Hindsight

Chapter 2
Hindsight Once Again

Chapter Description: Come one, come all, to the festival

Come one
Come all
To the festival

Distraction beginning right about now, that should keep the festival owners busy while the plan went ahead.

Another year with another festival in this charming little town, a festival to commemorate the founding of the town two hundred years ago by a group of travellers looking for a place that wasn't connected to religion nor politics, just a place for people who sought peace to call home and always be free to return to when they've seen what they wish to see of the world.

Not that these two schemers live in this town, they've been here plenty of times and to several festivals over the years but they have no interest in settling down in the town. They're here for another purpose.

“I don't see anyone, I think we're in the clear” Last check before making their way as quickly as possible while keeping to the shadows, halting briefly to be sure they haven't been seen before resuming to their intended destination. Eventually they arrive at a solid looking wooden building that looks like it's always been there yet they know it was just recently put up hours before the festival started.

~

As they are approaching the building carefully their friends who are running distraction have been causing all kinds of trouble and even harmed some people, not seriously but enough to be an issue to any security at the festival who have managed to chase the two disruptors away from the festival attendees and to somewhere a little more secluded, a house of mirrors that is currently not being used.
The two disruptors, a cis gender man in his mid twenties and a cis gender woman around the same age, run into the amusement thinking that no one will come after them. They don't see a woman wearing a dark pink coat watch them enter, they don't see the cold playful smile on her lips as she approaches the amusement. Time to have some fun.

~

With as much care as they can muster they make their way into the building, the front door being oddly unlocked to their surprise. Maybe the head festival organiser had forgotten to lock it.

Closing the door behind themselves once inside they look around the room they're in, it's a good size with a lovely wooden desk of some kind of wood tucked away under a large window that faces south with another window to the east, other doors lead into other parts of the building. There's a computer on the desk that looks quite new, a couple of filing cabinets, shelves filled with assorted items of all kinds of shapes and designs, a few pictures on the walls. Pretty cosy really.

What they are after though is sitting close to the desk, a medium sized metal safe with a click dial lock.

“Keep an eye out for anyone approaching, I'll have this open in no time” A middle aged cis gender woman remarks as she approaches the safe, her partner, a middle aged cis gender man, just gives a nod before checking the windows and looking around once satisfied that no one's approaching.

~

In the house of mirrors the two disruptors slowly make their way through the amusement, a woman's voice calls out to them.

“Welcome to the festival, not that you're here to enjoy it like many others are, but still welcome. Your attempts to ruin it for others have only had minimal success but those attempts are still quite rude and unwelcome. I am afraid that I will have to administer a punishment for those you harmed” The woman appears in the mirrors though seemingly at a distance.

“Got to catch us first!” The young man remarks.

“Easily enough, you are welcome to leave if you can although there is really only way both of you will be leaving and that is with me” The woman replies, her voice seeming to bounce off the mirrors.

“You can't even find us!” The young woman calls out.

“Oh, I can find you just fine, let's play first”

~

As she works he checks out the other rooms, the expected bathroom, a small bedroom and one other room that gives him the creeps when he sees a large collection of fabric dolls all wearing clothing from different eras spanning two hundred years. He has an interest in history and is quite adept in the fashion of different eras.

“Creepy doll collection here, great historical view of the various fashions of the eras but still creepy” He remarks to his partner who's examining the safe for any possible traps before they attempt to open it.

“Don't care, not here for some dolls. The owner of this festival must be rolling in the dough given how lavish the festival always is and that is what we're here for and a safe this big has got to have a good amount of it or at least the means to access it” He checks to see if anyone is approaching again, still nothing, they were free and clear by the looks of things.

She mutters as she finishes checking for any traps before readying herself to start opening the safe, she was quite skilled at this having made such safes before in her younger years before before being fired for purposely trapping a former boss who had tried to assault her in one of the larger safes, it had been funny to watch the horny ass panic after the door had sealed itself firmly after she was thrown inside.

