| General Fiction posted March 10, 2024 | Chapters: |
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Valerie gets her friend Lizzie to help
A chapter in the book Compilations of Stories
Valerie Wants Revenge
by Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
| Background picture from Pixabay IA |
1950s Valerie and Reggie
2 part 1
"Shush!" Valerie put her hand over Lizzie's mouth. "They'll 'ear ya."
Valerie and Lizzie were crouched down behind some bushes, spying on Valerie's brother Reggie, and his best mate, Trevor.
Valerie had been waiting for a chance to get even with her brother for tying the handle of the outhouse door to the coal bunker door handle while she was still sitting on the toilet. Now that she had the chance to get revenge, nothing and no one was going to mess it up for her. She would make darned sure of that.
On that day, six weeks ago, Valerie had kicked up such a fuss, screaming and shouting until her mother, Audrey, had come and let her out. Audrey was already stressed, it being a Monday and washtub day, and had been angry with her son for starting the rumpus in the first place. Now she was livid. Satisfied that Reggie's bum was going to feel the bottom of their dad's slipper, Valerie had gone off to tell her friend Lizzie all about it. Lizzie had thought what Reggie had done was hilarious, but she wouldn't dare say as much.
"That'll teach 'im," she'd finished with a smug smile on her face, but his punishment never happened. Not only that, her oh, so wonderful brother, had come home a hero for saving old Mrs Coombe's life! So what? Anyone could've done that!
Now, her revenge had presented itself in the sweetest way possible. Valerie could never have planned such an opportunity, yet there it was, just waiting for her to pull it off.
"Ooow, don't think I should watch this," Lizzie said, turning her head away from the scene unfolding in front of them. "It's not right. Me ma would give me wot for, if she knew what I woz doin' ere."
"Well, don't tell 'er then. D'ya think I'm gonna tell my ma? I'm not that stupid." Valerie shook her head while her eyes rolled in their sockets. "Keep yer 'ead down ... they're movin' about." Valerie peeped through the bushes, watching her brother and Trevor remove their clothes down to their underpants, before running into the river for a swim. "They're in the water. Come on. While they're not lookin'."
The two girls got down on all fours and crawled out from behind the bushes. Careful not to be seen, they moved quietly over to where the boys had left their clothes. Then, leaving the shoes, they grabbed the clothes and moved back behind the bushes.
"Now wotcha gonna do?" Lizzie whispered. She looked nervously towards the river, the boys were still swimming and fooling around. "Don't ya fink we should go before they get out?"
"I wanna see their faces," Valerie hissed back. "This is gonna be a scream, 'n I ain't gonna miss it fer anyfing."
Lizzie lay flat on the ground; she wouldn't take a chance on being seen. The lads were still swimming; it might be a long wait. "Wotcha gonna do wiv their clothes?"
"Oow, dunno. Never thought of that."
Valerie thought about it now though. She couldn't take them home; they'd all know it was her. Then again, she daren't accidently lose them, either. Her mum and dad would be really angry. Clothes weren't cheap to come by, as her mum kept telling them when they left them in a heap on the floor.
"I know!" A smile spread all over her face as she looked over at the boys' bikes. They were out of sight of the beach, leaning against a tree behind them. "We'll tie 'em to the 'andlebars, then move 'em up t' the church. They've gotta go 'ome that way."
"S'posen someone sees us?" Lizzy was always the worrier.
"We're gonna make sure no one does. Let's move back a bit, we don't wan' em to see us when we skedaddle outa 'ere."
Just at that moment, Trevor decided to come out of the water.
"Hang on," Valerie whispered.
They watched as Trevor came up to where they'd left their clothes. He stopped and looked around. Seeing their shoes still where they'd left them, he picked them up, still looking around.
"Oiy, Reggie, our stuff's gone," he shouted out loudly. "There's only our shoes 'ere!"
"Wotcha mean, our stuff's gone?" Reggie came out of the water and walked up to Trevor. He looked at the shoes still in Trevor's hands.
Valerie gave Lizzie a dig, "Come on, time t' go." Very carefully, the two girls edged back to where the boys' bikes were, and grabbing them, ran through the woods, towards the church.
****
"They've gotta be 'ere!" Reggie was getting worried. "We left 'em 'ere, didn't we? They can't 'ave got up an' walked away."
"Well, they 'av. Gawd knows wot me mam'll do t' me." Trevor was more worried about that than how he was going to get home in just his underpants.
"Well, it ain't our fault they've been stolen. Let's take a gander in the trees. They've gotta be 'ere somewhere."
Reggie stomped off towards the trees on the left, all the while moaning under his breath. "I'll belt the livin' daylights outta oow ever's dun this."
