BFF: The Newest Fashion Trend

BFF - the label has been showing up increasingly often in the streets. It is shorthand for "Best Friends Forever", a term that has been popular with teenage girls for some years now. The brand specializes in winter coats and rain jackets - in other words, clothes that protect one from the elements. The twist is that these are designed in such a way that they give someone other than the wearer a certain amount of control over the jacket. The core idea is that one is protected by a loved one - hence the name. It is an intriguing concept, and it's quickly becoming this winter's big trend. Our reporter went out on the street in search of BFF-jackets and their wearers. It turns out not only teenage girls are sporting these new clothes.

Marissa (27)

Right outside the BFF-store I meet Shania, Marion, Agneta, Cathy and Marissa. Marissa is already wearing her new coat - a black, knee-length BFF down mantle. She looks very happy about it. "Today is my birthday," she explains, "so we're having a girls' day. Some shopping first, then we go to the movies, a nice restaurant, and a couple of bars tonight. This is my birthday present - isn't it beautiful?"

And what about the 'restrictions' of a BFF coat? "Yes, these clothes all have ways to make you dependant on others, that's why they bought it for me of course," Marissa laughs. "This mantle for example has zippers that start in the armpits and go down all the way to your wrists. When those are fully zipped up, your arms are kept by your side so you're pretty helpless. The sleeves are also long enough to cover your fingers completely and can also be closed with zips. As you see, they wasted no time doing them all up." Marissa wriggles her arms while she says that, and it's clear that her arms are indeed securely kept by her sides.

So why did the girls buy this mantle for Marissa? Shania says: "Marissa is just the craziest girl I know. She's always wandering off and finding things and fidgeting around - like a toddler in a toy store. This coat has some great features - look at this." She bends over and pulls some strings in the bottom part of the mantle. Marissa tries to walk but finds her steps now severely limited. Because it's quite cold, the girls decide Marissa should have her hood up. Despite Marissa's weak protests, Cathy ties the hood firmly around her face. "That's the nice thing about this," she explains, "we can decide what's good for her. Marissa will be in that coat the rest of the day, and every next time we hang out together. Doesn't she look snug in her hood? We'll probably keep her like that all day."

Marissa smiles but her eyes betray her uncertainty and she doesn't sound too sure of herself while she says: "They're just kidding, you know."

Mark (14)

Mark is wearing a blue BFF down jacket. It looks completely ordinary though. When asked about his BFF jacket, he explains: "My mother bought it for me. I have to cycle to school every day, and my mum always insisted I wore my hood, but I usually didn't. But this jacket has a hood with a time lock. She sets it at 30 minutes, and then it's impossible to take the hood off or unzip the jacket until the timer has run out."

He shows me the LED display which is hidden under a protective flap on his collar. It can be set at any increment of 10 minutes, up to a maximum of six hours. Has it ever been locked for longer than 30 minutes? "Yeah," Mark admits, "on a school trip once, some of the guys put my hood up and locked it for the full six hours. I had to stay like that the rest of the day - in the bus, in the museum. That was really uncomfortable. It's a thick hood so I got really hot that time."

What does Mark think of his jacket? "It's a bit annoying sometimes, and it can lead to some embarassing situations. My mum also often locks me in the hood when I have to get groceries or stuff like that, and then I can't take it off inside. But it's not as bad as I feared. I've actually come to like wearing the hood. At first I was ashamed to arrive at school with my hood up, and some guys laughed at me. But now everyone's used to it, and they know I can't take my hood off so nobody bothers me about it. In fact, sometimes during recess I lock myself in for 10 minutes, just because it's a nice feeling."

Steve (22)

I spot Steve, a 22-year old student, when he leaves the supermarket . More accurately, I spot his parka, because Steve is hidden completely underneath it. The BFF parka is knee-length and has a snorkel hood which extends about 15 cm in front of his face. The opening has been pulled quite tight, shrouding his face completely in darkness. At the end of the hood clearly dangles a small padlock.

"My girlfriend's idea," comes the muted sound out of the big hood. "As soon as she heard that 'protection by a loved one' commercial, she got me this parka. Every time I leave the appartment, she zips the hood up completely and locks it. For classes, shopping, hanging out with friends, it doesn't matter. She has the only key, so I can't go to bars without her, or do pretty much anything when she's not with me. I just spent half an hour in the supermarket just to find what I needed, because of this hood, and I also kept bumping into people. It's pretty much impossible to maintain any social contacts other than the people I meet with my girlfriend."

The complaints come out in a steady stream. So why does he put up with it? "Because I love that girl," Steve sighs. "Anyway, I guess everything was a bit bottled up as well, and I had to let off steam. I'm not allowed to complain about the parka. She says if I whine too much, she'll buy me the BFF down suit instead and lock me into it permanently."

I guess Steve did not quite get that his words were meant to be published in a newspaper article. Let's hope nothing too bad comes of that...

Chloë (16) and Anja (16)

But of course, although all kinds of people are wearing the BFF clothes, this article would be incomplete without showing off a pair of teenage girls who are actual best friends - then intended audience for the BFF brand, one might say. Chloë and Anja are wearing identical ankle-length bright pink down mantles. Their heads are snugly encased in the  hoods, with a thick fur ruff framing their faces. What's the catch about their mantles?

"The zipper has a magnetic lock," Chloë explains. "It can only be opened by pressing the magnetic key against it. And the key to my zipper is worked into the cuff of Anja's sleeve, and vice versa. The lock can be closed without the key, but it can only be opened by Anja's coat. So when we leave for school in the morning, or for shopping, like today, we lock ourselves in and we know we'll have to stay that way until we're together."

Has this led to any awkward situations? Anja says: "One day Chloë was ill. She had texted me to let me know but I'd seen it too late, so i was already locked in. So I sat at school all morning in my coat, with the hood up. I was very hot and sweaty but I thought of poor Chloë who had a fever so I felt a bit of suffering was fine. During lunch break I visited Chloë so she could unlock me - I needed to pee real bad by then!" Both girls laugh heartily at the anecdote.

BFF is certainly the most interesting brand we've come across in recent fashion trends, and in the end our reporter couldn't resist going into the BFF store herself. She ended up spending a full hour inside, and what do you think - she came in at the editorial office wearing a new, bright red down jacket. What sets it apart is that it has mittens attached to the sleeves. The sleeves themselves are narrow enough that you can't just pull your arms out of the sleeves without opening the jacket first. As the shop assistant has explained, if the hood is put up and tied (with non-elastic drawcords), it covers the zipper and makes it unaccessible. Because of the mittens it's impossible to get out of the hood, and thus out of the jacket.

And yes, when she arrived here she was wearing the hood - the shop assistant had politely asked her if she wanted it up, and in a daring moment she had said yes. We helped her out, of course... but only after she promised we could put her hood up again when she leaves for home tonight.

Overview

Dear Sarah

Dear Sarah,

I'm sorry I didn't email you earlier this week. I had a very busy work at work. John was supposed to help me with the household chores, but... ah, I'll get to that later.

Please do tell me more about the developments in Peru. How was Ida's birthday? I bet she was really pleased with your present. The pictures of your new family are great. You already look so much part of that family, I hope you don't forget your other sister back in Europe! :-)

I was going to tell you about John and how difficult it is to get him to DO something. I love him in a million ways but the only thing I hate is he's. So. Lazy. As I said my work week was hell (had to run 11-hour shifts pretty much every day) so I counted on him to some work. Guess what, he didn't. The one thing that really drove me mad was that our clothes needed to be washed. Like, really badly. I was even out of fresh underwear! But John just didn't do it. Of course he doesn't refuse to do - I'm sure he totally intends to do it, it just never happens. It's always "later tonight" until eventually it's "tomorrow I'll do it, for sure".

Today I finally managed to get home earlier from work. I could've done it myself, at that point, and at first I wanted to do it. But then I got frustrated that, for the first time I got home at a decent hour all week, I'd have to do the chores that John has been postponing all week. It was his job to do this - he had promised it many times by now - and today I was gonna MAKE him do it. It's not even that much work - just take it all to the laundry (as you know, we don't have a washing machine at our appartment), put it in the machine, sit there for half an hour, and come back.

So shortly after me, he comes home. And he's all like "hi honey" but I'm having none of it. I think I made it clear that I was mad at him and that he had to do the laundry NOW. Although his first reaction started "can't I just -" but I went "NO YOU DO IT RIGHT NOW". And then he finally got that guilty look in his eyes and said "sorry Liz" and "okay okay I'll get started". But I wasn't finished with him. I said "there's something else, you're getting punished". And I swear his first thought was of something completely wrong and he looked at me with eyes full of mischief and went "punished?" like it was a game. Well I put my angry face right on and told him that it wasn't a game and that I was completely serious.

This was all right after he came home, so he was still wearing his coat - a very thick black down jacket which he bought last week. As I told you in another email, I thought it was a bit silly to buy that as he has another black down jacket that still seems fine to me, but I didn't care much. But now it had made me come up with an idea. So I told him to take off his jacket, and then handed him the old one to put on. He was all "why" but I quickly shut him up with my angry look. I had him zip it up all the way, then handed him his new jacket and made him put that on and also zip it up completely. Then I said "you'll wear these until the laundry is done, and if you take them off or even unzip them before then I'll kill you".

