Reciprocal Quandaries (Two, Ben, Polly, Jamie)
Title: Reciprocal Quandaries
Author: primsong
Recipient: wishfulaces
Characters: Two, Ben, Polly, Jamie
Rating: G
Summary: This story is to fill Request Number 1 from wishfulaces: "Two, Ben, Polly and Jamie if you feel like it - light-hearted adventure! Daring escapades! Silly hats! Etc. etc. etc."
Notes: This is what some might call a 'straight-up historical', for in spite of Two's era being dubbed 'The Monster Years' this one features a bit of intrigue at the 1900 Paris Exposition in which monsters are noted only by their absence. Having run into difficulties with writing-time I offer this first chapter, the rest still being in process.
Chapter 1
-oo00oo-
"So, what do you think?" Polly asked, giving a swish of her skirts then stopping with a brief scowl to tug at the light corset through the fabric then to straighten one of the puff-topped sleeves. The blue promenade dress was heavier than she'd thought it would be by the time all the layers were in place, though it was light for the time period she needed to blend into.
"It looks like a ship!" Ben said with delight.
"'An' almost as wide," Jamie quipped.
Polly raised her hand, furled parasol ready to smack them both.
"Oi! I meant the hat, not the dress," Ben protested, ducking behind the console.
"Oh!" Polly said, her hand going to her head. "I forgot it was there!" She reached up to pat at it, unused to the feel of the blue-grey tinted feathers waving overhead, the small silver-gilt ship within them afloat on its sea of felt. "Now really, what do you think?"
Ben grinned. "No sailor'd be caught dead in that gear, but on you it works."
"Looks nice," Jamie offered by way of an apology. "Verra nice."
She took a good look at him and admired in turn. " Jamie, look at you!"
Refusing to wear a suit, he'd been outfitted in a more formal dress for his kilt, a full-cut white shirt with a plaid pinned at his shoulder by a brooch. He'd topped it off with a Glengarry piper's bonnet, something he'd found in the wardrobe and promptly adopted as his own.
"Oh, don't you look grand," she said. "Like you're going to be in a parade!"
"Hey, Duchess, now what about me now?" Ben asked, pulling her attention back. He'd also refused the standard suit of the time, opting for the appropriate era's naval uniform. He jokingly posed and flexed his arms for her.
"And a man in uniform," Polly laughed in a mock-swoon. "Was ever a girl better escorted?"
"Ah, here we are now," the Doctor said bustling back into the console room and tweaking the scanner. "Yes. Exactly right. Paris exposition of 1900." He peered up at the image thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. "It appears we're behind some sort of mechanical display, a diesel engine, perhaps. Diesels were quite new at this time. And good, good! We're just before the awards were given out. Oh yes, I would like to see that." He adjusted the stove-pipe hat he'd perched on his head and stuffed a clean handkerchief into his front pocket.
"Are ye sure about that hat?" asked Jamie
"Sure about it?" the Doctor said indignantly. "I thought it looked rather nice."
"Oh, it does!" said Ben a little too breezily. The Doctor frowned at this, his chin jutting out as he contemplated a rebuff to their needling. Ben opened his mouth again, but Polly elbowed him sharply.
"It looks fine," she assured, "Very stylish and…very... tall!"
The frown vanished to be replaced with a beaming smile. "Yes, I thought so too. Thank you, Polly." He reached up and adjusted it again. "And all of you look just fine."
"What about Jamie?" asked Ben, gesturing at the image on the scanner. "He's not dressed like those blokes."
"No need to worry," the Doctor assured them, poking a couple buttons on the console and reaching for the door control. "He won't be out of place. The exposition had people in traditional and native dress from all sorts of nations. It's what you might call 'cosmopolitan' but only in a limited way, since most of the cosmos isn't really represented, but for Earth it's quite nice, yes, quite nice."
The doors swung open.
