Continued fromIt's That Time of Year...
(which was itself continued, sort of, fromIn Space, No One Can Hear You Peep)
"You're dithering again."
"I am not!"
"Procrastinating, then."
"How dare you!"
"Then how do you explain the crappy constellation post from a couple of days ago?"
"Well... Um... You see..."
"Ha!"
"Oh, shut up. You're just as bad as m- Look out!!!"
Broom violently lurched to starboard almost unseating the bickering witch sitting astride it. Passing to port in their previous flight path sailed a heavily laden flying carpet piloted by a small human of the female persuasion and an even smaller and very excitable dog. The woman, oblivious to the narrowly averted collision was struggling with a scarf that seemed intent on smothering her and, in the process of disentangling herself from the scarf, elbowed a precariously perched box off the carpet.
As they gathered their scattered wits, the witch watched as the small black box disgorged dozens of square, black envelopes, most of which fluttered slowly towards the ground. A few, however, fell with rather more gusto. Clearly they contained something with a bit of weight to them. Then realisation struck: They were-
"My After Eights!" the magic carpet woman shrieked as she came to a halt. Her distinctive voice brought the witch to his senses. As did her yapping, bouncy dog.
"Ms Scarlet?!?" he asked, unable to contain his incredulity as he manoeuvred his broom towards her now hovering carpet.
Ew! This sounds, horrifyingly, like a lewd euphemism.
Urgh. It does, doesn't it?! Well, we're not going to change it now.
"Mr Devine!"
"What are you doing up here? I was just about to collect you."
"Well, I wondered where you were - you're very late, you know - and thought I'd better make my own way there."
"Oh. Yes. Sorry about that. I got a bit caught up with constellations and rampaging jelly babies et cetera et cetera. You know how it is?"
"I suppose so" Ms Scarlet grudgingly agreed, trying not to think of gold leaf, smelly green shorts, and attic-bound nieces.
"I didn't know you had a magic carpet?" IDV asked trying to get a good look at it beneath all Ms Scarlet's paraphernalia. "Where did you get it from?"
"Ah. Um. It's, uh... I got it from..." Ms Scarlet blushed with shame as she tried to avoid answering. "Oh!" she shrieked as Broom dropped a few feet giving IDV an unimpeded, but highly improper view of the underside of her 'carpet'.
"It's a... It's a..." IDV stuttered in disbelief.
"Boots the chemist" Ms Scarlet muttered. "Yes, it's an octopus sucker bath mat!"
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