Experiment 91 (part 3)

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

Sophie had no idea the clothes one wore could have such an influence on one's life. From then on she was not only uncomfortably hot the whole time, but also stared at by everyone. And avoiding people was simply impossible. Every day she had to leave her house for at least six hours. So she had no choice but to make long walks, go to shops, visit friends, and so on. Her clothes also hindered her: her walk was clearly strange with the diaper, thick down pants and Moonboots, her vision was severely limited with just the small zippered opening in front of her eyes, even her hearing and speaking were muffled by the thick hood. And handling everyday objects like money or keys was now five times harder because of the mittens, more so because she couldn't see much.

She had felt like an alien even when she was walking through the corridors of the research center, and when she went up to the desk at the entrance to get back her personal belongings. But that was nothing compared to how she felt when she was outside, taking the bus home. She could feel every eye on her. At least her hood blinkered her view so she couldn't see most of the people. But it was still a very unpleasant experience, and she hurried home and didn't leave again that day. Of course, the next day she wouldn't have that option. Nor any of the 150 days after that.

There were more inconveniences. Eating was difficult, as she had to open the zipper in front of her mouth. But because the zippers were connected, this meant closing the one in front of her eyes. So she had to eat blind. Another thing Sophie had to get used to was using her diaper. At first she tried to hold it back but she soon learned that she couldn't avoid it. Her first nights were hot and restless. For sleeping she closed the eyes zipper as she could breathe better when the mouth zipper was open.

On the first day of the experiment, Sophie stayed indoors in the morning. She only made a brief visit to the stores because humans need to eat after all. She was very embarassed to walk outside like this, and even more to go into a store. But she knew she had no choice, she would have to do this many times so she'd better get used to it. In the afternoon she decided to make a long walk through the forest. At least there she wouldn't meet many people. She left at 2 pm. But the heat trapped inside the down clothes made it all quite exhausting. It was simply not possible to walk around for six hours like that. At 5 pm she arrived back home, very tired after the long walk. But even after her morning visit to the stores and the afternoon walk she still had to be out of her home for 2,5 hours. What to do now?

Luckily at that moment her friend Nadja called and invited her to go see a movie tonight. Because Sophie had to get out anyway, and she didn't feel like making another long walk, she accepted. Although she was quite worried about what Nadja would think and about sitting in a heated room with many people.

At 8 pm Sophie arrived at the theater and soon she found Nadja who was waiting for her. Like everyone else, Nadja was staring at the purple figure wearing thick down clothes and Moonboots, and a hood that only left a small slit around her eyes open. Her eyes widened in amazement when the figure walked straight at her. "Hi Nadja," Sophie said. "Sophie? Is that you?" Nadja stammered, trying to get a good look at the little bit of her face that was visible. "Yes, it's me," Sophie confirmed. Nadja was shocked. "Wow, you are heavily wrapped up. Is there a blizzard raging that I'm unaware of?" "It's a long story," Sophie sighed. "Look, can you get the tickets first? I don't like to face people the way I'm dressed. Let's go inside and I'll explain it then."

Five minutes later the girls were seated. Nadja took off her jacket but Sophie of course didn't have that luxury. The seat was soft and deep, so she sank back in it and could only look straight ahead because of the hood. This made talking to Nadja a bit weird, as she couldn't look at her. Nadja noticed this and said: "Sophie, take at least your hood off! It's really warm in here, and I can't even properly see you." "I can't, Nadja, I'm not allowed to take it off." Sophie explained about experiment 91, and how she had to stay dressed like this for five months. "Five months? Oh Sophie, what have you gotten yourself into!" Nadja exclaimed.

Then the movie began so they couldn't talk anymore. Sophie was thankful that the lights were out so people couldn't see her anymore. After the movie Nadja offered to have a drink. Sophie was very thirsty, as she sweated a lot, so she said yes. They went into a nearby café. Nadja was amazed when Sophie showed her she had to close her eyes zipper every time she wanted to drink.

Most of Sophie's friends reacted in much the same way as Nadja. The only exception was Tanika. The first time Tanika saw Sophie's clothes, she said: "Waw! That's a nice outfit Sophie! Where did you buy it?" Sophie then of course had to explain all about the experiment again. Tanika seemed excited about the whole project. "And you can't even take the hood off for a moment? You must be so hot in those clothes. And what are these zippers for?" Tanika wanted to know everything about Sophie's situation.

