Go Go Gone
Once upon a time, when the best known exports from
Australia to Great Britain were The Seekers and Rolf Harris, in an office block
in the centre of Melbourne worked three women in their early twenties, called
Noreen, Maureen and Doreen. Whether or
not that was their real names isn’t that important – for this story, they are
Noreen, Maureen and Doreen.
Noreen was the oldest by about two weeks – a tall,
well-built young lady with bobbed black hair.
Maureen was thin – thin as a rake, with red-brown hair, while Doreen was
the smallest and youngest of the three, with shoulder length black hair.
The office they worked in was nothing special –
they did the typing, welcomed the clients, made the brews, all the normal
secretarial stuff – and that included chatting about the med in their
lives. All single, all looking for the
Adonis who would not look out of place on the Gold Coast some weekend…
The other thing all three of them loved to do was
go clubbing at Bazaar, the local nightclub – where they could dress, dance and
look good to themselves and everyone else.
And on this particular Friday, the topic of conversation was whether or
not this was the day they would finally meet their man, the man of their
dreams.
“I hope there’s a lot of guys there,” Noreen said
as she sat behind her typewriter, “I want to feel his arms round me as he
sweeps me off my feet…”
“You want one of the life guards then,” Doreen said
as she brought through the tea cups on a tray, “big, bronzed, and ready to take
you away.”
“Fat chance – she’s more likely to get Curt from
the office next door trying to chat you up,” Maureen said as she took the cup
and drank, “so what have you got for tonight?”
“New dress – can’t wait to show you girls it,”
Doreen said with a smile.
“New boots as well,” Noreen replied.
“Oh yeah – white and ready to dance,” Doreen said
as the manager looked out.
“Back to work girls – dreams can be had in your own
time!”
“Yes sir,” Noreen said as the three women started giggling….
“All the lights are turned down low the couples are
dancin'
Every girl and boy I know is dancin' but no one's with me
I danced alone dear, unwanted
Every step I take is haunted by your memory
“Dance Puppet Dance the dream is ended now
I never stood a chance and my heart can't be mended now
The big romance don't mean a thing
He had me on a string Dance Puppet Dance
“Oh why oh why do you have to do nothing but hurt me
Every time I think of you it hurts me all over again
I cry alone dear unwanted
Bring me back the love I wanted and end all this pain
“Dance Puppet Dance the dream is ended now
I never stood a chance and my heart can't be mended now
The big romance don't mean a thing
He had me on a string Dance Puppet Dance
“Dance Puppet Dance, Dance Puppet Dance”
As Little Patty played on the radio, Noreen
continued to spray the hairspray over her dark hair, and then stood up, tying
the light purple scarf around her head and letting the ends fall down her
back. She then picked up the pair of light
purple knee length PVC boots and slipped them on, pulling the zip up on the
inside and then tightening the straps at the top.
As she stood up, she brushed down the front of her psychedelic
print short sleeve dress, and then fastened a pair of diamond studs into her
ears, before she smiled and picked up her purse. “Yeah, this should get them going,” she said
as she left her room – it was a warm evening, so she didn’t mind the cool
breeze on her uncovered knees and arms.
As she walked towards Bazaar, she was looking
forward to an evening of dancing, and boys – so she wasn’t paying much
attention to the grey van that was parked outside the club itself.
“What about her?”
“Yeah – that’s one of them.”
Noreen stopped and looked in her purse for the entrance
money, unaware of the side of the van opening and the two men walking towards
her. The first she was aware was when
one of them covered her mouth with their large hand, and the lifted her off the
ground, the second man grabbing her legs as they quickly carried her over to
the van.
She was amazed nobody saw or heard them, as she was
lifted in and the van door closed.
“HELPPPPPP!” she called out – and then she heard the voice say “if you
don’t shut your trap, Sheila, we’ll shut it for you.”
She saw the tall, muscled man sitting there,
pointing a gun at her as her wrists were pulled behind her back, and she felt
the rope as her wrists were tightly bound.
“Oh god,” she whispered, as she felt the rope rubbing on her skin, “are
you kidnapping me?”
“Could be,” the man said as he looked at her, and
she felt rather than saw the rope that was wrapped round her upper body and
arms, forcing them into her sides and her chest out as they were pulled tighter
and tighter. She grunted as she wriggled
round, and then realised by the squeaking sound the man who had been speaking
had started to bind her ankles together with the rough brown rope. He took it around and between her legs,
pulling it tighter with each pass before he tied it off, and then tied a second
length around her legs below her knees.
