She Swoops to Conquer

He did not know that he was being watched but her eyes had been on him steadily the whole time, those same eyes darting and pursuing all of his movements as he sat at the table. Like a predator observing her prey, she was waiting for the most opportune moment to swoop.

Dylan was completely unaware of the potentially explosive situation in which he could soon find himself: he was absorbed in the task at hand; a difficult construction exercise of complexity and he needed to get it finished before he left that day. He was not overly aware of time but he did know that soon, those around him would start to move and ready themselves to leave, in the same routine way that they did every day and so, he was focused, oblivious to everything else around him and this left him open to attack.

The hand was swift when it moved in to take hold of the motorbike that was currently placed in the road.

"Hey! That's mine!" he protested and his frustration swelled inside, forming tears and red cheeks as it rose. "Give it back!"

But it was no good. The thief had made their escape.

A bit of a new take on a heist, inspired by toddlers and their ability to always perceive everything as theirs, regardless of whether it is or not! However, I have a great deal of sympathy for Dylan.

The title is a play on words, a pun on "She Stoops To Conquer" by Oliver Goldsmith, which was a comedy much applauded in Britain in the late 1700s.