Continue the story.....

[lunababymoonchild]

spent far too much time dreaming and not enough time listening. By the time I came out of it, it was the middle of the night and all the shops were all shut. For a moment I didn't know where I was and then ..........

[poppy]

I had a Eureka! moment.  The bored looking youth, who was obviously not overly bright, had mistaken me for a mannequin and I was in the exact same place I'd been when I went into my reverie.  The dopey twerp had gone and locked me in Millie's Millinery shop! There was nothing for it but to ...

[itsmeagain]

sigh, settle down for the night, and sleep. But first, food...God help me man, I want spuds and peas. Entering the back room /kitchen,  I put on the light.

A green , shiny toaster winked at me, the face on its side smiling and doing a Marilyn Monroe come on smile. It blew me a kiss. 

Opening a cupboard, I found bread, canned peas, and mashed spud powder. I turned on the kettle. Suddenly there was a flash

[lunababymoonchild]

and I realised that the kettle had short circuited. So much for tea, or hot mash. Still, I had the canned peas on toast and then ......

Edited July 26, 2023 by lunababymoonchild

[itsmeagain]

,  being a sleepy type of a bloke, I found some old drapery and millinery cloth, and ... 

[poppy]

wrapping myself tightly, I staggered over to a couch and collapsed in an untidy heap. It had been a long and eventful day and despite my startled digestion due to cold peas on dry toast, it was the work of a moment to drop into a deep and dreamless sleep. Early next morning I was awakened by ...

[lunababymoonchild]

general clatter, banging and something definitely crashed, as the staff opened up the shop again. At first I didn't know where I was, it always takes me a while to orient myself especially when I've been rudely awakened, so confusion is nothing new, when …………..

[itsmeagain]

in came three men , switching lights on,boiling kettles,making toast, and I heard the most remarkable conversation. 

Ensconced in a corner as I was, I had not been seen amongst my pile of blankets on this chilly Milwaukee day.

'Did y'@ll read about the septuagenarian  lady who died on a train..?..' asked Man one,a moustachioed bloke aged 43 , in a cowboy hat, with boots with spurs to make him look a proper...

 

[poppy]

bronco-buster. However, I wasn't in the slightest bit interested in his wacky apparel.

'Hey!' I shouted, 'how the hell did you get the kettle going again??'

[itsmeagain]

'Oh Lord, what have we here?..', exclaimed Man number 2, a raw, thin looking bod with lank, freshly washed hair, tied up in a pony tail, using freshly baled farmland straw. 

'Oh there you all are. You see, Burt , I mean, your young man working here yesterday,  thought I was a statue  to put hats on, and because it's so bloody dull in here, I fell asleep, covered in old mllinery and a few blankets . A bloke travelling all the way from bloody UK getting locked in , nowt to eat aside from cold peas on dry bread, and here you...

Edited July 28, 2023 by itsmeagain

[lunababymoonchild]

are, making enough noise to wake the dead and taking the Lord Thy God's name in vain! Since, clearly I do not possess the secret code with which to use the kettle, would somebody, anybody, make me a cup of tea and some breakfast? Before I starve to death and end up looking like a skeleton!' I went from disoriented to bad-tempered instantly. Still ...............

[itsmeagain]

reeling from the shock, Man no. 3  picked up the kettle,  boiled it, and poured out sweet sickly tea, garnished with half a loganberry apiece, and....

[lunababymoonchild]

I gulped it down greedily. What a relief! Meanwhile Burt was rustling up a cooked breakfast of a remarkably English-type - good going for an American - and I managed to eat that with a little more decorum. Thus fed and watered, and it was clear that there would be no talking to me until this was accomplished, we then ............

[poppy]

got down to discussing how the elderly lady was supposed to have died on the train. I needed to know what the police were saying about the incident and if they were looking for anyone, me in particular. Burt thought ...

Edited July 29, 2023 by poppy

[itsmeagain]

it was time for straight talking. 'Now buddy, listen here..if you think anywaan with naathin to hide has a multicoloured pony tail then..'

'Oh aah dunno so much', declared Man no.3, a square jawed, duplicitous looking cad sporting a trilby and a maple leaf flag on his tee shirt.

'Aaaah wanna  know the truth, y'all', opined a .....

[lunababymoonchild]

a very small, shifty looking individual. What was I to do? Think fast, I thought and just then ………

[poppy]

I had a brainwave. Why didn't I ...

[itsmeagain]

say to them, I am available for work, guys, my bank balance is 7 quid 11p, and...

[lunababymoonchild]

I can start right away. This seemed to go down well and the shifty looking guy remained silent. Big sigh of relief, until ..................

[itsmeagain]

man one said ' it says here that the dude they're seeking is a guy with a 🌈 rainbow coloured pony 🤣 tale. And he was sucking the booby of some broad on the train, and this poor old lady expired due to heart failure in seeing 👀 such terrible scenes..wish I'd been there' he said, as....

[poppy]

he slapped his thigh and bent over double in laughter.

'You're hired!' he shouted, 'Whattaya say guys? We'll all rainbow dye our hair and breathe a bit of life into ol' Millie's.'

The general concensus was ... 

[lunababymoonchild]

one of conviviality. So I set about learning all things millinery when all the lights went out as did the electricty. Then ........

[itsmeagain]

man 1 gave the stentorian order 'candles..on!! Electricity..off!!!  Profits..Great!! Workers..don't be late,,,,,'  Stomping and clapping in time, soon I looked like a whirling dervish in a deep trance, my Pride ponytail....

[poppy]

swishing backwards and forwards in a way that would make any filly happy. Unfortunately, due to my enthusiasm, I totally forgot about the candles and next thing my pride and joy went up in flames. During the mayhem that followed ...

[itsmeagain]

I managed to fill a cup with water six times, 200mls per cup, and a litre of water managed to put out the fire, not bad when you consider nearly everything was wooden; the furniture,  the floors, the doors, the demeanour of the staff, ......am certain,  oh reader,you get my drift.

Suddenly the lights came on, and a startling visage appeared in the doorway, in a white coat, the manager of this shambles was among us.

'I..am Millicent the milliner, I manage this den ', she said, her demeanour difficult to gauge, but I was scared .

I ....

Edited August 2, 2023 by itsmeagain