*Gothic Tales*

“A weekend off?” Janey parroted.
“Yeah,” I defensively replied.
“What for? I mean yeah we can sort that but why?” my sister pressed.
“Remember I told you about Amanda and Ray?”
“They the ones that brought you back from Whitby?”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “Well Amanda rang again yesterday, I think she’s keeping tabs on me, anyway they’ve invited me to go to Canterbury with them.”
“Canterbury? that’s like Essex or something right?”
Geography never was my sisters strong point, “Kent.”
“Whatever for?”
“The half marathon, why do you think?” I posed, I do love her but she can be a bit slow sometimes.
“Another Goth thing I guess?” she suggested.
“Gothic Tales,” I agreed, “Supposed to be like Whitby on steroids.”
“Rory’s not said anything.”
“Well it is like nearly three hundred miles away.”
“Never stopped him before, he dragged me to Exeter last year remember.”

Yeah, that was quite funny, Janey isn’t exactly into the whole Goth / Steampunk thing and to see her attempts at dressing the part was a hoot. Well I thought so, looked more like Stevie Nicks in Doc Martens than Goth, I don’t think her boyfriend even noticed. Okay, the me that's Zak isn’t exactly hardcore either but it’s easier for a bloke to at least look the part.

“So when is this shindig?”
“Next week?”

“So, our young waif is coming then?” Ray asked his wife slunk back down beside him.
Amanda made herself comfortable again, “Looks like it.”
“I’d best let Jace know, we picking her up?”
“Said she’d get herself to the bus station.”
“It would’ve been as easy to go there.”
“I know luv but she was quite adamant.”
“You sure she’s as old as she told you?”
“Twenty-three? I’d be surprised if she is, more like eighteen if you ask me.”
“She looks younger,” Ray opined.
Amanda shrugged, “Yeah, have to set Jas on her, she’ll soon winkle out the truth.”
“Now you’re being evil!” Ray chuckled, starting to tickle his other half.

“Don’t be so daft,” Janey stated.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Tell you what, I’ll borrow the car and take you over, I’m on lates Friday.”
“You don’t have to.”
“What are sisters for? I’m not letting my little sister catch the bus to a strange town to hang about a bus station waiting for a lift.”
I let the ‘little sister’ bit go, “You sent me to Whitby.”
“With my boyfriend,” she pointed out.

To be honest it will be easier – and cheaper, I might not be destitute but housemaids’ wages aren’t exactly giving me a Rockefeller lifestyle. Not that I’m really complaining, I’ve got work, live in and it’s not the hardest job in the world. Don’t get me wrong, by the time you’ve done twenty rooms, you’ve had enough but it’s not like there’s a strict time table, as long as the rooms are done by check in time.

“So what are you taking to wear? We need to redo your hair, you got enough knickers?”
When my sister, as you might recall, gets into a project, she really goes for it.

I set off from ‘home’ armed with a list of stuff Janey insisted I need for the weekend, it’s not cheap being Trixie! Instead of the more casual look I’ve adopted for work today its full on Trixiebell, my ‘Wednesday’ outfit, well I’m going up to Sheffield. Why Sheffield? Well there’s more shops than Chessy so I should be able to get everything on the list and if I get the X17 its only about half an hour to get there.

The other thing of course is that its more anonymous, I know I don’t look very Zak at the moment but there’s always that fear that I’ll bump into someone I know around Chessy. Okay, so my own mother hasn’t recognised me but I don’t want to push my luck, I mean what do I say, ‘oh hi, yeah it’s me, thought I’d try out a new look, yeah maybe it’s a bit extreme, the piercings? Well if it’s worth doing, do it well.’ Yeah, a conversation I really don’t want.

It’s not a long walk to the bus station, well its hardly a station, just a couple of bits of road where the buses stop and a sort of drive through for the coaches and express routes. Anyhow I found the right stop, confusingly it’s the same stop for both directions, and stood to await the northbound bus. It wasn’t a long wait, well after the Matlock bound bus departed, and soon enough I was on my way to the ‘big city’ over t’hill.
Chessy, home to the Askwith clan, is something of an enigma, a small market town once surrounded by mines and industry but now struggling to replace the lost jobs. Each day the commuters head out of town to work in Sheffield, Derby or even Nottingham, if you want a decent job you’re not gonna find it in Chesterfield. We trundled through the northern suburbs before picking up the main road up the hill to Yorkshire – yeah here its reality not just a childhood incentive – not that it ever made sense to me anyway.

