The Ultimate Distraction 🚢
The dock was crowded with travelers carrying luggage and boarding the vessel. Mitzi and Lulu slowed their pace, adopting their best “casual tourist stroll” once again. They smoothed down their ruffled dresses, took deep breaths, and walked toward the boarding ramp.
“Just act natural,” Mitzi whispered, flashing a wide, toothy grin at a couple walking past.
“I am the definition of natural,” Lulu replied, swaying her hips in the yellow fabric. “I belong on a runway in Milan.”
But the ticket taker at the ramp was on high alert. He had a photo of them on his tablet, sent directly by the estate security team. As Mitzi and Lulu approached, his eyes widened, darting from his screen to their bright yellow dresses.
“Hey! You two can’t board without tickets!” he yelled, reaching out to grab Mitzi’s shoulder.
Mitzi didn’t hesitate. She grabbed a nearby cart loaded with luggage, giving it a massive push. The cart rolled down the wooden dock, crashing into a stack of empty plastic crates with a loud, chaotic clatter.
“Go, go, go!” Mitzi shouted.
They sprinted up the gangway just as the ferry’s horn sounded, signaling its departure. The heavy ropes were cast off, and the gap between the boat and the dock began to widen.
The lead security guard reached the edge of the dock, panting and out of breath, just as the ferry pulled away into the deep blue water. He looked at the two escapees standing at the stern of the boat.
Lulu raised her hand, giving the guard a slow, dramatic wave. She took one last sip of her mango juice through her straw, winked, and tossed the empty carton into a nearby recycling bin on the deck.
“We did it,” Lulu sighed, leaning against the railing as the cool sea breeze ruffled her yellow dress. “We are officially free.”
“And we looked absolutely spectacular doing it,” Mitzi agreed, adjusting her collar with a satisfied grin.
As the estate faded into the distance, the two friends stood side-by-side on the deck, ready for whatever fashionable adventures awaited them on the other side of the bay.