He started collecting all the clothes - four huge bags of them, I told you he had been postponing it for a LONG time. By the time he was ready to go, he was sweating. Then I said "come over here" and started putting up his hoods. Three of them; first a sweatshirt hood and then both very thick down hoods. I tied them all so just his face was barely showing. He looked like an arctic explorer by then! Except for the sweatdrops. He protested a bit because he was scared somebody would see him like that but I cut him off. "It's your punishment and I'm not joking about this. You'll go to the laundry like this. You can only take off your hoods once you're inside. You don't unzip your jackets. And before you leave you put your hoods up exactly like this. Understood?"

And he nooded meekly and went out the door. I stepped into the corridor and watched as he pushed the elevator button. I swear I saw his hands shake a bit and I understood why; what if someone was in the elevator when it arrived? So finally it arrives and he reaches to open it and startles! Sure enough our neighbour steps out of the elevator. He said something but I couldn't hear what. John mumbled something ("sorry" I think) and scrambles to get in the elevator with his four bags. The neighbour looks at the back of his enormous hood. I smile inwardly and quickly get inside and close the appartment door so the neighbour doesn't see me. They're a young couple who live in the appartment right next to us - I wonder if he told his girlfriend how John was dressed?

Anyway, I think my method worked. Later I passed by the laundry and looked through the window and saw him sitting there. The hoods were down but the jackets were still zipped up and the hoods were so thick they stood right behind his head. And when he got home they were up and tied exactly like before. (Would have been funny if the neighbours would just happen to leave when he arrived! But they didn't, luckily for him.) When he came in I told him to hang up all the laundry and only after he was finished he could take off his hoods. His reaction was "yes Liz"!

After he finished I took off his hoods and asked if he had learned his lesson now. And John said he knew he had deserved it. He's so cute when he says that!! :-) My mood was a lot better by then (although I wasn't really showing it to John yet) so I was kind of joking when I said "in the future if you don't do the chores, I'll dress you like that to do them. With some additions, if it keeps happening!" And he just looked at me earnestly (not realizing I was joking - I still had my Serious Face on!) and said "yes Liz, I think that's for the best, it'll make me behave better. I'm really sorry about this week." And I just embraced him and kissed him and I love him so much!

Sorry I've been rambling on about this but it was a pretty special moment and it's literally the only interesting thing to happen this week. And maybe it's crazy but I'm thinking I might actually have to do this again at some point - when his laziness takes the upper hand again. It seems like John even agrees with me on this! Maybe next time I'll make him wear my Moonboots as well - or I could put ducttape on his hood so he can't take it off while inside. There's a lot of possibilites here!

I have to end here - another long day at work tomorrow, so it's bed-time for me. John has promised to the groceries...

Love to Ida and the rest of the family,
Love you,
Your sis,
Liz





Overview

The strange setup

I stare at my computer screen in shock. Now it all becomes clear. This explains the strange events from last month. I click the 'Purchase' button. But I know from the description what I'll find. I still remember every detail of that day.


---


While I climb out of the swimming pool, I’m already looking forward to wrapping up warmly soon. My nice down coat, with the thick hood tied tightly over my sweatshirt hood… I head to the locker and open it – but then I’m in for a shock.
In front is my towel, but that’s the only thing that hasn’t changed since I left. Next to the towel is a pair of enormous Moonboots. They are blue, like the pair I own, but much bigger than those. How did those get here? And behind the Moonboots there’s a huge pile of black down-filled nylon. I stare at the locker in confusion for an entire minute, but I can’t come up with any explanation for this.

I take the Moonboots and put them on the floor in front of me. Then I pull the down thing towards me and hold it up. My mouth falls open. I know what this is. A Parkasite Glosssuit. I still have no idea how this is possible but I quickly check that the locker is empty now and then go into a changing room. At least I now have the privacy to investigate this alone.

So someone has, for some reason, decided to give me a Glosssuit, with no explanation. That is definitely a reason to be very happy. But I also realize that this person has taken away my clothes. It looks like he or she is forcing me to actually wear the Glosssuit outside. I know that if I bought a Glosssuit, I would hardly dare to go outside in it. I’d probably do it at night, when almost nobody would see me in it. Now, it’s almost noon, and I’m in the middle of the city. Unexpected presents always come with a catch.

But before I think about this any further, I just have to try the suit on. I quickly take off my swimming shorts and dry myself. Then I sit down and push one leg in, until my foot is in the attached boot. As I do so, I feel something hard in the pockets. I look and find my keys and wallet. I put my other leg in and want to start on the arms, but then I realize I should put the Moonboots on first. It’s actually quite hard to do, with the large pile of down in front of me, but I get them on eventually. The gigantic boots are large enough to contain the down bootie, but just barely. They come up almost to my knees.

When I want to put my first arm in, I notice something strange. I grab the hood to have a better look at it. At the inside of the hood, under the face opening, there’s a modification. A large rubber shape has been attached there with a special kind of tape. At the point where it’s attached to the suit, it’s shaped like a cylinder, but then it broadens and ends in a large ball. I understand that it’s a gag. I do a weak attempt to loosen the tape but I already know it’s going to be futile. Whoever set this up did it right.

I finally put my arms in the suit, and my hands go into the attached mittens. Then I pull the hood towards my face. I have to open my mouth wide to let the ball in, and my lips come around the narrower part. The ball in my mouth is very uncomfortable, but I can't close the zip at the back of the hood if I don't put it in my mouth. And it's hard enough to get the zip closed as it is, with the thick mittens on my hands. It starts in the hood and goes down, ending in my crotch. Only after several minutes of struggling I manage to close it.

Now I'm finally in the Glosssuit. It's a fantastic feeling, but it's tempered by the knowledge that I'll have to go outside in it, in full view of everyone. I'm really afraid to do that, but the only alternative is reporting the theft of my stuff, and I don't think I'll get to keep the suit if I do. Besides, I don't want a police investigation about this. I'd have to admit my fetish, and do I really want the person that gave me this suit to be caught? No, that's not what I want. So the only thing I can do is walk home in the Glosssuit. I decide not to waste any more time and just go for it. I just have to get home; once I'm there I can change.

I carefully open the door of my cubicle and look outside. There's nobody in the corridor. I roll my towel around my swimming shorts and take it with me. I go towards the exit door as fast as I can. It feels weird to walk with the large Moonboots and the thick down boots inside them, as though I'm walking on large pillows. Luckily I meet nobody until I reach the door. Soon I'm outside on the street. I do my best to ignore the people I cross on the pavement. I can feel their stares though, and I wonder how many of them turn around to have another look after passing me.

I only have to walk fifteen minutes, but it feels like an eternity. I feel like there's a big spotlight following me and I'm embarrassed like never before. Still, part of me is actually enjoying this - wondering what people think when they see me in my suit, whether they'll mention the sight to someone afterwards. "I saw the Michelin man today! Look, I made a picture of him with my mobile phone..."

And added to this mix of humiliation and excitement, there's also the physical discomfort. As I hurry along, in no time I can feel the sweat dripping all over my body. The closed suit really doesn't allow any of the trapped, hot air to escape. Even wearing nothing else, I'm warmer dressed than ever before - and not because I've never tried. And then there's also the gag. Soon my mouth is aching, and I try to push it out a bit, but there's not much wriggle room so my mouth remains well-filled all the time, to the despair of my protesting jaw muscles.

So I'm relieved when I finally see my house, and I waste no time digging up my keys from the pocket. I stand at my front door and hold the keys in the palm of my big, puffy hand, so that I can try to grab the door key with my other hand, and then attempt to unlock the door. But... there's something strange about the key. I hold them higher, so I can have a better look through my narrow hood opening. The door key... isn't actually a key at all. It's a piece of plastic that's somewhat shaped like my house key. The other keys are normal; only the one that would let me into my house has been replaced.

And then I notice something else. Stuck under my door is a piece of paper. I bend down - with some difficulty, in this suit - and pick it up. I manage to unfold it and read:



Hello! I hope you are enjoying your nice suit. In fact, I hope you enjoy it so much you want to wear it a bit longer. I've taken the liberty to borrow your key, but I'll be glad to return it to you. I'm waiting for you at the cafe inside the shopping center, on the second floor. I'll be sitting at the farthest table from the entrance door. See you soon!



If it wasn't for the gag in my mouth, I might be crying out loud. Not only is it a thirty minute walk to the shopping center - under normal circumstances, that is; surely I won't be able to keep up a regular walking speed for another half hour. I already felt how quickly I was getting exhausted during the shorter walk home. But then I'll also have to go into the shopping center, and then into a cafe, dressed in a Glosssuit! It's the last thing I want to do, but I know I have no choice. I leave my towel on my door step. I doubt anyone will take it, and if they do - well, that's the least of my problems really. Already breathing heavily through my nose, I start the long walk towards the shopping center.

Twice on the way I have to stop from sheer exhaustion. The combination of the gag and the heat makes walking a real exertion. However, when I stop, it seems even harder to ignore the stares and the looks of disbelief, and every time I just get moving again after a very brief pause. When I finally reach the shopping center, I feel relief, but also dread, as I now have to go inside in my Glosssuit.

I take the escalators to the second floor and quickly locate the cafe. It's about half full, and when I enter, I see every head turn my way. Trying to ignore them all, I carefully move between the tables to the very back. At the last table sits a young boy alone. He's about twelve, and he's sipping from a glass of coke. Did he set this up? No, that's impossible. Either he's sent by my captor - or he's just a boy who happens to sit at this table. But how can I find out?

I come a bit closer and look at him, hoping he'll give me a sign that I'm the one he's expecting. But he just looks at my suit (like everybody else) and makes no eye contact. I'm hesitating; all I want is to just get out of here, but where can I go? I need my house key, and this is the only lead I have. I have no choice, I sit down at the table and hope for the best.