Trevor had walked towards the trees on the right. He frowned; something wasn't right. Then, as if a light had just come on and illuminated the scene, he stopped, "NO! No, no!" He shouted, then took off at a run.
"Wot now?"
"Our bikes ... they've gone! Me mam'll kill me!" Trevor was holding his head in his hands, gasping. "Wotta we gonna do?"
Reggie stared at the empty space where the bikes should have been, his mind now doing overtime.
"We're goin' ta the police station, that's wot we're gonna do." Reggie had made his mind up. "There's a thief round 'ere somewhere. We're gonna tell our mam's, it's not our fault. They can't tell us off for somefing that's not our fault, can they?"
"Yer think?" Trevor was not so sure and still worried about his backside. His dad always said it hurt him more than it hurt Trevor, but Trevor couldn't quite understand that. Why do it if it hurt him? He always thought that was a stupid thing to say.
"Yeh, I'm sure. Come on, let's go."
They knelt down and put their shoes on first. At least the thief had left them here. The police station was at the opposite side of the village to where the boys lived. It meant walking past the village store, but Reggie was so angry now, he really didn't care. Trevor continued to slink behind Reggie, hoping no one would see him. His luck wasn't with him today.
Mrs Stanstead was the last person they wanted to see. She was known as the village gossip. If you wanted to know anything, go to Mrs Stanstead, she'd definitely know. So of course, she had to be the one coming out of the store as they walked by.
She stopped and gaped at the boys walking by almost naked! "'Pon my word!" She gasped, "What happened to your clothes, boys?"
"They were stolen," Reggie growled. "We're goin' ta tell the coppers." They carried on walking by, knowing they were causing a stir in the village. More people were coming out and staring now.
"Now the 'ole world'll know." Trevor was cringing. He stared straight ahead, wishing it was a just a dream. "It's a bleedin' nightmare," he whispered. "That old crow is gonna tell our mams before we can get to them." He shut his eyes for a moment. "Then, gawd 'elp me, I'm gonna be a deadun fer sure!"
Reggie said nothing, he just kept walking, his face scarlet with rage, more than embarrassment.
*****
Valerie and Lizzie were sitting in Valerie's front garden, waiting to see the boys when they came up the lane.
"They've bin a long time," Lizzie said, nervously. "Wocha think they're doin'?"
Valerie frowned; they were a lot longer than she thought they'd be. "P'raps they're still lookin'? I dunno. We can't go an' look, they'd wonder wot we were doin' there."
They both sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts. Lizzie was working herself into a frenzy of painful thoughts. She couldn't take her eyes off the lane. Where were they?
"Wot's she want?" Valerie nudged Lizzie and cocked her head over the lane. "Looks like she's comin' 'ere."
Mrs Stanstead bustled in through the gate and looked at the girls sitting on the grass. "Is your mother in, Valerie?"
"Yeh, she's in the back."
Mrs Stanstead carried on round to the back garden and rapped hard on the outside kitchen door. Curious, both girls followed her round.
"Mrs Stanstead?" Audrey was so surprised to see her, she forgot herself and asked straight out, "What can I be doing fer you?"
"I thought you ought to know, your son Reggie, and his friend Trevor, have just walked almost naked, through the village. It was a very distressing sight, I can tell you." Mrs Stanstead, sniffed, which just made Audrey want to smack her one.
"You 'ave gotta be jokin'!" she said angrily. "If this is more of yer nasty lies..."
"I can assure you; I am not in the habit of lying! They told me they were going to the police station because they believed a thief had taken their clothes." Mrs Stanstead pulled herself up straight, and sniffed again.
"Well, thanks fer puttin' yerself out and comin' 'ere ta tell' me. I s'pose you've not 'ad chance t' get t' Trev's mam yet?"
"No, I'm just on my way."
"Well, I'll save ya the trouble and go meself."
"Well, if you must." Mrs Stanstead was not happy with that. She loved to watch the distress cloud their faces when she told them what she knew. Of course, she was really doing them a service. What if they found out some other way? And what thanks did she get? None.
Valerie and Lizzie looked at each other. Neither had thought the boys would do that.
*****
"Well, what 'ave we got 'ere then?" PC. Jones, looked over his specs, eyeing the two lads up. "Did we forget to do something before we left home today?"
"We was robbed." Reggie said, flatly. "We went down t' the river fer a swim, and left our clothes on the rocks. Someone took 'em."
"An' our bikes!" Trevor blurted out. "Me mam'll kill me, an' it ain't our fault!
The sergeant looked at them now, seriously. "Your bikes too, eh? And you came straight 'ere?"
"Yes." They both replied.
"OK. Let's 'ave a description. First yer clothes."
