Plain Jane and A Pretty Pilferer
Plain Jane And A Pretty Pilferer
"Do I look like a mug to you?" Jane said reproachfully to the man with the knife in his hand. "Seriously? Do I have it stamped on my forehead? Now, let's play nice. You play fair and I won't have to call the police. All right?"
"OK! Take it easy, miss," snapped the man, cutting a bigger slice of melon out for her and handing it over the counter.
"JANE!"
A shrill gleeful call sounded out and Jane rolled her eyes sulkily. She couldn't understand how she'd ended up with Amelia following her around all day. Amelia had initially made rascist remarks about her but it turned out she'd been joking. Jane didn't see how it was funny. She was Asian, Amelia wasn't, what was the joke?
Amelia had long, long brown hair that hung by her waist, tied back with an orange head band and a large Daisy glued on to it. She'd slung a canvas bag over her shoulders and didn't seem to have a care in the world - Jane envied her for that greatly.
"Nice fruit stall buddy! Do you have pomegranate?" Amelia finally caught up with her, smiling flirtily at the man with the knife. "Here, look - I got you a present." Jane looked down; it was a box of dominoes.
"They're racially friendly!" added Amelia, beaming, taking a cherry out from Jane's brown bag and popping it into her mouth.
"Hilarious," fumed Jane. The two of them walked past the incense stick stall, inhaling mango smoke. "But I can't accept it. I know you didn't pay for it."
"Oh, my dear Jane! Haven't you figured it out yet?" Amelia let out a tinkly laugh, tossing the cherry stone away. "All of the best presents are stolen. Be they scarves or kisses . . . come on, I want to buy a Red Bull and some 'cancer sticks' before I take you home."
"I thought you didn't have any money?" Jane bluntly pointed out. "Isn't that why you've been stealing all morning."
But Amelia just laughed again and responded by saying, "Jane, if I didn't have money, I wouldn't nick coffee and dominoes. I'd take Islands and ships and secrets and valuable papers. That sort of thing."
The puddles on Camden Lock were glistening brilliantly in the early evening sunshine and, as they walked, the folk from the market were taking down their stalls and putting away their unsold stock. Every now and then, Jane would spy Amelia's hand reach out and make a snatching movement before returning it to her canvas bag. She wanted to turn her in but she knew that Amelia would be back even so. Would she ever be rid of her?
"Do you steal because you like it or because you have kleptomania?" asked Jane quite suddenly.
Amelia paused and for a brief moment she was deep in thought. But then she simply shrugged and replied, "Don't know. I suppose it's like it says in the Bible - planes in the air can sometimes sound like wind chimes."
"OK! Take it easy, miss," snapped the man, cutting a bigger slice of melon out for her and handing it over the counter.
"JANE!"
A shrill gleeful call sounded out and Jane rolled her eyes sulkily. She couldn't understand how she'd ended up with Amelia following her around all day. Amelia had initially made rascist remarks about her but it turned out she'd been joking. Jane didn't see how it was funny. She was Asian, Amelia wasn't, what was the joke?
Amelia had long, long brown hair that hung by her waist, tied back with an orange head band and a large Daisy glued on to it. She'd slung a canvas bag over her shoulders and didn't seem to have a care in the world - Jane envied her for that greatly.
"Nice fruit stall buddy! Do you have pomegranate?" Amelia finally caught up with her, smiling flirtily at the man with the knife. "Here, look - I got you a present." Jane looked down; it was a box of dominoes.
"They're racially friendly!" added Amelia, beaming, taking a cherry out from Jane's brown bag and popping it into her mouth.
"Hilarious," fumed Jane. The two of them walked past the incense stick stall, inhaling mango smoke. "But I can't accept it. I know you didn't pay for it."
"Oh, my dear Jane! Haven't you figured it out yet?" Amelia let out a tinkly laugh, tossing the cherry stone away. "All of the best presents are stolen. Be they scarves or kisses . . . come on, I want to buy a Red Bull and some 'cancer sticks' before I take you home."
"I thought you didn't have any money?" Jane bluntly pointed out. "Isn't that why you've been stealing all morning."
But Amelia just laughed again and responded by saying, "Jane, if I didn't have money, I wouldn't nick coffee and dominoes. I'd take Islands and ships and secrets and valuable papers. That sort of thing."
The puddles on Camden Lock were glistening brilliantly in the early evening sunshine and, as they walked, the folk from the market were taking down their stalls and putting away their unsold stock. Every now and then, Jane would spy Amelia's hand reach out and make a snatching movement before returning it to her canvas bag. She wanted to turn her in but she knew that Amelia would be back even so. Would she ever be rid of her?
"Do you steal because you like it or because you have kleptomania?" asked Jane quite suddenly.
Amelia paused and for a brief moment she was deep in thought. But then she simply shrugged and replied, "Don't know. I suppose it's like it says in the Bible - planes in the air can sometimes sound like wind chimes."
♠ ♠ ♠
Any riddles must be worked out.