Part 8: Ali Babe and her Flirty Thieves

A cool and refreshing wind blows gently through the trees. Ali stretches, careful not to disturb the girl next to her. She smiles slightly and remembers the activities of the previous evening, but now is not the time for such thoughts; now is the time for business.

"Friday, my frolicsome friend, time to get up."

Friday murmurs quietly and shrugs off the hand that is resting on her bare shoulder. The movement causes the blanket to slip and exposes the upper curve of Friday's breast. Suppressing the urge to suckle gently on the exposed skin, Ali blows gently in Fridays ear.

"Wake up! We have work to do."

"Okay, Okay. There's no need to shout; I'm awake."

"In that case, get your luscious body out of my bed and into some clothes before I forget what I woke you for!"

Ali and Friday, pull on their 'uniform' for tonight's work, then Ali slips away to wake the rest of her band. While everyone else is getting dressed, Ali considers the conditions. The moon is almost setting, which means that soon the night will be at its darkest. She gathers everyone together.

"Right my 'Flirty Thieves'", the group giggle at this appellation, "soon the moon will have set and then we can be on our way. Bree, Cat have you got the empty containers?" Bree and Cat nod at this question. "Friday have you charged up the 'catcher?"

Friday looks at the meter on the contraption that she is holding. "Fully charged." She holds up her other hand. "I have spare power packs, too."

"Right let's get going then."

The intrepid band set off through the trees. They are using the last of the moonlight to light their way while in the forest. If they have judged it correctly the moon will have set just before they reach their objective. And of course they have, as they break free from the trees, the moon, bloated by its proximity to the horizon, slips behind a hill. The group stands still while their eyes adjust to the starlight. A giggle, hastily muffled, betrays the excitement that they all are feeling. Slowly and carefully they creep toward the first of the cottages that they are to visit tonight.

Ali peers through the opened bedroom window, she motions to Friday to bring the 'catcher to her. The sounds of gentle snoring are clearer now as Ali slowly and carefully opens the window to its widest extent. Friday points the contraption at the sleeping figure and pulls the trigger. Nothing seems to happen except that the sleeping figure is suddenly still. Friday looks at the glass bulb that is attached to the stock of the 'catcher. Where before it had been empty, now it was filled with a sparkling cloud that glowed gently and scintillated with a myriad colours.

"It looks like a good one."

The snoring continues and returns to its original volume as Ali closes the window back the way it was. By the time she has rejoined Friday and the rest, Bree is holding the filled glass bulb and Friday is replacing it with an empty one. Bree holds the bulb to her forehead. She groans.

"Ooooo. That's a good one!"

Into her mind, as if from a distance, Bree can see a lake, brightly lit by moonlight. In the foreground a man and two women are making love. A beautiful, Indian-looking woman had the man's penis in her mouth. The tall blonde woman was industriously eating out the other woman and the man was completing the circle, by applying the same techniques to the tall blonde.

"Nick was certainly having fun tonight!"

Carefully Bree places the glass bulb in a net bag. And now the gang make their way to the next cottage. This was a repeat of the first and in this way the band of thieves makes their way quietly around all the cottages in the clearing. As they approach the last of the cottages that they are due to visit tonight, the brightest lights they have ever seen suddenly blind them.

"Well, well. If it ain't Ali Babe and her Flirty Thieves."