Shorts (19 Short Stories)

1
Alex’s heart was racing as she sat the quarters down on one of the washing machines. The laundromat was empty, and she prayed it stayed that way. She took a deep breath and opened the lid.
The laundromat was in the basement of her apartment building. It was pretty busy during the day, but at night there was rarely anyone there.
Alex hesitated a moment longer, looking toward the door, then pulled her shirt up over her head. She hesitated once more, knowing that the sooner she got it over with, the better, then slid her shorts down her long slender legs.
She had found out in college that acts of voyeurism turned her on; some people would call her an exhibitionist (some others would call her a slut). She had felt moisture between her legs right after she stepped out of her apartment (stepping out actually confirmed that she was going to go through with this). Now she found that her legs were wobbly.
Her shirt and shorts went into the washer, then her bra followed. Finally she worked up the courage to slip out of her panties, and she dropped them in with the rest. Now she was completely naked, with nothing to cover herself. Being so naked and exposed in the frequently used laundromat sent a spark of lust between her thighs.
Alex put quarters in the machine and set it to wash. It would take twenty minutes to wash them and ten to rinse. They’d probably dry pretty quickly. She had killed time when she first got here, so she thought it was only fair to set the timer up five minutes.
She had accidentally leaned against the machine, and found that the metal was extremely cold to skin that wasn’t used to being bare. She braced herself before she sat down, but found that plastic, though cold, wasn’t nearly as cold. Leaning back a little, she sat with her arms at her sides and her legs tightly together.
Part of what she agreed to if she had lost the bet was that she had to shave between her legs. That left her feeling even more exposed, but she had to admit that she liked it that way.
Thinking she had heard something, Alex sat up straight and listened as hard as she could. Her arms wanted to cover her breasts as best they could, but she wasn’t allowed to cover up. She waited anxiously for someone to step into the laundromat, but no one did. She sighed relief.
It seemed like a long time, but even without a watch, she knew that it had only been about five minutes since she stepped out of her panties. She wondered how she could pass the time when all she really wanted to do was get back up to her apartment and masturbate like crazy.
She once again held her breath and listened intensely. This time she was sure of it: she heard footprints. Even if she wanted to, there was nowhere to run. She simply sat and prayed that it was just the janitor or a maintenance man (or woman) and they would walk right on by the door without taking any notice of her.
A young woman about her age took three steps into the room before noticing the naked girl.
“Oh!” she said, purely out of surprise. “I mean, hi! I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to find…anyone else down here. I’m Kim,” she said, offering her hand to Alex.
“Alex,” she said weakly.
“So…you live in the building?”
“Yeah, third floor.”
“Really? Me too. Although I haven’t been living there for long.” Kim emptied her clothes basket into a washing machine and started it as she talked. Now she looked directly at Alex. “Look, I don’t mean to pry, but…what are you doing down here naked?”
Alex blushed. “My clothes are in the washing machine.”
“So you just came down here, stripped your clothes off and threw them in the washing machine? Damn, I wish I was that brave.”
Alex wished she was a little braver herself. She had contemplated backing out of it even though she swore to Nicole that she wouldn’t.
“So, do you do this often? Just sit here naked while your clothes wash?”
“I lost a bet.”
“Oh, really? What game did you bet on?”
“Actually, I lost a drinking contest to my best friend, Nicole.”
“That sounds like fun. Y’know, umm, actually, I’m kinda new in town and I don’t have any friends here. You think you and I can hang out sometime?”
Alex had been contemplating whether Kim was coming onto her or not, and Kim had mistaken her expression for something else.
“Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to. I just–”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just…I’m not a lesbian.”
The look of astonishment on Kim’s face was almost comical, then she laughed. “No, no, I’m not like that either. I just want somebody to hang out with.”
Alex blushed and offered a shy laugh. “Sorry. But yeah, I’d like to hang out sometime. And I can introduce you to Nicole.”
