Stealing

Maggie’s disguise was quite complete. She was taller than anyone had ever seen her, she had affixed two false horns to her head, placed a delicate black lace veil across her eyes and the most distinctive thing about her, her treasure, was carefully hidden away as safe as she could make it. She was just one of the many All Hollow’s revelers which would spend the following week in various costumes, pretending to be what they were not.

So, she could not be blamed for being bold as she strode through the empty streets, not caring if anyone saw her and fairly certainly no one would, as they were all attending Miss Breezy’s wonderful ball that evening. She was sorry she couldn’t have stayed longer there, for all the obvious reasons she liked to be around Mr. Bones, but she knew the time to act had come.

She found the Bucket of Blood utterly empty, all of its patrons were at the ball and its owners, she presumed, were out taking advantage of the full moon. It wasn’t hard to pry the prize from its plaque and she couldn’t help but stand in the middle of the room gloating over it, grinning triumphantly. It was not a large blow, but it was a blow, and it would remind Mr. Underby just who she was, a preamble to other troubles she had every intention of raining down on his head. As a precaution she leaned down and whispered to the skull softly, “No need to go giving up any information, Missus, you understand how it is…” as she straightened she saw, as much to her astonishment as his, Mr. Blackrain.

She gave a startled laugh and dashed from the room, up the stairs and down the street, quickly losing Bib amid the twist of alleyways which had become as familiar to her as her own hand. When she was certain she was no longer followed she retrieved her treasure from its hiding place and made her way across the city and out the gates to where the sheep were at pasture.

The moon smiled down at her and she gazed up at it, hugging the broom tightly to her chest. This had been a fine idea.