Chapter 14: Undone

After a few hours of walking, the trees of the forest cleared, and Lisa and Lady Annabelle reached a well-kept yard behind a large house built in gothic style. The yard was replete with trees and flowers, with a small vegetable garden in one corner, and a swimming pool near the back of the house.

“Stop,” said Lady Annabelle, when Lisa was a few paces from the house’s back entrance. “You can’t go inside like that.”

A puzzled expression crossed Lisa’s countenance. Like what? Naked? Well, she wouldn’t have to if this witch hadn’t cursed her, would she?

“You’re filthy,” said Annabelle.

Lisa looked down at her body. She’d accumulated mud and grass during her march. Though not as filthy as she’d been that morning, she was still far from clean. Her feet were especially dirty, not least because Annabelle had forced her to march in a totally straight line, stepping in everything on her way.

Annabelle uncoiled a hose from a hook on the wall and turned it on. “Take a few steps back,” she ordered Lisa.

Lisa complied, and instantly got a face full of high-pressure water.

“Can’t have you tracking mud all over my floors!” shouted Annabelle, maneuvering the hose.

The strong jet of water blasted the dirt off Lisa’s breasts, then her legs, then her feet. Annabelle shouted for her to turn around, and then she felt the jet against her back, and then on her bottom. All the positive feelings that she’d had from her cleanse were gone now, and she was an animal again, being hosed off in the yard.

“Bend over, and spread,” commanded Annabelle.

Lisa did as she was told, robotically, without thinking. Annabelle aimed the jet of water directly at her crotch, and held it there. Then she started moving it, slowly up and down. Lisa let out an involuntary moan.

The water stopped.

“That should do it,” Annabelle said, walking around to admire Lisa’s flustered, blushing expression. “We wouldn’t want you to get too excited, would we? We’d just have to clean up again.”

Lisa pulled herself upright and brought her legs back together, avoiding eye contact with the witch. Annabelle walked to the back door, rummaged around in the front of her dress, and pulled out a set of keys. But before she opened the door, she seemed to realize something.

“Silly me!” she said, slapping her forehead in an exaggerated manner. “I completely forgot about dinner tonight!”

Lisa looked up at her with horror. She mouthed the question, “Dinner?” but no sound came out. Her voice had not returned.

“Yes, I am hosting a dinner party tonight with some dear friends, and I haven’t even started on the preparations!” Annabelle explained. “How lucky I am to have some help. First, we need to do some shopping.”

Annabelle took Lisa by the hand and led her around the side of the house, to the front. The area had a rural feel, but it was still very much a suburb, with a road and rows of houses on the other side. A car drove by, and Lisa dove behind Annabelle, twisting her arm.

“What are you doing?!” shrieked Annabelle, her face red with rage. Her grip tightened around Lisa’s hand, and she yanked the girl forward with unholy strength. “We are going to walk to the shop now. You will come as you are. You will not run or hide.”

Lisa looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes. This couldn’t possibly be happening! There was no way that she could go out naked in public, in the middle of the day, to a busy shop! She knew that Annabelle delighted in torturing her, but surely this wouldn’t be allowed? Someone would see something, say something, do something!

“They made public nudity legal a few months ago, you know,” said Annabelle.

Angela had told Lisa the same thing. It wasn’t encouraging.

“Of course, lewd behavior is still frowned up. But we’ll keep you away from any hosepipes.”

Lisa reddened.

“Come along now,” said Annabelle, dragging Lisa forward by a very unwilling hand. “No covering up with your other arm, now, it will just draw more attention. Yes, that’s good, keep it at your side.”

With a sick feeling in her stomach, Lisa marched forward side-by-side with Lady Annabelle, her hand still held firm by the witch. Across the road, a man had stopped walking and was staring at her. She studiously avoided eye contact. Add one to the ever-growing list of people who’d seen her naked. In broad daylight. Without a mask.

Lisa tilted her head forward and shook it, trying to get some of her hair to cover her face. It wasn’t long enough for the Lady Godiva look, but at least she could try to use it as a mask.

The supermarket was in a small strip mall just around the corner of the road. The asphalt felt hot against Lisa’s soles as the witch pulled her unwillingly across the car park. She heard a few cars stall as she passed. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

The mall was not extremely busy, but there were enough people milling about that Lisa soon stopped trying to keep track of how many had seen her. Heads turned as she passed, and people whispered to each other. Lisa heard a few low whistles. The witch’s stern gaze and imposing presence seemed to prevent anyone from coming too close, or cat-calling Lisa too brazenly.

In front of the supermarket, the witch released Lisa’s hand. “Fetch a trolley, girl,” she said.

Lisa stood frozen on the spot. Without the witch physically pulling her forward, she couldn’t move. All eyes were on her, with facial expressions ranging from overjoyed to disgusted. An old lady gave her the evil eye as she walked out of the grocery store, and Lisa wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.

“Trolley! Now!” hissed the witch.

Fear of Annabelle’s temper snapped Lisa into action. With leaden feet, she walked over to the line of trolleys and pulled one out. She slowly wheeled it back to Annabelle, who was busy speaking with a man in the supermarket’s uniform.

“Look, I believe you about the law, ma’am, but this is a private business. We have a very strict policy: no shirt, no shoes, no service.” He glanced at Lisa sympathetically, doing his best to look her in the eyes. “You’ll have to shop someplace else.”

Lisa’s lips turned up in a small smile. She’d been right after all, no shop would let her walk around inside naked.

Annabelle glared at the man. “Don’t you think my daughter has been through enough?” she said, putting an arm around Lisa’s shoulder. “Life is hard for people like her, and this kind of discrimination only makes it worse.”