The two of them chatted for a while and Alex almost forgot that she was naked. They talked about all the crazy things they did in high school and college (Alex had once made out with a girl; Kim had had sex with two ex-boyfriends at the same time; once, in high school, she had been on the bus with the football team. They were coming back from a big game where they had destroyed their opponents, and she rewarded them by standing up at the front of the bus and slipping her cheerleader skirt down to moon them. They happily applauded, but were disappointed when she wouldn’t give them an encore. Once, during fraternity initiations, Alex had masturbated in front of three guys.)
Alex also told her about Nicole, and how she was one of the most outgoing people she had ever met. Well, either outgoing or crazy.
Soon her washing machine buzzed and came to a stop. She got up and transferred them to the dryer (the washing machine feeling cold on her bare skin).
Alex was busy feeding the dryer quarters, and didn’t see Nicole enter the room. Once the dryer was going, she spun back around and found her best friend standing there, watching her.
Nicole offered a wide grin. “So you actually did it, huh? I really thought you would end up chickening out.”
“Hey Nicole,” Alex said, taking her seat. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I just decided to come by and make sure you didn’t chicken out. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Kim. Kim, Nicole.”
“Hi,” Kim said.
“Hi,” Nicole replied. Turning back to Alex, she said, “Having fun yet?”
“Oh, yeah, sitting naked in a laundromat. It’s a real thrill.” It really was. “Does it look like I’m having fun?”
“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it, because you and me are gonna have a rematch. Same deal. Loser has to come down here and throw her clothes in the wash.”
“No way. You already beat me yesterday. I’m not about to do this again.”
“C’mon, it’s not that bad, is it? You only had one visitor the whole time, two counting myself. Besides, I’ll take three shots before we start. You want to get me back, don’t you?”
The thought of putting Nicole through what she had been through tonight was pretty tempting, and she thought she knew a few guys in the building that she could send down here to ‘wash clothes’ while Nicole was waiting for her clothes to finish washing.
Alex sighed theatrically. “Okay, but what do you say we raise the stakes?”
Nicole smiled maliciously. “What’d you have in mind?”
“The loser has to sit in that chair while she waits for her clothes to dry,” she said, pointing to one directly in front of the door, “with her legs spread.”
“Fine. We’ll drink tomorrow. I hope you’re ready to spread your legs,” she said as she walked toward the door. She turned back long enough to say, “Nice meeting you, Kim,” and left.
The dryer stopped, and Alex tugged on the handle. For one horrifying second, she thought that it was stuck. Then she relaxed, pulled again, and the door came open. She dressed and left after exchanging room numbers with her new friend. As soon as she was safely inside her apartment, her clothes came off again.
The combination of the heat from the clothes straight out of the dryer and her own sexual arousal had gotten her hot enough to sweat, but the moisture between her legs wasn’t sweat.
Nicole had bought her a dildo for her birthday as a gag gift, and she had used it many times on occasions such as this. Now she went and got it out of her sock drawer, and returned to the living room. She sat down on the carpet and spread her legs. She had masturbated in every part of the small apartment that she could think of, but the living room was her favorite place, because sometimes she liked to pretend that she had an audience.
She teased her pussy with the head of the big rubber dick, rubbing it up and down her slit and occasionally allowing the head to slip up inside her. Soon she had all eight inches in her, and she worked it in and out fast, rubbing her clit with her free hand. It wouldn’t be long now.
She tried to be as quiet as she could, but a soft moan escaped her lips anyway. She lay back on the floor, bending her knees and spreading her thighs wider. As she came, she felt her own juices flowing down between her legs. She would probably have to scrub the carpet after she cleaned herself up.


2
Holly lay on top of the comforter on her bed. Her gown had been tossed aside, and her panties were around her ankles. One hand was playfully pinching her nipple, the other stroking her slit.
Holly had a bit of a voyeurist streak in her. Sometimes she would leave the door cracked while she changed clothes. The only ones that might catch a glimpse of her would be her parents or Jimmy, her older stepbrother. Still, she found the idea exciting.
Sometimes, she would sneak out of the house, strip all her clothes off, and finger-fuck herself in the back yard. She lived in a small neighborhood, but they had a privacy fence around their back yard and it was always dark anyway. The thrill of being naked outside and the thrill of being caught excited her tremendously, but lately it had become too…routine. A lot of the thrill had gone.
