Hieronymus Boosh

by AnitaLife

Part 10

Hello Dolly!

In the room, at a lavishly set table, atop a pink doily, Vince sat, holding court among the rag dolls, plastic fashion figures and porcelain princesses.

Vince and the girls were having a grand tea party. Vince was at ease in the middle of the beautiful dolls, which were as varied in their types as Walter's masculine counterparts. Naboo and Bollo were sitting with the group but in contrast to Vince's cheery demeanor, they looked sullen, miserable and dejected.

Bollo was draped in a pink flowery doll's dress which had been hastily pulled over his already absurd red vest. His mouth was smudged with ultra red lipstick and his eyelids sported a metallic blue shadow.

Naboo was wearing a frilly fuchsia calico apron on top of his normal Shaman's garb. His cheeks were bright red with rouge which was made using the lipstick that had been sloshed onto Bollo.

It looked as if Chloe had set up the tea party before she went to bed and now the pair was stuck in ridiculous but un-removable garments.

"Hey, Howard!" Vince called as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Come and join us!"

Howard breathed a sigh of relief. "Vince! What are you doing? We've got to get out of here!"

Vince turned to the girls, who were giggling at Vince's attentions. "Excuse me ladies, that's me mate Howard. He's such a wet blanket. I've got go sort him out."

"Hurry back, Vincent sweetie!" said Lavender, the Bopsey-Brand rag doll, with her pouting red lips. Her soft-sculpture white face saddened when he got up and her impressive cloud of curly red yarn hair seemed to droop.

"Vince, we've got to get out of here," Howard repeated to Vince urgently. "Hasn't Naboo told you what's happening to us?"

"Yeah, I know, but Howard, Chloe is such a great kid and she really loves me."

"But, Vince you're wearing a ludicrous outfit, clearly not in fashion," Howard appealed, using the obvious. "Three pompoms down the front? Clashing colors? The jester hat alone…"

"I've thought about that quite a bit Howard, and I think I can make it work, maybe even start a trend. How cool is that!"

"What about your nightlife, hey?" Howard attempted. "Pulling shapes at the club? The Camden birds?"

"Won't miss it," Vince said, rolling his eyes at Howard's attempts.

"So that's it then, is it?" Howard's exasperation was showing. "We've risked everything to get here, to save you and now you want to stay in this place and become a child's plaything."

"Look, Howard it has its benefits. I don't have to worry about anything. All the tea and biscuits I could ever want, and the ladies, well…surely you can see." Vince smiled and waved at the giggling bevy of dolls who were all clearly enamored of Vince. "Let's just say, I might be getting very lucky, quite often."

"Vince, you're not right! What about…" Howard wanted to say 'us', but could not.

"What about your bands? You want to be a rock star, eh? What about Blueberry…what was it?"

"What, Blueberry Cage? Ahhh," Vince groaned dismissively. "Pretentious losers."

"Yeah. Blueberry Cage. Don't you want to be their front man anymore?"

"No, I'm done with that, Howard. I want to stay here."

"Done with Blueberry Cage, the concept band?" Howard asked. "The group that was so beyond the veil they only conceptualized music?"

Howard felt helpless. His appeals were having no effect and time was running out.

tbc…