“Is everyone decent?”
Looking down at her naked body, Erin laughed and said, “Not really. You can come in, anyway.”
Mindy poked her head in the door, said, “Um, could you two come next door?”
“Why?” Ashley asked, propping up on her elbow, “what’s going on?”
“Something happened,” Mindy said, stepping into the room, “it’ll be easier to discuss it if we are all together.”
Catching the girl’s tone, Erin sat up and glanced at Ashley. The girl had the same worried look on her face. Looking back at Mindy, she nodded, said, “Yeah. We are coming.”
“Natty is making breakfast… Waffles. They should be ready any minute,” Mindy said, turning to leave, “I’ll see you at Natty’s.”
Erin glanced at Ashley when the girl was gone, asked, “What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know,” Ashley said, slipping out of bed, “she seemed nervous or upset about something.”
“Yeah,” Erin agreed. She had seen the same thing in Mindy’s eyes, heard it in her voice. Standing up, Erin said, “I don’t think she would have interrupted us if it wasn’t something important.”
Ashley came around the bed, and Erin offered her hand. Erin couldn’t help but smile when the girl took it. Holding hands with Ashley was beginning to feel normal. She found herself doing it without thinking, which kind of surprised her. While she thought they were perfect for each other, she really hadn’t expected them to be a typical couple. She was happy to be wrong about them.
Hand in hand, they headed next door. They found everyone in the kitchen, gathered around the table. Sarah, Mindy, and Natty had plates of waffles in front of them, and there were two plates set up for her and Ashley. Erin was a little amused to see that no one had bothered to get dressed- not even Sarah, the shyest of them.
Sitting down at the table, Erin asked, “What’s up?”
“Mindy and I fell asleep,” Sarah said, passing a bottle of syrup to Ashley.
“Really?” Erin asked, glancing at Mindy.
“Um, yeah,” Mindy said, a little sheepishly, “we just sort of… nodded off.”
“Did you end up in the other place?” Ashley asked, handing the syrup to Erin, “the place Erin went to?”
“Yeah… We were there at the same time,” Mindy said, snorting, “I had figured you were dreaming, but I was wrong.”
“You could see each other?” Erin asked, intrigued.
“Yeah,” Mindy said.
“Touch each other, too,” Sarah said, then added quickly, “she touched my shoulder reassuringly.”
Grinning, Erin said, “No hokey-pokey?”
“Not over there,” Mindy said, laughing.
“If you were both asleep,” Ashley asked, frowning, “how did you get back? Erin always had to be awakened by someone?”
“Um, Natty woke us up,” Sarah said, blushing.
“Natty? Why was Natty…” Erin started to ask, then saw Sarah’s red cheeks. She glanced at Mindy, saw the amused smile she was trying to hide. Frowning, Erin looked at Natty, then back at Sarah. Then it hit her, and she snorted in surprise, said, “Wait. You all…”
“Um, yeah,” Sarah said, embarrassed.
“And you gave me shit earlier,” Erin said, laughing as Sarah squirmed, “how did this happen?”
“Well…” Sarah said, looking away.
“She wanted to get her feet wet,” Mindy said, drawing a look from Sarah. Laughing, Mindy said, “Well, you did.”
“So you decided to sell her on the idea, after all, then,” Erin said, glancing at Mindy.
“She kind of sold herself,” Mindy said, smiling at her girlfriend, “although I guess you put the thought in her head.”
“Me?” Erin asked, pretending innocence. She remembered the playful comment she had given Sarah before sending her and Mindy next door. She had seen the thoughts it had inspired in her eyes.
“All of you,” Sarah said, laughing and blushing even brighter red.
“Well, you are definitely in the club, now,” Ashley said, smiling at her, “I thought you might finally break the cycle- wear the black lingerie and not sleep with Natty- but I guess not.”
Erin looked around the table and had to laugh. Everyone sitting here had done just that- try on the black lingerie and end up sleeping with Natty. Not that she was surprised. The girl was irresistible, beautiful and sensual. Like Ashley had said, she had thought maybe Sarah would be the one to resist Natty’s pull, but even she had succumbed to the girl’s charm.
Letting Sarah off the hook, Erin said, “Tell us what happened when you fell asleep.”
“We went outside to look around,” Sarah said, smiling, “saw the sunrise… People going to work.”
“People going to work?” Ashley parroted.
“It was like when Erin fell asleep at the mall,” Mindy said, glancing at Erin, “people everywhere, going about their… um, lives.”
“They couldn’t see us,” Sarah said, then laughed, “which is a good thing.”
“Getting used to walking around naked?” Ashley teased.
“Well, we were naked when we fell asleep,” Sarah said, then looked like she regretted it.
Laughing, Ashley said, “Ah.”
“Shut up,” Sarah said, laughing at her own expense.
“We ran into an old friend of yours,” Mindy said to Erin.
“Friend of mine?” Erin said, raising her eyebrows.
“Alison,” Natty said.
“Really? She’s here?” Erin asked, surprised.
“She was standing on the porch,” Sarah said, frowning, “like she was waiting on someone… Or something.”
“At the Grand Canyon, she said she was waiting like everyone else,” Erin said, then sat up straighter, “did you talk to her?”
“Yeah,” Mindy said, then added when she saw the look in Erin’s eyes, “I asked her what she was sorry about.”
“What did she say?” Erin said, leaning forward.
“That you misheard her,” Mindy said, glancing at Sarah, “and that it was probably best that you did.”
“Why?” Erin asked, frowning.
“She said she almost said too much,” Sarah said, shaking her head, “before you ask, we don’t know what she meant by that either. She’s not allowed to tell us.”
“Not allowed?” Erin asked.
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about… You know how we always joke about there being a warden- someone in charge here in the Place of Locked Doors?” Mindy asked.
