MicroHorror

He’d been watching them work the Carnival crowd. They favored the Smash and Grab method: crude but effective. What made him fume, though, was not what they stole, or even how they stole it, but who they stole from. They targeted women with young children and that was not just nasty, it was downright evil.

So he watched and waited, just another horned devil amongst dozens. Waited for the time when he knew they would go to change their costumes.

These changes were an important factor in their success, particular the different wigs. The gang knew that the first thing people look at when deciding whether or not they recognize someone is their hair. So a change of color and style and you’re a new person. Change your clothes as well and you’re virtually unrecognizable. That’s why the police were struggling to catch this group. Their victim’s descriptions varied so wildly it sounded as though all of London’s villains were in Notting Hill this year.

He had given them nicknames–Teeny, Meany and Mo–more for his own amusement than for any purpose of identification.

Mo was the leader and selected the victim. Then Teeny and Meany would go into action. As the unsuspecting woman walked along, a child or two by her side, Teeny would work his way into her path. Walking a few steps in front, he would suddenly turn round and “accidentally” collide with the woman. As he was only around five-foot-one, most people literally overlooked him until his head was buried in their chest or stomach.

As the woman’s first instinct would always be for the safety of her children, Meany walking right behind her was perfectly placed to snatch a purse or bag while she was distracted. Then Mo came into play. Acting the concerned citizen, he would distract the victim again, while Teeny and Meany made their getaway. When the woman discovered her loss, Mo would look around angrily, pretend to see the thief and rush off into the crowd.

The three would then regroup at the anonymous white van they used as their base. Slipping inside to change before setting out again. However, this time they had a visitor. He had decided to join them.

“Where in Hell did you spring from?” gasped Meany.

“Let me show you,” said the devil, stopping their hearts mid-beat with a click of his fingers.