They carefully made their way around a large metal fabrication of some kind, edged around a large wooden sign and joined in with the light crowd that was flowing along the hall and out the wide doorways. The weather was mild and comfortable with only a bit of a breeze to stir the feathers on the ladies hats and lend the various buntings and pennants some motion. Ben and Polly looked around a bit wide-eyed at the amazing variety of booths, buildings and activities. Jamie adjusted his plaid a bit nervously and stepped closer to the Doctor, who was turning in a slow circle so he could see everything and looking quite pleased.
"Oh look, look there," he chirped, giving his hands a little clap of delight. "Candy floss! Yes, here's something you'll like, I'm sure of it. It was brand new at this expo, you know, and just lovely stuff. We'll have to have some." Ben and Polly tagged along after him in amusement as he made a beeline for one of the gaily decorated booths.
"Candy floss?" asked Jamie in an undertone.
"Spun sugar," Polly clarified. "Slow down, Ben."
Jamie nodded. "Aye, well, that explains it. He's always that quick for sweets." He grinned as he left them behind to catch up with the bobbing stovepipe hat; the Doctor was rapidly vanishing into the crowd. By the time he caught up with him, he was in the short queue for a gaily-decorated booth and digging around in his jacket pocket for money.
"Ah, there you are. Here, hold this," he said, handing Jamie a wad of multicoloured bills and sifting through a small handful of coins. He looked up at Ben and Polly reached them, apologizing as they edged around a rather fat man who had joined the queue in the meantime.
"There's a sign back there," Ben gestured. "Says the Turbinia's t' be seen along the quay!"
"What's a turbinya?" asked Jamie.
"A ship," said Polly, rolling her eyes at Ben's naval obsessions as the queue shuffled forward.
"The Turbinia wasn't just any ship, Pol," defended Ben. "She was the fastest ship in the world!"
The Doctor glanced back at them. "First turbine-driven one," he said somewhat absently, his attention more on the candy floss' soft mounds just ahead.
Ben nodded. "I read about 'er when I was just a sprig."
"Did you always want to be a sailor, then?" asked Polly.
"Blimey, no! I wanted to be an opera singer. Or Wonderman," he grinned. "He could travel through time."
"An opera singer? You, musical?" Polly snorted in laughter behind her hands.
"Ben's got a good voice," Jamie put in. "I bet he could've been a piper."
"Not if it meant wearin' one o' those..." Ben began, interrupted by the Doctor who was suddenly thrusting giant wads of candy floss at them.
"Here we are!" he said happily, leading the group away from the booth to a bit of a grassy knoll where they could take in the nearby sights and people. He pulled off a great lump of the sticky fluff and diligently consumed it while the others poked at their own. "Oh no, not like that, Ben! Candy floss takes a more delicate touch."
Ben shrugged and continued squishing his into dense blobs of pink sugar which he popped in his mouth. Jamie seemed a little worried about how to eat it at first, but imitated the Doctor's teasing off pieces and stuffing them in his mouth, licking away the sticky stray bits.
"There's all types of scientific exhibits, most interesting and educational," the Doctor said conversationally as he ate. "It isn't often a world has such a burst of innovation all at once. It's really quite intriguing, I'm sure you'll..."
"Oh, do we have to listen to some great bunch of scientists talk?" Polly complained.
"Aye, I'd rather have a look at this grand fair," Jamie agreed, picking bits of floss off his sleeve and out of his forelock.
"Jamie an' I'll take good care of Polly," Ben promised, winking at the young lady in question.
"I can take care of myself!" she asserted. "We can take a look 'round, can't we, Doctor? I promise I'll keep these two vagabonds out of trouble."
The Doctor looked disappointed but not really surprised at their reticence. "I suppose as long as you stay together you should be fine, no matter who is protecting whom. There's any number of amusements. Of course you'll need some money… Here…" the Doctor dug around in his coat pocket, handing Jamie a small ball of grubby string, a metal tube with a switch on it, a pen and a pack of cards. "Ah, there it is." He pulled out a small leather coin purse and handed it to Ben, taking the other items and stuffing them back in. "Now go on, I'll be somewhere about here. I expect most of the scientific exhibits are in that building over there. If you can't find me you can always just go back to the TARDIS."