Frowning, Erin said, “Yeah.”
“Alison pretty much confirmed that suspicion,” Mindy said, fiddling with her fork nervously, “she called them ‘Management’.”
“Management?” Ashley parroted.
“I get the feeling Alison called them that because she wasn’t allowed to say their real name,” Sarah said. When everyone looked her way, she offered a shrug and added, “That’s my theory, anyway.”
“Did she say anything else about this mysterious ‘Management’?” Ashley asked.
Taking a deep breath, Mindy said, “Only that they are aware of us.”
“Aware of us?” Erin said, her heart sinking, “Aware of us how?”
“Alison seems to think Management finds our meddling with their rules amusing, that we’ve been permitted to blunder about unchecked for that reason,” Mindy said.
“That’s kind of…” Ashley said, then seemed unable to find the adjective she was looking for, “I don’t know… creepy, maybe.”
“Yeah,” Sarah said, rubbing her arms.
“I don’t think I like being a reality show,” Ashley said, making a face.
“What?” Erin asked, laughing.
“It does have a Big Brother vibe to it,” Mindy said, shaking her head, “smile, you are on Candid Camera.”
“I doubt that’s what Alison meant by Management being ‘aware of us’,” Erin said, laughing.
“You don’t?” Sarah asked, meeting her eyes, “why not?”
“Well,” Erin said, thinking about it, “we know of Natty and Becky… There have to be others, right? Other people trapped… wherever this place is?”
“Probably,” Ashley said.
“I’d think a lot of them,” Mindy said, picking up on Erin’s point, “you think Management might have better things to do than just to monitor one person?”
“Yeah,” Erin said, laughing, “I could be wrong, though. I guess we did give them a reason to pay attention to us.”
“Why did you have to say that?” Sarah said, shaking her head.
“Sorry,” Erin said, smiling at her.
“If there is someone or something in charge of this place… It must serve a purpose, right? The Place of Locked Doors?” Ashley asked, looking around the table.
“Serve a purpose?” Erin asked, frowning.
“We assumed Natty’s old bedroom was a prison of sorts,” Ashley said, tapping her plate with her fork, “but why go to the trouble of creating a whole world around it?”
“I don’t know,” Erin said, frowning.
She thought she knew what Ashley was asking. If Natty wasn’t supposed to ever leave her bedroom, why recreate the rest of the house, let alone the whole town? Or the rest of the Place of Locked Doors? They hadn’t found a border to this place, so they couldn’t say just how big it was. Hell, there might not be a border to find.
“That’s always bothered me about this place,” Ashley said, taking a bite of her breakfast, “it is kind of overkill… unless there’s more to the Place of Locked Doors than we have discovered.”
“A purpose,” Erin said, chewing on the idea. It tasted right on her tongue, even if she couldn’t begin to guess what the purpose could be.
“I don’t know,” Ashley said, shrugging, “maybe I’m over thinking it. For all we know, recreating this place was no big thing for Management… They can snap their fingers and poof- instant Nattyland.”
“Nattyland?” Sarah asked, laughing, “sounds like an amusement park.”
“Fine, Nattyville or Nattyburg… Nattyburough?” Ashley said, making everyone laugh, “whatever you want to call it. Instant Place of Locked Doors.”
“That probably is the case,” Erin said, then added, “that doesn’t mean there isn’t a purpose. I think you are right about that.”
“But what is the purpose?” Sarah asked, looking at her, “the bedroom I understand, I guess… Everything else… I’m not saying I disagree with you… Hell, I don’t know what I’m saying.”
Smiling sympathetically at her, Erin said, “Welcome to the conversation about the Place of Locked Doors. A lot of our discussions about this place end with that statement.”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” Sarah said, dryly.
Glancing at Natty, Erin saw the girl lost in thought, a hint of sadness in her eyes. When the girl felt Erin looking at her and turned to face her, Erin asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Natty said, then shook her head, “no, not really. Alison was- maybe, is- standing right there on the porch.”
“Yeah,” Erin said, taking her hand and squeezing it, “she was with us at the Grand Canyon, too.”
“Her being here seems… purposeful?” Sarah asked, drawing their attention, “Doesn’t it?”
“At the Grand Canyon, she said she was waiting for something,” Erin said.
“For what?” Sarah asked.
“She didn’t say,” Erin said.
“Or she couldn’t say,” Mindy said, then snorted, “although I guess that doesn’t make much of a difference.”
———————————————-
“Poor Natty.”
“Yeah,” Erin agreed, putting her arm around Ashley as the girl snuggled against her.
“She’s been through so much,” the redhead said, sighing, “too much.”
“Mindy and Sarah seeing Alison on the porch got to her,” Erin said.
“Yeah,” Ashley said.
They were back in the house next door to Natty’s, once again lying on the bed in the master bedroom. After breakfast, they had stayed with the girl for a few hours until Natty had finally shooed them away, saying she was fine and that they could get back to fooling around. Even with Natty’s assurances, she and Ashley wouldn’t have left if they didn’t think Natty was truly okay, again.
Ashley was quiet for a while, then asked, “Do you really think there is a purpose behind the Place of Locked Doors?”
Smiling, Erin said, “You mean Nattyland?”
“Or Nattyville?” Ashley asked, laughing.
“What was the other one? Nattyborough?” Erin said
“Nattyopolis?” Ashley offered, making Erin laugh.
Erin sobered up some, said, “I never really thought about why there was the rest of the house if Natty was supposed to remain locked in her room, but soon as you said it… There has to be a reason.”
“Any idea what it could be?” Ashley asked.
“If being locked in her room was a punishment of sorts, maybe being let out would be a reward,” Erin said, then snorted, “God, that makes it sound like she is grounded.”
“Maybe she is,” Ashley said, laughing.
