Playground / Marina car park

Barry spins around momentarily surprised, then grabs your arms in his meaty fists pinning your hands painfully behind your back. You struggle but it’s no use, you’re no match for this post-70s-bacon-basted Elvis.

Delmiza Polkiss thrusts her heavily powdered nose inches from your face. “You think you can take on a master magician and respectable dealer and win?” she rasps. Well actually, yes, you did. Barry is a C-grade impersonator at best. What’s so magical about that? you wonder.

You find out when, with a flourish of his arms, he releases you. You run for it then trip, face planting the ground with a sickening thud. You struggle to stand but it feels like your legs are entwined and you flap about at their feet helpless as a floundering seal cub.

“Ha ha, invisible lasso!” Barry chants triumphantly. He reels you in with his bewitched rope and with Delmiza’s help, ties you to one of the spinning orbiters in the playground, wrapping a few strands around your mouth for good measure. To passers-by, you look like you are just hogging the ride; no one can see your wicked restraints.

“Free at last to sell these pretty ones,” Delmiza sneers waving Delilah’s rings aloft. “It’s caviar and bubbles from here on end! With the exorbitant prices I’ll charge for these fancy relics, you’ll never have to squeeze into sequinned spandex again.”

“I’m counting on you, my sweet,” Barry croons as he and Delmiza wedge into a waiting corvette and zoom off into the sunset leaving you spinning in circles, going nowhere fast.

THE END