The boy doesn't say anything though, and I can't say anything with the rubber ball in my mouth. Then he finishes his coke, takes something from his pocket and puts it on the table. My key! He gets up and leaves without a word.

I grab my key and head for the exit as fast as I can. Soon I'm on the street again, and facing another long walk. But at least at the end of that, I'll be able to free myself, after more than two hours in the Glosssuit. One thing's for sure: I'd never imagined my first time wearing such a suit would be like this!



---



The video I've just bought and downloaded starts with a person in a black Glosssuit leaving the swimming pool building. I watch it all the way to the end, until the person arrives at his house - my house. Meanwhile I'm stroking the material of my free suit. I now understand how the one who made the video could afford giving away a Glosssuit.

I sit there a while longer, thinking about it all. Then I click the 'Contact' button and write the following email.



Hello there,

I think the Glosssuit I received is a fair compensation for my part in your video. I hope I can help you in future videos as well, for a similar payment.

Best regards,

Kuomu




Overview

The Watcher (part 5)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --
-- read part 3 here --
-- read part 4 here --

"Elena, hurry up a bit please. Your appointment is at 2 o'clock!"

Elena did her best to increase her pace. I could loosen the drawstring around her knees, of course, but that would spoil the fun. Elena did her best to take quicker steps. Even while walking ahead of her, there was much to enjoy. I heard the swishing sound as her Moonboots rubbed together with every hobbled movement and her labored breathing inside the thick down hoods.

After my little setup in the train, Elena's dresscode had become more severe. She now wore the yellow and black expedition down suit under her blue Parkasite mantle. Both hoods were tied so that they left only a slit for her eyes. Elena also wore the heavy mittens that made her hands useless and that she couldn't take off on her own. As further insurance, all her clothes were locked on. This meant that she had to be accompanied all the time, and for that, Oskar had hired me full-time. Although I liked Yvonne, it wasn't hard to give up my part-time job at the cafe for this opportunity.

Today, Elena had an appointment at the hairdresser. The bus had been delayed, so when we finally got off we only had ten minutes to reach our destination. That was the reason I was now urging Elena on. Well, to be fair, arriving five minutes late wouldn't quite be a major disaster - but it was nice to see her struggle. And after all, there was something else we needed to do afterwards.

Anyway, I managed to deliver Elena in time. Once we were inside, I took off her down mantle and took my time to hang it on a peg. Meanwhile Elena was still in her down suit with the hood up, while all the customers and hairdressers no doubt looked at her in the various mirrors. I then unlocked the hood, but kept the zipper locked, so she had to keep the suit on and zipped up all the way. I then untied the sweatshirt hood she wore underneath and took both hoods down. I figured the hoods would still be somewhat in the way for the hairdresser, but it would be manageable. How Elena would explain that she couldn't take off the down suit was up to her.

"Elena, when you're done here, ask someone to help you with your clothes. Make sure everything is tied as before. I'll be in the cafe down the street, come to me there."
And with that I left Elena there, a bewildered look in her eyes.

---

When Elena entered the cafe, it took her some moments to find me, as there were quite a few occupied tables in the cafe. Then she approached me. I greeted her and told her to take a seat while I finished my coffee. "Are your clothes all done up properly?" I asked.
"I think so," Elena's muffled voice came out of the hoods. "I'm not sure about the drawstring around my knees. I couldn't see what she was doing. For my hoods I had to ask her several times to tie them tighter, she could not believe I really wanted them that way. I was very ashamed. She had been asking why I wore such thick clothes already."
"What did you say?"
"I said I'm not used to the cold here. Which is true, but of course it couldn't really explain my excessive clothes. Especially the down suit I was wearing indoors."
"Well, you'll have to get used to that."

At this point, my coffee was finished and an attentive waiter approached our table. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked. "Why not?" I said, "we still have plenty of time. I'll have another coffee. And you, Elena?" "Um, coffee as well." But Elena had not spoken very loud and the sound did not get through her hood very well, so the waiter did not quite understand her. "Sorry?" he asked. "Coffee, please," Elena repeated as loud and clear as she could. This time the waiter heard her and left us.

"I'll get you out of your mantle first," I said. Just like at the haidresser's, I took off Elena's mantle and her hoods, but she remained in the zipped-up down suit. Everyone in the cafe could now see her layers. We then drank our coffee, and afterwards of course I had to wrap Elena up and once again she was exposed to incredulous looks and whispered comments.

But the day was not finished - we had one more thing to do. Since Oskar had decreed that the down suit, which I normally wore in the morning to watch him run, was now Elena's everyday clothing, he saw it as only fair that I'd get a replacement. He had told me where they had bought the down suit, given me his credit card, and told me to get another one. So that's where we were headed next.

---

We took the elevator to the third floor. "Clara, can you take off my hoods please?" Elena asked. "Soon," i promised. I wanted to show her off in her hoods just a little bit longer. When we entered the outdoors department, I quickly approached a young sales assistant.
"Hi, I'm looking for a down suit," I said.
"Sure, did you have anything in mind?" she asked with a friendly smile.
"Yes, I'd like a suit like my friend Elena is wearing. I'll show it to you." I untied Elena's hood and took it off, then unzipped the mantle, revealing her heavy down suit. The sales assistant's eyes went big and she was stunned for a moment when she saw Elena's clothes. But she quickly recovered when I turned back towards her.
"That's the Feathered Friends expedition suit," she said. "We have them in stock. I'll bring you one."

Moments later I was wearing the same suit as Elena. The assistant helped me put it on and she put my hood up as well. She even tied it just like Elena's. "There," she smiled, "now you look just like your friend. Except she is wearing a down mantle as well. I'm afraid we don't have that brand though. But I could find you another down mantle if you like?" That was unexpected. But I like down clothes and I was curious to see what the girl could come up with. Just trying something couldn't hurt, I thought, so I said yes.

She came back with a nice thick down mantle. It was completely black so it wouldn't stand out too much. The girl helped me into it and with practiced movements she put the hood up and tied it tight. In addition to the mantle, she had brought a pair of mittens and a pair of Moonboots. Both were red. "I figured since you want to be dressed like your friend, I should bring you these as well," she explained. I felt this was heading the wrong way - I preferred it when Elena was the one dressed so heavily in public. But I had come this far, and there were no other people around, so I didn't object.

Now, from one thing came another, and I have to admit this young sales assistant was doing her job really well. Before I knew it she had directed me to the cashier and I was paying for the whole lot with Oskar's credit card. I'd had to take everything off again, of course, and put on my own shoes and purple down jacket again. I had of course no intention of going outside like that. That would be way too embarassing. So after paying, I put Elena in her mantle again, making sure to tie the hood and hem drawstrings tightly.

"So now it's your turn," the shop assistant smiled. To my surprise, she had not wrapped up my purchases. Instead she was holding up the down suit.
"I, no, I'm not going to wear that now," I said.
"Don't be silly. I see you want to be dressed just like your friend. Come on, take your shoes off."
My mind was reeling. Somehow, in a daze, I did take off my shoes and stepped into the down suit. Why did I obey this girl? I guess deep down, I wanted to do this. I was just too scared to do it on my own. But now, with this girl taking charge, it came almost easily.
"Wait, I have to take off my jacket," I said when the suit was up my legs.
"The suit is big enough, it's supposed to allow for a jacket underneath. Arms in now," the girl said. She zipped my suit up and put the mittens on my hands, tying and knotting them. I won't get out of those, I thought. I felt panic, somewhere, but it was buried under that sense of unrealness. Meanwhile I was getting wrapped up further. Both hoods, of her purple jacket and the down suit, went up and were tied. The Moonboots went on my feet. And finally she put me into the mantle as well. Just like I had done for Elena, she took care to tie the hood so tight it only left a small slit for my eyes, and she tied the hem so tight I could only take small steps.

"There, I'm sure you won't be cold now, right?" And with that we were off.

The elevator was empty when we got in, but on the first floor it halted and people came in. They looked at us as if we were a pair of aliens who had just arrived on Earth. I was absolutely mortified. But it was much worse once we were outside. We had to make our way through  busy streets full of shoppers. Our tiny steps meant that we advanced very slowly. Because the hoods restricted our vision, we couldn't even see each other, so we had to hold hands (or mittens, actually) to stay together. I felt helpless and ridiculous as we walked towards the nearest bus stop.

---

Oskar smiled. He had just had a phone call from Silke, the shop assistant at the outdoor department. She had succeeded in wrapping up Clara just like Elena. He had suspected she would not object to that. Clara would make a perfect companion for Elena now.






Overview

The Watcher (part 4)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --
-- read part 3 here --

After those events, certain things changed in the relationship between Oskar and Elena. Elena had been devoted to Oskar before, but the fact that she wanted to gain his complete trust again made her more submissive to him. Therefore Oskar had imposed some rules on her, and Elena followed these strictly, even when Oskar wasn't around, to prove her loyalty.

We still watched Oskar run every morning, me in the yellow down mantle with the Feathered Friends expedition suit underneath, Elena in the blue Parkasite mantle with two down jackets under it. After that first day we were both gagged. Elena accepted her ball gag meekly. I was a bit more hesitant but I already loved the suit and mantle so much that I didn't protest when Oskar fitted me with a ball gag as well. It was uncomfortable to have a gag in my mouth for more than three hours, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. And I have to admit it worked. Being unable to talk, there was nothing to do but watch the solitary runner.