She thought and thought about how she could make it more exciting, and actually seriously considered turning the back porch light on while she masturbated. She knew she wouldn’t, though. It was too risky and she wasn’t that brave…yet. She did, however, find a solution to her problem; tonight, after her parents went to bed, she would sneak out the back door as she always did…except she would leave all her clothes in her bedroom. From the time she left her bedroom to the time she got back, she would be completely naked. She’d walk naked down the hall, straight past her brother’s door, naked through the living room, naked through the kitchen…and finally, naked while she masturbated on the back porch. And of course, she would have no other choice but to make the trip back naked.
Everything was quiet, and had been for a little while. She sat up, slipped her panties off her feet and dropped them on the floor next to her nightgown. She got off the bed and moved toward the door, pulling it open just a crack. She listened intensely.
There was nothing for a while, then she thought she heard something from the direction of her parents’ bedroom. Deciding to wait a little longer (she hated to think what would happen if she really did get caught), she lay back down on the bed, feeling daring enough to leave the door cracked as she massaged her pussy.
A single finger traveled up and down her wet slit. Occasionally she would slide her finger inside her, teasing herself. Pretty soon she realized that she had better stop before she comes.
Holly crept back to the door and strained to hear. Nothing. It was dead silent, except for the air conditioner in her mom and dad’s room, and the fan in her own. Slowly, she eased the door open. She stuck her head out, looking in both directions. All clear. It took a lot of effort to take that first step out into the hallway, but once she had done it, she was thrilled that she had. She gently eased her door all the way shut, still listening for any noise.
She tiptoed down the hall at the speed with which she normally walked. She stopped when she reached her older brother’s door. Slowly, cautiously, she snuck past it, and she froze when she heard a sudden noise. For one horrifying second, she thought he would open the door and see her standing there, totally and completely naked, in the hall. Then she realized that it hadn’t been the sound of a doorknob turning; she didn’t know what it was, or care, as long as Jimmy stayed in his room. She tiptoed faster.
Even moving at a good speed, she hardly made any noise at all. She slipped through the living room and into the kitchen, and finally out the back door.
She walked out into the middle of the back yard and sat down on the wet grass (she usually got beside the porch, where there was the least possible chance of her being seen, but now she was feeling braver than usual). It felt good to her bare butt, and a few blades rubbed against her pussy. Walking through her own house naked had excited her more than she would have ever imagined. Now she quivered as one finger stroked her tiny slit. She slipped it in her as far as it would go, and it surprised a moan out of her. Normally, she would have sat up straight and looked around cautiously to see if anyone had heard her and was coming to investigate. Now, however, she was too excited. She might care five minutes from now, but at the moment her attention was completely on her little kitty.
She slipped a second finger in. Now she was aware of how sensitive her clit had become, and managed to stifle the moan. The only thing that escaped her lips was her quick, harsh breathing. She thrust her fingers deeper into her, simultaneously thrusting her hips forward for maximum penetration. Hot liquid rushed out of her lips, running down her fingers and onto her hand. She worked her fingers furiously, savoring every second of the most powerful orgasm she had ever had.
She collapsed onto the grass, arms and legs spread. For the moment she didn’t care that she was covered in dew and blades of grass, and even her own juices. For the moment she only thought about how great it felt to be naked; naked and dirty in her own back yard. The grass felt wonderful on all her bare parts. Her hands went to her breasts, rubbing and playfully pinching her nipples. One hand moved down her smooth belly to the smoother skin of her little pussy.
She wanted to stay out here and play some more, but knew she had to go to bed sometime tonight. She got up and brushed herself off as best she could, then started for the door.
She eased it open gently, peeking inside much like she had peeked out of her own door. After making sure it was safe, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She tiptoed back through the kitchen and living room, and down the hall. Once again she froze at her stepbrother’s door, but this time she heard no noise when she started back.
Instead of going to her room, she went to the door almost straight across from her own. She always got dirty, and always took a shower afterwards. This time she didn’t have to worry about taking her clothes back off, though.
Still feeling brave, she decided to leave the bathroom door open while she showered. She would be behind the curtain anyway.
