Tambourines

"I am trying to get myself to a place of ease and a working environment that benefits everyone here, but I can only look, at my face in the mirror and say," "who is that?" Knocking on the door, there was a pause in the room, the conversation stopped, and all eyes were on the door.

"Uh", there was a brief shuffling of papers and the women's group dismantled, all eyes peering, hoping for a chance to glimpse the 'intruder' through the peephole. The guilty party was hooded, had a knapsack, a mystery box, and looked to be about 12 years old!

Brady, the group leader, pushed everyone aside, and opened the door. "Let me handle this," she said with mock authority.

The hooded figure peeked up from his 'cloak', and humbly offered the box. "For you, my lady, " he stammered, then took off and ran.

"But, wait.." Brady started after him. "I didn't get your name," she mumbled. He was already gone, into the night, his bicycle leaving skidmarks in the loose soil of the flowerbed.

"Little punk", Julianna spoke up, "Let me see that box."

"He said it was for Brady," I reached out, got hold of the package and handed it to her. " She should open it."

"Yes, me specifically," she said, and tore open the brown paper.

We all were astounded, to find, a jack-in-the-box that popped up in our face and nearly hit Brady in the eye!

"Jesus," she slowly put the wagging frolicking gag present back on the counter.

"What could this mean?" Julianna gazed at the window, with an eerie pale gaze. Jesse started wrapping it back up, and hastily said," I think we throw it out, has a spell or a curse. Let me," she was ready to dispose of the thing when the director, Brady put her arm out to stop her. "We need that for evidence, when we bring it to attention of the authorities; there's no curse," she took off an ear to prove it was nothing but a toy, a prank, even though she was as astonished at the whole thing as we were.

The next morning, I saw a note on the door, and brought it to the breakfast table where we all ate. It was addressed to, "The Lovely Ladies Across the River", and we glanced at each other, thinking out loud, who's across the river? Is this another prank, from that boy? And what does he have with us, why are these mystery messages all of a sudden appearing, disturbing our quiet group.

Opening it, hesitatingly, we held our breath. Would this be the end of us, if we weren't able to discern or conquer our new foe?

Brady read the words, written by what seemed to be a wobbly hand.

'We must obtain our key, to enter the Town of Forbidden Fruit, meet us at the Rose Garden at dawn, or else.'

It was signed, 'The Duke".

"Ok, what is this," Jesse was protesting, but the rest of us had another plan, to meet them and see.

The next night, everyone started out , pre-dawn, to meet the perpetrator at the garden. We were looking rather like a bunch of wandering witches, but we made our way somehow to the 'Row of Roses', you might have heard about, down by the north side of the river, bearing a key, a watch, a compass, a picnic basket, and an arrest warrant we procured from the center station.

All goods in hand, we must've jumped 3 people falsely before we then laid hands on someone who called himself, 'Duke', and he sprung his hands in the air, screaming for mercy.

"Please, please," he whimpered, " I mean no harm." We relaxed, and he brushed his coat, and straightened out, saying, "I just was playing a prank, it was just to get initiated into this club, I.." he looked down, then sheepishly up at us, and said, "It was a dare."

"Ok, well you better tell us what club, and where, and who sent you, and all that good stuff, cuz we have a warrant for your arrest!"

"Oh, uh," he went to run, first turning to mention, "but I really needed that key!"

"Oh, just give him the key, " I said, "have a heart. Play along, or we'll never find out anything!"

Something was suspicious, but we followed him up the hill that went by the old train station, and then went down on the other side, tripping over old cords and spikes, til the daylight shone through the clouds.

"Where'd he go?" we looked around, he had vanished. Julianna, the 'keeper of the key', shrieked, 'my key is gone', emptying her pants pocket, and she winked at me.

This told me that somehow she had transferred the old key we brought, to the guy, 'Duke', which may mean his mission would be complete, so we did help him after all. I was glad, because that would mean he would stop bothering us.

"Ah!" back at the cabin, we regained our calm attitudes, and decided to get back to the meeting.

The incident did not come up for discussion again, except for when at the town hall, there was a meet, and a newcomer, named 'Duke', was introduced, we all just shook our heads and laughed away.

Brady made a new rule, no accepting packages from strangers, and the life in the sunny town of Dawnbrook, went on.

The End

Aftermath: the guy moved into a house, on the hill, he said the key was because his grandson had wanted one, the jack-in-the-box was something he always wanted to do, he sent his grandson to do it, and he said he chose us pretty randomly.

We handled it with a threat, but we had to, so we learned to each apologize and get along, and we lived peacefully in the town, he even had our back one time when an intruder tried to break in, and he happened to be gardening, outside our door.

We called him ' Big Dukes', and he even took us on road trips! We visited Atlanta, and even went out west to enjoy the otherworldly scenery, in other states.

Soon, his grandson would be a singer in the choir, and all would be well, as melodious music would chime through the air.

Moral of the story: "Don't leave tread marks in the garden, or your grandfather will get jumped by raving mad women in the middle of the night, and arrested for treason".