Tanika seemed to enjoy being around Sophie in her down clothes. She spent a lot of time together with Sophie on her long walks. They also went shopping together, although Sophie had protested against this at first. "I don't like to go to busy places. All the people will look at me," she had said. But Tanika had convinced her. "Nobody knows who is under that hood anyway, Sophie. And why would you care what others think?" Despite this, Sophie didn't feel comfortable when she was in the shops or on the crowded street. Tanika didn't seem to mind. She proudly led Sophie from one shop to another. And when she met a friend she showed off Sophie's outfit and she demonstrated the use of the eyes/mouth zipper.

Tanika also came with Sophie to the research center after the first week. She appeared very interested in the experiment. After the tests Sophie got to change into her other outfit, so they could clean the first one. It was identical except for the colour: instead of purple, the Moonboots, down pants, mittens and jacket were all bright red.

Gradually Sophie got used to this big shift in her life. But after the first month, they had another surprise for her...

-- on to part 4 --







Overview

A (very brief) explanation of my blog

As you can see, and as the name implies, this blog serves as a place to put various fetish stories I've written online. My hope is that by putting them here, I may reach an audience with preferences similar to mine. I think it's quite clear from my stories what my fetishes are.

Currently I have no idea whether my blog is actually being read by anyone who's interested in these things. I'm aware that there are many varieties in fetishes, and for some people only some of the things I write about will be of interest, while other subjects do nothing for them. But even then, I would like to hear from people who enjoy my stories, even if only partially.

So if this blog is of any interest to you, make yourself heard. After all, if I get no response out of this, the blog will eventually die a quiet death. If that's not what you want, just leave a reply anywhere on this blog.

I sincerely hope someone out there enjoys my stories - and I'd love to know!

Kuomu



Overview

Experiment 91 (part 2)

-- read part 1 here --



It was the last day of October. Sophie took the bus to the research center, where she had an appointment at 2 pm. She was a bit nervous when she walked in. She explained to the girl at the desk that she was the test subject for Linda's project. The girl looked at her computer screen and found Sophie's name. "Ah, experiment 91, I see. You will be receiving new clothes today. Please put all your personal belongings in this plastic bag; you will get them back when you leave. Then you can take a seat over there, someone will come for you."

Sophie tried to read some magazines, but she couldn't keep her attention on them. She wasn't sure what was going to happen today, and she couldn't cope well with that feeling of uncertainty. Then someone came to her and asked her to follow. Sophie was disappointed, she had expected it would be Linda. The girl explained they would do some routine medical tests so they could compare the later test results with the values from before the experiment.

An hour later, they had finished the tests. By now Sophie was more relaxed, nothing special had happened. The girl said: "Now it's time to start the experiment. In a moment Linda will be here with your clothes. Please take off all your clothes and put them in this bag. Then attach this card to the bag, and drop it in here. It will then automatically go to the laundry. When you come back here in five months, you will get them back so you can wear them home. In the meantime you don't need them because you'll only be wearing the clothes that are part of the experiment. Good luck with it!" The girl smiled and left.

Sophie did as she was told. With a thud she heard the bag drop in the metal container. Now she stood there stark naked and very nervous again while she waited for Linda. After five minutes she began to worry. What if Linda didn't come? She couldn't get to her clothes anymore. She was all alone and naked in a small room without even something to sit on.

Finally the door opened. Instinctively Sophie crossed her arms over her breasts. Linda came in carrying some large bags. "Hi Sophie. I'm so excited to get started on the experiment. Are you ready for it?" "Yes," Sophie said more bravely than she felt. "Okay. I have your clothes here. Before we get started let me once more explain that they all contain microchips to check whether you are wearing them. You can only take them off for half an hour each day. So when we're finished, you'll be in these clothes at least until tomorrow." "Yes, I know that," Sophie said impatiently. She wasn't comfortable standing there naked before Linda so she wanted to get started. "All right. We'll get you dressed in the next room, this one is a bit small. Follow me." Linda took the bags and went out the door. Sophie had no choice but to follow her into the corridor and to the next room. Luckily there was nobody to be seen. Linda didn't seem to care that Sophie was naked.

"Lay down on the couch for a moment." Sophie did so and looked at what Linda took out of the bag. "What's that?" she exclaimed in surprise. "A diaper, of course. You only get out of your clothes once per day, remember. So you'll need a diaper and some rubber pants against the leaks." Five minutes later Sophie could stand up and walk around in the diaper. It made her ass huge, she noticed uncomfortably. Wouldn't people see that, even through her clothes?

"Every week we'll give you new diapers, so you can put on a clean one every day. Now, put these on." Sophie received an outfit completely in black wool: pants, socks, a body with a turtleneck collar, gloves, and finally, a balaclava. The balaclava had a circular opening that barely left her mouth, nose and eyes free. "Is that really necessary? I look like a robber," Sophie said. "Yes, of course. You must be well protected, remember."