Of course, Sheffield is a city, not one but two Universities, three football clubs and a very ‘cosmopolitan’ population partly as a result of all that. Unlike Chessy it’s not unusual to see the more edgy bits of society and even dressed as I am with bright pink hair and a face like a pepper pot I hardly got a second look as I walked up the main shopping drag. I pulled my list out of my handbag, well its actually Jane’s, my sister has even annotated it with which shops to go to, right, first stop M&S.

“You get everything?” Janey enquired when I got back to the hotel.
“Everything on the list,” I confirmed dropping my purchases onto the counter.
“And more besides by the look,” she suggested with a raised brow.
“Erm.”
“Well let’s see then Trix.”
“Okay, okay,” I agreed.

Well let’s face it, what woman can resist cute shoes and then you need something to wear them with. Okay, I’m not actually a woman but I am temporarily and you have to keep up appearances, right? And regardless of what most women think, men do have an eye for fashion, it might not coincide with their partners ideas but let’s face it, loads of women have no fashion sense either.

“Shoes,” I pulled the colourful box out then a couple of bags, “Frock and handbag,” I concluded.
My sister opened the shoe box, “Ooo, very nice.”

I heaved my case downstairs, pretty much all my Trixiebell possessions are inside – not that there’s a lot really, apart from what I’m wearing, three pairs of shoes, one skirt, three dresses, a couple of tops and a bunch of lingerie, Jane’s leant me her travel vanity for the copious make up supplies and accessories. I had debated dressing up to travel down but Janey suggested it’d be more practical to wear what she called a ‘Zoe Askwith’ outfit, the jeans, cropped T and moccasins. Define comfortable, tight jeans and Zak junior are not the greatest combination, the control pants I’ve got on are tight with a capital T!

“Have a good weekend Trix,” Chelsey offered.
“I’ll try.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” she advised.
Well that's a bit of an open book if my recent conversations ‘girl on girl’ with her are anything to go by!
“Looks like my ride, see you Monday.”

Making my way outside I almost did an about turn, it wasn’t just Jane in the car but my mother.
Janey jumped out and came over before I could make my escape, “Come on Trix.”
“What’s she doing here?”
“Decided she wanted to see Gran, what could I say?”
“She’ll recognise me!”
“She’ll recognise Trixie, come on, you got everything?”
“Think so.”
with a deep sigh I plonked the vanity in my sisters’ arms and trundled over to the car.
“Hello Trixie.”
“Hi Mrs Askwith, er thanks for taking me.”
“No problem love, we’re going to see Jane’s Gran afterwards,” she told me with a wink – what’s that about?

The change in plan did mean we didn’t have to drive right into Nottingham but rather to Bulwell where Amanda and Ray actually live. It’s not really that far, not even twenty-five miles if, like us you use the M1. Amanda had given me directions off the motorway which despite sounding complicated actual were very simple and we pulled up at the given address barely forty minutes after leaving Chesterfield.

“You found us then,” Ray offered in greeting as I extricated myself from the car. He’d clearly seen us arrive and was at the pavement by the time Janey had us parked.
“Straight here, the directions were spot on, er this is Janey and her mum.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
“And you.” Janey replied, look after our girl eh?”
“We will.”

I made surreptitious signals to my sister to cut the chat, not that she took any notice.
“Call when you get there Trix.”
“I will,” I sighed.
“Excellent, let’s get your bags sorted eh Trixie,” Ray suggested.

I waved after my family as they disappeared down the road.
“Go on in Trixie, I’ll put these straight in the car.”
“Er okay.”

I don’t know about you but I always find it a bit weird going into someone else’s house for the first time. You never know quite what to expect, will they be manic house proud, have loads of cats or some other quirk. Whatever I had imagined, maybe some pseudo Victorian Goth cave, was squished as I stepped inside the neat terrace, it was disappointingly ordinary.

“Hello?”
“Come on through Trixie,” invited from what I guessed was the living room.
“Er hi Amanda.”

This wasn’t the Amanda of Whitby in voluminous dresses and carefully coiffured hair – not that she was untidy but rather she was just dressed in ordinary stuff, not mumsy or anything just sort of daily practical.

She pulled me into a friendly embrace, “You look well.”
“Er thanks, you too, I wasn’t sure what to wear.”
“Better to be comfortable for travelling eh, don’t think I could pull that top off, few too many curries, you want a cuppa before we go? kettle’s already on.”
“Um, sure.”
“Sit yourself down then, no need to stand on ceremony.”

