dare not wait any longer. Tomorrow she was escaping!
When they came for her the next morning the first thing she did when they released her from her cage was to say, with evident eagerness, ‘Thank you, Masters, to whichever one of you had me in the night. It made up for all the pain of yesterday.’
They exchanged frowns, and Dum said, ‘Silly girl. We didn’t come here last night.’
‘But one of you must,’ Alice insisted. ‘It was too dark for me to tell which it was, but I know what happened.’ She made a show of suddenly being struck by a new thought. ‘Oh, sorry, Masters. I didn’t know it was meant to be a secret.’
Suspiciously, Dee checked the tally sheet. It appeared to show that he had used Alice twice more than he could recall, once orally and once vaginally.
‘I didn’t make these ticks,’ Dee protested.
‘Of course you wouldn’t put it down if you wanted it kept secret, Master,’ Alice said helpfully, before Dum could respond. ‘Nobody would do that if they wanted it to be a secret. There would only be a tick there if they were trying to make it look as though somebody else wasn’t playing fair …’ She let her eyes go wide and bit her lip. ‘Oh, dear …’
The twins were standing face to face, their cheeks flushed and fists balled.
‘I knew it was you!’ Dum said.
‘I knew it was you!’ Dee retorted.
Struggling to keep her voice sympathetic, Alice said, ‘Brothers shouldn’t fight over a silly girling. Why don’t you simply release me so I don’t come between you again?’
‘No!’ they said together, still eyeball to eyeball.
It was worth a try, Alice thought. ‘Or you can fight a duel for me, like cavaliers and knights used to,’ she suggested. ‘And whoever wins has me all to himself. That’s the only way. Unless you want to be fighting each other for the rest of your lives.’
They looked at her, they looked back at each other, glowered then nodded slowly. ‘We’ll do it!’
‘You’d better fight in the woods where you’ve got room,’ Alice continued helpfully. ‘And why not do it properly and dress up? Have you got swords and something that would do as armour?’ If the story still had any meaning here they would improvise costumes. It would give her a little more time.
‘Like knights?’ Dum asked.
‘Like knights,’ Dee agreed.
They hooked her leash to the ring on the shack door and set off determinedly, marching side by side in step, but not looking at each other.
As soon as they had disappeared Alice began rubbing the nail she had clenched in her right hand against the rope that circled her waist. Every day she had been working at the spot where the rope was hidden by her crossed hands. She had chosen it because it was only one strand, whereas there were several confining each of her wrists. Even so it had been agonisingly slow going. After seemingly sawing away for most of last night she thought she was more than halfway through and hoped it would be weak enough when the time came to make her move.
The twins returned looking even larger than before with an assortment of blankets and bolsters tied about them to serve as armour. On their heads a coalscuttle and cooking pot respectively served as improvised helmets. They carried painted wooden toy swords and shields that looked absurdly small in their pudgy hands. Had they ever grown out of them? Alice wondered. Perhaps not. Nobody ever seemed to grow old here, so why should they?
‘You both look wonderful,’ Alice lied. ‘Please may I start the battle? That would be proper. I mean I am the prize you’re fighting for.’
She was worried they might put her back in her cage while they fought, which would be no use. She had to be in the open so she could make her break.
They led her out into the woods and tied her leash to a tree, then they squared up to each other. Alice realised she had to say something appropriate, but she had never refereed a duel before.
‘Right, I, er, want a good
When they came for her the next morning the first thing she did when they released her from her cage was to say, with evident eagerness, ‘Thank you, Masters, to whichever one of you had me in the night. It made up for all the pain of yesterday.’
They exchanged frowns, and Dum said, ‘Silly girl. We didn’t come here last night.’
‘But one of you must,’ Alice insisted. ‘It was too dark for me to tell which it was, but I know what happened.’ She made a show of suddenly being struck by a new thought. ‘Oh, sorry, Masters. I didn’t know it was meant to be a secret.’
Suspiciously, Dee checked the tally sheet. It appeared to show that he had used Alice twice more than he could recall, once orally and once vaginally.
‘I didn’t make these ticks,’ Dee protested.
‘Of course you wouldn’t put it down if you wanted it kept secret, Master,’ Alice said helpfully, before Dum could respond. ‘Nobody would do that if they wanted it to be a secret. There would only be a tick there if they were trying to make it look as though somebody else wasn’t playing fair …’ She let her eyes go wide and bit her lip. ‘Oh, dear …’
The twins were standing face to face, their cheeks flushed and fists balled.
‘I knew it was you!’ Dum said.
‘I knew it was you!’ Dee retorted.
Struggling to keep her voice sympathetic, Alice said, ‘Brothers shouldn’t fight over a silly girling. Why don’t you simply release me so I don’t come between you again?’
‘No!’ they said together, still eyeball to eyeball.
It was worth a try, Alice thought. ‘Or you can fight a duel for me, like cavaliers and knights used to,’ she suggested. ‘And whoever wins has me all to himself. That’s the only way. Unless you want to be fighting each other for the rest of your lives.’
They looked at her, they looked back at each other, glowered then nodded slowly. ‘We’ll do it!’
‘You’d better fight in the woods where you’ve got room,’ Alice continued helpfully. ‘And why not do it properly and dress up? Have you got swords and something that would do as armour?’ If the story still had any meaning here they would improvise costumes. It would give her a little more time.
‘Like knights?’ Dum asked.
‘Like knights,’ Dee agreed.
They hooked her leash to the ring on the shack door and set off determinedly, marching side by side in step, but not looking at each other.
As soon as they had disappeared Alice began rubbing the nail she had clenched in her right hand against the rope that circled her waist. Every day she had been working at the spot where the rope was hidden by her crossed hands. She had chosen it because it was only one strand, whereas there were several confining each of her wrists. Even so it had been agonisingly slow going. After seemingly sawing away for most of last night she thought she was more than halfway through and hoped it would be weak enough when the time came to make her move.
The twins returned looking even larger than before with an assortment of blankets and bolsters tied about them to serve as armour. On their heads a coalscuttle and cooking pot respectively served as improvised helmets. They carried painted wooden toy swords and shields that looked absurdly small in their pudgy hands. Had they ever grown out of them? Alice wondered. Perhaps not. Nobody ever seemed to grow old here, so why should they?
‘You both look wonderful,’ Alice lied. ‘Please may I start the battle? That would be proper. I mean I am the prize you’re fighting for.’
She was worried they might put her back in her cage while they fought, which would be no use. She had to be in the open so she could make her break.
They led her out into the woods and tied her leash to a tree, then they squared up to each other. Alice realised she had to say something appropriate, but she had never refereed a duel before.
‘Right, I, er, want a good
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