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