"Right," said Ben, weighing the purse in his hand cheerfully. "C'mon Duchess."
"All right…." Polly handed the rest of her floss to the Doctor who happily started in on it, his own already being gone. He waved them on their way and turned back to the hall they'd arrived in.
"D'ye think he'll be all right?" Jamie wondered, watching the ridiculous hat disappearing among the taller patrons.
"Oh, he'll be fine. Probably off to talk one o' those chaps into letting him take their machine apart," said Ben, taking Polly's elbow in imitation of the fashionable escorting he saw around them. "Hey, there's some rides over that way. Let's take a look!"
The three made their way through the multicoloured crowds, passing by the main promenade where excited, happy fair-goers were just coming in to take the place of the footsore, weary ones going out. They followed both the signs and the sight of a Ferris wheel that could just be seen over the building-tops.
Polly looked longingly at the Ferris wheel when they finally reached the amusements. "Oh, can you just imagine? The view must be wonderful up there. There's the river, you know."
"Eh, wouldn't the wind take up that dress o' yours, way up there?" Jamie asked, craning his neck. "Look how they're swingin' about. You'd go flyin' right off."
"I'm sure it must be safe," Polly argued, looking up at the great creaking wheel. "Heights like that don't bother me."
"Must be why Ben's always callin' y' a bird," Jamie teased.
They were each drawn to a favorite. Ben spent the most time watching a ride involving small painted boats that floated away into a dark tunnel. The signs declared the boat's passengers would be treated to 'amazing scenes from history!' and would 'see famous personages of long ago!' which made him laugh. "We really ought to tell the Doctor about this one," he chuckled. "He'd be in there tellin' 'em how they got it all wrong."
"Hey now, look at that!" Jamie said, pulling them back the other way.
"Isn't it beautiful!" Polly agreed, following his gaze to the huge gilt carousel that turned, its mirrors flashing, ribbons trailing from the hats of the fantastic animal's riders. The music gaily played from the pipe-organ set in the middle. "I've never seen such a large one!"
"What is it?" the Scot asked, fascinated by its glittering movement.
"A carousel," she said. "They're fun, though I think the Ferris wheel is still my favorite."
"Look, there's games," Ben said, plucking at their sleeves in turn. "What do you say we win something for Polly, Jamie?"
"Win something for me?" she asked, pulling a face. "What, to impress the girl?"
"Nah," Ben said, "To show all these old-fashioned blokes how it's done!"
"Eh?" said Jamie, who had still been distracted by the carousel. "Show how what's done?"
"Whatever you like," he replied, leading the way. "Darts over there, and that's one where you try to knock over the plates and… oh, that…that's the one there, that is!"
Polly shook her head in amused disbelief. "Rope climbing? Do you really think you can do it?"
Ben grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "An' old sea-dog like me? Of course I can. Sign says there's a prize too, you get a ticket to a ride!"
Jamie's eyes lit up. "There's no one else in line. If jus' the two of us go, then one's bound to win."
"That'd be me," Ben asserted, approaching the hawker.
"Aye, right after I do!" Jamie retorted good-naturedly. He followed Ben's example and took up a stance at one of the four thick ropes that dangled from a tall post set in the ground. With only two of them climbing, the others were left loose. Ben scooped chalk from a tub on the fencing and rubbed his hands with it, Jamie copying his movements. Both of them turned to smile at the grinning young lady who watched them from the side, shaking her head.
The hawker smiled too as a small crowd began to slow in their amblings to watch the contest. "Ready, gentlemen? On the count of three. One. Two….Three!" He blew a small whistle for emphasis, though it was hardly needed. Ben swarmed up his rope like a monkey, single-mindedly aiming for the topmost ring of metal where a brightly painted bell hung. Puffing, he reached it, grabbed for the clapper and hit it with a triumphant gong.
"Hey!" protested Jamie with a grin. Ben startled as the clapper was pulled from his hand and a second clang of the bell rang out. The young Scot had been right with him on the other side.
Ben clapped him on the shoulder with a chalky hand. "I didn't know you could climb like that!"