“So, who was the older woman?” Amanda asked her hubby when he joined her in the kitchen.
“She said it was Janey’s mother.”
“I thought Janey was her sister?” Amanda mused.
Ray shrugged, “Well that's what she said, maybe they have the same dad, different mothers?”
“That must be it,” Amanda allowed, Trixie though seemed to favour the older woman more than her sister.

“You okay back there?” Ray asked.
“Er yes thanks,” well some bits of my anatomy were feeling the effects of their confinement but generally my reply was truthful.
“Don’t know about you Trix but I need the little girls room,” Amanda shared.
“We’ll stop in a bit,” our driver told us, “Wouldn’t mind a cuppa myself.”
Talk of toilets and drinks of course quickly had me squirming in my seat, how does that work?

Since becoming Trixie, is it only a month ago, well so far I’ve managed to miss the delights of the ladies’ facilities. Oh, I’ve used them, of course I have, but rarely and only in the pubs at Whitby or a couple of times out shopping, each time the facilities being pretty much private. Motorway services on the other hand are somewhat less intimate and even I know that using the ladies generally involves queuing, it was with a little trepidation that I followed my friend into the building.

I gave the gents a longing look, no queuing there, why are there never enough facilities for the women? Thankfully the queue wasn’t too long, just as well, I was almost squirming by now, when my turn came I almost ran into the cubicle. A skirt would’ve been quicker of course but I had jeans and knickers around my ankles in double quick time – okay TMI as they say.

“You all right?” Amanda asked when I eventually exited the ladies.
It took time to get everything er put away, redress, wash up, check my restrained make up was okay – it’s no wonder there’s always a queue, blokes are in and out.
“Er yeah, I er really needed to go.”
“At least you weren’t fighting with a corset,” she chuckled, “Come on, Ray’ll have our tea by now.”

We arrived at Jason and Jasmine’s place just before four, a rambling semi set in a less than well maintained garden not actually in Canterbury but a bit outside in some place called Tyler Hill. Since our lunch stop I’ve been regaled by stories of previous trips to some of these Goth / Steam Punk affairs, after Whitby I know that there’s a lot of ‘socialising’ which can get a bit raucous. What I wasn’t prepared for was my hosts who have adopted the whole pseudo Victogoth thing big style, both fully dressed and clearly comfortable with it.
I took my time getting out of the car as my elders greeted each other with some enthusiasm, yep awkward.

“Where is she then?” Jasmine queried after the greet fest.
“Come on Trixie,” Amanda encouraged.
“We don’t bite,” Jason advised as I nervously stepped away from the car.

Nervous yes, not in regards to meeting them but rather that they’d see through Trixiebell to Zak underneath. Yes, I know I’ve convinced everyone from my best mate to my mother that I’m a girl but can my luck hold out?

“Er hi.”
“Well aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” Jasmine exclaimed.
“Isn’t she,” Amanda agreed.
I could feel the heat rising in my face.
“Give over you two, you’re embarrassing the girl,” Jason opined, “Come on in, kettles on.”

If the outside of the house had an air of casual neglect inside it was like something straight from one of those Victorian melodramas on telly, heavy drapes, ornate decorative pieces and even an Aspidistra, these guys really do live the life. I was somehow a little disappointed when our hostess led us into the state of the art kitchen, all marble and hidden appliances – I guess there’s only so much history that you can live with. After the proprieties of tea drinking were dealt with Jasmine (call me Jas) stood and addressed us.

“I’ve put you pair in the front room Manda, Trix, you’ll be in Em’s room.”
“Thanks, we’d best get a move on if we’re meeting the others for dinner,” Amanda pointed out.
“I’ll give you a hand with the bags Ray,” Jason suggested.
“Come on Trix, I’ll give you the tuppenny tour of Ashlea Villa,” Jas instructed taking my hand.

“I’m not taking someone’s bed am I?” I asked as I followed her up the stairs.
“Em? No, she’s away at university, up your way in fact, Sheffield, so are you going to go to university?”

I’ve already been, done that, got the t shirt, Amanda doesn’t believe I’m more than eighteen, Janey keeps calling me her ‘little sis’, we share the same birthday for heaven’s sake.

“Er, maybe.” what’s one more lie.
“Manda says you work at a hotel?”
“Er just temporary, nothing glamorous, just a housemaid, my sister’s one of the managers.”
“Good on you, don’t do yourself down, it’s an important job, where would they be without clean sheets?”
“One star on Trip Advisor?” I quipped.
“Exactly, you could get some qualifications and go into management like your sister.”
It couldn’t be any less useful than a BSc in Applied Mathematics.
“I guess.”