At that point, Linda's phone rang. She answered the call: "Yes? ... Now? ... Okay, I'll be there in a minute." Then she turned to Sophie. "I have to leave urgently. This bag contains the rest of your clothes. Just put everything on and then you can go home. See you in a week!" And with that she was gone.

Curious to see the rest of her clothes, Sophie opened the bag. A mass of down came out. After sorting everything out, it turned to be a pair of down pants, a down jacket, mittens, and a pair of Moonboots. With the exception of the white letters on the Moonboots, every single piece was completely purple. Such warm clothes, Sophie though, looking at the incredible thickness of the jacket and the pants. Outside the temperatures were still well above zero. She was going to stand out immensely, with such a thick jacket, down pants and Moonboots. But there was no way back, of course. She had signed the contract. Resigned to her fate, she started putting on the down pants. Then she sat down and put the large Moonboots on her feet.

Standing up, she felt the warmth around her legs already. Wow, those pants were thick. She stepped around awkwardly in the Moonboots, diaper and down pants. She couldn't really walk normally in this. And those few steps heated her legs even more. She wasn't even wearing the jacket yet! Let's get this over with, Sophie thought, and took the purple jacket. There was something weird about it though. She held the jacket up and inspected it. The zipper went all the way to the top of the hood. But that in itself wasn't so special, she had seen that before. The really strange thing was that it ran from top to bottom. So it started at the hood, and it would close the hood completely before you even started zipping the rest of the jacket. How could she see out then?

Puzzled, Sophie turned the jacket around in her hands. Then she noticed something at the back of the hood. There were two short zippers there, connected by a piece of hard plastic. The zippers ran in opposite directions, so at any time one of them was closed while the other one was open. Right now the top one was open. What was this for? Why would one need an opening at the back of the head? While there was no opening on the front...

Then she noticed the pockets - also on the back. And she understood. What she thought was the back of the coat, was in fact the front. The zipper was at the back. She still didn't understand the point of such a weird jacket, but now she knew how to put it on. She put her arms in and then put the hood, which was in front of her, over her head, adjusting it so that the opening was in front of her eyes. Then she reached behind her and found the zipper, pulling it slowly down. With some bending she managed to close the jacket all the way down. Now there was only the small hole in front of her eyes, with a zip that could close it.

It was astonishing how little sight she had left, with the thick hood covering almost her entire face. Peering through the opening, she eventually located the mittens and put them on. The moment the second mitten was in place, there was a "beeeep" sound that startled her.

Then she realized what it meant. All her clothes were in place. She was no longer allowed to remove them. Experiment 91 had officially begun.


-- on to part 3 --







Overview

Experiment 91 (part 1)

Bzzzzzzt!

Sophie woke up at the sound of her intercom. Someone at her door, who could that be? Sleepily she looked at her clock. 10 am. Probably not important, she decided. She turned her head and tried to go back to sleep.

Bzzzzzzt!

They'll leave, Sophie thought.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

Sighing, Sophie sat up and got out of bed. Who could be so insistent to visit her this early? Since she had lost her job, Sophie slept late every morning, and her friends knew this. So who had decided to wake her up today? "Hello?" she asked the intercom in a tired voice. "Hi Sophie, it's me, Linda. Sorry if I woke you up. Can I come in?" "Sure," Sophie yawned, and pushed the button to open the door and let Linda into the building.

Two minutes later, Linda knocked at her door and Sophie opened. "Wow, you look disheveled," Linda exclaimed. "Yeah, what do you expect, when you call me out of bed so early. How come you are here? Don't you have to work today?" Linda was a researcher at a medical institute. So Sophie was quite surprised that Linda visited her when she was supposed to be at work.

"Yes, but that's why I'm here. It's about my work. I have something important to discuss with you." Sophie was intrigued. "Well come in then, take a seat."

When both girls were settled, Linda started explaining. "I'm currently doing research about the influence of clothes on the resistance of the human body against viruses and bacteria. There are several popular beliefs about this. For example, it is generally seen that people are more vulnerable to illness when they are exposed to cold or wet weather without proper protection. On the other hand, some also believe that being overprotected decreases the resistance of the body. Although these are commonly held beliefs, there has been suprisingly little actual scientific research in this area. So that's what I'm doing now."

