Acte One The Games Afoot

A Series of Unfortunate Events

 

Acte One

 

The games afoot

 

In the shadowy darkness, a pricy sports coupe has pulled off the main road into a deserted cemetery. Its headlamps are suddenly extinguished. The coupe is now guided only by the moon’s ghostly light….

 

The vehicle travels slowly, crunching down the road and circling behind a small stone chapel pulled off into the looming shadows of some old-growth trees. The car's powerful engine is turned off and sits idling for about 10 minutes or so before the engine is killed, The doors open and two female figures emerge. Strangely enough, both are wearing formal party dresses, an odd contrast to the rather sombre surroundings of the cemetery.

 

The taller figure, attired in a shiny black satin knee-length dress, is carrying a small rucksack. She turns on a small torch, its thin beam following the path as it leads down towards the still-black waters of a large lake. The second, smaller figure follows behind. This one is wearing a white elbow-length satin blouse with ruffles and a knee-length black leather skirt.

 

The pair remain silent as they negotiate along the path, following it around the lake. Up ahead a long wood building in a clearing is spotted along the far shore of the lake. The torch is extinguished, and enough natural light now illuminates the remainder of the path.

One of the many pairs of black swans swims over to them, expectantly.

 

The pair reach the building and going around to what is a gardening shed, they open the door and slip inside. They pull a mirror from the rucksack clean themselves up, apply a bit of makeup, and spray some perfume before they both go to the outside window

 

As they peer out a window, the shorter lady, named Emilee, turns to her partner.

“Ma chérie, it’s so exciting, I cannot wait.”

 

Her partner turns away from the window to look into Emilee’s wide-open eyes.

“The coast looks clear. Shall we go to a party?”

 

Emilee nods happily as she turns back to the door.

 

The taller thief stashed the rucksack behind an old broken birdbath and followed.

 

Both ladies head back outside, acting now like exploring guests, They follow the path up to the tall hedges they know will eventually ring the gardens.

 

They reach an arched entrance and go through. The gardens inside consisted of paths meandering through raised flower beds. Tall white marble statues, murmuring fountains, and white stone benches are laid out in and around the flowers. Ornamental shrubs and small trees also dot the landscape. Mixed sweet fragrances meet their noses with a comforting smell.

 

Mixed in is another smell, electric energy of an almost sexual nature emanating from the pair, that has the two ladies trembling with anticipation.

 

At the far end, the small castle-like manor majestically rises above them from a small knoll. Lights are on all over. The castle is reached by two sets of lighted stone stairs leading up from the gardens to a long stone balcony.

 

It is an enclave of the very rich.

 

The pair of intruders spy their first well-dressed guests walking about the spacious area of the balcony, and also a few more on their level in the gardens, which are surrounded by tall clipped hedges.

 

Emilee grasps her friend's elbow.

“Ma chérie , we start here please?”

 

She excitedly nods towards a young couple sitting on a bench.

 

The male is dapper in a tux, a thick silver watch chain hanging from his vest, his companion is dressed in a long peach gown that falls spilling gracefully down at her feet. She is wearing ropes of pearls, gleaming seductively in the moonlight.

 

Her companion chuckles at her companion's exuberance.

“No lass, let’s join the party inside first.”

 

Emilee chirps excitedly…”

“But we can at least say hello, that would be enough, no?”

 

“That would be enough luv.”

 

So the two intentionally walk past the couple. Saying hello, the wonderful party isn’t it?

 

As the couple agree, with the male rising and giving the pair a neat bow, a thin wallet thick with money notes is seen poking from his jacket’s breast pocket

 

The taller lady eyes the fancy, ridiculously valuable diamond and pearl-encrusted bracelet loosely hanging around the sitting girl’s wrist. This made her very excited. An eclectic feeling that had been growing steadfastly since the planning day she first seriously pondered about this caper.

 

Now the “feast” that was awaiting them this evening, after they had successfully infiltrated the grounds, appeared to be tantalizingly attainable and fulfilling!

 

As they walk away, She also wonders if she had been too hasty in telling Emilee to wait.

 

They soon reach the bottom of the stairs leading up the grassy knoll to the castle.

 

Both women stop and exchange excited glances. Then sighing deeply with anticipation, their fingers tingling, they meander up the stairs to reach the balcony and finally begin their long-planned venture.

 

They stroll up the stairs and as they reach the top, keep on going, acting for all the world as if they had been there for hours and had already seen it all.

 

Going into the crowded ballroom they do see that the party has indeed progressed to the point where mostly everyone has drunk and eaten enough that their inhibitions, and more importantly, their guard, are both down, as the upper-class wealthy guests mingle and dance.

 

Blissfully unaware that two drooling foxes have now entered the spacious hen house with its delectably attired occupants.