The hot water felt great on her body. She built up a good lather and rinsed it off. Usually she showered and went straight to bed, but tonight she would break that routine. She slipped a finger, then two, inside her pussy and began working them rhythmically. She realized that she had never masturbated in the shower before, and wondered why she hadn’t thought of it. It didn’t matter now.
Holly got down on her knees and bent forward, bracing herself against the foot of the tub with her free hand. The shower head was aimed downward, and most of the water fell on her ass. The sensation was wonderfully stimulating.
Then she had another idea.
She stood up long enough to retrieve the hairbrush next to the sink. Getting back on her knees, she worked the hard plastic handle into her soft cunt. The handle was a little bigger than both of her slender fingers put together, so it was a little more than she was used to, but it felt great inside her.
The combination of the hot water and the new sensation of something big and hard inside of her sent her over the edge, and she gasped for breath as her second orgasm jolted through her body.
She stood up, pulling the hairbrush out of her pussy and washing it off in the water. After she washed up, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. Wrapping the towel around her slim figure, she stopped and reconsidered, then threw it in the clothes basket. Surely she didn’t need a towel around her to step across the hall.


3
Anita was shy by nature; she wasn’t the type of girl that wore tight shirts and short skirts. Today was a different story, though. She had lost a bet to Jenny, her best friend, and that left her in nothing but the skimpiest bikini she had ever seen during her trip to the beach. The bottom was really nothing more than a few strings with a small, narrow triangle to cover her female parts, and the top was a big band about two inches wide that went all the way around her. She’d had to shave all of her pubic hair off to keep any from being visible.
The deal was that she had to wear it to the beach and stay there at least thirty minutes. Anita thought it would be one of the most humiliating days of her life. What she never would have guessed in a million years was that she would be turned on by all the looks the guys were giving her. Some whistled, some winked at her…and some openly stared. The girls hadn’t exactly had the same reaction…except for the blonde in the blue two-piece.
She got in the water for a while, then lay down on the wet sand. She hadn’t brought a towel (Jenny said that she would be tempted to cover up with it).
The tide was receding. The waves collapsed on the beach and came up high enough to wet her feet. Guys stared. A familiar sensation tingled between her legs.
She had only been with two guys in her entire life, and picking up some stranger would normally be an absurd idea, but now she actually considered it. It was either that or get herself off when she got back. Besides, she didn’t think it would be too hard to find a guy willing to go home with her.
A guy coming out of the water walked past her, looking at her and smiling as he did. She smiled back.
She turned over on her stomach, giving her back a chance to tan.
When it was time to go, she got up and started for her car. She changed her mind, however, when she saw the public showers. They were small and square, much like a public toilet, but outside, and with a shower instead of a shitter. If she washed off at the beach, she would just get sand all over her legs again, almost up to her thighs. Rinsing off there, however, only the bottom of her feet would be dirty.
She stepped in one of the booths and turned the knob. The cold water made her step back against the door and gasp at the same time. She splashed some on her to get used to it, then stepped back in front of the stream. It warmed up considerably by the time she had rinsed herself.
She noticed her top had fallen down enough to expose most of one nipple. She started to adjust it to cover herself up, but instead she rubbed her nipple. It sent a jolt of excitement through her body. She hesitated a moment, then gave in and took the top off. She hung it over the door, then stepped out of her bottom and hung them likewise.
She slipped one long, slim finger between her pussy lips and into her waiting cunt. Being naked in such a public place excited her, but now she was masturbating in a public place.
She leaned forward and spread her legs for easier access. A gentle moan that was barely audible escaped her lips as a second finger joined the first.
There was an opening about a foot tall all the way around the bottom, and there wasn’t a lock on the door. She could probably stand on her tiptoes and see over the top. It would be all too easy for somebody to discover her, and the thought of it sent her over the edge. Waves of pleasure pulsed through her body, and she continued thrusting her fingers inside her pussy, milking the sweet orgasm for all it was worth.
After rinsing off again, she cut the water off and reached for her bikini, only to realize that it wasn’t there. She thought she might simply pass out, but somehow she managed to calm herself and hold on to consciousness.