Jas’s teenage daughter clearly wasn’t into her parents’ fixation with the 19th century, her room, my abode for the weekend, was tidy, walls bearing homage to a variety of boy bands, the décor a mixture of Ikea and Blue Peter. Clearly there had been a recent tidy up, a can of polish still stood on the dressing table.

“I’ve emptied the top two drawers for you, there’s some hangers in the wardrobe if you need them – oh if you need more towels they’re in the cupboard under the sink.”
“Er thanks Jas, sorry to be an imposition.”
“Don’t be daft girl, it’s nice to have a youngster about.”
“Here you go Trix,” Ray mentioned from the doorway.
“Er thanks.”
“Right then, I’ll leave you to settle in, you know where I am if you need anything.”

Jasmine closed the door behind her leaving Zak Askwith aka Trixiebell Heartswoon alone in her daughter’s bedroom. I sank onto the bed, hmm not bad. What the heck was I thinking coming down here, this whole Trixie thing is a temporary aberration, another couple of weeks and I can lose the nails, the pink hair, the whole shebang and Zak’ll be back.

I lay back and blindly stared at the ceiling, this really is such a bad idea, I like Amanda and Ray, I really should’ve come clean after I was abandoned in North Yorkshire. It’s not like there aren’t other blokes rocking the whole corsets and dresses at the festivals – not sure they do it away from the events though. Somewhere down the line, well I’ve stepped over a line, here I am hundreds of miles from home dressed like a sixteen-year-old girl in a stranger’s house, what the heck am I doing?

My thoughts were broken by a knock on the door.
“Hello?”
“You alright Trix?” Amanda queried poking her head around the door.
I sat up, “Er yeah, just getting my head sorted.”
“You having a shower before we go out?”
“Guess I ought to.”
“Get yours first then, I need to iron Rays shirts, anything you want doing?”
“Thanks, don’t think so, I won’t be long.”

“You ready Trixie luv? we’re ready to go,” Jas queried from the bottom of the stairs.
I looked once more at the stairs and groaned in frustration, “Er sort of.”
“Sort of? You need a hand with something?”
only if you have a cure for stupidity, “Er, I might just give tonight a miss.”
“Don’t be so daft girl,” she told me starting up the stairs.
I stood frozen on the top step.
“Oh my! Jason, help here!”
“Sorry.”
“Oh don’t be daft, I’ve done it myself, Jase!”
“What’s up Jas?” her hubby enquired coming up behind her.
“Damsel in distress lover.”

I should’ve thought it through but when I tried it all on back in my room at the hotel I didn’t actually go anywhere. The problem is that I can’t do my shoes up with the corset on so they have to go on first and the dress is quite restrictive around the legs. See the issue? Yup I’ve got pretty much no way of negotiating the stairs except on my bum.

“Right,” Jason grinned, “Hold tight Trix.”
“Aiee!”
He scooped me up and over his shoulder before clumping down to ground level where I was returned to my feet.

“There we go girl.”
“Um thanks.”
“Here you go luv,” Josephine handed me my bag that I’d dropped on the way down, “One of the perks of being married to a fireman eh?”
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
“If you guys are ready?” Ray prompted from the door.
Josephine helped me negotiate the front steps and I tottered over to the waiting taxi, one of those van size things.
“Well give her a hand,” Amanda suggested to her hubby, “Can see we’ll have to keep you on a tight leash this evening Ms Heartswoon.”

Maybe I have gone a bit overboard, not just cinching the corset tighter than I had it at Whitby, but I’ve had extra time practising putting on the makeup and doing my hair, I swapped out the girly face jewellery for the sharper black pieces – yeah, Trixiebell Heartswoon is looking hot!

This weekend’s events are organised somewhat differently to up at Whitby, instead of the hugely expensive all in ticket you register for an I.D. card then you pay a cover at the venues. It at least seems more affordable, guess it depends how many gigs you do over the weekend. Anyhow tonight we’re starting off meeting more of my friends er friends to eat before hitting downtown Canterbury for some music.
The Old Coach & Horses is a little bit out of the centre, a typical gastro pub menu and whilst the main restaurant is upstairs our party had taken over the outside terrace.

“You okay Trixie?” Amanda asked as we negotiated our way to some vacant seats.
“Apart from getting carried away with the corset? I’ll survive.”
“What’re you drinking Trix luv?” Jasmine enquired.
I could’ve murdered a pint to be honest but dressed like this, not a good idea.
“Archers and please.”
“Ice?”
“Please,” well it extends the drink a bit.