 

The two thieves separate as soon as they enter, with the plan to be seen as much as possible to the point that their fellow guests accept that they have been there for hours and are one of them.

 

And once that comfort level amongst the wealthy guests had been achieved, then would be the time for the pair of light-fingered female thieves to begin relieving said guests of a few of their valuables.

 

And for our pair of light-fingers ladies, it was scintillating enough to just be in close proximity of the valuable trimmings of these posh quests.

 

By the time a tall antique grandfather clock in the corner had chimed in another hour, that comfort level had been winningly achieved.

 

Both ladies had met and chatted away with several groups of well-dressed and ornamented guests. Both ladies had each been asked to dance with several wealthy males and had kept their fingers to themselves, though that could not be said for several of the males they had danced with.

 

The last strokes of the clock's rich baritone chimes found Emilee talking to a well-dressed man. Her partner comes up beside her and taps Emilee on the shoulder.

 

Turning, Emily squeals and gives the “newcomer” a hug. Then introduces her partner.

“Monsuir Sean this is my dear friend.”

Before she could say more, the taller thief held out her arms and he allowed himself to be given an all-encompassing hug.

 

Meanwhile, Emilee reached in and cleanly picked up the bloke's fat wallet and hanging gold wristwatch.

 

Sean then asks Emilee for a dance and whisks her away. The taller sanguine thief could see he was still wearing a solid 14k signet ring. Pity Emilee had not gotten it.

 

She makes a clucking sound of glee and turns from the dance floor.

 

As she wanders about the thief spies a rather sloshed lady sitting alone at a bar.

She is wearing a pretty black taffeta dress with a skirt that hangs limply to her knees in front and to her heels in back. Her jewelry consists of diamonds. Including a thin diamond-encrusted bracelet dangling from her wrist.

The thief comes up next to her and orders a drink, giving the girl a cheery hello, and soon they are involved in a touchy-feely, friendly conversation.

 

Meanwhile Emilee dances on with the same gentleman. She catches sight of a large diamond ring loosely worn on the pinky finger of a lady in a red velvet dress, whose hands are wrapped around the tall gentleman she is dancing with. The lady has her head buried into the gent's shoulder.

 

Emilee wraps her arms around the waist of her dance partner. Then slyly maneuvers him toward the other couple.

 

Timing it perfectly she ‘trips’ and pushes her partner up against the lady in red velvet and her partner. I’m the ensuing entanglement, Emilee easily grasps the unsuspecting lady’s fingers and smoothly slips off from her finger the valuable diamond set gold ring.

 

At the same time Emilee and her partner Sean were apologizing for the mishap on the dance floor, the lady at the bar who was sitting next to the taller thief, was getting up to leave.

 

A well-placed foot was placed on the long end of her taffeta skirt and losing her balance, stumbled giggling against the tall thief. Ready fingers reached down and as the lady in black taffeta was gaining a hold on the bar, those quick fingers unfastened the thin diamond bracelet from around her wrist, and the expensive piece fell unnoticed to the floor.

 

Once she steadied herself with the help of the lady sitting next to her, she walked off, still a bit unsteady.

 

The taller thief got off the stool. And picked up the bracelet where it lay shimmering. She looked around before walking off as she slipped the dazzling bracelet into a hidden pocket of her satin dress.

 

The taller thief then crossed the room she spied two men going up a side staircase where there was a long railing that overlooked the dance floor. There were rooms up here designated as a men's only smoking room and a fancy ladies' powder room.

 

She got behind them, eyeing their valuables, and followed till they were almost at the top stair.

 

She then pushed in between them.

 

Apologizing and explaining it was an emergency.

 

She darted into the powder room. One of the men’s silver Rolex watches was hidden in her palm.

 

The taller thief darted into the powder room.

 

There were half a dozen well-dressed ladies busy freshening up and pampering themselves in groups of two and three.

 

The one exception was a single lady in a rather fetching blue satin gown adorned with amazingly pretty sapphire and diamond jewellery who appeared to actually be alone. Licking her lips, She started to approach, but the lady turned, catching the thief looking directly at her. She gave the taller thief a sincere smile of apology, lifted her bluer satin skirt, and then darted off into the bathroom section.

 

The taller thief then made the rounds of the large room, discreetly lifting a small rhinestone-encrusted silk purse left unguarded beside two young ladies standing in front of a long window comparing perfumes.

 

Finishing the rounds she saw no further open opportunities.

 

She then left the room and crossed over to open the railing.

 

From this vantage point, she soon spied Emilee coming off the dance floor. One could see her friend plainly was in stalk mode.

 

The taller thief looked ahead and easily spotted the prey.

 

Two exceptionally well-dressed and pearl-burdened female teenagers were in a corner, teasing each other. A warm tingling feeling sweeps over her as she settles in to watch Emilee at work.

