For my new Invisible Friends, Twirl is the story of a star-crossed ballerina named Vivi and her handsome cowboy named Wade, who have stumbled into a international ballet scandal and a old Texas legend that might possibly lead to riches! To catch up in the archives, go to the Never Ending Stories Tab at the top of this site.  For the previous edition, go here.

Whooping, Wade leaped into the air.  His boots clattered against the floor and he threw his arms around Vivi’s shoulders, kissing her cheek with a loud smack.  “Darling, you’re brilliant.  Just brilliant.”

“I know.”  Vivi grinned, holding up the locket under the dim bar lights.  She turned it in her hands, her eyes skimming over the engraved metal.  Tracing a finger around the edge of the heart, she sliced a fingernail between the two rusty halves.  With a metallic shriek, the locket popped open.  A dry and brittle golden lock of hair was curled in the center of the locket.

“Gross,” the bartender cried, wrinkling his nose.  “It’s just full of hair?  Old hair? There’s no money or anything?”

Wade peeked into the drawer.  “Nothing.  Just the locket.”

“Gross.” The bartender pouted.  “What’s so special about a stupid locket with a dead person’s hair?”

“Everything,” Vivi murmured, staring at the locket in awe.  “Everything.”   Straightening, she asked, “Mind if we take the locket?”

“Be my guest,” the bartender growled, waving a brawny arm.  “It does me no good.  I can’t even sell anything on E-bay,” he added glumly.

“You know,” Vivi lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone.  She leaned over the bar and glanced back and forth before whispering, “This bar could be famous.  You could make a lot of money.”

“How?” the bartender demanded.  His eyes glittered with greed.  He rubbed his thick hands together, licking his lips.  “With what?”

“You see,” Vivi whispered, dangling the locket in front of his large nose, “This is a clue that leads to Bullet Bill’s treasure.  And we found it in a secret compartment of your bar.”

The bartender sucked in his breath in understanding.  “And it was found here,” he murmured, his tongue wagging over his lips.  “Imagine all the press!  All the interviews, all the pictures…”  He rubbed his hands together gleefully.  “I could get a reality show!”

“But, you must not tell anyone yet,” Vivi cautioned, closing her palm around the locket.

The bartender scowled.  “Why not?” he demanded.

Vivi’s eyes opened wide.  Behind her, Wade stifled a laugh.  “Because if you say anything, Margaret, the lady in black, will find the treasure.  And where as we would be willing to state where we found the clues and how instrumental you were in finding it, she would deny ever finding it here.”

Hissing, the bartender shook his head.  “I certainly don’t want that cow to get any press.  Dreadful, hideous woman.  But what if you don’t find the treasure?  I’ve just got an old bar with a secret drawer then.  That’s not interesting at all.”

“Oh, we’ll find it,” Vivi said, her voice laced with steely determination.  “And we’ll find it soon.  Count on it.”

The bartender bobbed his head, his thick hoops dangling.  Extending his hand to both Vivi and Wade, he grinned broadly.  “I look forward to hearing the good news,” he said.

Clutching the locket in her hand, Vivi and Wade burst out the dancehall door.  The second the heavy wooden door shut, they erupted in laughter.  Wade picked Vivi up and twirled around the parking lot, holding her high over his head.

“Darling, I think you’re the smartest, cutest girl I ever met,” he crowed, dipping her towards the ground and planting a firm kiss on her lips.   Setting her on the gravel, he wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head for a longer kiss.  “Plus, one of the best kissers,” he added a moment later.  With a grin, he teased, “And you’re starting to get the hang of dancing, too.”

Vivi squelched up her face and stuck her tongue out.  “Ha, ha.”  Throwing her arms out, she looked up at the starry sky and spun around.  “We’re so close, Wade.  So close.  I can feel it.”

“So can I.”  Wade pulled open the truck door for her, helping her in.  He shut it and climbed in the other side of the truck.  The diesel engine fired to life and the giant truck crept forward.  A few cars over, a shadowed figure in a black car discreetly started its engine.

“How did you know it was a locket?” Wade asked, steering the truck out of the tiny parking lot.  Both were oblivious to the black car slowly trailing behind them.   “And how did you know where to find it?”

