Chastity took up the smug expression. “That’s right, knave; know your place.” Jack sat up quickly and started tickling Chastity again. She fell backwards and burst into giggles and laughter almost immediately, but this time Jack hemmed her in so there was no escape. Finally, she was laughing so hard she was almost purple in the face and couldn’t breathe. It was then that Jack let up and let her catch her breath. “You’re mean,” she said and rolled away from him. But she was still sputtering a little bit and breathing a little heavy.
“Now who’s the liar?” Jack asked.
“I’m not lying; you’re mean.”
“No I’m not.”
“You are, too.”
“Am not.”
“You’re mean, now live with it,” Chastity huffed and sat back up. Almost immediately she started laughing again. Jack looked at her in confusion for several moments and then her laughter infected him, and soon enough both of them were laughing uncontrollably. They didn’t stop for several minutes, and by the time they did both of them were red in the face and could hardly string two words together coherently without laughing again. “Oh my,” Chastity said as she caught her breath and wiped tears off of her cheeks.
“No kidding,” Jack said, swiping away tears as well.
“Talk about absurdity,” Chastity said.
Jack nodded. “You can say that again.”
“Talk about absurdity,” Chastity repeated. Jack just looked at her. “What? You said I could say it again.”
“Oh, so now I’m the one with the power to decide who speaks and who doesn’t, eh?”
Chastity made a face at him. “No.”
“Darn.”
“Sucks, don’t it?”
Jack made a face at her. “Quiet, you.”
“Make me.”
Jack grimaced. “That doesn’t work. And besides, if I tickle you any more you’re likely to blow out a lung or something.”
She looked at him oddly. “Sure. It’d be easier if you just submitted,” she pointed out, pushing the joke along.
“Never,” Jack stated.
“Spoilsport.”
“That’s right.” Jack looked around the toy room and sighed. “What a wonderful playground this is,” he murmured.
“Isn’t it just?” Chastity said. “In spite of everything… I actually feel better than before I came here.”
Circumstances Scene 37