 

^^^^^^^^^^

 

Emilee finally left her dance partner. The newly acquired diamond ring was safely stashed away.

 

Walking from the dance floor She spies the sleek glimmer of a fluttering bit of satin. She sees that in a corner of the room, with no one paying them any heed, a pair of lovely young girls in long slinky heavy silk dresses, peach and ivory cream. The pair appear to be having some happily teasing issues with one another.

 

Instinctively Emilee gravitates towards them, and the fetchingly pricey pearled jewellery the pair are in, her mind, amateurishly wearing.

 

For she had, at their age, also been amateurishly wearing pearls belonging to her mama.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It was at a chateau, attending a wedding reception. She felt so pretty, so grown up that it gave her tingles looking at her form-fitting silk dress and the gleaming white grownup pearls she was allowed to be wearing out.

 

She was told to stay on the chateau grounds where she was safe. Safe from what? She had spied a sort of carnival going on in a park down the hill. So she had snuck off, ignoring the advice given her. She hotly desired others to notice how she was dressed up like a proper grown lady.

 

While walking around the park, She had been rudely attacked by a young boy who had come up behind her and grasping Emilee by her new silk dress, had pushed her to the grounds, then ran off laughing, taking with him her velvet purse. A lady wearing a satin blouse with a long skirt had seen what happened and had helped the sobbing Emilee up. Her hands pleasingly petted the young Emilee into submission, as she straightened her soft pretty dress.

 

She congratulated Emilee on how pretty she was, wearing her "absolutely gorgeous party dress", as she was tickling along Emilee’s silk-clad figure with her long fingers until Emilee started giggling. How exciting it was to Emilee, her breasts pleasingly tingling under her tight silk party dress, as the lady stroked her probing fingers over them, caressing them with scintillating long fingers. The lady then started giving Emilee the warm cuddly hugs.

“Better now?”

Then with a final hug, the nice lady went after” that nasty “boy, promising to bring her purse back.

 

It was as Emilee was telling her mama about the boy and her stolen purse, that mama had shockingly asked Emilee what she had happened to all of her pearls?” A shocked Emilee realized that she had been conned out of them.

 

That lady had fondled her as camouflage to steal her pearls. This taught the inexperienced Emilee a valuable lesson.

 

One she was ready to impart upon these equally vulnerable young girls.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Emilee comes up and goes in between them, wrapping an arm around each girl's downy soft warm waists, pulling them closer as she lectured.

 

“Here young mademoiselles, the two of you are far too pretty to be fighting.

 

While speaking, her quick eyes dart expertly down at the tempting pearls lying along the front of their shiny dresses. One is a double-matched strand with a diamond clip holding one side, and the other girl is a 3 strand with large pearls at the bottom with the smallest ones coming up around her throat. Both sets are pearls beyond price to acquire. Both girls wear their long hair up in high buns. From uncovered ears dangle pearled earrings, one hinge clasp and the other pierced on hooks. Emilee licks her lips at this temptingly simple to-acquire virtual smorgasbord.

 

Looking at these girls as another thief had drooled at the pearls she had worn so very long ago, before sending her accomplice to steal her purse and set in motion the scheme to acquire them.

 

While the girls protested that they were merely playing. Emilee’s hands slip up along the girl's slick back sides. Her dominant right hand is pleasingly feeling up to the cream coloured neckline of the unlucky lass wearing the double strand of pearls.

 

Emilee doesn't listen to their pleas and continues to scold

 

“Mes chéries, here now let’s hug together, no…?”

 

She brings them in close, the two girls are squirming, unknowingly helping out the thief to do her work on them.

 

Two fingers of Emilee’s right hand lift up the clasp of the girl's two stranded necklaces, It is easily flicked open and slipped off, falling behind the girl's back, without either girl noticing.

 

Emily lets them go.

That’s better my darlings, and each in turn she lays her hands on thier ears and presses them against her bosum. The squirming slippery peach-gowned girl wearing the triple strand of pearls had her clasped longish earrings slipped off from her sweaty earlobes as she was hugged in turn.

 

Both girls are then shooed off as Emilee turns and walks away heading to the bar for a victory cocktail.

 

The taller thief had seen Emilee at work lifting the two unwary well-dressed young ladies’ valuables. She stretched luxuriously and decided to head down to join Emilee. They had made a rather nice haul this evening.

 

Perhaps it was time to leave before it finally dawned on one of the inebriated guests that something nefarious was going on in their well-dressed midsts.

 

While in this contemplation, the taller thief hears the door to the powder room open. Hearing the rustling of a fine gown, she waits and doesn’t turn around. Then a warm figure comes up, dangerously close, alongside her.

 

The taller thief smiles to herself.

“Perhaps not.”

 

To be continued.

Done