"That's nice and all, Linda, and I'm sure it's an interesting subject, but did you wake me up just to talk about your project? What does it have to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that. For my research I need a test subject. This person would be dressed the same way for five months. Because it has to be scientifically correct, we cannot allow a single deviation from the prescribed clothing, even for one day. Every week we will then do a check-up to see how the body responds to that, and you'll have to fill in a short questionnaire. And as the test subject I thought of you, Sophie. Because you don't have a job, you are free to perform the experiment for us. Also, there's a nice financial aspect to this. At the end of the five months, you'll receive 1500€ for your troubles. And all you have to for that is wear what give you, follow our rules, and come to us for a weekly check-up. What do you think?"

"Well, I don't know. The money does sound nice. But how can I wear the same clothes for five months? Surely that's not hygienic? And what kind of clothes are they?"

"We will have two sets of clothing. So every week when you come for the check-up, you will change. We will make sure the other set is cleaned. So it's very easy for you, you don't have to worry about anything. As for what you will wear, we are still working out the details. But the core idea is that you will be well protected, since we want to study the effects of this on the human body. The experiment runs from November until March. If you accept, we'll make sure that you won't be cold this winter. Then there is one more thing: you'll have to be outside your home at least six hours each day. Going to shops and things like that count towards this, even going to the movies or visiting friends, so it shouldn't be that much effort. This rule exists because if you sit alone at home all the time, you are not exposed to other people and any bacteria they might carry. So that would make our experiment quite useless."

"I must say it doesn't sound bad. Not getting to choose what I wear isn't fun, but the money certainly makes up for that. And it really seems like easy money. All right, I'll do it."

"Great!" Almost instantly Linda pulled a set of papers from her bag. "This is the contract. I'll run it over with you. The first point establishes both parties of the contract; so that's the research center and you. The second point says that you agree to wear the clothes we give you every day from November 1st until March 31st. Every day you have half an hour of "free" time so you freshen up. The third point says that you will be in public areas or at social gatherings at least six hours per day. The fourth point says that you allow us to monitor you constantly to make sure that you actually do as stated in the second or third point. This means that your clothes will have certain electronics in them so we can be sure that you wear them, and a GPS to check whether you're at home or not. The fifth point states that you agree to visit the research center weekly for routine tests and a questionnaire. This will only take about two hours. Finally, the last point says that the research center will pay you 1500€ assuming you don't breach the contract. However, in case you breach the contract, you have to pay the research center 1500€ to make up for their costs. But of course it should never come to that, you just have to follow these simple rules and you get to walk away with the money."

And that's how Linda talked Sophie into signing the contract. Of course, the girl had no idea what she was in for.



-- on to part 2 --







Overview

Doctor's Advice (part 3)

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



It was two weeks later. Meanwhile Sandra had gotten used to her new dresscode, but she had no idea Myriam was already planning more for her. She still felt awkward walking on the street and even worse when sitting on the train in her bright red coat, with her hood up and tied tightly so that the fur ruff left only a small opening for her eyes. Her hands, useless in several pairs of thick mittens, usually lay in her lap. And everyone could see the small padlock that clearly said she was unable to take off her own hood. Sandra couldn't help wondering what people thought of her.

The first day had been the worst. Not only because it was simply the first time she wore such extravagant clothes in public, but also because she had to face her coworkers for the first time in her new attire. When she arrived at the office, everyone she met just stared at her in disbelief, not even knowing who this person was. All they saw was a bright red thick down mantle with shiny black Moonboots underneath. With her hobbled feet, Sandra had slowly made her way through the office.

When she had arrived at her normal place, she had found her desk gone. At first she had thought she was on the wrong place. After all, her vision was so limited that she could have become disoriented. But after taking a 360 degree turn on the spot, she knew for sure that she was where her desk should be. Not knowing what to do, she had just stood there in confusion.

At that point her boss had come in and called everyone's attention. She had taken Sandra's arm and turned her to face all her colleagues. Then she had explained about Sandra's condition. Sandra was glad that she didn't have to explain to everyone herself, but she wished her boss had let her out of the mantle first. The mystery of her missing desk was also solved: Sandra's desk had been moved to be right next to the heating.

After the announcement, Veronica, Sandra's best friend at the office, had come up to her. "I had no idea it was you in those clothes! I hadn't expected to ever see you wearing a down mantle like that. But it looks nice, Sandra. It suits you really well. Let me help you out first. Oh! There's a lock on the drawstrings and the zipper."

"My friend Myriam did that, to make sure I don't take the hood off. The key is in the left pocket. Please let me out now."