She didn't want her to die though so had no choice but to let her out before the air ran out, being fired was, of course, to be expected but her former boss shouldn't have tried to feel her up.

“Four pin lock, multiple combinations, made one of these myself. Just have to be patient and listen for the bolt lifting” She mummers to herself as she places her right ear against the metal and starts slowly turning the dial.

To her surprise though the safe opens quickly at the first click.

“Huh, wasn't expecting that”

“Quickest I've ever seen, world record” The sarcasm was not welcome which she says with a glare at him making him smile jokingly.

“I don't like it, too easy means we're being set up” She looks inside the safe to find one item, a small note with handwriting on it.

'Welcome to the festival'

Reading that made chills run down her spine which is followed by a faint popping sound.

~

The younger adults begin to find themselves having a problem as they try to leave the amusement, every time they're sure they've found the exit it seems to move position forcing them to keep searching which wasn't helped by the mirrors.

“We were only having fun, being a distraction! Let us out!” The young woman cries out as the exit moves again.

“I know, I'll deal with your older friends after I've dealt with you two” She seems much closer now, almost within arms length if her reflection is anything to go by.

“We didn't do anything serious! We just did what we were told to do!” The young man calls out, he was starting to feel pretty scared now.

“I know that too but you both still hurt people with your actions and I will not let that slide easily, your punishment must be administered and you both must learn from the consequences of your behaviour” The exit appears again and the young man and woman run for it only to find that it's locked.
“That was enjoyable but I must return to my office” They both turn to find the woman standing within arms length of them, they attempt to tackle her but don't make it far before falling to the ground as two fabric dolls which the woman picks up, placing one each in a pocket in her coat.
“Punishment begins, I'll restore you at some much later point. Now to tend to your friends”

~

“Took you long enough” A woman's voice says sharply, the man almost yelping in shock before jumping back as much as he can as a woman of indeterminate age seemingly steps out of the door which is still closed, she has two fabric dolls with her, one each poking out of two pockets in her quite lovely dark pink coat.

“Your friends were a good distraction but easily dealt with, I wanted to give you both time to reach my office so played with them before dealing with them” She takes the dolls out of her pockets, steps into the room with the doll collection and places them with the others before returning to her guests.

“Who are you? What did you do with them?” The man demands as his partner gets up from the safe.

“Someone, who I am exactly is really of no importance to you. As for your friends, well, they'll be staying here for a while as part of my collection until I deem it fit to restore them at some point. As for you two though, hmm, I could add you to the collection but I feel that neither of you will learn your lesson as such for your attempted robbery.
This festival is my gift to the people who live here and call it home, I have always organised it, always made sure that it goes ahead without a hitch and always dealt with anyone who dares to disrupt it. However I must admit to enjoying the fun of delivering punishment to those who seek to ruin the fun of those attending, either they join my collection or they learn their lesson in another way but I always hold back on it being fatal, you can't learn when you're dead” The man tries to tackle her only to find himself unable to move when she looks at him, the woman tries as well but finds herself also unable to move.

“Please, don't hurt us, let us leave and you'll never see us again” The woman pleads while trying to move. Their captor smiles coldly as she looks into their scared eyes.

“Oh you'll be leaving just not as you are, what lesson will you learn if I just let you leave without your punishment? A fitting punishment will be administered and you will learn from your lesson over the course of years. Let's get started, shall we?”

~

The festival has ended leaving the town to it's peaceful existence as the residents go about their lives, there's no indication that the festival had even happened with how quick the clean up was. An anonymous phone call is made to local police regarding two lost and found toddlers of near two years old who have been cared for over the night by some of the residents, a little girl and a little boy.

Their parents can't be found though a couple of the residents have offered to raise them if approved to.

They'll be able to attend the festival next year if they're able to stay in the town and grow up there. Maybe even learn their lesson some more as they live their second childhoods.

As long as they behave themselves as much as a young child can.

Come one

Come all

To the festival.