At any other time when Elena was outside, she wore the Parkasite mantle without the other jackets underneath. But she had to zip it up fully, put the hood up, and tie the hood until only a small slit remained. Only her eyes and most of her nose weren't covered. She also wore her ski pants and the red Moonboots all the time. When she was with Oskar, he put her into the heavy mittens that she couldn't get out of on her own. Otherwise she wore another pair of mittens that wasn't quite as thick and that she could take off herself - but she wasn't allowed to do this until she was inside. All in all, she was still a remarkable sight. It was December then, with temperatures around 5°C. The huge, shiny mantle was striking on its own, but the tightly tied hood and the Moonboots really made her stand out.

During that time, I did my best to befriend Elena and visit her as often as I could. This was in fact quite easy. Elena was an immigrant; she only lived here since half a year. She had few acquaintances so she was glad to have someone to talk to and to go shopping with.

Elena loved shopping, which I guess is normal when you have more free time and money than you know what to do with - both were true in Elena's case. She had so many shoes that I doubted she had worn them all. She confided to me that she didn't mind wearing the Parkasite mantle, even with the hood tied all the time, but that she didn't like the Moonboots and would love to wear some of her other shoes. Given her expansive collection, that was understandable. Elena had once carefully tried to raise the subject with Oskar, but he had been clear on the point. She would wear the Moonboots all winter. Elena had not argued; she accepted his rules.

Still, that did not stop her from buying new shoes occassionally. For me it was quite funny to see her take off her big Moonboots to try on some elegant, fancy shoe - only to change back into the Moonboots afterwards, with a resigned look on her face. I'm sure the people in these boutiques rarely see customers in Moonboots, too.

As for me, I dressed more 'conservatively' than Elena. My daily hours as a 'watcher' satisfied my needs for thick down clothes. I felt the yellow mantle was too striking, so I wore my own purple down jacket. I often wore the hood, but I was quick to remove it before we entered somewhere. For Elena, the rule was that she had to keep everything on until she was inside - only then could she start taking off her mittens, and after she had those off she was able to free herself from her hood. Similarly, everything had to be in place before she went outside.

Elena often got some weird looks, and every now and then I noticed someone sneakily taking a picture of her. While I love down clothes, I would not have enjoyed dressed as she was in public. At the track it was fine, as it was nearly deserted at this time of the year. But being dressed like this while walking in and out of shops - no thanks. Oddly, this made my enjoyment of Elena's situation greater. Every odd look or half-whispered comment about Elena excited me.

One particular rule of Oskar was a great source of excitement for me - and embarassment for Elena. Oskar had stated that public transport did not count as being 'inside'. Because Oskar and Elena lived in a villa outside the city center, Elena had to take the bus every time she went somewhere. I admit that seeing her obvious discomfort whenever she was sitting in a crowded bus with her hood so tight was a turn-on for me. I always went with her on the bus, even though I didn't live in the same neighbourhood as Oskar and Elena. Whenever I visited them, I went there by car and then I left it there when we went out. I said I wasn't a confident driver; I didn't like driving in the city center and parking was too much of a hassle. It was not entirely untrue. But most importantly it meant I could accompany Elena every time while she was on the bus.

One day things took a surprising turn. I arrived at the villa while Elena was upstairs, taking a shower, so I found myself alone with Oskar. He asked me if Elena could cope with the new rules and if she obeyed them. I said she had no trouble following them. "If Elena would break a rule, would you tell me?" he asked. I wasn't sure what to say to that. Elena was my friend, and you don't betray your friends. But Oskar explained that he needed to know if she did. It was better for their relationship if such things were taken care of right away than if Elena could get away with them for a longer period. I admitted that made sense.

"Clara, I'd like to make you an offer. I'll pay you a moderate fee - let's say 100 euro per month - if you promise to let me know right away if Elena breaks a rule."
I thought about it. I didn't feel I would do Elena a huge disservice by letting Oskar know. She wanted to live by his rules, after all. Also she had shown no sign of wanting to break them, so it was in fact easy money. There were just a few problem points.
"I can do that... but I wouldn't want Elena to know."
"I understand. If something happens, I won't confront her directly. I'll figure something out. She will never know you told me."
"And what happens then?"
"She'll get a fitting punishment. Extra clothes to wear, some extra strictness in the rules."
That seemed fair, so I accepted the offer.

It was a pleasant time for me. Every morning I was dressed in thick down clothes for over three hours. On days with a sports event I then worked in the cafe. On other days there weren't enough customers so Yvonne handled things alone, and I usually spent the afternoon with Elena. But as much as I enjoyed the whole situation - I wanted more. That's the human nature, I suppose. I had started fantasizing (there was a lot of time for that while I was wrapped in my down cocoon) about what kind of extra rules Oskar could impose. I'd love to find out. The problem was that Elena showed no intention of breaking Oskar's rules. Gradually a plan started forming in my mind.

When I read about a big new shoe shop opening in another city, I knew the time was right to execute my plan. I casually mentioned the new shop to Elena and suggested that we visit it. Although I didn't explicitly say so, I made it sound like we would go there by car. Elena accepted and the next day I arrived at their villa to pick her up. Even to walk from the house to the car, Elena had to wear her hood as usual. In the car she took off her mittens and hood, but kept the coat zipped up, just like she did when Oskar drove - those were the rules.

Elena was talking most of the time, and she realized nothing until we arrived at the train station.
"Wait, um, why are we here?"
"To take the train of course," I said while I parked the car.
"Aren't we going by car then?"
"No, I told you, I'm not a great driver. It's much easier to go by train."
Elena looked doubtful but she wasn't someone who argued about things. She accepted my decision, as she was used to accepting Oskar's. But she clearly realized her problem, as I saw a scared look in her eyes while she put her hood up and tied it. When she had her mittens on as well, we left the car.

Elena had not taken the train since the new rules were in effect. And this particular train ride would take an hour and thirty minutes. That's an awfully long time to sit indoors, in full view of other passengers, if you have to wear a very thick mantle with the hood up and tied tight. But trains were public transport, so either Elena would break the rule, or I would be able to enjoy her discomfort and embarassment for three hours today. I relished either prospect.

When the train arrived, I made sure to get on first and chose my seat so that Elena, when she took the seat opposite me, was facing the entire railcar. Right away I could see the visible part of her face become red, and sweatdrops forming near her eyes. She was nervous. But - I had to admire her courage - she remained dressed as she was, the mantle covering her from head to Moonboots, her mittened hands in her lap. I enjoyed that train ride immensely. I feasted on every little detail: how she had to speak a bit louder because of the down flap covering her mouth, how she tried to brush away a sweatdrop with her mitten, how she tried to turn towards the window a bit to not have to see the other passengers, but couldn't because her hood kept her facing forward.

After half an hour, a sound somewhere behind me made me turn my head. The conductor! Elena of course, could see him as he slowly made his way towards us. I saw panic rising in her eyes. Not wanting to make it easier for her, I had given Elena her ticket before we got on the train, so she would have to present it herself. And then, suddenly, Elena gave in to the panic and quickly pulled off her mittens and took off her hood. When the conductor arrived, she looked flushed and sweaty, but at least she wasn't completely dressed for a blizzard anymore.

"I, I can't do this," she stammered when he was gone. "I'll just leave the hood down in here. That will be okay, won't it?" she was almost begging. I comforted her a bit and said it was fine. Then I changed the subject and cheered her up.

My plan had worked perfectly. The rest was surprisingly easy. I discretely sent a message to Oskar. On the evening train back, Elena took her hood off right away. Oskar arranged it so that he could get on our train in the station before our destination. When he entered, Elena was caught in the act. She didn't even try to defend herself. She admitted her mistake and accepted whatever punishment Oskar deemed appropriate.

What would the punishment be? I couldn't to wait to find out.



-- on to part 5 --







Overview

The Watcher (part 3)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --

The next morning I was eagerly waiting to see how Oskar was going to dress me. Finally they arrived, but they were approaching so slowly. I impatiently hopped from one foot on the other. But then I saw Elena’s short steps and I realized the drawstring around her knees was tightened. Not as tight as it had been when she was watching Oskar, because then she wouldn’t have been able to walk at all. But it clearly limited her steps.

“Hi Clara,” Oskar said, and Elena echoed him, although it was harder to hear her. She was of course wearing the thick shiny blue Parkasite down mantle. In the hood opening the white fur from the jacket underneath was visible. Then I saw something else. A piece of metal was attached to the zipper and the drawstrings of her hood. Oskar saw me look at it.

“It’s a magnetic lock,” he explained. “After what happened I’m not taking any risks. Elena agrees with my precaution. From now on she will be locked into her Parkasite coat wherever she goes. While she watches my morning runs, she also wears the two other down jackets underneath. For the rest of the day the Parkasite coat will suffice. Shall we go inside?”

I followed Oskar to the changing room. Elena came last. While Oskar carried his sports bag, Elena carried a much larger bag. I assumed it contained my clothes.

"You can take off your own jacket, Clara," Oskar said once we were in the changing room, "and your shoes as well." I did as he said. Meanwhile Elena put the bag on the table. Then she stood in a corner to watch me getting dressed. Oskar opened the bag and took out a large pile of down-filled nylon. My heart started beating faster at the sight of it.

It was a down suit in yellow and black. I had never worn a down suit before but I was happy to try it on. I put my legs in first, then my arms, and zipped the suit up. It was really warm. Oskar put my hood up, fastened the velcro flap in front of my mouth, and tied the hood tightly, until only my eyes were showing.
Next he gave me a pair of Moonboots. These too were yellow and black, matching the suit. They were in shiny vinyl. I put them on my feet and tied them. Oskar then helped me into a pair of black mittens exactly like Elena’s. Once they were secured, my hands were almost useless. I thought that would be all, but then Oskar reached into the bag again.