Veronica had helped Sandra out of the down mantle, and then she had taken off the heavy down mittens. She had been amazed to learn that Sandra didn't have the key for the sweatshirt hood, and that she was forced to wear Moonboots, down pants, the white turtleneck sweater and the black hooded sweatshirt all day. The collar of the turtleneck was partly visible inside the black hood, so everyone could see how warm she was still dressed. And from then on, she had to sit right next to the heating all the time.

But now, two weeks later, Sandra had gotten more or less used to her situation. And that's when Myriam wanted to increase her restriction.

Myriam had arranged for Ann, the 'doctor', to come around again. She had the results of the blood analysis. Because they were so important, she wanted to deliver them herself. They had found the virus that caused the reaction to be present in high concentration. It was quite possible, Ann said, that exposure to cold could directly lead to death.

Sandra was shocked. "Is there nothing you can do? Some sort of medication?" Ann said no. "We have no way to destroy the virus. So especially when you are outside, I advise you to make absolutely sure no cold can touch you. The good thing is that as long as you do that, you should have no other negative effects from it."

When Ann left, Sandra sat in a daze at first. Myriam comforted her. "Don't worry Sandra. I'll take care of everything. We just have to keep you wrapped up, and then nothing bad will happen."

The next Monday Myriam woke Sandra half an hour earlier than normal. When she asked why, Myriam said it would take a bit longer to get her dressed, and she wanted to make sure Sandra got to work in time.

After showering, Sandra put on her usual clothes: leggings, down pants, Moonboots, a turtleneck sweater and a hooded sweater. She then went to Myriam to get her collar and have her hood drawstring locked to it. This had become a normal routine for Sandra. After that, they had breakfast, and then Myriam prepared Sandra to go outside. But today this last part was a bit different, as Myriam had some extra protection for Sandra.

First Sandra was put into the huge mittens again. But then Myriam showed her a down mask. This would cover Sandra's entire head. It was, of course, in black nylon, overfilled with down.

"It zips at the back and has an integrated collar that I can fasten around your neck," Myriam explained. "It has two small eyeholes but they are blocked with clear plastic lenses so you can see out, but the cold air can't get in. Because the mask doesn't let air in, there is a breathing tube inside. Around the breathing tube is a pumpable gag. By pumping this up, we make sure that the breathing tube remains in your mouth, and also that you breathe through the tube, rather than in the mask, where you would run out of air soon. The breathing tube connects to a hole in front of the down mask. There we can attach another tube that leads out of your hoods. Now, open your mouth so I can insert the gag with the tube."

Sandra didn't want to be gagged again, but she saw no other way. If the virus was indeed lethal, she needed full protection. So she opened her mouth and allowed Myriam to put her into the mask. Myriam zipped it at the back and did up the collar. Sandra found she could breathe normally, and her mouth wasn't filled too much. She relaxed, it wasn't too bad.

Next Myriam came with a shiny black, heavily filled down suit. Was this really necessary, Sandra thought. But she couldn't object very well with the tube in her mouth, so she just allowed Sandra to first put her feet in, then her arms. Of course the suit had attached mittens - as though her hands weren't covered enough already! It zipped up at the back, but even weirder was the hood. It only had two slits for the eyes and one for the mouth - or in Sandra's case, for the breathing tube that would be inserted there.

When she was in the heavy down suit, Myriam started pulling her arms through the sleeves of the red down mantle. Sandra didn't think this was going to work. The suit was just too thick to allow the mantle over it. But Myriam managed to get her hands into the attached mittens, and then she slowly zipped it up, stuffing the black down inside as she went up. The hood was up over the suit's hood already. Before doing it up all the way, Myriam had to take care of the breathing tube and the gag. She took a small hand pump and attached it through the mouth hole of the down suit to a valve in the down mask. With this she pumped up the gag so it would fill Sandra's mouth completely. After a while Sandra's arms started to flail wildly, as this was the only way she could try to ask Myriam to stop pumping. But Myriam wasn't mollified; she pumped a couple more times before taking the pump off.

Next was the breathing tube. She held it up in front of Sandra's face, although she wasn't sure the girl could see well enough to know what it was. "As you see, the breathing tube has a bag attached to it. It consists of two layers of nylon with down between them; the purpose is to preheat the air you breathe in. Here on this side, it has a small opening to let in fresh air. So when you breathe in, you will inhale the heated air in the bag. Because of the resulting underpressure in the bag, fresh air will stream in. When you breathe out, the bag will fill up, causing overpressure, and part of the air in the bag will stream out. This means that you will be partly breathing in the air you exhaled. That's good because the air will be warmer that way. Unfortunately it also means you'll get a bit less oxygen, but you'll still get enough, so there's no danger. You do need to take slow and deep breaths all the time, otherwise the bag won't work. If you take shallow breaths, there won't be enough fresh air in the bag. So it's very important that you take deep breaths."