"Still, not as quick as you! A fine lark. Y' won, right fair," Jamie said. "Look, there's Polly!"
Ben joined him in waving down at the scatter of applause from the observers before following his friend back down. The hawker was already starting up again, exhorting the men to impress their ladies with their feats of strength. He nodded at them as they returned, wiping away the last of the chalk. Turning to Ben he pulled a bit of coloured paper from his suit pocket.
"Here you are sir, free tickets for you and your pretty lady there, congratulations, congratulations. Step right up! Step right up!"
Ben grinned, ignoring Jamie who was now hovering behind him trying to read the print over his shoulder. "Thank you, sir. Look! How d'you like that, tickets for the boat ride!"
"The boat ride?" Polly said, hiding her slight disappointment. She had been hoping for the Ferris wheel, though Ben was so excited she didn't want to say so. Instead, she offered her hand. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"
They retraced their steps to the decorated water channel with its small colourful boats disappearing into the dark archway one at a time. Ben smiled at the tiny crafts, watching one of them briefly wobbling as a hefty woman and her bouncing son were loaded into a powder blue one. Jamie, feeling a bit left out but content to people-watch, especially as it hadn't been for the carousel that had his own fancy, dandled along the wrought-iron fencing that bordered the waters. They probably weren't that deep, but Polly found herself hanging back as they approached the ticket-taker anyway.
"Don't you want to go?" Ben asked, a little surprised at her hesitation.
She eyed the small boats and cringed at the thought of trying to navigate her full skirts in and out of such a craft. The prospect of tipping, tripping or being a laughingstock hung before her vividly. "I'm sorry, I really don't."
"Well…" Ben looked down at the two tickets. "Seems a shame to waste 'em."
"I'll take it," Jamie volunteered, "I mean, if Polly isn't goin' to use it. Is she?"
"No, no," Polly said gratefully. "Go ahead, both of you.
"Well, all right…" Ben said doubtfully. "But what about you?"
"I'm fine," she said. "I'll just wait over there, out of the sun. After all, what can happen?"
---
To Be Continued...
Author: primsong
Recipient: wishfulaces
Characters: Two, Ben, Polly, Jamie
Rating: G
Summary: This story is to fill Request Number 1 from wishfulaces: "Two, Ben, Polly and Jamie if you feel like it - light-hearted adventure! Daring escapades! Silly hats! Etc. etc. etc."
Notes: This is what some might call a 'straight-up historical', for in spite of Two's era being dubbed 'The Monster Years' this one features a bit of intrigue at the 1900 Paris Exposition in which monsters are noted only by their absence. Having run into difficulties with writing-time I offer this first chapter, the rest still being in process.
Chapter 1
-oo00oo-
"So, what do you think?" Polly asked, giving a swish of her skirts then stopping with a brief scowl to tug at the light corset through the fabric then to straighten one of the puff-topped sleeves. The blue promenade dress was heavier than she'd thought it would be by the time all the layers were in place, though it was light for the time period she needed to blend into.
"It looks like a ship!" Ben said with delight.
"'An' almost as wide," Jamie quipped.
Polly raised her hand, furled parasol ready to smack them both.
"Oi! I meant the hat, not the dress," Ben protested, ducking behind the console.
"Oh!" Polly said, her hand going to her head. "I forgot it was there!" She reached up to pat at it, unused to the feel of the blue-grey tinted feathers waving overhead, the small silver-gilt ship within them afloat on its sea of felt. "Now really, what do you think?"
Ben grinned. "No sailor'd be caught dead in that gear, but on you it works."
"Looks nice," Jamie offered by way of an apology. "Verra nice."
She took a good look at him and admired in turn. " Jamie, look at you!"
Refusing to wear a suit, he'd been outfitted in a more formal dress for his kilt, a full-cut white shirt with a plaid pinned at his shoulder by a brooch. He'd topped it off with a Glengarry piper's bonnet, something he'd found in the wardrobe and promptly adopted as his own.
"Oh, don't you look grand," she said. "Like you're going to be in a parade!"