This time he showed me a down mantle, and my eyes widened at the sight of it. The whole mantle is in a pure, bright yellow. It was like looking into the sun. It made me a bit nervous. I was going to be very visible like that. I liked down clothes, but this coat would make me quite showy.

Despite that I obediently put my arms into the coat. It came down right to the top of my Moonboots. Oskar did up the zip and really wrapped me into the coat. The hood was tied until I could barely see out, and he fastened drawstrings at the bottom and around my waist. Just like Elena, the drawstring at the bottom allowed me only a little room so I could take small steps.

“You girls can go outside now,” Oskar said. “I’ll see you at the track.”

Elena turned and slowly made her way outside. I followed at a similar speed. From behind she looked like a shiny blue sleeping bag with Moonboots underneath. I imagined I must look like a similar yellow sleeping bag. We must look quite the odd pair, I thought. But it  was still very early so there was nobody around to see us. I knew that later there would be people, though. I wondered what they’d make of us.

While Oskar was running his rounds, Elena told me how they had acquired my new clothes.

"Yesterday afternoon, Oskar was still not pleased with me. And with good reason, I admit. I should not have allowed you to take my place, it was not fair towards Oskar, who thought it was me all the time. So I think he wanted to punish me a bit when he took me into a shop in my Parkasite mantle with the hood up and tied. By then he had bought the magnetic lock already, so I couldn't open my own coat. He spent a long time finding the thickest down suit available, and of course I was very uncomfortable. But I didn't complain, because I knew I deserved it.

Eventually a shop assistant approached us and asked if she could help. She directed the question at Oskar but I saw her give me a sideways glance. Oskar told her that I was cold all the time, and he wanted the warmest available down suit. She showed him the suit from Feathered Friends that you are wearing now. Oskar then unlocked my Parkasite mantle and helped me out of it. Then I took off my Moonboots and they both helped me put on the suit. Oskar put the hood up and tied it so tight that only my eyes were showing. The girl started explaining that the suit really wasn't meant for everyday wear, and that it was an expedition suit, adapted to the most extreme conditions. But by then Oskar had seen the down mantle and insisted on putting that on top of the down suit.

So shortly afterwards, I stood there, in front of that amazed girl, wearing the same two layers you are wearing now. The shop assistant said I must be melting in there, but Oskar waved that away. "It's exactly what she wants, isn't that so, dear?" he asked me. And I of course did as he wanted me to, and assured the girl that it was true. Afterwards he helped me out of both layers and handed me my Parkasite mantle again. I knew what he wanted so I zipped it up all the way, put the hood up and tied it. We stayed in that shop a while longer after that.

When we eventually left, Oskar asked me in a clear voice whether I wanted to wear the mantle right away, and of course I had to say yes to that, so he again gave it to me to put it on. It was humiliating to wrap myself into such excessive clothing in front of the shop personnel and the customers, but I knew I had to do this to make up for my earlier mistake. It was particularly embarassing when I struggled to tie the hood over the thick Parkasite hood. I didn't manage to get it tight enough to completely cover the hood underneath, so part of the blue hood remained visible inside the yellow hood. But Oskar patiently waited until I had finished my show before we could leave."

I was transfixed by Elena's story, and afterwards I asked her several questions about the details of it, because I wanted to hear more about it. Of course, that meant we were not looking at Oskar during that time - we were facing each other. Oskar noticed that and didn't like that we paid him no attention. Elena and I had no idea that the consequence of this would be that would both be gagged in the future.





-- on to part 4 --







Overview

The Watcher (part 2)

-- read part 1 here --


In the end, my plan worked out perfectly. Oskar never realized Elena was inside the cafe while I was out there. We always had to hurry to get the switch done in time, but it was possible. And we got better at it every time.

On my third day as "watcher", about halfway during Oskar's training I'd say, I startled when someone suddenly shouted "Clara!" right next to me, loud enough to get through my hoods. I slowly turned to the right, until I recognized Yvonne's face in my tiny view. She grinned at me.

"So how did you end up in there?" she laughed. She knew, of course, Elena had told her about it. Although I suppose my sudden burst of altruism must have surprised her.
"Not too cold in there?" she joked.
"It's okay," I answered with some difficulty, "it's actually really cold if you're standing here all the time. I'm glad of these clothes."
"Don't tell me you're cold in all that," smiled Yvonne.
"Not really, but... it's not that warm, either."
"Shall I fetch your coat and put you into that as well?" Yvonne asked. It was a joke, I knew, but I answered it seriously anyway.
"That'd be a good idea."
Yvonne looked at me incredulously. "Really?" She laughed. "Why not? One second." And she was gone.

My heart was hammering in my chest. Was she really going to put me into my purple down jacket as well? I peered out of my hood and kept the door of the cafe in view. And indeed, Yvonne returned, carrying my jacket.
"Okay. Right arm first," she said. It was good that she gave instructions, because I couldn't see what she was doing. I could only see straight ahead.
"Left arm. Okay." She zipped the coat and put the hood up. With some effort she managed to close the collar, and pulled the hood tight. The fur inside its opening was squashed together, and now I couldn't see anything at all.
"There you go. Keep warm!" Yvonne laughed, and she ran off.

For some reason, being blind made me lose all sense of time. I just stood there in my warm cocoon until finally Elena opened my hoods.
"Why did you ask for another jacket?" she complained. Admittedly, that was a bit selfish of me. I hadn't thought about the fact that Elena had to be put into it as well now.
"I'm sorry," I said. "It was just a silly idea. It's only for this one time, though."

Later, however, when we were in the cafe, I realized there might be consequences to my actions when I overheard part of the conversation between Oskar and Elena.
"I saw Yvonne put you into another coat," Oskar said, "were you cold?"
"Um, a little, yes," Elena said.
"I'll order another coat for you today. I've found something that will do the job just fine. It will take some time to arrive though. Will you be fine meanwhile?"
"Oh yes, that won't be a problem. Thank you Oskar."

It was some weeks later, in December, when I got to see what Oskar had meant. That morning, Elena was wearing a dark blue down mantle from Parkasite. It came down right to the top of her Moonboots, and as I soon learned once I had her out of it, she was still wearing both other down jackets underneath. Of course, that meant it was me who would remain dressed like that for three hours every day...

But then it went wrong. It must have taken Elena too long to get me into the extra coat. She had just finished dressing me and disappeared from my limited view when -
"Oh!"
"Elena! What is this?" Oskar sounded really angry.
"I... I..."
"Who is this wearing your jackets?"
"It's Clara. She just wants to help me."
"You mean she has been standing here every day, all that time?"
"Yes, well, for a while, we..."
"Come here! We're going home! Right now!"
"Oskar! I'm sorry! It's just... please, wait..."
By that time I had managed to turn into their direction, just in time to see them walking off towards the parking lot. Oskar took big angry steps, Elena tried to keep up. She was still wearing my purple jacket. Me, I was of course trapped in Elena's clothes. Yvonne would only arrive in about two hours, and she might not realize something was wrong... And what would happen to Elena now?

I stood there, alone, brooding about what might happen.

---

Finally, Oskar and Elena were coming back. Since I was still turned towards the parking lot, I could see them approach. With trepidation I waited until they reached me. I saw Elena was still wearing my purple down jacket. The hood was up and tied so tight only her eyes were showing. I tried to make eye contact with her, but she stayed behind Oskar. I realized I couldn’t do that anyway, since my eyes were hidden way too deep in the hoods.

“Hello Clara,” Oskar said. He sounded calm and quite friendly. “Elena has explained me what has happened. It’s nice of you that you offered to take Elena’s place. I am disappointed in her for accepting your offer. Elena and I have talked about it, and she understands that I need to see her here.”
I struggled to make myself heard through my three hoods. “I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t want to cause any trouble between you and Elena, mister –“
“Please, call me Oskar. And I know you had only good intentions. If you want to, you can keep Elena company. I’d like to make you an offer, Clara. You come here every day like you’ve done for the last few weeks, and I’ll provide you with warm clothes just like Elena’s. Afterwards, you can keep those clothes. See it as a token of my gratitude for supporting me.”
“I’d like that, Oskar.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow at 7 then. Let’s go to the cafe and I’ll help you out.”



-- on to part 3 --







Overview

The Watcher (part 1)

My name is Clara and I'd like to tell you about the rather extraordinary events that have happened to me this winter.

I had recently started as a waitress in the cafe at the local sports center. Usually I started around 11.30, because earlier it's not very busy there so my boss, Yvonne, can handle things alone. But on this particular day, I was quite a bit earlier. I'd planned something in the morning that ended up not working out, and since it was closer to work than home, I just went straight to work. As it turned out, the fact that I got there earlier was significant.

From the cafe I can see the athletics track. There was nothing special going on there; just a few people running rounds. The athletics track can be used freely, but of course on a cold, windy and slightly wet November day, as it was then, there weren't many people. Still, there were a couple of people running, but what drew my attention was a person who stood at the side, watching them. That was odd, considering it must have been quite dull, but I was even more fascinated by her clothes. The person standing there was dressed in red Moonboots, what appeared to be white nylon trousers, and a shiny black down jacket. The down jacket came down to her - I assumed she was female, because of her clothes - knees, and the hood was up and tied very tight. In front of her eyes a bunch of white fur was pulled closely together. Although it was hard to say for sure, as I only saw her from the side and at a distance, I guessed she couldn't see a lot.