“Lockets were really popular back in the Victorian age,” Vivi answered, bouncing in her seat as the truck rumbled over a cattle guard.  The black car followed a few moments later.  “Women would often give locks of hair to their lovers as a sign affection and devotion, usually with some sort of mushy poem.  When Addy’s letter talked about the picture in her heart, I knew it had to be a locket.  I thought she would have a picture of Bill, but it makes sense she didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Wade asked.

“Well, their entire relationship was based on secrecy,” Vivi replied.  “This hair could have belonged to anyone.  But a picture of either of them would have been damning evidence.”

“That’s true,” Wade agreed, turning onto the highway.  “But how did you know it was in the bar?”  The black car trailed behind them, hiding behind a large grocery truck.

Vivi shrugged.  “Honestly, I just had a gut feeling,” she replied.  “I could tell the place had been remodeled, so the walls and floors had been altered.  But the woodwork and bar were original.  If it was there, that was the place it would be.  And it would have been a lot easier for Bill to get to the bar then to tear chunks of wood off the wall.”

“And harder for anyone else to find,” Wade added.  “Where do you think the next clue is?”

“I’m not sure,” Vivi admitted.  “But I know what it is!”  She turned the locket over and held it up to Wade.  The back was carved with the outline of a gun.

“I don’t get it,” Wade said, his eyebrows furrowing together.  “A gun?”

“Not just any gun,” Vivi cried.  “A pearl handled gun!  His signature gun and sign!  Don’t you remember in the legends, every time he stole something he left a small pearl-handled gun behind?”

“That escaped me,” Wade admitted, his forehead crumpled.  “So we’re looking for a pearl-handled gun?”

“Not just any gun,” Vivi countered.  “Bullet Bill’s personal pearl handled pistol!”

***

Wade pulled up in front of Vivi’s house and pulled the brake.  “Sure I can’t walk you in?” he asked hopefully.  “I still haven’t met your folks yet, you know.  Are you sure they don’t care about you running around at all hours at the night?”

“They don’t care about anything that isn’t ballet,” Vivi answered truthfully.  She shoved the locket in her pocket and grabbed her dance bag.

“Well, all right,” Wade drawled.  He leaned over, cupping Vivi’s chin in his hand.  “I…I wanted you to know…”  Vivi’s breath caught in her throat.  For a moment, it felt like the world had stopped.  “I wanted you to know,” Wade stuttered.  “I…I….”

“Yes?”  Vivi held her breath.  She stared into Wade’s blue eyes and waited, butterflies exploding in her stomach.

“I….adore you,” Wade whispered, his cheeks turning red.  “You mean everything to me.”

Vivi deflated, her breath rushing out in a great burst of air.  “You mean everything to me,” she mummured.  Pressing her lips to his, she hoped he couldn’t see the dissapointed tears at the corners of her eyes.  She had really thought he would say it.

“So I’ll read the letters tonight,” Vivi said briskly.  “And tomorrow night after dance class, we’ll try to find the third clue.  Does that work for you?”

“It’s perfect,” Wade said, his voice thick.  “You know, you’re perfect, Vivi.  You really are.”

She smiled, draping her arms around his neck.  “I’m far from perfection.  You’re the one that’s perfect.”

“Well, I’m farther from perfection than you are,” Wade countered.  “But you’re perfect for me.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”  Vivi lost herself in his touch as the kiss grew more passionate.  Finally, she pulled away, panting.  “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

Blowing Wade a kiss, she hopped out of the truck and shut the door quietly.  The last thing she wanted to do was wake her parents.  Spinning down the sidewalk, it was all she could do not to giggle and scream at the same time.  She wanted to burst with love and happiness.

As she slid through the front door, she failed to notice the black car parked on the side of her house.

Humming to herself, Vivi kicked off her shoes and turned on the porch light.  She peeked out the front door window, watching as Wade pulled away.  Rubbing her tingling lips together, she set her dance bag on the ground.

The living room light flipped on and she jumped.  “God!” she cried.  “You almost scared me to death!  Why are you skulking around in the dark? ‘”

Her father glowered at her, crooking a bony finger.  “Vivienne.  We need to talk.  Now.”

“We?”  Vivi glanced around the room and felt all the strength flow out of her.  Mrs. Angelson was perched on the couch, a smug look on her face.

“Hello, Vivi,” she cooed.

To be continued…

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  Tomorrow we have a new Critter Confessions!  Then next week, all sorts of whimsical fun!