"Hey, Duchess, now what about me now?" Ben asked, pulling her attention back. He'd also refused the standard suit of the time, opting for the appropriate era's naval uniform. He jokingly posed and flexed his arms for her.
"And a man in uniform," Polly laughed in a mock-swoon. "Was ever a girl better escorted?"
"Ah, here we are now," the Doctor said bustling back into the console room and tweaking the scanner. "Yes. Exactly right. Paris exposition of 1900." He peered up at the image thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. "It appears we're behind some sort of mechanical display, a diesel engine, perhaps. Diesels were quite new at this time. And good, good! We're just before the awards were given out. Oh yes, I would like to see that." He adjusted the stove-pipe hat he'd perched on his head and stuffed a clean handkerchief into his front pocket.
"Are ye sure about that hat?" asked Jamie
"Sure about it?" the Doctor said indignantly. "I thought it looked rather nice."
"Oh, it does!" said Ben a little too breezily. The Doctor frowned at this, his chin jutting out as he contemplated a rebuff to their needling. Ben opened his mouth again, but Polly elbowed him sharply.
"It looks fine," she assured, "Very stylish and…very... tall!"
The frown vanished to be replaced with a beaming smile. "Yes, I thought so too. Thank you, Polly." He reached up and adjusted it again. "And all of you look just fine."
"What about Jamie?" asked Ben, gesturing at the image on the scanner. "He's not dressed like those blokes."
"No need to worry," the Doctor assured them, poking a couple buttons on the console and reaching for the door control. "He won't be out of place. The exposition had people in traditional and native dress from all sorts of nations. It's what you might call 'cosmopolitan' but only in a limited way, since most of the cosmos isn't really represented, but for Earth it's quite nice, yes, quite nice."
The doors swung open.
They carefully made their way around a large metal fabrication of some kind, edged around a large wooden sign and joined in with the light crowd that was flowing along the hall and out the wide doorways. The weather was mild and comfortable with only a bit of a breeze to stir the feathers on the ladies hats and lend the various buntings and pennants some motion. Ben and Polly looked around a bit wide-eyed at the amazing variety of booths, buildings and activities. Jamie adjusted his plaid a bit nervously and stepped closer to the Doctor, who was turning in a slow circle so he could see everything and looking quite pleased.
"Oh look, look there," he chirped, giving his hands a little clap of delight. "Candy floss! Yes, here's something you'll like, I'm sure of it. It was brand new at this expo, you know, and just lovely stuff. We'll have to have some." Ben and Polly tagged along after him in amusement as he made a beeline for one of the gaily decorated booths.
"Candy floss?" asked Jamie in an undertone.
"Spun sugar," Polly clarified. "Slow down, Ben."
Jamie nodded. "Aye, well, that explains it. He's always that quick for sweets." He grinned as he left them behind to catch up with the bobbing stovepipe hat; the Doctor was rapidly vanishing into the crowd. By the time he caught up with him, he was in the short queue for a gaily-decorated booth and digging around in his jacket pocket for money.
"Ah, there you are. Here, hold this," he said, handing Jamie a wad of multicoloured bills and sifting through a small handful of coins. He looked up at Ben and Polly reached them, apologizing as they edged around a rather fat man who had joined the queue in the meantime.
"There's a sign back there," Ben gestured. "Says the Turbinia's t' be seen along the quay!"
"What's a turbinya?" asked Jamie.
"A ship," said Polly, rolling her eyes at Ben's naval obsessions as the queue shuffled forward.
"The Turbinia wasn't just any ship, Pol," defended Ben. "She was the fastest ship in the world!"
The Doctor glanced back at them. "First turbine-driven one," he said somewhat absently, his attention more on the candy floss' soft mounds just ahead.
Ben nodded. "I read about 'er when I was just a sprig."
"Did you always want to be a sailor, then?" asked Polly.
"Blimey, no! I wanted to be an opera singer. Or Wonderman," he grinned. "He could travel through time."
"An opera singer? You, musical?" Polly snorted in laughter behind her hands.