The people here are friendly enough, if there is an equivalent of Joe Barnsley and his clique these aren’t it. And an eclectic group they are too, mostly Victogoths with a tendency to Steam Punk, although I’m not alone in representing the more contemporary Goth movement. Introductions were made but to be honest there were too many to remember straight off.

Food arrived, alcohol flowed and somehow it was after nine and time to move on, taxis were ordered and we made our way outside to await our chariots. Of course, there are only a limited number of genre bands so quite a few of those from Whitby are here in Kent, Bansheed, Christ’s Supper and even Bram and the Stokers are making an appearance. Tonight though we’re all heading to see Caractacus Potts, an act at the softer Steam Punk end of the spectrum and apparently with a strong following this side of the Thames.

It was something like one thirty when we got back to Tyler Hill, tired, maybe a little tipsy but thoroughly entertained. Caractacus Potts, whilst the headline act were just part of a raft of acts on the bill, we were treated to quite a variety of stuff, some stand up, a burlesque ‘presentation’, even a magic act besides the music. Maybe a saner individual wouldn’t have been so tightly corseted, hobbled and be-stilted, it certainly kept me from getting too enthusiastic on the dance floor, on the other hand a saner person wouldn’t be dressed like Goth wet dream in the first place.

I was introduced to more members of the Home Counties ‘scene’, mostly weekenders of course – you can tell easily, they generally have more ornate outfits and less metalwork than life-stylers. Until a few weeks ago I would’ve included me in that bracket, it was my greed and stupidity that has turned me into a full-time clan member, with the twist of a sex change! Trixie was accepted without question by all and sundry, my limited finances were not troubled by the bar staff and there was no shortage of would be dance partners – well for me mostly a bit of a shuffle.

I’m not sure quite how I reached my, Em’s room, I think it was another fireman’s lift but however I got there that was about all I managed. After a short fight I got the dress off and somehow with a degree of contortion removed the shoes too. The corset however was another matter, in my tired state I couldn’t even find the knot let alone undo it, I collapsed onto the bed too exhausted from the long day to care anymore.

Not sure what woke me, the vague wafts of cooking bacon or the sound of bodies trying to be quiet beyond the door. I went to sit up and barely got from the horizontal before my corseted torso brought me up short. I’ve spent the night in the corset? I must’ve been well out of it.
Of course it wasn’t just the corset, I was still encased in the rest of my underwear including the Nylons Janey supplied me with. I managed to get myself vertical by sliding around and using the bedside table for leverage, of course I now had an urgent need. Oh well, I slipped from the room and took refuge in the lav across the landing, after a moments panic over the lack of sensation and presence of Little Zak, I sighed with relief as my bladder emptied.

I barely made it back into the bedroom before there was a knock on the door.
“Trix, you up?”
“Just about Amanda.”
“You want breakfast? Jason’s doing full English.”
“Er okay,” I managed to grunt as I tried to find the end of the corset laces.
“Are you okay in there?”
“Um, not really,” I admitted.
The door opened and Amanda came in.
“Oh my, you slept like that?”
“I couldn’t undo it, can you see the knot?”
“Let’s have a look then girl,” she suggested, “Ah, here you go.”
I felt her tug at the laces a little then there was sudden relief as the tension was released.
“Aahhh,” I allowed.
“The knot was right under the eyelet, you okay now?”
“Think so, thanks Amanda, I was starting to panic a bit.”
“I’ll leave you to sort yourself, you want tea or coffee?”
“There any juice?”
“Sure Jas will have something, see you in a few minutes then.”
“Thanks.”

It was only after she’d gone that I remembered just how I’m attired, or rather not. My forms aren’t an issue, Janey did a pretty good job with them, I can’t see the join and I’m wearing them. No its my lower regions, in my haste to get back to the bedroom after my wee I didn’t re tuck junior, just pulled everything back up, there’s a distinct bulge in my knickers – oh well, too late now.

Tempting as it was I resisted the urge to just chuck something on and go down for breakfast. Well for starters I needed to redo my face, sort out the pink rats’ nest and actually decide what to wear. Zak would’ve been downstairs in like two minutes but Zak isn’t here, its Trixie and Trixie takes somewhat longer to get ready.