“Grounded by who?” Erin asked, thinking about this mysterious Management, “and for how long?”
“How long?” Ashley parroted, propping up on one elbow.
“Maybe… Maybe Alison meant they are all waiting for Natty, because it’s possible for her to get to them, somehow,” Erin said.
Ashley met her eyes, asked, “Do you think?”
“Kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?” Erin asked, looking around the room, “the Place of Locked Doors… It is based on Natty’s world when she died, right?”
“I think so,” Ashley said, meeting Erin’s eyes, “you are thinking this place and the other one- the one you go to when you fall asleep- are connected?”
Taking a deep breath, Erin said, “I think they are the same place.”
“What?” Ashley said, her eyes widening in surprise.
“I think Alison meant they are waiting for Natty to come to that other place, or for this place to become that place,” Erin said.
“I… That’s…” Ashley said, then ran out of words.
Erin could see the wheels spinning behind the girl’s beautiful green eyes and waited for the girl to process what she had just said. She saw the very moment the idea sank in, and she almost laughed at the look of eureka that passed across her girlfriend’s face.
“Remember when we looked up Purgatory on the computer? When we were trying to figure out what the Place of Locked Doors was?” Erin asked.
“Yeah,” Ashley said, meeting her eyes, “are you thinking this other place is… Heaven?”
“Or something like it,” Erin said, a little sheepishly, “not exactly like I remember from Church, but compared to the Place of Locked Doors…”
“Do you think the people Mindy and Sarah saw are Natty’s neighbors from before… you know,” Ashley said.
“Maybe,” Erin said, then met Ashley’s eyes, “do you remember the man at the mall?”
“I remember you mentioned him,” Ashley said.
“I never saw his face, but I think it was Natty’s Love,” Erin said.
Frowning, Ashley asked, “Do you think he’d be in Heaven? I’d have thought he’d head south when he died.”
“I don’t know if it was really him… More like Natty’s memory of him,” Erin said, trying to find the words to articulate the idea brewing in her mind, “what if Heaven was more… personal? What if each person has their own version of it?”
“Own version?” Ashley parroted.
“I was thinking about Becky’s version of the Place of Locked Doors. It’s completely different than Natty’s,” Erin said, chewing on her lip, “maybe everyone’s afterlife is different.”
“So Heaven isn’t a group thing, but a solo trip?” Ashley asked, meeting her eyes, “and the people you knew… loved ones and friends and neighbors… Illusions?”
“Not illusions… more like memories made real,” Erin said, laughing when Ashley gave her a dubious look, “let’s just say illusions. That probably isn’t exactly right, but it’ll work.”
“I think I know what you are trying to say,” Ashley said, meeting Erin’s eyes, “but how can we test your theory?”
Sighing, Erin said, “I don’t know. I’d say we could as Alison, but that won’t work.”
“She can’t tell us,” Ashley said.
“We won’t know until it’s our turn to know… Isn’t that what she said to Sarah and Mindy?”
“Yeah. That’s not very helpful, is it?” Ashley said.
Laughing, Erin said, “No. It’s the exact opposite of helpful.”
“Yeah,” Ashley said, then smiled at her, “I kind of like your idea, though. I like that I’d be surrounded by people I love and not Mrs. Henry up the street.”
Snorting in surprise, Erin started laughing. Mrs. Henry was a devout Catholic, her place in Heaven almost assuredly reserved, but she wasn’t a very nice person. She had a way of quoting scripture like a weapon, used her faith to beat upon those she deemed unworthy. It was probably well intended and meant as advice, but it came across as a personal attack. Erin had felt the sting of her words a time or two, and she understood why Ashley wouldn’t relish the thought of spending eternity with her.
Ashley snuggled tighter against Erin, said, “You’d definitely be in my personal Heaven.”
Smiling, Erin said, “It might be a little early to start picking your… um, illusions.”
“I think it’s a safe bet I’ll still want you there,” Ashley said, meeting Erin’s eyes.
“Yeah?” Erin asked, her heart getting all funny in her breast.
Ashley gave her a tender kiss, said, “Yeah. You are stuck with me.”
“Good,” Erin said, smiling warmly at her, “it just wouldn’t be Heaven without you.”
“Aren’t those song lyrics?” Ashley asked.
“Maybe,” Erin said, laughing, “the sentiment is the same, though.”
“You need to stop watching rom-coms,” Ashley teased, but she gave Erin a lingering kiss, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Erin said.
Ashley laid her head on Erin’s shoulder, snuggled in tight against her side. They were quiet for a while, each lost in their thoughts about the idea Erin had broached. The more Erin thought about the Place of Locked Doors and the other place, the one she went to when she fell asleep at the mall, then again at the Grand Canyon, the more she was convinced they were one and the same. She thought Alison and the other townsfolk were always there- they just couldn’t see them. Sort of like they couldn’t see Erin when she was asleep. There but not there.
She also thought she was right about there being a way for the two versions of the Place of Locked Doors to become one. Erin knew this place was centered around Natty, so it wasn’t much of a leap to assume that Natty was the key to that merger. She had joked about Natty being ‘grounded’, but it had a certain note of truth to it. Suicide was supposed to be a mortal sin, but the Place of Locked Doors didn’t seem like Hell to Erin. She and Ashley had read about purgatory- the pseudo-religious place between Heaven and Hell- and she had seen a lot of similarities in this place. The way she understood it, purgatory was a place for a soul to be cleansed and made ready for Heaven.
Could that be what this place’s purpose is, Erin wondered, still mauling the idea over, is it a chance for Natty to atone for taking her own life?
Erin’s parents weren’t particularly religious, so she wasn’t, either. Groaning, she thought, I kind of wish Mrs. Henry were here right now. She could probably answer these questions for me.