"Ben's got a good voice," Jamie put in. "I bet he could've been a piper."
"Not if it meant wearin' one o' those..." Ben began, interrupted by the Doctor who was suddenly thrusting giant wads of candy floss at them.
"Here we are!" he said happily, leading the group away from the booth to a bit of a grassy knoll where they could take in the nearby sights and people. He pulled off a great lump of the sticky fluff and diligently consumed it while the others poked at their own. "Oh no, not like that, Ben! Candy floss takes a more delicate touch."
Ben shrugged and continued squishing his into dense blobs of pink sugar which he popped in his mouth. Jamie seemed a little worried about how to eat it at first, but imitated the Doctor's teasing off pieces and stuffing them in his mouth, licking away the sticky stray bits.
"There's all types of scientific exhibits, most interesting and educational," the Doctor said conversationally as he ate. "It isn't often a world has such a burst of innovation all at once. It's really quite intriguing, I'm sure you'll..."
"Oh, do we have to listen to some great bunch of scientists talk?" Polly complained.
"Aye, I'd rather have a look at this grand fair," Jamie agreed, picking bits of floss off his sleeve and out of his forelock.
"Jamie an' I'll take good care of Polly," Ben promised, winking at the young lady in question.
"I can take care of myself!" she asserted. "We can take a look 'round, can't we, Doctor? I promise I'll keep these two vagabonds out of trouble."
The Doctor looked disappointed but not really surprised at their reticence. "I suppose as long as you stay together you should be fine, no matter who is protecting whom. There's any number of amusements. Of course you'll need some money… Here…" the Doctor dug around in his coat pocket, handing Jamie a small ball of grubby string, a metal tube with a switch on it, a pen and a pack of cards. "Ah, there it is." He pulled out a small leather coin purse and handed it to Ben, taking the other items and stuffing them back in. "Now go on, I'll be somewhere about here. I expect most of the scientific exhibits are in that building over there. If you can't find me you can always just go back to the TARDIS."
"Right," said Ben, weighing the purse in his hand cheerfully. "C'mon Duchess."
"All right…." Polly handed the rest of her floss to the Doctor who happily started in on it, his own already being gone. He waved them on their way and turned back to the hall they'd arrived in.
"D'ye think he'll be all right?" Jamie wondered, watching the ridiculous hat disappearing among the taller patrons.
"Oh, he'll be fine. Probably off to talk one o' those chaps into letting him take their machine apart," said Ben, taking Polly's elbow in imitation of the fashionable escorting he saw around them. "Hey, there's some rides over that way. Let's take a look!"
The three made their way through the multicoloured crowds, passing by the main promenade where excited, happy fair-goers were just coming in to take the place of the footsore, weary ones going out. They followed both the signs and the sight of a Ferris wheel that could just be seen over the building-tops.
Polly looked longingly at the Ferris wheel when they finally reached the amusements. "Oh, can you just imagine? The view must be wonderful up there. There's the river, you know."
"Eh, wouldn't the wind take up that dress o' yours, way up there?" Jamie asked, craning his neck. "Look how they're swingin' about. You'd go flyin' right off."
"I'm sure it must be safe," Polly argued, looking up at the great creaking wheel. "Heights like that don't bother me."
"Must be why Ben's always callin' y' a bird," Jamie teased.
They were each drawn to a favorite. Ben spent the most time watching a ride involving small painted boats that floated away into a dark tunnel. The signs declared the boat's passengers would be treated to 'amazing scenes from history!' and would 'see famous personages of long ago!' which made him laugh. "We really ought to tell the Doctor about this one," he chuckled. "He'd be in there tellin' 'em how they got it all wrong."
"Hey now, look at that!" Jamie said, pulling them back the other way.
"Isn't it beautiful!" Polly agreed, following his gaze to the huge gilt carousel that turned, its mirrors flashing, ribbons trailing from the hats of the fantastic animal's riders. The music gaily played from the pipe-organ set in the middle. "I've never seen such a large one!"
"What is it?" the Scot asked, fascinated by its glittering movement.