In the end I decided on basic Goth Trixie, that's to say no corset or fancy hairdo but full-face paint and my ‘Wednesday’ outfit. After being stuck in the corset it was pretty liberating having nothing restrictive on and flat shoes – oh yes. After a final check in the mirror I took a deep breath and headed down to join the others.

“Morning Trix,” Jason beamed as I found my way to the dining room, “Full works?”
Good question, I didn’t exactly get to eat much last night, that stupid corset made sure of that. Of course, ‘full English’ covers quite a lot, from sausage, bacon and egg upwards to include mushrooms, beans, ‘browns, tomatoes, even chips. Well I reckon I can manage some of that.
“Er yes please, morning everyone.”
“’Manda says you had a wardrobe malfunction?” our hostess mentioned.
I blushed under my makeup, “Er yeah.”
“Good night eh?” Ray opined as I slid into the vacant spot at the table.
“Not bad,” I agreed.
“Here you go,” Jason interrupted as he passed a huge plate over the table to me.
“Er thanks,” I quickly surveyed the platter, “I’ll never eat all this.”
the plate was indeed well laden, all the usual components plus black pudding, fried bread and what looked like kidneys.
“Eat up girl,” Jasmine encouraged, “Full day ahead.”

In the end I did eat most of the food before volunteering my services as washer whilst the others dressed for the day.

I felt quite under dressed as we tumbled out of the taxi just by the cathedral a short while later, my companions and apparently half the town wearing romanticised Victorian costumes. There were a few more modern Goths amongst the crowds and all watched by the many tourists helping to fill the city streets. It was like some bizarre scene from a Dickens novel, the rich in their finery, the hoi polloi looking on with maybe a hint of envy.

For once I wasn’t the one getting all the attention, well no more than the local punk wannabees.

“So what’s the plan?” Ray enquired.
“You girls shopping?” Jason suggested.
“And just what are you two gonna do?” his wife asked.
“Thought we might check out the ‘Pilgrim’.”
Amanda rolled her eyes, “Don’t drink too much eh?”
“We’ll be good,” Ray insisted.
“Hmm,” Jas didn’t sound convinced, “We’ll meet you at the ‘Thomas’ at one?”
“’Kay,” Jason grinned back, “Don’t spend too much ladies.”
“You okay with that Trix?” Amanda asked as the chaps set off down the street.
“I wouldn’t mind a look around the town, I’ve not been before.”

Jasmine’s expression suggested that acting as tour guide wasn’t high on her priorities.
“I can explore on my own and meet you later?” I suggested.
“You sure?” Jas queried.
“Yeah, I’m a big girl you know.”
“If you say so,” Amanda suggested with a raised brow.
“Well you can meet us for tea then before we go to the ‘Thomas’.”
“Okay,” I agreed.

After some directions and instructions from Jasmine I found myself on my own with a couple of hours before our date with the teapot. I found one of those town plan boards and decided that a walk around the walls would be good but not before a look around the historic Cathedral. So okay I was doing the tourist bit, queuing up to see the site of one of the most infamous murders in English history but come on, could you resist that?

Back outside the sun was out, I found a quiet corner in the cloister and a selfie, the cathedral in the background. I quickly sent it off to Janey with a cryptic note then set off to find the city walls, well less find than follow as the wall skirts the cathedral complex. The wall is quite impressive where it stands and I took a few ‘artistic’ shots as I followed it clockwise around the town.

My phone chirped, a look at the caller id revealed it to be my sister.
“Heya.”
“You okay sis, thought you were with your friends?”
“I’m fine, Amanda and Jas are doing the shops, we’re meeting up in a bit before the ‘Tales gets going this afternoon.”
“Thought you’d be dressed up today.”
“Huh, after last night.”
“Go on, what happened?”
And so, as I walked I told Janey the tale of my incarceration in corsetry. Of course, she found it hilarious and in hindsight it was quite comical but I had been getting a bit panicky before Amanda’s timely rescue.
“So what’re you doing now?”
I checked the time, “Finding this tea room I guess.”
“You dressing up later?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Well maybe lay off the laces a bit eh, look got to go, laundry vans just arrived.”
“’kay, speak soon.”

After stowing the phone I tried to work out where I was, easier said than done. I found a way through the wall back into the narrow streets of the old town and no sooner had I reached the busier shopping zone than I spotted the tea shop, a busy corner peopled today by Victorian ladies, Korean tourists and bemused locals. It looked to be packed out but I spotted a familiar face inside and after a little bit of table dodging I dropped into a chair.
“Found us then,” Jasmine grinned.

© Maddy Bell 14.06.18