As usual, trying to figure this place out was starting to give her a headache, so Erin set her thoughts free to roam wherever they would. She smiled when they turned to Mindy and Sarah sleeping with Natty.
“I can’t believe Mindy and Sarah slept with Natty,” Ashley suddenly said.
Her smile widening that Ashley was thinking about the same thing as her, Erin said, “I can. I’m a little surprised it happened this fast, though.”
“Mindy blamed you,” Ashley said, sounding amused.
“We probably all had a hand in it,” Erin said, then laughed, “although I might have put the thought in her head.”
“No ‘might’ about it,” Ashley said, propping up on her elbow to grin at Erin, “you saw the look in her eye when you made that comment about joining us.”
“Yeah,” Erin said, laughing.
“What do you think Mindy and Sarah are doing now?” Ashley asked.
“Probably discussing the ground rules like we did,” Erin said, propping up on her own elbow to give the girl a kiss.
“You think they’ll sleep with Natty, again?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah,” Erin said, smiling at her, “Natty is hard to resist.”
Laughing, Ashley said, “That she is.”
“I think Sarah might join us for your birthday,” Erin said, meeting the redhead’s eyes, “if that is something you want to do.”
“You mean have an after party like yours?” Ashley asked, playfully.
“Yeah,” Erin said, still holding her eyes.
“What do you think? Things are a little different now,” Ashley said.
“True. No one was dating anyone for my party.”
“Yeah,” Ashley said, chewing on her lip, “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Erin said, smiling reassuringly at her.
Laughing, Ashley said, “Oh, I want to… I just want everything to be okay afterwards.”
“Then we’ll just have to figure out how to make it work,” Erin said, kissing her, “Sarah is a wild card, but we’ve been friends forever. I think she’ll be okay.”
“I do, too,” Ashley said, breaking out in a grin, “now that she’s ‘gotten her feet wet’.”
“I doubt it was her feet that got wet,” Erin said, laughing.
Her eyes getting wide, Ashley snorted in surprise, “Wow.”
Erin was a little embarrassed by her own comment. She was still getting used to talking dirty, and her face felt a little warmer than before. It only got worse when Ashley gave her an amused look. Recovering some, she said, “Anyway… back to what we were talking about.”
The corners of her mouth turning up even more, Ashley said, “Smooth transition.”
“Shut up,” Erin said, shaking her head.
Laughing, Ashley put her hand on Erin’s shoulder and gently urged her to her back. Moving atop of her, Ashley favored Erin with a smile that took her breath away for a moment, then said, “All this talk about my birthday… Sarah isn’t the only one getting wet.”
As Ashley kissed her, Erin realized her blue comment had turned the girl on. Kissing her back, Erin had to smile. She’d have to practice her dirty talk if Ashley was going to respond to it like this.
Even after the time they had spent with Natty, Erin wasn’t surprised that the passion wasn’t burned out between them. Maybe it was the hormones raging through her young body or the fact that she couldn’t seem to get enough of the lovely redhead lying atop of her, but, whatever the reason, her desire came roaring back to life as they kissed.
Suddenly, Ashley pulled back, asked, “Do you think Management is watching?”
Laughing, Erin said, “It’s a little late to be shy now.”
“I know,” Ashley said, looking around the room nervously.
Erin waited until Ashley’s eyes returned to hers, said, “We can take this back to the real world, if you want.”
“Yeah?” Ashley asked, intrigued, “how do you plan to do that?”
“I figure if Loren can sneak out of your window, then I can sneak in,” Erin said. Even as she said, she wasn’t sure if she could make good on the offer.
“You are going to sneak in my window,” Ashley said, dubiously.
“Unless you want to stay here,” Erin said.
“Um,” Ashley said, looking around the room, again, “let’s try the window thing.”
“Okay,” Erin said, laughing.
When Ashley got off of her, Erin closed her eyes and let herself return to her body. When she opened her eyes, again, she was back in her bedroom. Glancing at the window, she saw it was still dark outside, and she knew she had traveled back in time. Still, she picked up her phone to confirm the time and date. According to the clock on her home screen, the ten or so hours she had spent in the Place of Locked Doors had ceased to exist. While she had expected it to be the case, seeing time rewound like that was still weird as hell.
Throwing the covers back, she sat up and looked down at herself. She was dressed for bed, not wandering around outside in the middle of the night. Finding the jeans she had been wearing earlier, she shimmied into them, then pulled on her coat. Stepping into a pair of sneakers, she went to her door and listened. Not hearing anything, she opened it a sliver and looked out into the hallway. The lights were out and the house quiet.
Her heart racing, she stepped out into the hallway. Careful to avoid the floorboards that creaked, Erin made her way to the stairs. She really hadn’t expected to be sneaking out, again, but she was glad she still remembered their locations. Down the stairs, she tiptoed, then through the living room to the alarm panel. She quickly keyed in the code, and the readout changed from armed, to disarmed.
Erin walked next door, slipping into the Conner’s yard. She walked around the side of the house with Ashley’s bedroom window. Looking up at Ashley’s window, she thought it was a reasonably short drop to the ground from the roof overhang. Getting out seemed easy enough. Frowning, she wondered how Loren got back on the roof, though. The overhang was too high to reach from the ground, and there was nothing to climb on.
“How the hell did you do it?” Erin said, looking around.
Noticing the overhang wrapped around the house to the back porch, Erin walked around back. The porch was raised a couple of feet off the ground, and there was a railing all the way around it. Looking from the railing to the overhang, she did the math in her head. She thought she was tall enough to reach up and grab the roof.
The question is, Erin thought, still looking at the roof, am I strong enough to pull myself up there.
“The things I do to get laid,” Erin said, under her breath.