Lisa let out a squeal as the witch pinched the back of her shoulder, long nails digging into the skin.

“Look now, you’ve upset her!” cried Annabelle.

The man glanced at Lisa briefly, then quickly averted his eyes. He said nothing.

“All my precious daughter wants is to help Mommy out with the shopping, and you would deny that to her? Just for showing a little skin?”

The man allowed himself a longer look at Lisa. “Well, I wouldn’t call that a just a little skin ... look, maybe I could lend her my jacket...”

Lisa’s heart leaped for joy. The man’s jacket looked large and warm, and would cover her nicely, maybe even down to the knees! She tried to accept the man’s offer, but remembered that she couldn’t speak.

Annabelle’s eyes widened in mock horror. “Ix-nay on the othes-clay!” she hissed at the man. Then, in a lower voice, she said, “Lisa’s vestiphobia is quite severe. Even the suggestion could set her off. That’s why I usually leave her at home. But the psychologist said she’s got to start living a normal life.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but our store policy—”

“Your store policy discriminates against the mentally unwell! We’re going to march right back home and launch a social media campaign against this kind of ignorance and discrimination. And you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

A battle raged across the man’s countenance. Eventually, he couldn’t help but wither under the steel gaze of Lady Annabelle. “Okay, fine, come on in.”

Instantly, Annabelle was all smiles. “Did you hear that Lisa, the kind man changed his mind! Give him a smile, would you?”

Lisa grinned painfully at the man, holding uncomfortable eye contact with him. Then Annabelle led her forward, wheeling the trolley. The man’s head turned to glance down as she passed him.

Goosebumps formed on Lisa’s flesh as followed Annabelle into the frozen goods aisle, and her nipples hardened. She stood in the cold, hands tightly gripping the trolley, as Annabelle took her time picking out frozen meats and vegetables for her dinner. Lisa had a sneaking suspicion that she would be required to cook the dinner. But maybe she would die of embarrassment first.

A group of three young women passed by, giggling and pointing at her. Then a couple walked by, the woman glaring at Lisa while holding her hand in front of the man’s eyes. An old man stood at one end of the aisle and just looked at her for a while.

Lisa kept her eyes on the ground. Her hair was all over her face, which she normally hated, but now she strived to keep it there. The old man pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, and she knew that others had done the same. Their pictures would be much better than the poorly lit ones of her wearing the owl mask.

Annabelle dragged Lisa through every aisle, filling her trolley with everything that was required for the evening’s dinner, as well as everything that wasn’t. She took her time choosing between brands and going back and forth between the aisles, clearly savoring Lisa’s humiliation.

Lisa wasn’t sure what was worse—walking with the trolley, which invariably summoned a horde of followers to watch her hips sway, or standing still, which invariably summoned a horde of surreptitious photographers to capture her from every angle.

But at least they weren’t asking for selfies with her. Between her downcast expression and Annabelle’s intimidating aura, nobody tried to get too close to them. The store’s staff appeared to have been briefed, and would look the other way as she walked past.

After what felt like hours, Annabelle announced that she’d picked up everything she needed and directed Lisa to push the trolley towards a cashier. The eyes of every man in the store appeared to be laser-focused on her rhythmically moving ass as she strolled past them.

She stopped her trolley behind a dark-haired woman who appeared to be a similar age to Lady Annabelle. The woman looked the pair of them quizzically. “Your daughter?” she asked Annabelle.

“Yes,” replied the witch.

The woman smiled. “My daughter also went through a nudist phase. I remember having to walk her through the shop like that a few times. She was quite a lot younger, though.”

Lisa’s blush deepened.

“Lisa’s a special girl,” said Lady Annabelle, emphasizing the word “special”. “We all do things at our own pace.”

“Oh, of course,” said the woman, appearing anxious not to offend. “She does seem ... embarrassed, though.”

Annabelle glanced at Lisa, and then back to the woman. “Yes, you’re right!” Annabelle shrieked, cackling with delight. “How wonderful!”

The dark-haired woman stood speechless.

“The treatment must be working,” Annabelle clarified, leaning in conspiratorially. “I was skeptical at first, you know, it seemed a bit cruel. But I suppose this is just what she needed.” She placed a mock-sympathetic hand on Lisa’s shoulder. “Lisa, dear, when we get home, we’re going to play dress-up, okay?”

Lisa felt like her whole body was blushing. She was too embarrassed to look up at either of the women, or to do anything but stand motionless, looking down at her toes.

The dark-haired woman paid for her groceries. “Good luck getting pants on her, I know the struggle.”

“Thank you,” said Annabelle, as the dark-haired woman departed.

Lisa unloaded the contents of their trolley, trying not the feel the eyes on her back every time she bent over it. The teller was a sour-faced old woman who glared at her darkly while exchanging monosyllables with Lady Annabelle.

Lisa then had to take the bags from the nervous 18-year-old bagboy, whose packing was greatly delayed by the sight of her chest. She smiled at him weakly as she took the bags from his shaking hands. He seemed almost as embarrassed as she was.

With heavy bags in both hands, there was no way for Lisa to even attempt to cover up. She walked with Annabelle to the exit and left the store, much to the disappointment of many of the clientele.

“Do you think it’s an ad or something?”

“I didn’t see any cameras!”

“Oh boy, if I was twenty years younger, I’d—”

“Absolutely shameless, the youth of today. I know they’re making clothes skimpier these days, but that’s just ridiculous.”

The rest of the day was spent preparing dinner. Lisa did all the work, cutting vegetables, preparing meat, slaving over a hot stove while Lady Annabelle criticized her. When dinner was finally ready, it was almost time for Annabelle’s guests to arrive.