Yvonne caught me staring out of the window. "Anything interesting out there?" she asked. I startled. I'm attracted to thick winter clothes and hoods, but I couldn't tell her that. So I just said I thought it was odd that someone would be standing there to watch people run rounds.

"Oh, that's Elena. She's here every day, but she's usually gone when you arrive. You see that guy running just past her now?"
I looked at the man, and my eyes widened. "That's - "
"Yeah," Yvonne nodded. "He trains here every day. Oskar wants to reach the finals of the 400 meter at the Olympics next summer. Elena is his wife. He says he can train better if she watches, and she doesn't have much else to do so she's here every day."
"She seems well prepared for the cold," I said.
"She is. Well, I imagine it's necessary, to stand there for such a long time. They start early, too. Oskar trains from 7.30 until 10.30 every day. Afterwards, he takes a shower and then they always have one drink here. But by 11.30, when you normally arrive, they're gone." She looked at her watch. "See, it's 10.30 just now. Oskar is going inside. That man is punctual."
"But Elena is staying right there," I said. The figure in the down jacket had not left her place.
"She always waits until he's finished, and then they come here together. I think she can't even get out of her clothes alone. She's heavily wrapped up, that one. Usually wears two down jackets and the hoods almost tied shut. And those mittens she wears are so thick, her hands are next to useless. I always see Oskar helping her out of her clothes."
Wow! Another down jacket underneath! And indeed, I couldn't see the mittens very well from where I stood, but they looked thick enough. I really wanted to see Elena up close. "Mind if I go talk to her for a moment?" I asked.
Yvonne gestured at the cafe, which was empty except for a single old man sitting at the bar. "Take as long as you want. I can manage the crowd here."

"Hi. I'm Clara," I said. But Elena was turned away from me, and there was no reaction. So I tapped her shoulder. The figure startled and turned towards me. She had to turn her entire body to face me. Even when she was standing right in front me, I couldn't see her eyes in there. Just a mass of fur, with a very narrow slit in between where I assumed she could see out. But her face was hidden in the darkness of the hood.
Myself, I was wearing my purple down coat, which was slightly longer than Elena's. I also had the hood up against the drizzle and the icy wind, but of course it was nowhere near as tight as hers.
"Hi. I'm Clara," I repeated.
"I'm Elena," came the reply out of the hood. The sound was muffled, barely understandable. Her voice sounded unsure and a bit afraid. She had no idea what I wanted of her. Frankly, neither did I.
So I just said: "I know. Yvonne told me about you and Oskar. Don't you want to go inside and wait for Oskar there?"
"No, it's okay, I'll wait here," Elena said.
"But I'd like to talk to you about something, and that's hard like this." Truth was, I was just blabbering something. I didn't know what I wanted to talk about with Elena. I just wanted to see the down jacket underneath. I figured helping her out of her clothes would give me the best opportunity to see just how she was dressed.
"Um. Okay," came Elena's hesitant reply. "But you'll have to help me with my clothes. Normally Oskar does that."
"No problem," I said. "So shall we go inside?"
"Um. Can you untie the drawstring around my knees first? I can't walk like this."
I looked down and indeed, her knees were essentially tied together by the drawstring at the bottom of her jacket. Combined with the Moonboots, walking was indeed almost impossible. I managed to untie the strings and Elena and I went to the cafe.

I first untied Elena's black hood. Underneath it turned out she was wearing a light blue down jacket. Its hood was tied almost as tight as the other one, but at least now I could see her eyes. I helped Elena out of her outer jacket. The huge black mittens she was wearing came almost to her elbows. They went over the sleeves of the inner jacket. They were secured with a zipper and a drawstring. It took me a couple of minutes to get her out of them. Now she was free to remove her second jacket. Underneath she wore a grey sweatshirt with the hood up. Only after she had untied this hood could I see her long blonde hair. I now also noticed the white pants she was wearing were ski pants.

I offered Elena a drink and went to sit with her at a table.
"You are quite well protected against the cold," I said.
"Yes. Oskar wants me to be here every day when he runs. In nice weather this was not a problem for me. I don't mind being here, I still love to see him run. But it was the cold that was getting me. So I said, I'll come and look if you can find a way to keep me warm. So he bought these clothes for me, and he dresses me like this, and he says: 'Now I'm sure you won't be cold.' And he's right."
"But why couldn't you just sit in here to watch him?"
"I'd like to, but Oskar wants to see me. He says I'm his motivation. Seeing me makes him keep at his training every day."
"See you? He can't see anything of you in those clothes!"
Elena smiled. "I guess it is the idea that counts."
"Well, I could be out there in your place, and he would never know," I blurted out.
"You could, but why would you?"
Why had I said that? Well, because it's what I wanted, of course. But how could I explain that? I quickly made something up. "If you're in here instead of out there, and you order a couple of drinks, we make more money."
"It's nice of you to offer this. But it's not possible. Oskar wraps me up like this every morning before we leave home. And he unwraps me right here, in the cafe. How would you fool him then?"
"We could switch while he is showering. Does he change here in the morning as well?"
"Yes... I guess it's possible to do as you say."
"Let's try it tomorrow," I said.

The next morning I arrived at 7 am. I let myself into the cafe - it wasn't open yet, so Yvonne wasn't there, but I had a spare key. Then I waited for Oskar and Elena. They arrived at 7.10. Oskar put Elena at her usual place, and tied the drawstring around her knees. Then he went to the changing rooms. I quickly ran outside towards Elena. I untied the black jacket as fast as I could and helped her out of the mittens. Then Elena took off the other coat while I got out of my purple one. We switched them and put each other's jackets on. Then Elena did the rest. She tied the hood of the light blue jacket, put me into the mittens and then into the black jacket. She tied the hood extremely tight and now I got to experience it from inside. I could barely see something between the fur, but it was almost nothing. Finally she tied my knees together. "Are you fine in there?" "Yes," I mumbled, "just hurry inside now."

Then Elena was gone from my view. I turned towards the athletics track and waited for Oskar. I realized I was helpless now. It would be more than three hours before Elena could come and help me out of this again...


-- on to part 2 --







Overview

The long silence...

A short update about this blog -

I realize I haven't been posting much lately. Thing is, my fetish is focussed on the winter. When it's warm outside, it is not as active. So I don't feel like writing much.

However, as the days are growing shorter and colder again, I'm getting new inspiration. So hopefully I'll be able to produce somewhat more regular content here.

If anyone has ideas for stories, feel free to post here or email me. I can't make promises though - but anything that helps me think of new stories should be good. I don't know if many people read this at all, so if you do, it would be nice if you left a message. It's always good to know if someone enjoys this.

Cheers,
Kuomu



Overview

Experiment 91 (part 5)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --
-- read part 3 here --
-- read part 4 here --

"Sophie, wait here please. I'll first get Tanika dressed." Linda and Tanika left the room. Twenty minutes later, they returned, and now Tanika was dressed exactly like Sophie, except she was wearing the purple set of clothes: Moonboots, down pants, down jacket and mittens. There were two differences though. One of them, Sophie knew nothing about, because it was hidden under the clothes. The other thing she noticed immediately.

"Why does your head look so big?" Sophie asked in surprise.

"Because there's an extra hood underneath," Linda answered. "And here's another one for you." She showed Sophie a black down hood, then went behind her and unzipped the hood of the red jacket. Once it was off, she pulled the black hood over Sophie's head. It had an opening around the eyes and small breathing holes under her nose. It also had a rubber bulb on the inside, which Linda put in Sophie's mouth without explanation. The hood had an integrated collar which was tightenened around the neck, securing everything in place.

"Hew! Whaaw iff thiff thin in y outh?" Sophie blabbered. Linda didn't bother replying. She attached a pump to a valve in front of Sophie's mouth and pumped the gag up until Sophie couldn't make a sound anymore. Then she attached the pump to the bottom of the hood and started pumping up the whole hood. After a while, Sophie's head was a smooth nylon black ball, with just an opening around the eyes. Linda pulled the red hood over it, and managed to slowly pull the zipper in the back over the pumped up hood, so that the red hood was now stretched over the black one. Then she sat down behind her computer and was busy for a minute.

"Can you hear me?" Linda suddenly asked. Sophie was surprised by the question at first; of course she could. Then she realized that, although she had seen Linda's lips move, the sound had come from inside the hood. "Just nod if you can understand me," Linda said. Sophie nodded a little, although she couldn't move her head much because of the pumped up hood.

"Good. As you may have noticed, your hood has sound absorbers worked into it, which, combined with its thickness, make you essentially deaf. There is an audio system built in that allows us to communicate with you. Of course you have also noticed that you can't speak. Tanika's hood, while it looks the same from the outside, is actually different, as it doesn't have a gag or sound absorbers, so she can hear and speak almost normally. Inside her hood is a microphone, which transmits everything she says to me and to you. This is the setup for our first social experiment. Essentially, you, Sophie, will be dependant on Tanika to be your mouth and ears. You will have to trust her completely. You will both have to complete a task. You should know that if you don't complete it succesfully, there will be a penalty for both of you. What the task is, and what the penalty is, you won't know. I'll tell Tanika but she's not allowed to tell you, because this is an exercise in trust."

There was nothing to do for Sophie while she waited, while apparently Tanika received instructions. Eventually Tanika took Sophie's mittened hand into her own and led her outside. They went on a bus and sat down next to each other. They must look quite the pair, Sophie though, especially with the inflated hoods making their heads look so large. She wondered how Tanika felt about the situation.

