(Continued from March 05, 2010)
Cutting the string, that held the sizable bag and its mysterious contents attached to the Mini’s bumper, was another precision act. By means of the goggle’s small screen, the guard was able to place the blade right against the cord, at the most advantageous place. The object that had appeared to be a knife, from the partying group’s vantage point, turned out to be a sort of miniature jigsaw. A few in-and-out movements of the razor-sharp blade severed the string and the bag sagged neatly onto the wire mesh of the right arm’s improvised container.
Although the robot’s handiwork had steadily held Alphonse’s gaze, my young friend had not neglected his Champaign-serving routine. We were well into the second bottle of the bubbly. I had also been watching the contraption’s maneuvers intently. Therefore, we boys had not as yet savored the great variety of appetizers. The ladies, on the other hand, had all filled their plate and were happily munching away at the delicacies.
Since the robot was distancing itself from the vehicle at a slow pace, Alphonse and I were able to fill our plates before the robot would commence the unveiling of the goods. Up to that point, the ladies had been moderately interested in the tasks that the device had performed. However, they were obviously looking forward to a revelation of the bag’s contents. There were glances, now and then, to gauge the contraption’s progress.
The robot had reached a dry and clean spot at the farthest edge of the paved area. The guard explained later: “If involvement of the police would be necessary, it would be better to have the evidence in a good place.”
The robot used a utility blade to cut the top off the bag, which was made of three layers of heavy paper. The left arm then descended along the inside and came up with the point of the blade toward the outside. After it had repeated that task in several places, the strips of paper fell away from the contents.
A colorful bundle of intermingled clothing became visible. The robot returned the utility blade to its breast pocket and with its forceps spread the articles of clothing. They turned out to be flimsy nightgowns.
Alphonse was the first to react to the unusual display: “That explains the snickering of the teenagers in the pub’s parking lot. My guess is that they found the bag, had no use for the contents and decided to ‘shock’ someone. They choose the Mini because its back bumper facilitated the attachment.”
The ladies decided to take a closer look at the gowns and quickly agreed that the elegant garments were top-of-the-line apparel.
(To be continued)