“Why are you doing this,” Noreen protested, “I
don’t have any money.”
“Nah – you have something far more valuable,” the
man said as he pulled the second rope between her legs, and then tied it off,
“but right now, you need to be quieter than the outback at night.”
“What do you…”
She then watched as he tore a wide, long strip of brown sticking plaster
from a roll, and said “please, no…”
“Now baby, I’m happy without you
You taught me this lesson
In Heartache and Pain -
You brought me the sunshine
The First time I met you -
And then after that,
You only brought me the rain
“Baby, I’m happy without you
So happy without ya, baby baby.
Baby, I’m happy without you,
So happy without ya,
Cause I’m living again…
“If you only knew what I’m learning to do
But you taught me the truth…
If you only know that I made it alone
And I’m happy without ya,
To go on my own…
“Baby, I’m happy without you
So happy without ya, baby baby.
Baby, I’m happy without you,
So happy without ya,
Cause I’m living again…
“Now Baby, I’m happy without ya,
I don’t want to learn anymore about ya,
You’d blind me with Love
And make my eyes sore.
I’ve seen the light
I don’t want ya no more…
“Baby, I’m happy without you
So happy without ya, baby baby.
Baby, I’m happy without you,
So happy without ya,
Cause I’m living again…”
“That was the Strangers,” the DJ said on the radio
as Maureen danced around her room, smiling as her pink scarf fell over her
shoulders, and her pearls moved on her chest.
Her dress was white with a geometric brown pattern, and pink and purple
flowers, a matching belt holding her waist in.
She was also wearing a pair of knee length white leather boots, and the
scent of perfume was in the air.
“Oh this is going to be the night that song is not
part of my life,” she said as she turned round – and saw the two muscle bound
men standing there, wearing black jumpers and pants. She also saw the pistol in the gloved hand of
one of them, and whispered “oh no… Who
are you, and how did you get in?”
“Not important,” the man with the gun said, “on
your knees, hands on your head – we’re going to take a trip, and we need to
make sure you cannot refuse.”
The other man took out of his pocket a roll of
black tape, and walked behind Maureen as she knelt down, her hands on her
head. She felt him putting her ankles
together, and then she heard the tape as it was ripped from the roll, and her
ankles were forced together.
“Please – I have some money, you can take that and
then leave me alone,” she whispered, as the second man then started to tape her
legs together above her knees.
“Thanks – but no thanks,” the armed man said as he
put the gun down, and then lifted her scarf down from her forehead, “but I do
want you to do something for me.”
“What,” Maureen whispered.
“Open your mouth.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Maureen said, “I’ll be
quiet, just dontttpthttnmmff.” She had
to stop as he pulled the thin strip of material between her lips, forcing her tongue
down to the floor of her mouth and pulling the corners of her mouth back as he
tied it round her head, then brought the ends round and tied them between her lips
as well.
The man kneeling behind her then pulled her hands
behind her back, as she felt the tape pulling on her wrists while they were
secured together. He then tore a long
length from the roll, as she saw him take it over her head and then start to
secure her arms to her sides, the black bad framing her chest as she tried to
struggle, her boots squeaking.
“Pass me the tape,” the man in front of her said,
and he then wrapped the tape round her head, covering the cleave gag and
further silencing Maureen as she looked at them. She was them made to stand, and lifted onto
his shoulder, her bound legs swinging up and down in protest as they left her
house…
“Smiley
You're out in the world today
Smiley
You're all on your own
Smiley - Hey
They say you're a man today
Boy how you've grown
Yesterday there was laughter and songs to sing
Yesterday we had loving to burn
Yet today there is peace to bring
When will they learn?
“Smiley
You're off to the Asian War
And we won't see you smile no more
No we won't see you smile no more
No more laughter in the air
No more laughter in the air
Feel the tension in the air
Where is love?
“Smiley
You're out in the world today
Smiley
You're all on your own
Smiley - Hey
The Family said to say
Wish you were home
“Smiley
You're off to the Asian War
And we won't see you smile no more
No we won't see you smile no more
No more laughter in the air
No more laughter in the air
Feel the tension in the air
Where is love?
“No more laughter in the air
No more laughter in the air
Feel the tension in the air
When will they love?”
As Doreen walked into Bazaar, she looked round at
the couples dancing close to each other, and made her way over to the bar.
“Hey Dirk,” she said, “any sign of the others?”
“Not yet – usual?”
“Yeah,” she said as she sat at the bar, and took a
glass of Babycham. Her black hair was up
in a bun, with a wide yellow chiffon scarf tied round it, the ends down her
back, while she was wearing a white sleeveless dress with a black, grey and
yellow geometric pattern printed on it, the top buttons undone to show her
chest. She also had on a pair of white
knee length leather boots.
