taking up the bottle, he stepped down to the ground
“Thank you both, I had great teachers.”
He then saluted us and took a drink from the bottle. Handing it back to us.
He looked us both over.
“Forgive me, but You know I really do find it hard to believe that you’ve never been tempted to do this in real life.”
Both Ginny and I answered together.
“But of course we have !”
I added:
“How can one not feel tempted?”
I continued, explaining:
“There is always a desire, almost a yearning, to nick the jewels we see others wearing out. But our moral compass would never allow it, and I can vouch for all of us, right Ginny?”
Ginny nodded, taking a sip of the whiskey.
“We simply just play those thoughts out amongst ourselves.. or I write them in a story.”
The Watchman’ nodded his head in apparent agreement.
Then looking at me…
“You write stories?”
I nodded…
“Not very good ones I’m afraid. My brother does also. Mainly just for our group, but we have posted some up on various internet avenues.”
The ‘Watchman’s’ eyes were still fixed on me, as he thoughtfully stroked his chin.
“That’s very interesting. Sounds like you all make the most of this. I would never have imagined any of this would be actually going on. And here it is going on, in this corner of Wales.”
As we both take pulls at the fast emptying bottle of whiskey, he looks around, then back at Ginny and I…
“You know what I think would top off this evening for me? That would be me being escorted by a pair of lovely ladies around this cemetery and having you both recount the many stories I’m sure you have at different places here.”
Ginny looked at me nodding.
We take the bottle and lead him off.
Acte 11
We continued taking sips from the bottle telling about our adventures here, as we strolled about the cemetery. Relating to him numerous stories. He listened very attentively. Asking a lot of questions.
I will mention a few stories that appeared to really grab his interest:
Passing a grove of trees inside the cemetery, I told him that it was here we played cops and robbers.
He said he could remember playing that game also.
“Not like our version.” Ginny chimed in with a giggle…
“One of us girls would be standing blindfolded at the pagoda dressed up and wearing jewels. The thief would be given a head start to hide in the trees before the cops gave chase. The thief had to elude the police and sneak up on the blindfolded girl without being caught by her. Then tag her. If successful, he can rob her, taking all her jewelry. He then tried to make it back to base without the cops capturing him, or her.”
He bowed in mock jest.
“No, nothing as fun and inventive as that.”
We stopped up on a higher area overlooking the pagoda down below.
As the ‘Watchman’ looked downhill he said:
“So, there are more of you that do this? But they didn’t come with you this evening?”
Ginny giggles:
“No the lads are playing at darts tonight. But we were all here a fortnight ago .”
He turned and winked at Ginny
“But not tonight. So did you all practice lifting off each other?”
I answered with a self-satisfied smile:
“We did, then we did a little bit of play-acting. Didn’t we Ginny?”
Ginny laughed cheerily:
“You can say that!”
She turned to our companion.
The ‘Watchman’ nodded eagerly.
“I would love to have you tell me about it.”
“So Cade and I were both wearing old satin bridesmaid's dresses and rhinestones. Brian and Craig were in suits. We had been practicing Picking pockets and lifting jewels when I said we should play a game. And Brian came up with a brilliant one to end the night off.”
I nudged Ginny:
“You were the prey, and I was the thief for that one.”
I took over the storytelling:
“Actually there were two for the first game, thieves I mean. A couple, Man and Lady. I took off some of my jewellry and added it to what Ginny was already wearing. Then Brian played her husband dancing on the pagoda. Craig and I were the thieves watching and plotting from below. Brian came down for drinks and I lured him off.”
Ginny giggled taking the bottle from me and handing it to our companion.
“Cade even handcuffed him to a tree, searched him, taking his watch, ring, tie clasp, and wallet.”
I nodded:
“Meanwhile Craig went up and started dancing with Ginny. Then, when the worried wife missed her husband, her dance partner went with her to look.
He lured her off to the grove of trees we just were at. I laid in wait and well, her wealthy husband had a front row seat as his gullible wife unwittingly fell into some unforgiving thievery.
I took a sip from the bottle;
“Then we reset up, played a few more games along similar lines.”
Ginny said, to us both:
“When we get back we can put on our jewels and maybe end with a little role play? Wouldn’t that be delicious?”
The ‘Watchman’ looked thoughtfully away from us down to the pagoda:
He then turned back to us, taking the bottle, tipping it to his mouth before saying.:
“Food for thought ladies, food for thought. If I could be the thief, and you two my prey, I may have gone for it at that. No handcuffs though. Speaking of which I bet your lads are going to wish they had been here tonight. Shall we continue on first, I’m enjoying this?”
Ginny giggled:
“I’d forgotten about the handcuffs. I have…”
I nudged her in the back, silencing her.
Acte 12
Going on aways, walking the grown-over paved path amongst rows of gravestones. I stopped before a circle of gravestones.
“We call this the witches circle. We like to sit in this circle and tell ghost stories. In between playing. As we got older we came down and told stories in the dark.