She stepped onto the porch, then climbed onto the rail. Reaching up, she was able to grab the overhang. With a deep breath, she pulled herself up. With a lot of effort, she got her chin above the roof, then one of her arms. Swinging her leg wide, she managed to get a foot on the roof. Precariously perched, she prayed gravity didn’t pull her down now.
Somehow, she managed to get onto the roof without dying. Her heart was racing, and she was breathing heavy from the exertion. There had to be an easier way to get onto the roof. She made a mental note to ask Loren in case she needed to do this, again.
The roof had a steep pitch to it, and she took her time walking around to Ashley’s window. She gently rapped on the glass, smiling when Ashley pulled the curtain aside. The redhead’s room was dark, but Erin saw her return the smile in the glow of the alarm clock. Ashley pushed the window up and offered her hand to Erin. Erin took it, needing a little help getting through the window.
Stepping inside, Erin found herself in Ashley’s arms.
“You made it!” Ashley said, kissing her deeply. Erin noticed she tasted like toothpaste and not wine, like she had in the Place of Locked Doors.
“Yeah,” Erin husked, her heart racing for a whole other reason.
“Good,” Ashley said, helping Erin out of her coat, “let’s get you out of all these clothes.”
Looking down, Erin saw Ashley wore only flimsy panties and a t-shirt. Erin smiled, thinking, I guess I am overdressed.
The coat ended up on the floor and, piece by piece, the rest of Erin’s clothes started joining it. It didn’t take long until she was actually wearing more clothing than Ashley. The redhead had her naked in no time at all. Then it was Erin’s turn to undress Ashley, the girl’ sleep clothes ending up on the pile of Erin’s clothes.
Naked, they slipped into bed. Erin glanced at Ashley bedroom door, then back at the girl. She saw Ashley grinning. Erin thought she was probably grinning, too. Sneaking around like this was kind of exciting.
“Mom and Dad are asleep,” Ashley said, kissing her, “but we still need to be quiet.”
“I know,” Erin said, moving against the girl.
Their lips met in the dark, the passion that gripped them in the Place of Locked Doors only to be put on hold as they changed up the venue of their lovemaking took hold of them, again. Erin’s desire for Ashley had compelled her to sneak out of the house and climb onto a roof, and it only intensified with the redhead in her arms.
Erin rolled the girl onto her back, moving between her legs. When Ashley wrapped her legs around Erin’s waist, Erin got the message. She pushed her hips forward, grinding their bodies together. It forced a moan from Erin, and she bit her lip. The pressure on her bud felt so good that she was going to have to keep repeating to herself, I need to be quiet. Otherwise, her excitement might get away from her, and she’d forget where she was.
We should have stayed in the Place of Locked Doors, Erin thought, with an inward groan, I really wished Mindy and Sarah hadn’t told us about Management.
Keeping the roll of her hips slow and easy, Erin ground against Ashley. The girl pushed up into her, meeting her counter-thrust for thrust. The delicious friction had Erin chewing on her lip, her fingers grabbing at the sheets on either side of Ashley as she fought to keep the moans that wanted to rip from her in check.
It didn’t help any that Ashley’s fingers were digging into her buttocks, urging her to go faster. The girl’s eagerness only fueled her own excitement, and her hips started moving with a mind of their own. The bed began to rock as they started to lose themselves to their passion.
The headboard banged against the wall, startling Erin. For a missed heartbeat, she thought someone had knocked at the door. Her head snapped around, but there was nothing to see. The door was firmly closed. As she turned around, she saw Ashley stuff her pillow between the wall and the headboard.
Laughing, she leaned in and kissed the girl, said, “Oops.”
“At least the springs don’t creak,” Ashley said, grinning at her.
Ashley’s hands were back on her buttocks and Erin got the message. With the pillow between the wall and the headboard, they returned to tribbing. Erin’s eyes were on the pillow as she ground against Ashley and part of her wondered just how frantic their lovemaking would have to get for the pillow to stop muffling the thump of the headboard.
She wasn’t brave enough to find out. Besides, she thought their coupling was plenty frantic enough, already. The waves of pleasure the meeting of their bodies was sending through her had her drifting toward an orgasm. Her body was already approaching its limit.
“Don’t stop,” Ashley breathed, her fingers tightening even more on Erin’s buttocks.
Realizing her girlfriend was close, too, Erin didn’t hold back. Even when she started to lose control of her body, she kept her hips moving. Biting her lip almost hard enough to draw blood, she still wasn’t entirely successful at keeping quiet. Hers and Ashley’s little sounds of pleasure mingled in the air above them as their bodies strained toward ecstasy, but weren’t loud enough to carry to the hallway. Probably not, anyway.
Erin felt Ashley come beneath her. Half a heartbeat later, Erin succumb to her own orgasm, collapsing atop Ashley. They stayed like that awhile, lost in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Eventually, Erin rolled off of Ashley, stretching out beside her.
“Mm…” Ashley said, moving against her flank.
“Yeah,” Erin agreed, still trying to catch her breath.
“Thanks for doing this,” Ashley said.
“Sleeping with you?” Erin teased.
“Sleeping with me here,” Ashley said, giving Erin a tender kiss, “instead of the Place of Locked Doors.”
“You’re welcome,” Erin said, then laughed, “I need to ask Loren how she gets back in. There has to be an easier way.”
Grinning at her, Ashley asked, “Planning on climbing through my window, again?”
“Probably,” Erin said.
“I’ll get over not wanting to do it in the Place of Locked Doors,” Ashley said.
“Yeah?” Erin asked.
“Like you said,” Ashley said, with a sheepish laugh, “it’s a little late to be shy now.”
“That’s good to hear,” Erin said, then kissed her, “I’ll probably sneak in your window, anyway. It was kind of exciting.”
“I’ll keep it unlocked for you.”