As she sipped her drink, the music changed, and she
said “I gotta dance to this,” going onto the floor and go-go dancing to the
song.
“Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on,
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on
“Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town
And everybody, yeah, tries to put my Sloopy down
Sloopy, I don't care what your daddy do
'Cause you know, Sloopy, girl, I'm in love with you
“And so I sing out
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on”
As she danced, Doreen smiled as a fair haired man,
who looked as if he was fresh from the beach, came over and started to dance
with her, matching her moves.
“Sloopy wears a red dress, yeah, as old as the
hills
But when Sloopy wears that red dress, yeah, you know, it gives me the chills,
oh, oh
Sloopy, when I see you walking, walking down the street
I say, ‘Don't worry, Sloopy, girl, you belong to me’
“And so I sing out
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Give it to 'em right now”
“Come here often,” he said as he smiled, teeth
dazzling white.
“Yeah – with me girlfriends, but they’re not here
yet,” Doreen said as the music continued.
“Sloopy, let your hair down, girl
Let it hang down on me
Sloopy, let your hair down, girl
Let it hang down on me, yeah, yeah
“Come on, Sloopy, Well, come on, Sloopy
Well, come on, Sloopy, Well, come on, Sloopy
“Well, it feels so good
You know, it feels so good
Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, Sloopy
Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah
“Oh Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hang on, Sloopy, Sloopy, hang on.”
As Doreen clapped, the man said “can I buy you a
drink?”
“Sorry – I already got one, but you can walk me
back to the bar.”
As they walked over, Doreen smiled and said “what’s
your name?”
“Brad,” was the reply as the barman gave him a
beer.
“Well, cheers Brad,” Doreen said as she raised her
glass, and took a sip. “You must be new
to the area.”
“Yeah – me and my mates were just cruising round,
seeing what we can pick up,” Brad said as Doreen took another drink, and then
put the glass down. “Something wrong?”
“Just… Just
feel a little faint all of a sudden,” Doreen said as she tried to stand up, and
nearly stumbled.
“Here,” Brad said as he picked her purse up, and
put his arm round her to support her, “let me walk you out, get some fresh
air…”
“Thanks – don’t know why I suddenly felt so wrong…”
“It’s all right,” Brad said as they walked outside,
and Doreen felt more and more sleepy, “me and my mates will take real good care
of you…”
When she opened her eyes, Doreen wondered why she
felt so stiff – and why she could hear mice squeaking, and mumbled noises. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to
the dim light – and then she saw Noreen and Maureen sat opposite her, their eyes
wide as they seemed to be unable to move.
It took her a few minutes more to realise why she
was so stiff – her arms were tied tightly to her sides with rope, and her
wrists were secured behind her back? She
tried to move her legs, but as her sight returned she saw the rope around her
own ankles and legs.
“Whtsggnnn,” she tried to say – and then she
realised to her horror something was in her mouth, and she could see the edge
of her yellow scarf which had been tied round her head, covering her mouth and
keeping whatever it was inside.
She could now see the brown sticking plaster over
Noreen’s mouth, and the black tape round Maureen’s head, as all three started
to struggle – which clued her in on why she could hear mice, as her own boots
rubbed against each other.
“Hey – she’s awake.”
“Sorry about that darling,” Brad said as he
squatted in front of Doreen, “but we needed you three Sheilas here with your
keys to the office. All three to open
the safe after all. Pity – you’re cute
looking one, I’d like to have got to know you better.”
“UBSTRDDDDD!”
“Now is that any language for a young lady to use,”
Brad said with a smile as Doreen stared at him.
All three omen kept struggling as they could see the gang emptying the
safe through the open door.
Eventually, the six men left, Brad saying “g’day
all of you” as the three women were looking at them. Before he left, he noticed the radio on the
top of a filing cabinet, and turned it on, all three women struggling as they
were left alone…
“And now here’s Fontella Bass with their hit…”
All three looked at each other and groaned before
they started to struggle again, the squeaking accompanying the song…
“Rescue me
Take me in your arms
Rescue me
I want your tender charm
Cause I'm lonely
And I'm blue
I need you
And your love too
Come on and rescue me
“Come on, baby, and rescue me
Come on, baby, and rescue me
Cause I need you by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely
“Rescue me
Come on and take my heart
Take your love and conquer every part
Cause I'm lonely
And I'm blue
I need you
And your love too
Come on and rescue me…”
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