She bent over and looked out of the bottom, hoping that they had simply fallen off the door. They had, and now they were a few feet away. She once again felt like fainting when she realized that she would have to step out of the booth to retrieve it.
Anita took several deep breaths before finally building up the courage to open the door and step out to get her bikini. Standing on her tiptoes, she found that she could see over the top, and there was nobody on that side of the booth to see her. Steeling herself, she quickly opened the door, took five steps, grabbed her bikini and got back into the booth. Nobody had seen her, at least she didn’t think so.
She quickly stepped into her bikini. She didn’t care that it had a little sand on it; all she wanted to do was get home.
She stepped out almost cautiously, then started for the car. She stopped, staring at a piece of trash. The first thing she realized was that the wind wasn’t blowing hard enough to knock her bikini off the door. The second was that that wasn’t a piece of trash. She picked it up and, for the third time that day, she thought she might faint. She looked around, seeing nothing but ordinary beachgoers. She held the piece of paper tightly in her hand as she walked toward her car. Her cheeks were bright red.
The piece of trash was actually a polaroid. It showed a clear picture of a slim figure bent over with her legs spread and two fingers buried in her pussy. The picture was so clear that Anita could see the beads of water clinging to what she knew was her own bare ass.


4
“Mandy,” Mr. Brown repeated.
“Um, yes?”
“Would you like to try and answer the question?”
“I…I don’t–”
“Yes, I know you didn’t hear me.” Mr. Brown stepped up to the board and scribbled out an algebra equation. “Mandy, we’ve probably got…five minutes left in this class. If you can solve this equation before the bell rings, you won’t have to stay for detention.”
“But I–”
“If you had been paying attention, you’d know how to work it. But please, do try.”
Mandy reluctantly stood up and walked to the board. Ordinarily she wouldn’t have given a damn about detention or the extra attention she was receiving, but fate had played a cruel joke on her: she was the only one in the class that was completely naked, from the top of her head to her neatly trimmed toenails. It was this very thing that she had been pondering, which led to her being called to the front of the class.
No matter how much it was explained to her, Mandy couldn’t understand why they had to pose as nudists in a small hick town like Alberta, Georgia. The way she saw it, someone in the WPP had played a cruel joke on them, and there was nothing they could do about it.
The only good thing about this was that she wasn’t using her real name.
Mandy took the piece of chalk from Mr. Brown (that name also sounded phony to her) and, for a moment, only stared up at the overly-complicated math problem. She tried not to think about what the rest of the class was looking at. She tried not to think about how exposed her whole body was, and had been all day. But that was hard to do when you were standing naked in front of an audience.
Mandy thought she might’ve seen such a problem as this before. After simplifying it, she would have to cross-multiply. She started writing in her shaky chalkboard handwriting. She messed up, and when she reached for the eraser, she accidentally knocked it off the shelf of the chalkboard. It occurred to her that she had never been this clumsy before. It also occurred to her that she would have to bend over to pick it up. This she did quickly and without thinking, flashing the class a brief but fantastic view of pussy lips. She couldn’t cover up or hide herself, or they would know she wasn’t really a nudist. She wouldn’t have cared about that, either, if her mom hadn’t threatened to make her join the cheerleading squad.
Yeah, her mom really had it hard. She also had to stay nude, and every once in a while she would have to run to the grocery store. Wow. Mandy wondered how she would feel if she had to spend seven hours walking around naked in a public school, five days a week.




5
It was Jennifer’s idea, so Emily ended up picking the game. To everyone’s surprise, Britney played too.
“You know, Britney,” Jen said, “if you lose, you’ll be dancing in the nude for your own brother. You don’t think that’s gross?”
Britney just shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not like he’s gonna touch me or anything.”
“Whatever,” Emily said. “Just as long as you don’t chicken out.”
“So how are we gonna do this?” Jen said.
Emily spoke up: “Okay, you all know how to play Texas Hold’em, right?” The other two nodded. Bill, who sat in the corner, watched with intensity. “Good. Whoever ends up with all the chips is the winner. Since there are three of us, the two losers will have to play another hand to decide who strips.”