Well, Tanika was thrilled, of course. This was her dream come true. She had just signed a contract that would force her to wear thick down clothes all the time. And her friend Sophie had to do the same. Before Sophie had arrived at the institute, Linda had dressed her in the same clothes Sophie had been wearing the past month. However, hidden underneath was something Sophie didn't know about, and which was part of Tanika's contract. She had to wear a chastity belt during the experiments. This was necessary because her climaxes could influence the experiment. Also, as Linda explained, it would make things more bearable for her - while she was aroused, she would enjoy her down clothes, but if she climaxed too often she'd want out.

Soon the two girls arrived in the city center and Tanika guided Sophie to a big outdoor shop. Sophie had a suspicion about the purpose of their trip. They entered and went straight to the first floor, where the gear for alpinism and extreme conditions was kept. Holding Sophie's hand, Tanika went to the counter. The young girl there looked in amazement at the two identically dressed figures approaching her.

"Hi, we've come to pick up the two Himalayan suits the research center ordered last week," Tanika said. "Oh, er, yes, I'll go get them for you," the girl said, and quickly went off. Moments later she returned with the suits: one red with black, the other yellow with black. "Everything's been paid already," the girl smiled, "so I'll just wrap them up for you and you can take them with you." "Actually, we'll wear them right away. Could you just assist us in putting them on please?" Sophie was shocked, and apparently so was the girl. "Wear them? But these are suits for alpine conditions. You'll be way too hot if you wear them here," she protested. "Don't worry about that, it's supposed to be warm. We'll wear the suits on top of this layer. Just help us put them on, please."

"Okay then. So which one do you want?" "Put Sophie in the yellow suit first," Tanika indicated. The girl opened the suit and walked up to Sophie. "I'll best take off your Moonboots first," she said, but Sophie couldn't hear it of course, so she made no move to help her. "Lift your foot, Sophie," Tanika said. Sophie obeyed and lifted one foot so the girl could take off one of her Moonboots, then lifted the other one. Then the girl helped her into the Himalayan suit. "Zip it up completely, put the hood up and tie it tight please." The astonished girl did as she was told, then helped Sophie back into her Moonboots. In the end only her red Moonboots and mittens were visible sticking out of the big yellow suit.

"Are you sure you want to go out like this?" she asked Sophie, who of course could neither hear her nor talk. "That's okay," said Tanika, "my friend likes to be kept warm all the time. She hates the cold, you see." Tanika wasn't allowed to mention the experiment. "Oh. And what about you then?" asked the girl. "I just dress the same as her out of solidarity. She's shy about being dressed so excessively, and it helps her if I do the same," Tanika lied easily. The girl was impressed. "That seems like a pretty big sacrifice to make." "It's okay. Sophie is my best friend, after all."

Next the girl helped Tanika, until she looked like a mirror image of Sophie again, except in a red suit rather than yellow, and with purple mittens and Moonboots. Meanwhile though, Sophie was getting way too hot in the suit. And she was embarassed about Tanika telling the girl it was her idea to dress like this. So she started tampering with her hood, and despite the mittens she managed to unzip the suit far enough to push the hood down.

"See, I told you this suit was really warm," the shop assistant said. "Should I take off your hood as well?" "No, that's okay. Please put Sophie's hood up again, she only took it down because we're inside." "Really? I think she's just too hot. Should I put up your hood again?" she asked Sophie. And although Sophie couldn't hear the girl, she understood what was intended, and shook her head as much as she could. But we were told to, Tanika wanted to say. We had strict guidelines on how we had to be dressed. We will be punished now... But did she really mind the punishment?

"It's okay, Sophie doesn't want to wear the hood. We'll be leaving now. Thank you for your help."

And so they left the store. Sophie had no idea that her not wearing the hood would be cause for punishment for both of them. Tanika knew... and eagerly looked forward to it.

Overview

Experiment 91 (part 4)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --
-- read part 3 here --



Several weeks into experiment 91, Sophie started to long for a day of freedom. Since Tanika appeared to like Sophie's clothes, Sophie offered Tanika to take her place for a day. She told Tanika the research institute wouldn't mind that, because she expected Tanika would refuse if she thought they might get in trouble. Tanika accepted, and Sophie got to enjoy her day of freedom. But Tanika enjoyed her day even more.

What Sophie didn't know, was that Tanika got turned on by the thick down clothes. She had spent so much time with Sophie since the start of the experiment because she loved the way her friend had to dress. And when Sophie offered her the chance to try those clothes on, she immediately accepted. That day, she had more orgasms than any other day in her previous life. It was pure bliss, and she regretted when the next morning she had to hand the clothes back to Sophie. Of course, the irony of this was that Sophie didn't really want them back, either. But Tanika couldn't bring herself to admit her fetish to Sophie.

In the next couple of days, Tanika really longed to wear Sophie's clothes again, but she couldn't find an excuse to ask her. Then she had another idea. She made an appointment with Linda and asked her if she could become another test subject for experiment 91. Linda was surprised and even a bit suspicious.

"So you want to wear the same clothes as Sophie. Why?"
"Well, I wore them for a day, and uh, I kinda liked those clothes. So I thought, I could do this experiment too."
"You wore them for a day?"
"Yes, I took Sophie's place for one day. Sophie said that would be okay for you."
"Did she now," Linda said ominously.
"It wasn't?" asked Tanika.
"No, it's not okay. But never mind, that's between me and her. So you liked wearing those down clothes, despite their restrictions and how warm you must have been?"
Tanika blushed. "Uh, yes, I... didn't mind that."
"You didn't mind it, or you liked it?" Linda looked at Tanika steadily, not unfriendly but with professional curiosity.
"I... well, it aroused me," Tanika admitted.
Linda remained calm and friendly, but her mind was racing. This opened up a lot of possibilities for her experiment. "That's okay, Tanika," she said, "it's nothing to be a ashamed of. You'll be accepted as another test subject for experiment 91. I'll need some more information about how it affects you sexually though. But we can discuss that another time. How about next Monday? We can go a little more in depth then, and then you can sign your contract. I'll also have Sophie come over so we can discuss the future of the experiment."
"Monday is fine. But there's one thing. Sophie doesn't know about my... fetish. I don't really want to tell her."
"That's no problem. If you can keep it secret from her, we won't tell her either. So let's meet at 2 pm on Monday. I'll invite Sophie at 3 pm, so we can first discuss your fetish in private. You don't need to tell her about our deal yet. We'll tell her Monday."

Tanika left, and Linda leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. Experiment 91 was showing very promising results so far, and she had received additional funding. She had been asked to extend the experiment if possible. And now she had an additional test subject. This was looking good... If she played her cards well, she could get a lot out of this situation.

---

Monday, 3 pm. Sophie was sitting in a waiting room in front of Linda's office. She was, of course, dressed in her down clothes from head to toe. This time it was the red "uniform". She had no idea why she had to come - Linda hadn't told her on the phone. Tanika wasn't with her. She had an appointment, she'd said, but she had been vague on the subject.

When the door opened and Sophie was invited into Linda's office, she was surprised to see Tanika sitting there. "Sit," Linda said curtly, pointing at the chair next to Tanika, and took her own chair on the other side of the desk. Surprised about Linda's tone, Sophie sat down. Linda wasted no time.

"You have been pulling quite a scam. I think I made it clear that you had to wear these clothes EVERY DAY for five months. That is YOU, Sophie, not somebody else, like Tanika here. This jeopardises my entire experiment. It makes the results worthless. What do you have to say to that?"
"I... I'm sorry," sputtered Sophie.
"You're sorry? I bet you are. This is a clear breach of contract. You'll have to pay the institute 1500 euro."
"But... you know I don't have that money. I've been jobless for a year." Sophie was close to tears.
"Maybe you should've thought about that earlier then?" Linda said mercilessly. She leaned back in her chair and paused. Then she said, in a slightly more friendly voice: "You're lucky though. You have a way out of this. The institute has asked me to prolong the experiment. If you sign up for another year, you won't have to pay. You'll even receive the same 1500 euro as a payment - which means your payment is lower of course, since we're talking about a total of 17 months instead of the original five, but considering your situation, I wouldn't complain if I were you."
"A year," gasped Sophie, "but surely you don't mean, with these clothes? I mean, in summer?"
"No. Your clothing would vary depending on the weather and the situation we want to put you in."
Sophie relaxed. At least they would take the weather in account. "What do you mean with 'the situation we want to put you in'?"
"So far, the experiment has shown positive results for your physical health. Now we want to do additional social and psychological experiments to determine the consequences of wearing warm clothing in these areas. So your new contract would state that you will cooperate with these."
"Oh." Sophie didn't know what to say to that. She didn't really know what Linda had in mind. But before she could think about it too much or ask for clarification, Linda changed the subject.

"I have some good news for you too. Your friend Tanika has agreed to sign up as another test subject. So you won't be alone."
Sophie looked at Tanika in surprise. This was a bit complicated because she had to turn her entire body to do so.
"Really?" she asked incredulously. Tanika nodded.
"This is the new contract," Linda said as Sophie directed her attention - and the direction of her body - back to her. "It will override the old contract. It states the new conditions I've just outlined, including the fact that you subject yourself to any social, psychological or physical experiments to determine the impact of your dressing style. Also, for obvious reasons I've seen the need to add another clause regarding breach of contract." She looked sternly at Sophie. "It says the contract is automatically prolonged for another year whenever you break it. Of course, I assume it won't come to that, but you haven't shown yourself to be very trustworthy, so I had to add that."
Sophie blushed under her hood at this reprimand. She took the pen and considered for a moment, but what choice did she have? She didn't have the money. And at least Tanika was in the same boat. The fact that she had someone to share the experience with, lifted her mood.
She signed the contract.