"A carousel," she said. "They're fun, though I think the Ferris wheel is still my favorite."
"Look, there's games," Ben said, plucking at their sleeves in turn. "What do you say we win something for Polly, Jamie?"
"Win something for me?" she asked, pulling a face. "What, to impress the girl?"
"Nah," Ben said, "To show all these old-fashioned blokes how it's done!"
"Eh?" said Jamie, who had still been distracted by the carousel. "Show how what's done?"
"Whatever you like," he replied, leading the way. "Darts over there, and that's one where you try to knock over the plates and… oh, that…that's the one there, that is!"
Polly shook her head in amused disbelief. "Rope climbing? Do you really think you can do it?"
Ben grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "An' old sea-dog like me? Of course I can. Sign says there's a prize too, you get a ticket to a ride!"
Jamie's eyes lit up. "There's no one else in line. If jus' the two of us go, then one's bound to win."
"That'd be me," Ben asserted, approaching the hawker.
"Aye, right after I do!" Jamie retorted good-naturedly. He followed Ben's example and took up a stance at one of the four thick ropes that dangled from a tall post set in the ground. With only two of them climbing, the others were left loose. Ben scooped chalk from a tub on the fencing and rubbed his hands with it, Jamie copying his movements. Both of them turned to smile at the grinning young lady who watched them from the side, shaking her head.
The hawker smiled too as a small crowd began to slow in their amblings to watch the contest. "Ready, gentlemen? On the count of three. One. Two….Three!" He blew a small whistle for emphasis, though it was hardly needed. Ben swarmed up his rope like a monkey, single-mindedly aiming for the topmost ring of metal where a brightly painted bell hung. Puffing, he reached it, grabbed for the clapper and hit it with a triumphant gong.
"Hey!" protested Jamie with a grin. Ben startled as the clapper was pulled from his hand and a second clang of the bell rang out. The young Scot had been right with him on the other side.
Ben clapped him on the shoulder with a chalky hand. "I didn't know you could climb like that!"
"Still, not as quick as you! A fine lark. Y' won, right fair," Jamie said. "Look, there's Polly!"
Ben joined him in waving down at the scatter of applause from the observers before following his friend back down. The hawker was already starting up again, exhorting the men to impress their ladies with their feats of strength. He nodded at them as they returned, wiping away the last of the chalk. Turning to Ben he pulled a bit of coloured paper from his suit pocket.
"Here you are sir, free tickets for you and your pretty lady there, congratulations, congratulations. Step right up! Step right up!"
Ben grinned, ignoring Jamie who was now hovering behind him trying to read the print over his shoulder. "Thank you, sir. Look! How d'you like that, tickets for the boat ride!"
"The boat ride?" Polly said, hiding her slight disappointment. She had been hoping for the Ferris wheel, though Ben was so excited she didn't want to say so. Instead, she offered her hand. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"
They retraced their steps to the decorated water channel with its small colourful boats disappearing into the dark archway one at a time. Ben smiled at the tiny crafts, watching one of them briefly wobbling as a hefty woman and her bouncing son were loaded into a powder blue one. Jamie, feeling a bit left out but content to people-watch, especially as it hadn't been for the carousel that had his own fancy, dandled along the wrought-iron fencing that bordered the waters. They probably weren't that deep, but Polly found herself hanging back as they approached the ticket-taker anyway.
"Don't you want to go?" Ben asked, a little surprised at her hesitation.
She eyed the small boats and cringed at the thought of trying to navigate her full skirts in and out of such a craft. The prospect of tipping, tripping or being a laughingstock hung before her vividly. "I'm sorry, I really don't."
"Well…" Ben looked down at the two tickets. "Seems a shame to waste 'em."
"I'll take it," Jamie volunteered, "I mean, if Polly isn't goin' to use it. Is she?"
"No, no," Polly said gratefully. "Go ahead, both of you.
"Well, all right…" Ben said doubtfully. "But what about you?"
"I'm fine," she said. "I'll just wait over there, out of the sun. After all, what can happen?"
---
To Be Continued...