The boys answered all the questions the sergeant asked. "Right then." He looked at them standing there, shaking. "Best be getting you lads 'ome then." He turned and called a young police constable and told him to mind the desk. "Come on you two, can't have you upsetting the neighbourhood any more, dressed, or should I say, undressed, as you are." His mouth twitched as he tried to conceal a smile.
The drive home was mortifying. Everyone looked at the police car, it didn't come out much. To see Reggie and Trevor sitting in the back seat was something that would be spoken about for months to come. The boys tried to slink down into the seats, trying to hide away.
*****
Audrey was just about to go and see Hazel, when she saw her coming up the lane.
"Ahh, I see you've been told then?" Hazel said, looking directly at Mrs Stanstead. "Didn't take ya long, did it! Bleedin' gossip."
"Well! I don't need to stay here and be insulted." Mrs Stanstead, sniffed and with a snooty look, turned round and marched off down the lane.
"You heard then?" Audrey said.
"It's all around the village," Hazel said, sighing. "What on earth were they thinkin' of?"
"I think we are about to find out." Audrey moved towards the gate and waited for the police car to stop.
Valerie and Lizzie came round to the front garden, just as Reggie and Trevor were getting out the car. Neither said anything, just stood watching. Audrey went over to the boys and ushered them indoors.
"Go upstairs an' put some clothes on, and give Trevor somefing t' put on too, 'e looks the same size as you. Then come back down 'ere."
The Police Sergeant had a chat with the two mothers, and told them they would do their best to find the missing clothes and bikes. "Can't be far away. Probably some kids just 'avin' a larf."
"I'll give 'em sumfing to larf at, if I gets me 'ands on 'em!" Audrey told him, angrily.
Lizzie nudged Valerie and walked around to the side of the house. "What we gonna do now?" Lizzie had turned quite grey when the policeman came to the house. "That weren't s'posed to 'appen! An' yer 'eard yer mam, she's gonna give us wot for!"
"Just keep yer mouf shut, an' they'll never know." Valerie said, sharply. Secretly, she wasn't at all happy the way things were going. She had to think of something.
"What about the bikes an' clothes? They're still at the church. Oooh, I wish I 'adn't dunnit."
"They'll be OK, specially seein' they're in the graveyard." For a moment, Valerie saw the funny side of it and grinned.
"Wot's so funny?" Lizzie demanded. "I don't think there's much to larf at!"
"No, you never do." Valerie was to wound up to take Lizzie's groaning any more. "Look, it's gonna be alright. Wot can they do ta us? Kill us?"
"Let's go to the church. Jus' ta see if they're still there." Lizzie said quietly.
Valerie sighed loudly, "Come on then."
"We can jus' 'ave a look, don't need t' stop." Lizzie whinged, as she tried to keep up with her friend striding off in front of her.
*****
Father Thomas looked at the clothes tied to the bicycle handlebars, and frowned. "Where on earth did you come from?" he murmured softly. He stood there just looking around. There was no one but him in the graveyard. He untied the clothes and had a look inside. He hoped there would be a name marked in them. There wasn't. "Oh, dear. What to do? What to do?" He carried on looking around, but not moving.
"Father Thomas!"
The voice brought him back from his thoughts. Turning, he saw Mrs Stanstead, waving her hand and coming towards him. "Good afternoon, Mrs Stanstead. Lovely day."
"I was just passing and saw you standing there," Mrs Stanstead wheezed. "Ahh. You found the boys' bikes, I see. That will save the police some time."
"The police? Whose bikes are these, Mrs Stanstead?"
"Reggie's and Trevor's. You haven't heard what happened then?" She happily told him about the mystery of the missing clothes and bikes, and how the boys had to walk almost naked through the village. "We think there are some practical jokers in the village. Would you like me to go and fetch the boys?" Mrs Stanstead would like nothing more than to be the one to tell those rude women that she had found them. "It won't be putting me out at all."
"You are very kind, Mrs Stanstead. That is very neighbourly of you." Father Thomas smiled graciously.
Everything happened at once then. Valerie and Lizzie saw Mrs Stanstead talking to Father Thomas, who was standing by the boys' bikes. They quickly walked back to Valerie's house, and waited. Then Mrs Stanstead came back, and with a smile of satisfaction, told everyone she had found the boys' clothes and their bikes.
Everyone went down to the Church, and the police sergeant took a statement from Father Thomas, who told everyone how he had found them there. This totally upset Mrs Stanstead, after telling everyone she'd found them, but of course she couldn't say anything.
The boys had their clothes and bikes back and were happy again. Valerie and Lizzy just stood back and watched and listened. Their names had not been mentioned, so they hadn't been seen. But what really got up Valerie's nose was the way Reggie and Trevor had been treated like victims of a malicious plot aimed at getting them into trouble.
"He comes up smellin' of bleedin' roses every time." Valerie raged inside.
Book of the Month contest entry
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#5 March 2024 |
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