“That would creep me!” The ‘Watchman’ said.
Circling around to head back, Ginny stopped him by a tall, narrow crypt
“Craig used to tell us, girls, a real-life cat burglar was entombed here. And sometimes ladies passing by this spot would have their jewels vanish
Of course, he had already taken something off one or both of us, so when he told the story..,
The ‘watchman apologizes for cutting Ginny off, hold that thought luv. But all this whiskey, I really need to, sorry ladies, have a pee... Any chance of a loo nearby?”
We both nod no, giggling at the thought.
“Then I suppose the grove of trees it is. Be back in a sec., wait here, I want to hear the whole story on the spot where it happened.”
With that, he walked off with some haste to his step.
Acte 13
“Bloody men.”Ginny giggles.
“Can do their business anywhere.”
We both took a couple of swigs.
Ginny romantically sighed:
I think he is charming, and his touch is heaven. What did you think of him, Cade…Cade?”
I had been watching Ginny holding the bottle. The coolness of the night along my bare back had lifted a bit of the fog my brain had been experiencing as we had been walking.
I suddenly look down upon my fingers
Then up at Ginny, waving them in front of her.
“That bloody slick devil. I think he is far more deftly fingered than he wanted us to believe. He slipped our rings off as he was kissing our hands. Yours too luv.”
Ginny looked down at her fingers, her eyes lighting up as she finally was able to register in her mind that her’s had been nicked also.
Then she grabbed her wrist, then mine!
“Our bracelets are gone also?”
Shocked I hadn’t noticed, I exclaimed looking at her bare wrist, then my own now bare of the glittering bracelet I had had him practice lifting from me.
“That was ball’sy of him. I have no idea when he pulled that lift off! Do you Ginny?”
Ginny shook her head after thinking a minute:
“Haven’t a clue. I don’t remember him coming close enough to me that he could have done it.”
I was stunned as I said:
“Nor do I. Apparently, we are that good as instructors.”
Ginny giggled
“We taught him well. We’ll have to let him know it was Well played. When he returns.“
Suddenly I am aware that the music that had been playing in the distance was stopped.
“Ginny …”
I started to say…
But then we hear tyres screeching off from the parking lot.
Looking with horror into each other’s eyes, we turn towards the sound.
We both then desperately fly back to the pagoda, our dresses fluttering along our now prickling figures, starting to sweat.
Acte 14
We reach the pagoda.
As we stand by the pagoda steps, we make the unsettling discovery that the marble bench was empty. Our purses, my black satin jacket, its pockets loaded down with the rest of our jewels, and my cell, all were gone! Along with our rings and beautiful bracelets that he had lifted off from us. The scoundrel!
And the car that had been parked behind my brother’s roadster, gone!
We were absolutely cut off from seeking any quick help.
I hear Ginny behind me.
“He was entirely too subtle and charming.”
I murmured…
“He played us all right. We fell right into his hands.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Since the keys to the roadster had been in my purse, along with Ginny’s cell in hers, we had no choice but to walk home.
We still had the last vestiges of the bottle of whisky and we finished it off before we began walking the over 2 kilometers home.
At least we were not pissed enough to start walking in the right direction, otherwise, a bunch of celibate seminarians would have had a treat in store for them!”
“The bloody wanker!”
I said in silent condemnation to the sneaky ‘Watchman’ and his far too gifted touch.
I began to have some unsettling thoughts.
Had we inadvertently given him the idea of robbing us by telling him our role-playing stories?
What would have happened if he had agreed to Ginny’s suggestion of Putting back on all our jewelry and him playing a jewel thief?
Had he found that distasteful, but planted a seed of nicking the jewels he had lifted from us, which was not as distasteful to him? His trophies?
Would he have just gone back with us otherwise, and if we hadn’t noticed he had taken our rings and fancy bracelets, took his leave of us with just those in his pocket?
Or
“Here Cadence, you look cold” then help me out on my jacket as he picked my pockets while doing so.
Then would he have given everything back?
And speaking of lifting, when had he managed to lift my bracelet? Like Ginny could just not remember him even touching my wrist.
I shook my head to clear those now jumbling thoughts, well aware of my missing earrings. Hell, my missing everything!
What was done, is done.
That’s what happens sometimes when one dares to “Tickle a Dragon”.
And if the ‘Hobbit’ taught us anything, it’s that dragons love jewels…
Fini
Epilogue
Thirty minutes later, as we were still a ways off from the village, we saw a car on the parked hill, facing us from the opposite side.
I had an odd inkling that someone was inside, waiting for us
Sure enough, the headlights came blindingly on, a door opened and a black figure leaned on the door, watching us approach
Ginny turned to me…
“Should we be worried?”
Me
“We have already tickled one dragon tonight, I suppose we can do it again. Just hopefully not with the same results.
Ginny nodded
“Tally ho then…”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
By the way, to all you ‘Watchman
(or Woman)’ who has read this? I hope you have enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave your comments.