You make me glad, and sad. Glad that I check back so frequently to see if something new has been posted, sad that I can read it so much faster than you can write it. This idea of The Place of Locked Doors as Purgatory could have merit, but it seems kind of daft to trap victims of suicide in one room with no instruction until they can get someone from the outside to help.
Then again, I probably say that because I’m not Management!
Daaaaaamn. It never even occurred to me to wonder why, if Natty was being punished by being trapped in her room for eternity, “management” would leave a loophole like Erin being able to open the door.
I don’t wanna have to say goodbye to Natty! She’s such an important part of all their lives now. I guess moving on to wherever Alison is is a good deal for her, though. Well, maybe. It’s super creepy, the idea of spending eternity surrounded by people who aren’t real. Like living for eternity on a holodeck.
Definitely don’t think Natty’s “Love” would be in any kind of heaven. But it makes me wonder, would he be in Natty’s ideal afterlife? Does she want to see him? Her feelings about him seem pretty tangled, but I got the sense there’s some anger in there. Maybe she wants a chance to tell him off.
Lex,
Something crazy to think about- We can only experience the world with our five senses and, without an exterior point of reference, how can we be sure anything is real? Even if you all aren’t just figments of my imagination, who’s to say our realities are the same? We agree a tree is a tree, but how can we ever be sure we are seeing the same thing if we can’t see through each other’s eyes?
I wanted to put that in the chapter, but it seemed like a pretty deep observation for a couple of kids. 🙂
Yay a new chapter, thanks Ebo (though still hanging out for more of The Wild, hint hint) Thanks also for more “clarity” about what tPoLD is, definitely an interesting idea. I just wonder if maybe Natty may have already moved on if the connection to Erin hadnt happened back when she moved in, but hope not, cos that would be a really sad thing. Looking forward to Ashley’s birthday “party” 😛
I’m liking where this is going and I’m having fun reading it. Of course my thoughts of heaven are summed up by the band Da Vinci’s Notebook and the song “Magic Kingdom in the Sky”. I’m very sure this story will have a happy ending that ties all these storylines together and ends them just as they need.
What I want to know is just how Loren gets in and out of that house. I also think Erin needs to look up how to bypass her windows security as it should be fairly easy and she won’t have to keep disarming the alarm and risk getting caught. Thank you again for a great story Ebo and hope real life slows down so you can spend more time writing stories for us to read!!!
Lex, I dunno. The man who bought and married Natty was obviously in some ways immoral, but I never got anything from Natty other than that she missed him. She referred to her getting married to him as the happiest day of her life. She heard that he’d been killed in prison, and that drove her to suicide. She found out that he may have moved on to the beach, and that inspired a trip there. The buying and selling of human beings is reprehensible, but I do believe that if Natty had wanted to leave or not be in a relationship with him, she could have.
We also know that he supported himself by renting his basement studio to producers of child pornography, not all of it as light-hearted as the stuff our girls made themselves, judging by the fact that recalling the purpose of the basement studio made Natty shudder.
Maybe Natty wouldn’t want to spend eternity with the guy, but one of the reasons he still doesn’t have a name is because Natty just calls him, “My Love”.
Any lore tidbits you wanna toss down from The Mountain of Author Insight are welcome here, Ebo!
If you go way back to the fourth chapter of TBL, you can read this:
“Everything is tailored to fit me, yes,” Natty said, her voice hard to read. It was part nostalgia, part anger, part longing, “These were the things I wore when no one else was around. For my Love.”
She calls him her Love, but think about how weird that is, that she never calls him by his name. Do you know *anyone* who does that? She’s definitely been brainwashed. Remember, he bought her when she was seven. Prime age to twist someone around until they don’t know which way is up.
Honestly, I could see it either way. Natty has had 50 years to reflect, but she also hasn’t physically aged due to being dead. What does she regret? What was her life like between 7 and 12? I dunno.
This is a different world than our own, they do things differently. How differently?
I don’t know, and that’s part of the appeal.
Well, thats fast reading *g* leaving more questions than answers. Anyway a nice Plot. I hope, the birthdayparty and many more before will always happen, not finding an end of the Story.
Waiting for more, still reading the other last Story.
Thx ebo for this, and every following Part.
Curious about S&M opinion.
Interesting reflections into the workings of the Place of Locked Doors, though as they’ve said, there doesn’t seem to be a way to really test out their theories for now. This being a made-up story, I assume we *will* get answers eventually, though. 🙂 I wonder how the girls will manage to find out more.
Poor Natty seems really shaken by all this. I hope things end well for her.
Also, Erin and Ashley continue to be a super cute couple.
If I may, there’s one little grammar nitpick that has been bugging me for a while: you keep using the word “parrot” to mean “repeat”, but they’re not quite the same thing. Parroting is repeating something without thought or understanding. For instance, a kid might parrot his parents’ opinions without really understanding the context. Or maybe Mrs. Henry parrots scripture without thinking about the deeper meaning. But if you’re simply repeating as a question something that has just been said, that’s not parroting.
I loved this chapter… it gave a lot of new possible story lines. Is there a plan to continue the Doll series any time soon? Just wondering…
Wow another great chapter. I have to say that I’m impressed with how intelligent all the girls are. Trust me at that age I don’t think I’d be able to figure out as many of the mysteries as they have.
I have to agree with Erin that it’s up to Natty about how her world is made up. The management is an interesting idea,kinda creepy but was brought up in an earlier chapter. I really hope to read more from you.
please more chapters of the wild and the doll.
Black Lingerie Chronicles, Part Twenty-One
Hi Ebo and all our other friends.
Over the years and many episodes this wonderful and engaging story has been running, we have all been amazed at; extremely thankful for and often astonished by Ebo’s continuing fertile mind.