Sandra didn't want this, she was afraid she would suffocate. But she was completely helpless as Myriam attached the breathing tube to the down mask. The breathing bag had a strap with velcro attached to it. She wrapped this around Sandra's left upper arm to secure the bag in place. It slowly puffed in and out with Sandra's breathing.

Finally Myriam closed the collar of the red down mantle and pulled the chain drawstrings a little - not too much, so that the breathing tube wasn't hindered and her eye slits weren't covered. She locked them to the zipper and put the key in Sandra's pocket, like every day. And so Sandra was on her way, dressed like she would be every day of the coming winter.

And that's why, if you sit on the train in the morning or evening, and an enormous red down figure shuffles inside and takes a seat opposite you - or, if the train is too crowded, she has to stand up, because she takes two seats by herself - you needn't wonder about the extreme way she's dressed. Not even about the black down hood that only has eye slits that you see inside the red hood, and not even about the black bag that's connected to her mouth and shows clearly every breath she takes. You now know why. Poor Sandra has been tricked by her friend Myriam, and she honestly believe it's necessary for her health.

The people that see her every day don't know this, though. They can only stare in amazement. And maybe there are some that even find the sight erotic. Maybe there are some that dream about being locked in such an outfit themselves, or having someone else wear it. Maybe, people like that exist.




Overview

Doctor's Advice (part 2)

-- read part 1 here --



After a little over twenty-four hours, Myriam decided that Sandra had stayed in her hot prison long enough. Once she had opened the sleeping bags, she helped Sandra stand up and then directed her towards the bathroom. Sandra, still deaf and blind, and sleep-drunk after lying semi-conscious in the sleeping bags, had no idea what happened. Myriam had put the heating in the bathroom at the maximum for the last couple of hours, so it was quite hot in there now. After all, when Sandra would emerge from her sweaty clothes, cooling down too quickly would certainly trigger her illness. Or at least that's what Sandra believed now.

Myriam helped Sandra out of the mittens, sweatshirts and leggings. She had already filled a hot bath. "Just take a nice long bath, and I'll bring you something to put on afterwards."

Sandra did as Myriam told. She did feel a lot better. She was hungry which was a good sign; her fever felt gone. After the bath Myriam brought her ski pants and a down jacket. "This is the only thing I could find," she said. "All my sweatshirts are in the laundry now, and you really don't have anything warm. So you'll have to wear these." So Sandra, put the down jacket and pants on, with only her underwear underneath. Myriam also brought her Moonboots for her feet. And of course Sandra had to wear the hood.

Gradually Sandra recovered from the illness. The next day, the 'doctor' came again and was pleased to see how well Sandra was cared for. She could go back to work next day. Also, Ann took a blood sample from Sandra for further analysis.

Sandra always went to her office by train. She took a 15 minute walk to the station. The train ride was about 25 minutes, and then she had to walk just 5 more minutes. When she worried about what she had to wear now, Myriam put her at ease. "I've taken care of everything already. I just need to do some small modifications, then your outfit will be ready." But she refused to answer any of Sandra's questions about her outfit. "You'll see tomorrow."

When Sandra woke up the next morning, she was a little nervous. Myriam had a completely different taste in clothes. For Myriam, winter clothes had to be as thick as possible. She favored hooded sweatshirts and down jackets, while Sandra didn't like such clothes at all. She liked to show off her slender body, and she didn't want to hide her pretty face under a hood. She was a bit afraid Myriam would want her to wear down clothes and a hood. If the girl had any idea what she was in for, she would have been much more worried.

Sandra still had to sleep in the two down bags, and had to wait for Myriam to let her out. Then she was told to take a quick shower, and Myriam would bring her clothes. When Myriam entered the bathroom with a bundle of clothes, Sandra was already waiting for her, wearing just her underwear. Sandra first handed her a pair of leggings and thick white turtleneck sweater. Next was a black hooded sweatshirt. When Sandra had it on, she noticed there were thin black gloves sewed to its arms. "Those keep your hands at least a little warm, but you can still work normally," Myriam said. Sandra thought that was actually a good idea, but she didn't understand why they had to be sewed to the sweatshirt.

Myriam then put the sweatshirt hood up and pulled it tighter. Sandra saw that the normal drawstring had been replaced with a thin chain. "What's that for?" Sandra asked in a worried voice. "Well, I know you'll want to take your hood off. But it's really better if you keep it up, even inside. So to make sure you wear the hood, I'll put this collar..." - she took a leather collar that was about 10 cm wide - "...around your neck, and now I can attach the chains of your hood to it, and lock the whole thing." She performed the actions as she spoke. With the collar and the chain-drawstring locked in place, there was no way for Sandra to take off her hood.

