Part 31: Penelope hankers for hot-blooded South Americans…

Penelope hankers for hot-blooded South Americans…

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She climbed into bed and snuggled into the blankets. A thought came to mind. Before Penelope bedded down, she would kneel on the floor and pray, no matter how cold and hard the floor was. Since she was now Penelope, she ought to live the part to the letter. So she threw back the sheets, dropped to her knees, and joined her hands in prayer.

Dear Lord of the Universe, she prayed, eyes tightly closed. I beg for forgiveness. Not for Olive, but for those who lack the true faith of the All Saints brethren. Amen.

She returned to bed and waited for sleep. But the wealth she now held made her heartbeat race, thumping in her chest. For a moment she considered jumping out of bed again and running a victory lap around her bedroom.

One day soon, when all the investigations around Olive died down, when the police dropped the case as unsolvable and life returned to normal, Penelope would also leave. Where would she go, the French Riviera? No, too close. How about South America? Yes, just imagine all those hot-blooded Latin Americans hankering for steamy romance.

Sleep eventually overtook to her, and she slept till the middle of the next day, lying with her arms behind her head, a smile on her face.

With the new day, Olive was gone, a villain on the run. On this day, Penelope came into being. Not merely as a presence glimpsed on Sunday and Wednesday evenings, but as an upright member of society living twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
 
To be continued… 

​The real world:
 
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Like to know more about Alf, Bert and the rest of the gang? You can read their chaotic history in What on Earth.
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Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay