>kiss maiden

At the last moment, she turns her head, and your kiss lands her 
on the cheek, hot breath from your nostrils puffing in her exposed 
ear. The Kissing Bandit has struck again... Oops!

The maiden screams, a piercing whistle in your ear! She rubs her cheek
madly with her kerchief. ~Gross! My cheek is all slobbery!~ She shoves at 
you, and you fall, you fall from the tower!

Is this the end for the Kissi--


OW.


You hit the ground at the base of the tower, winded but unhurt. 
The maiden above says, ~Harold Finster! I'm telling Miss Adams!~ She 
leaps off the tower and escapes into the night as the church tower 
rings.

You do not know who this Harold Finster is of which she speaks,
but you do recognise the name of your old adversary, Constable 
Adams! You must escape, quickly!

~Harold Finster!~ Uh oh. It's Constable Adams! You 
climb inside the bars of the tower where she can't get you. 
~No one can catch the Kissing Bandit!~ you bellow.

Miss Adams storms up. ~Get out of there this minute, Harold. 
I'm not kidding.~ She grabs you by the arm and pushes her face 
close to yours. ~If you don't come out in five seconds, I'm 
going to come in and carry you out, and not necessarily in 
one piece!~

Her face, her skin, so lovely... perhaps the Kissing Bandit 
could strike again, even now?

>kiss her
You lean through the bars and give her a big smack
right on the gob. Her eyes fly wide open, becoming two great
orbs, beaming invisible rays of heat death right at you. Good
thing your special cloak protects you.

~That does it!~ shouts a purpling Miss Adams. ~Harold Finster,
I don't know what's gotten into you, but I've had complaints 
from at least three girls today. You're going to the principal's 
office right now!~

Miss Adams pulls you out of the monkey bars drags you inside. The chief 
constable has been waiting to catch the Smooching Bandit for years, and 
now you're being delivered into his fiendish clutches. You'll be locked 
in the detention tower for sure, but first, interrogation and torture.

You scoff. The Smooching Bandit can withstand anything for the sake 
of a kiss... One day, he will be free to strike again!



Except then came the unkindest cut of all, a wound 
deep to the heart of the Kissing Bandit! Something even he
could not withstand! For there, at the edge of the schoolyard,
laughing at him, mocking him in word an gesture, stood Mary Anne
Mackelroy! Oh, surely the unkindest cut of all!^^

'He gives slobbery smooches,' she teased. 'And he always smells
like raisins. Eww!'^^

'Ah, fair Marianne -- ' choked the Bandit as he was led away,
his spirit now broken. 'Marianne... '~



^~And?~ Jenny asks, looking at you like you're a little bit
nuts.

~And, that's the end of the Tale of the Kissing Bandit,~ you
say, shrugging. You prop yourself up on one elbow to adjust
your pillow. You lie your head down on it, your goofy smile
aimed at the ceiling. ~That's the end.~^

~That was stupid,~ Jenny says.

You're a little hurt by that. ~No it wasn't!~ you protest.
~Besides, what do you expect when you ask me to make something
up off the top of my head?~

~You were SUPPOSED to come up with something romantic.~

~Well, I thought it was funny-romantic. And I liked the twist
ending.~

~Yeah, yeah, yeah,~ she says, ~You and your twist
endings.~

>kiss jenny
~So,~ you say, as you give Jenny a little kiss. ~Did you like my story or not?~

~mmm,~ she says. ~Kiss me again and I'll tell you.~

>g
You kiss for several minutes, finally breaking for some fresh air. 
~Happy Valentine's Day,~ you say.

~Happy Valentine's Day,~ Jenny says. ~I love you.~

~I love you too,~ you say. ~I adore you.~

~That's so sweet,~ she says. ~Thank you. And thank you for the story.~ 
She sneaks across the room on tip-toes and blows out the candle.

It is now pitch dark in here!

>look
It's dark, and you can't see a thing except the faintly
glowing outline of the bedroom window shade, which is drawn shut. 

>
"Nothing to do but wait.

>Z
Nothing to do but wait. Time passes....

Jenny crawls higher.



	*** SMOOCHIES ***