"But what will my coworkers think when I wear a hood all day!" Sandra protested."You'll have to explain that it's for health reasons. I've already called your boss; she is very understanding of your situation. I have explained how important it is that you remain warm at all times, and she has agreed to see to it. Now wait here while I get the rest."

Myriam left the bathroom and returned with a pair of brand new down pants and Moonboots. The pants were very thick, the down-filled rings bulging out. And they were in shiny red nylon. "Do I really have to wear those?""Yes, Sandra. From now on you will only wear down pants. Remember what the doctor said. Come, I'll help you."

After the down pants were on, Sandra was put in shiny black Moonboots with black fur at the top. Myriam sat down and used another chain to secure the Moonboots, looping it under the fur, "because I know you'll want to take them off inside, but you mustn't." When she was finished, Sandra looked down. "Hey! You have connected them with the chain!" "Ah, yes, I only have one piece of chain, so I had to use it for both. But it's okay, the chain is long enough, you can still walk." It was true, but the chain still limited her steps a bit. She could take steps of about 30 cm, but no more.

"These will be the clothes you'll wear indoors from now on. Even in the office, you won't be able to take down your hood or your Moonboots. Because your down pants are inside your Moonboots, you can't take those off either, but you can lower them enough to go to the toilet. Now we will have breakfast and then I'll put you in your mittens and jacket."

So when it was time to leave, Myriam handed Sandra a pair of enormous black nylon down-filled mittens. They went up to her elbows and were secured with a drawstring and a zipper. It took about five minutes to get them properly done up. Sandra noticed how incredibly thick they were; she couldn't even close her hand into a fist anymore.

"Now you only lack a coat. One moment, let me get it. I found this fantastic down mantle for you!" When Myriam held up the down mantle, Sandra's mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious! I'm not going to wear that!" she exclaimed. The coat was just gigantic. It came down to just below the knees, but it was so thick Sandra thought she wouldn't fit through a doorway wearing it. It even had attached mittens, and of course a huge, fur-trimmed hood. Worst of all, it was again in a bright shiny red colour. Sandra was afraid every head would turn towards her when she wore that coat outside.

"Well you'll have to wear it, Sandra. I threw away your old jackets. With your current condition they are useless. You can't go outside without a jacket, or you'll be ill for a month. And you have to get to work. So what choice do you have?"

None, of course. So Myriam helped Sandra into the coat, zipped it up all the way and tightened the hood. Here, too, she had inserted a thin chain, which she connected to the zipper with a padlock.

"I'll put the key for the lock in this pocket, Sandra. When you get to the office, you can ask someone to let you out. I'll keep the keys for your sweatshirt hood and Moonboots, so you can't take those off. Now off you go, or you'll miss the train!"

She opened the front door and shoved the reluctant Sandra outside.



-- on to part 3 --







Overview

Doctor's Advice (part 1)

Sandra was ill, which wasn’t a surprise at all to her roommate Myriam. So many times she had told Sandra to dress sensibly for the weather. But Sandra always ignored her well-meant advice. Now she lay in bed with a high fever. Maybe now she would wisen up, Myriam thought. Then at least some good would come of it. “I feel so bad, Myriam,” Sandra moaned. “Could you call the doctor for me?”

Of course Myriam did. But when she picked up the phone, she had an idea. She stood thinking for a few moments, while a plan formed in her mind. Instead of a doctor, she called her friend Ann.

Five minutes later, she was back with Sandra. “The doctor will come in an hour or so. Meanwhile, you should rest, and I think with the fever it’s best if we keep you warm.” She placed a thick down sleeping bag on the sofa. Soon Sandra was zipped into it. She protested weakly when Myriam tied the hood tightly, leaving only a small gap around her nose. To make sure Sandra didn’t open the bag or the hood, Myriam tied the hood drawstring to the zipper, then tied the cords behind her neck where she couldn’t reach them. “There now, just sleep a bit until the doctor comes. I’ll come and give you some water every now and then.”

When the bell rang, Myriam quickly answered the door. “Hi Ann. Ready for your role?” “Of course,” Ann grinned.

Ann entered the room where Sandra lay, still in her sleeping bag with little more than her nose showing. She tried to move her head so she could see the ‘doctor’, but the tight hood prevented that. “Myriam? Can you help me out?” came out of the bag.