Of course, she had no idea that Tanika's situation wasn't exactly the same. Already, Tanika was eagerly anticipating the new start of the experiment. The contract Tanika had signed differred slightly from Sophie's, too. Because Tanika was sexually stimulated by her clothes, Linda had said, the institute would need to make sure that she couldn't climax too early. Therefore the contract stated that she allowed the institute to control the state of her stimulation in any way they deemed necessary. In return, Tanika was allowed to participate in the setup of the various experiments, both her own and Sophie's.

"All right. Let's get started," Linda said.
"Now?" asked Sophie.
"Why waste time, right?" quipped Tanika.


-- on to part 5 --







Overview

About me

In this post, I will briefly introduce myself. I'll be pretty open here, because part of why I started this blog is to get in contact with people who share my fetish. I'll get to that later.

First off: my age, sex and location: I am a 28 year old male who lives in Belgium.

Sexual orientation: this is complicated. I'm not attracted to men. Whether I am attracted to women is harder to tell for sure. My sexual dreams definitely involve women, but I don't get aroused just by beautiful/naked/sexy women - only in combination with my fetish. So I actually think I am asexual. I only get turned on by my fetishes.

Fetishes: I won't go into detail here. Read my stories and you know what I'm attracted to.

Dominant/submissive: I am submissive. Many of my stories involve dominance. I fantasize about being the one that is kept under control in those stories.

My dream: I would love to have a dominant person control me for a while. This person can be male or female; a woman would be preferable but it doesn't matter too much. I'm not really looking for sex. I just want someone to force me to live out my fetishes for a few days.

Another thing I'd like to experience is bondage. Probably in combination with down jackets etc, but it's not even really necessary. I get turned on by bondage scenes even when they don't involve thick clothes, although it's still secondary to my fetishes. I have hardly any experience in this area. I've done a little light selfbondage but that's it.

Other than that, I'm open for a lot of things. Rubber, for example, is something I've never experienced, but I've read and seen a lot of it online and it looks interesting. I wouldn't mind trying that at some point.

So now you know a lot about me. I hope I can get something out of this. If you are at all interested in any of this, write me a message. You can post here or email me at i_like_to_wear_hoods at hotmail dot com.

Kuomu

Overview

Raissa's Quest (part 3)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --

Behind the gate appeared a young woman who was dressed almost as bizarre as Raissa. She was wearing a classic black and white maid's uniform, but it was so shiny it almost had to be made entirely out of some sort of rubber. Also, even through her thick hoods Raissa could hear the clanking sound of metal. The woman's hand and feet were chained, and between both sets of cuffs was a connecting chain. If she wanted to walk straight, she had to keep her hands together as low as she could to allow enough slack in the feet chain. Conversely, when she reached her hands up to unattach Raissa's leash from the gate and open it, she had to keep her feet together to allow her hands to move high enough.

The girl opened the gate and pulled Raissa's leash to urge her forward. Then she closed it again and led Raissa towards the house. All this time the unknown girl remained silent, which was understandable since she had a big black ball gag strapped in her mouth. Slowly the odd pair made their way to the front door, and then through a hall into a side chamber. The room contained a table and some chairs, but Raissa wasn't offered one. Instead the girl attached her leash to a hook in the wall before leaving the room. Then the girl took the drawstrings of Raissa’s hood and pulled them tight, closing Raissa’s hood completely.

There was nothing Raissa could do about the situation. She just had to stand there and wait. Distantly she heard noise somewhere in the building - music and talking? Was she at some kind of party?

She heard the door open. She breathed heavily and quickly inside the down hood, fearful of what would come. The leash was unhooked and she was led somewhere. She now distinctly heard the noise of many people in one room. A door was opened, and Raissa knew she was now in the room with all the people. For a moment, all the talking stopped, and then resumed. Although Raissa couldn’t hear much of the conversation, she knew everyone was now looking at her and commenting. Although she was invisible under her hood, she blushed in humiliation. She wanted to run away, but what could she do, blind and dressed as she was?

Again she was led forward, and then her back was placed against a surface. Someone pulled at her legs, indicating that she had to spread them. Then she felt rope being tied around them and they were pulled towards the surface behind her. More rope was tied above and below her breasts, and she realized she was standing against some kind of pillar and she was being tied to it. Raissa’s legs and body were immobile now, only her arms were still free, but they were up next. Raissa’s hands were pulled forward and turned with the palms up – well, the palms of the Glosssuit’s attached mittens, of course. Handcuffs were locked around her wrists. The handcuffs were connected with a bar, keeping her hands about 30 centimeters apart. A similar set of cuffs was attached around her elbows, so she could no longer bend her arms. A final spreader bar was attached between the bar keeping her hands apart and a belt that was attached around her hips. Although Raissa couldn’t see the way she was restricted, the end result was clear: she was forced to keep her arms stretched forward.

And moments laters it became clear why, as a tray was placed on her lower arms and hands. She could hear the tinkling of glasses and the talking of people approaching her and walking away again, and she realized she had been turned into an absurd version of a waitress.

The evening dragged by. Every now and then, the tray in her hands and the bar between her hands and her body were removed, allowing her arms to hang down in front of her. But every time they were placed in the same position after a while. Twice someone untied her outer hood and looked at her face; the first one was a man with a grey beard, dressed in a suit. He just looked at her eyes, the sweaty bit of her face inside the tightly tied orange hood that was visible inside the Glossuit's hood, and the straps of the gag around her nose. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her for a while and then shut the hood again.

The second time it was a woman in a tight black dress and elbow-length gloves. She smiled coolly at Raissa.

“Look at this little down slut,” she said. “Are you warm enough in there? I see you’re wearing another down jacket under your suit. That’s good, I wouldn’t want you to get cold.” She reached into the hood opening and brushed the bridge of Raissa’s nose with one gloved finger. “I think it’s time you get to move around a bit. Would you like to be untied?” Raissa made what little sound she could past her gag and hoods. “I don’t know if that was a yes or a no, but I’ll decide it was a yes.”

The woman tied Raissa’s hood shut again. Moments later Raissa felt her bonds being removed. Then she was led up a couple of stairs, apparently on some kind of platform. The people in the room became quiet. Then Raissa heard the voice of the woman with the black gloves. “Dear guests, thank you all for coming here tonight. I hope you’re having a good time. Our little down slut here, who has so nicely and quietly provided us with drinks tonight, will provide a little entertainment before she leaves. May I ask you all to move to the sides of the room and clear the middle?” There was the noise of movement and talking, then quiet again. “Thank you. Now, down slut.” Raissa’s outer hood was opened again. Raissa caught a glimpse of the room and the people in it, but the woman blocked most of her vision. She was holding up a white ping-pong ball. “I will throw this ball somewhere in the room. You will be free to leave as soon as you have found it.” Then the woman closed Raissa’s hood again, and helped her descend the steps of the platform.

“There you go. Find the ball and you can go home,” the woman said. For a moment, Raissa didn’t know what to do. Then she carefully went down on her knees and started crawling around the room, blindly groping with her mittened hands and hoping she would feel the light ball. The people were cheering and shouting advice, but whether they were helping her or leading her astray, Raissa didn’t know. Of course, it was entirely possible that they would move the ball if she came too close. But the crowd had fun. From the cheering she knew when she was close, but several times she apparently knocked the ball away instead of grabbing it. Eventually, they cheered loudly when she got the ball and stood up again.

After that, she was led out. Still blind, she knew from the sound of her Moonboots on gravel that she was outside. She heard the gate open and she was led through. Then her leash was removed and her hood was opened again. Raissa saw the rubber-clad, hobbled and ball-gagged maid close the gate and return towards the house.

Raissa made her way back to the bus stop, but judging from the lack of traffic, it was night already, so there would be no bus. Slowly, she started the long walk back to Francesca’s house, hoping Francesca would be free.

EPILOGUE

It had been near morning when Raissa had finally reached Francesca's house. Fran had been free. She said someone had removed the chains and let her out of the sleeping bag. A man had told her to wait for her friend Raissa, who was outside in her other Glosssuit. Then he had unlocked the Glosssuit. By the time she got it off, he was gone.

Now it was two weeks after Raissa’s fateful quest. Raissa was at Francesca’s place while Fran was having one of her ‘sessions’ again, tied up in her Glosssuit. She’d had no time for dinner so she went down in the basement, where the freezer stood, to look for a pizza. The basement was mostly dark. Only a single weak lightbulb at the roof illuminated it. Then something attracted her attention. In a corner of the basement lay a blanket, and a small bit of black nylon stuck out under it. It triggered something in Raissa’s mind. Frowning, she stared at it, wondering what it made her think of. Then she had a vivid memory of a person in a black down jacket in a badly lit room. She pulled the blanket away.

A black down jacket. A black balaclava. Black gloves.

And something even more remarkable: an inflatable doll, with a dictaphone taped to its head. Raissa pressed the play button and heard struggling noises and the sound of someone trying to speak while gagged. The truth dawned on her. The person in the black jacket was Francesca. She hadn’t been inside the bag – the doll had been there.

Raissa rushed upstairs to confront Francesca. Francesca, who lay there tied up in the Glosssuit…. She stopped. Wasn’t Francesca entirely at her mercy already? Couldn’t Raissa do what she wanted to her?

Raissa smiled, but it was a grim and humorless smile. It was time for Raissa’s Revenge.

Overview