When I first read Admirer and the Dance with my darling Jen, sadly no longer with us but still looking down, we cried buckets and then went on to read the magnum opus that is both the BLCs. Both stories did exactly the same to us, we cried buckets. Now with my dear, sweet Mireille beside me, I had to start from the beginning with Admirer and cried all over again and as Miri did not wish me to miss any story that Treas and I had enjoyed reading, we still have much to read and no doubt, many tears to shed. On starting to read in earnest once more, it’s great to see old friends still around although I did not see Alice about. Must have missed her, hope she is OK.
Part 21 was a super surprise awaiting our return to the UK. We had been to the villa for a while and it was super to see the lovely garden Treas had planted when last there in full bloom – it was if Jen was there in Spain to greet us and say, “hi, look at my pretty garden”. Mireille had not been to our villa for a few years and was delighted to be back, especially so, to see that Treas had left her mark. It seemed fitting that the first thing we did, prior to unpacking (not that there is ever a lot because we keep clothes there) was to sprinkle Jen’s ashes on the pretty garden she had created. We said a few prayers and wept whilst we held each other for a time.
It was the following day whilst I was watering Jen’s garden that Miri fell off a stool and broke her right wrist. It’s getting better but will be in a cast for a few more weeks. I would never stop Miri from driving because she is basically very good – she just drives a bit too fast for me. On the way from Malaga airport to our villa in Calahonda, she proved it possible to exceed 2G when cornering an Audi A4. Well it seemed like it) When her wrist is better and she is able to drive once more, I will try to ensure she does not drive Philip the same way. You may remember Philip is our bright yellow VW Beetle.
Well, to return Ebo’s wonderful part 21.
At night whilst cuddling in bed, Miri and I spend a great deal of time talking about TBLC and Natty’s involvement with the man she terms Her Love. We pondered the question of how she ultimately fell in love with the man whom, by all accounts treated her with an exceptional kindness she had not previously known.
Then, out of the blue, Ms Belgium sat bolt upright and with the occasional epiphany which I find amazing, said – Stockholm syndrome. Is it possible that, although Natty was not kidnapped in the way that happens with those who develop the syndrome, the results were the same- hence her deep emotional connection with her “love”.
It’s great to see just how comfortable E and A are with their love and automatic hand-holding whilst moving around, equally interesting to note just how rapidly Sarah has become comfortable with her nudity, more so it would seem after her “monekying” around with M an N. Interesting too, to note that everyone had a share of blame for S “getting her feet wet” Interesting too that S becomes, so soon acquainted with “the other realm”. Whilst previous interactions with others from the other realm, to this point had been a curiosity, this time, there is a definite worry in the air.
Natty’s original warden theory now turns into “The Management” a group of unknowns who thus far, are merely amused by the girls’ actions. There are obviously rules and boundaries the girls are aware of but not the exact terms or extent of them.
Questions will arise – one being, will they wish to still go around naked now? and an unasked one, answered by E and A leaving Nattyville to make love – unobserved.
Erin believes they gave The Management a reason to take an interest in them but other than getting Natty out of her “cell” (her penance for her suicide) Mireille and I cannot think what that might have been. Anybody out there with an idea? However, as Erin thinks, why make an environment outside of Natty’s bedroom if she is not to go there?
Had the Management engineered Natty getting out (albeit after 50 years) with Erin’s help? One point Miri raised, was or were there (are there) only two people “locked” in bedrooms and only gaining freedom with another’s aid or is Natty’s realm full of them?
We are beginning to feel that Natty may be in for something major to upset her, what with Allison turning up at both the Grand Canyon and the porch with S and M, the latter, seemed to really upset her as E and A discussed when back on the bed next door. We’re not quite sure what Natty was doing whilst they were there although it would seem to have been the right occasion for a bit of Monkey with Nat.
And the biggest question you throw at us Ebo? That man at the mall whose face Erin did not see – is he Natty’s Love??
Mireille thought and I must agree, that the little interchange between E and A whilst in the bed, was very, very tender (I love you too) – just like you and I she said. Who am I to disagree? When E and A were discussing Sarah’s recent Monkey in the middle and if she would be on board for Ashley’s forthcoming party, you set my Miri off tittering which seemed to go on forever. “I doubt it was her feet that got wet.”
Mireille put her hand to her mouth then shouted in agony. It was her right hand, the one wearing her plaster cast. It bashed her dainty bottom lip which swelled up and started to bleed straight away. However, she was still laughing at Erin’s quip. Incidentally Ebo, she has five words on her cast – a nasty fall – and – Mr Ebo.
It appears, the more The Management comes under discussion, the more the realism of being watched by them so Erin and Ashley decided to go back to the real world. Ashley got off Erin to go back, we wonder what would have happened had she held on to Erin? Thinking of Nightmare on Elm Street. Miri wants to know why they didn’t say by by to the others, also what were the others doing at the time? Did we miss something?
Well, hopefully they will get over their shyness of performing in front of Management quite soon, if not Natty will have to do without – unless Ebo – you can bring her to the real world.
Sorry we have gone on for a bit but there just seemed a lot to say. Our love as always, Mireille and Susy xxx
Miri & Susy
I’ll always think from the beginning of Nattys Love, that there IS the Stockholmsyndrom. Only realistic solution. So Miri…i’ll think you are absolutely right.
Btw. Hope your wrist will heal soon.
In the other points i think you are always right and i hope, that all will go back soon for the first innocent feeling in Natyville. Even, if there is a kind of management watching them. Maybe we will have the next birthdayparty soon?
I left a comment at The Doll, Part Two for you 😉
Stockholm syndrome seems a likely explanation. It’s basically a survival mechanism — be really sweet to the person whose good graces you really need to be in.