Myriam untied the hood and opened the zip so Ann could pretend to examine the patient. She did a really good job, Myriam thought. She acted like a genuine doctor.

When Ann was finished, she sat down and looked at Sandra gravely. “I have good news and bad news. You aren’t terribly ill now, but it could get worse. It seems that your body has had a bad reaction to cold, and it could happen again. It’s very important that you keep yourself as warm as possible. This way the illness will be over soon. But afterwards, even when you feel healthy, you should take care not to expose yourself to cold again. If your body reacts badly to cold again, it’s likely to be much worse than now. You could be ill for weeks, even months.”

Sandra was frightened. “So I have to avoid the cold?”

“Yes. I suggest you wrap yourself up very well whenever you go outside. Even when it’s not that cold, a breeze at the wrong time could be enough to trigger your body’s reaction. So it’s better to overdress than to be exposed. Sometimes you may feel uncomfortable because you’re too hot, but you’ll just have to live with that. Unless you want to spend a month in bed with high fever.”

Sandra was intimidated, Myriam could tell. Ann made a very convincing doctor. “In two days you should feel better, if you stay warm. I’ll come back to check on you then.” After she left, Myriam went to her bedroom cupboard and selected some clothes. “I think you should heed the doctor’s advice. I’ve taken some of my clothes, since you hardly have anything warm. We’ll need to get things for you when you’re healthy. For now, you can borrow mine.”

Sandra looked at the pile of clothes. “Do I have to wear all of those? There are three sweatshirts here.” “You heard what the doctor said, you need to be kept warm.”

Myriam helped Sandra with the clothes. Two pairs of leggings, a jogging hose, two pairs of wool socks. Then she put two pairs of thick woolen mittens on her hands, and finally the three hooded sweatshirts.

“Hey! You have put this one on the wrong way!” Sandra exclaimed when the hood of the third sweatshirt appeared in front of her. “Yes, Sandra. When you sleep, you don’t need to see. So you can as well wear the backwards hood then.”

Myriam tied all the hoods in place, so Sandra was blind. She then helped her into the sleeping bag and tied it securely again.

Half an hour later, she went to check on Sandra. “Sandra? Are you awake?” “Yes,” came the muffled voice from under the hoods, “I’m so hot in here.” “It has to be like that,” Myriam reassured her, “I’ll let you out for a moment so you can drink.”

She opened the sleeping bag partly and then untied the backwards hood. Sandra blinked at the light. “Look Sandra, I designed something for you. Open your mouth wide.” Sandra didn’t understand but she did as told. Myriam put something big in her mouth, and Sandra felt straps being tightened over the two sweatshirt hoods. She tried to say something but couldn’t.

“See, it has a tube through it, so you can drink. Try it.” Sandra sucked and felt water stream into her mouth. “Good, isn’t it? Oh yes, I forgot you can’t talk with that in your mouth. But now you can drink without me removing the hood. See, I’ll put the hood up again, and I can lead the water tube through the opening at the back.

Sandra was left alone for some time - she had no idea how long. Suddenly she felt the sleeping bag being opened again. Not sure what was happening, she squirmed in the backwards hood. "Calm down, Sandra, it's me. I'll take off your leggings for a moment. It won't take long." Still blind, Sandra had no idea what Myriam was doing, but she couldn't ask of course. So she just lay back and waited.

Myriam explained while she worked: "I have bought adult-sized diapers for you. Since you can't speak, you can't tell me when you need to go to the toilet. Also I'm not going to be in the same room at all times. This way you don't need to the toilet anymore." Sandra was not happy to be put in diapers, but what could she do? What Myriam said was true; if she wasn't there, Sandra couldn't get to the toilet herself.

When she was finished, Myriam said: "I brought something else as well. I will have to take your hoods off now." She took the backwards hood down, then took the gag holding the water tube out of Sandra's mouth so she could take the two other hoods down as well. They were both soaked with sweat. When the hoods were down she quickly put the gag back in Sandra's mouth. "I'll do this under the hoods, so I can secure it tighter to make sure it doesn't slip out. I also brought ear plugs, so you can sleep quietly and you won't be disturbed when I watch television."

After the ear plugs were in Sandra's ears, Myriam put her back in the hoods and then in the sleeping bag again. Then, with some effort, she managed to get her in a second thick down-filled sleeping bag. Finally she used straps to secure the sleeping bag to the sofa, so she couldn't fall off.

Although Sandra couldn't hear her anymore, Myriam spoke to her: "You won't need food today, you are too ill. So you can stay like that and rest for a good long while. I think I'll leave you in for the next twenty-four hours. Good night, Sandra."



-- on to part 2 --







Overview