True, Natty could have ended the whole thing by telling someone as soon as she had the chance, but human trafficking victims often don’t realize that, or they’re afraid to. She was completely dependent on her owner, and I suspect that has more to do with why she killed herself than because she loved him so much that she wanted to join him in (supposed) death.
I’m with Miri here. I think Natty was for real and true in love. We know that Love did some nasty things, among them buying a girl and renting out a child porn studio in his basement. Horrible, but no one is solely their worst act. Hitler was apparently really kind to animals.
Except Hitler is solely his worst acts. He murdered six million Jews. He is remembered as the personification of evil. If you do something bad enough, no one cares about anything good you might have done.
Hitler’s worst acts are the most important things about him, but he was also a vegetarian, a shitty artist, and a drug addict. With the possible exception of the last point, none of that is historically relevant, but still pieces of the whole.
We don’t have a historical perspective on Natty’s Love, but just because he engaged in abominable acts doesn’t mean he didn’t love her. Having said that, I reread some of the earlier chapters where Natty talked about the basement studio and found them chilling. I had forgotten the part where Natty looks back on what she saw happen in that basement studio and shudders. We haven’t seen a sex act yet that makes Natty blink, so I’m more than content to never hear details of one that makes her shudder!
Oh, I don’t say he didn’t love Natty, at least whatever passed for love in his rotten soul. As for whether Natty loved him, there’s a question of if you can call it love when he literally owned her and likely brainwashed her.
Yeah, I don’t even want to think about what might have gone on in that basement. Though the sex acts we’ve seen Natty participate in aren’t that risque.
Our Dearest Ebo,
Please to excuse my poor English.
With your kind permission, first for you Eleven67 – I and Susy say to thank you for your sweet comments at The Doll, we have read these and thank you – you are very kind and my poorly wrist says to thank you also and for agreeing about Mr Stockholm.
It was my Susy who tells me about Stockholm syndrome from the bank attack in Stockholm in 1973.
And for Lex also, thank you for your thoughts. I say to Susy that Natty’s love was so very, very kind from the first that she had no other choice but to like him and then to love him. We do not think he was unkind to Natty from the day one so maybe the syndrome is not the story complete. Now there is the big question that Mr Ebo puts for us. It might be you are very right as to why Natty did kill herself but why she should kill herself after knowing he is dead from the guard? The answer is known to only Natty and of course our wonderful Mr Ebo. Now my Susy says, The Management maybe know also – he he. Love always from Mireille and Susy.xx
Another fantastic chapter Ebo Really enjoy your writing and stories
TBLC 21 18/3/19
Our Dear Ebo,
It would seem that my Darling’s thinking of Stockholm has sparked off a bit of a discussion with our friends, Andrew and Lex, an interesting and provocative one that revolves around Natty’s Stockholm probability Now you have us wondering whether or not we could liken Natty’s Love to the unsavory Hitler type, or have we missed something.
Having chatted at some length with Miri about the points, you both raised, we wonder if it is possible that Ebo’s writings may have drawn a noticeable and distinct comparison between, that man who demonstrates a genuine love for Natty and another, (another we believed was indeed behind a thriving porn business.
We don’t know exactly why Natty was acquired, it may have been with a view to using her in porn but also and more likely (because of their future relationship) that having known her background, the man’s altruistic streak intervened and he may have wished only to give her kindness and a STABLE, good home, deserving of all children and hitherto, lacking in her life. Of one point there is no doubt, for he did give her a good home but as we can only surmise here, his latent desire to be good to her, developed into affection which was most definitely, returned but not we feel, as a result of a Stockholm syndrome. He could not buy all the girls – but we are grateful for the purchase of one.
Now, that scenario raises a further important point. That type of affection synonymous with an age difference might normally be expected between an adult and a child. However, Miri and I cannot recall an age for the man but common-sense suggests at least 20, more likely 30 or more (because his porn business dealings will probably have been with older men/women) If the latter age obtains, then more than likely, we have a middle-aged man (very handsome to Natty) perhaps at first feeling sorry for Natty (hence purchase) yes she was naked at the sale – an obvious attraction for the prospects – but we feel that from day one, he looked upon her differently and not just as a child from which to make money or obtain enjoyment.
We are all correct in one assumption, ultimately, he wished to have sex with Natty. However, when he did so, had his feelings for Natty developed into love? Certainly by that time, perhaps even before.
By that time, Natty describes him as willing to wait until she was ready; being patient and understanding with her and the desire to marry, we firmly believe, came from him. All these points suggest he was in love with Natty and that love was certainly returned. So, whilst his relationship with her would, most definitely fall into that of a pedophile (involving child younger than 13) in his case we could take the word literally – pedo – child and philia – love. – child love in the best possible way developed – ie “an intense feeling of deep affection” which in Natty’s case was returned and she does talk about her love for the man in both an adult and sincere way.
So we have revised feelings, we remain certain Natty’s love was not your typical Stockholm. From the off, it seems less likely there was any intention to make money from Natty’s acquisition and Natty’s Love. was neither in it for money or the prurient pursuit enjoyed by others – Hitler for instance.
Well just our thoughts, which may of course be way off beam but perhaps they answer/pose some questions. Perhaps our wonderful Ebo could shed some light on these matters but thanks again for this super duper story – Miri likes to bet on what comes next and it’s always for the same reward – neither of us loses.
For now though, love as always, Susy and Miri xxx
I am with you, pretty sure that Love really did love Natty. Having said that, the way he made his living is a bit beyond squicky. While I believe differently than Lex, I also see their point. Whatever else he had going on, the fact that he both purchased a child at auction and associated with others who did the same is about as huge a negative character trait as you can have, before you get into his secret studio business.
Best of luck invoking guidance from high atop Mt. Ebo! I’ve tried a time or two, no answer yet.