“Why don’t we just say whoever runs out of chips first loses?” Britney asked.
Emily shrugged her shoulders.
“Fine by me,” Jen said.
Emily shuffled the cards and dealt two out to everyone.
…
Even though she was only fourteen, Emily was almost an expert at Texas Hold’em. She couldn’t believe she had just lost to two amateurs like Britney and Jennifer.
“Woohoo!” Britney said, standing up, and made a gesture as if she were a stripper taking off her bra. “Somebody’s gonna get nekkid.”
Emily’s face burned a bright red.
“Take it off, girl!” Jen said.
Bill, who had been quiet nearly the whole time, continued to sit patiently, his eyes fixed on Emily’s slender figure.
“But…” Emily said.
“You’re not chickening out, are you?” Britney said. “Because I’ve still got the pictures. Want me to email them?”
Emily said nothing, only sat in silence. When they had first thought of the idea, they all decided it would be best if they took some nude pictures of each other, just in case the loser backed out. Emily almost shuddered when she thought how she spread her legs apart, then her pussy lips, in front of the camera. They had taken quite a few, with her face in at least three of them. No, her life would be over if Britney emailed them.
Slowly, she stood up and started dancing, as if erotic music were playing. She couldn’t bear to look at him, looking at her, so she closed her eyes.
Her shirt was the first thing to go, of course, then she wiggled out of her pants. She had to open her eyes as she did so, and that only made her more aware of everyone’s eyes on her petite body.
She danced slowly, dreading the next part. Finally, when she could put it off no longer, she reached behind her and unfastened her bra, turning around so they couldn’t see her bare breasts at first.
She danced on, hugging her body (and for a long time concealing her breasts from prying eyes). Never in a million years had she thought she would lose against Britney and Jennifer. That’s the only reason she agreed to this ridiculous idea in the first place. She wondered if they hadn’t cheated.
Emily turned sideways – it was the most concealing position – as she slid her panties off her hips and down her long, slender legs. Bill watched her with awe. Brit and Jen watched her with smiles on their faces.
Emily kicked her panties aside and stood still for a moment.
“Well,” Britney asked.
“Well, what?” Emily returned.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Dance.”
“Wh– I’m already naked.”
Britney made one of her ‘pffft’ noises that were her own, and said, “So far you haven’t shown Bill anything but boobies. I’m sure he wants to see more, don’t you, Bill?”
“Well, not if she doesn’t–”
“See?” Britney chimed in. “He said he wants to see your cunny up close,” and she giggled at her own words. “Come on, be a good little doggy. Come over here and stand in front of him.”
Emily hesitated, then gave in. She had to do what Britney wanted, or her pictures would get sent out. She stood directly in front of him and spread her legs, as directed. When Britney was satisfied, she had Emily turn around and touch her toes. It was humiliating enough just being naked in the same room as the boy for whom she carried a secret crush. Why did Britney have to torture her like this?
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Britney said “We can all play again, and if Emily loses, she has to fuck him.”
Emily wasn’t appalled by the idea; not at fucking Bill, her secret love. But if that meant Britney and Jen would be watching the whole time, possibly even teasing her, then yes, she was appalled by it.
“Hey, wait a minute!” she protested. “You can’t do that!”
Britney laughed. “I can and I did.”
“But how’s that fair to me? Shouldn’t you have to fuck him if you lose?”
“I’m not naked. And I’m not fucking my own brother. But, to make it fair…” Britney put her finger to her mouth and paced around the room. “If Jen or I lose, the loser just has to get naked and masturbate. Fair?”
Both the other girls looked at her like she was crazy.
“I’m not playing,” Emily said. It took her a minute to work up the courage to speak. She thought standing naked in front of friends might sometimes do that to people.
“You lost,” Britney said. “You don’t have a choice.”
“I’m not playing,” Emily repeated.
“Then leave if you want, but your clothes stay here.” Britney waited to see what Emily’s response was.
Emily could have argued her point further, but she knew there was no use. “This is the last one,” she said. “No more after this.”
“Of course not,” Britney said, smiling.


6
The Colt was only two blocks from Harry and Maddie’s apartment, and tonight there would be a live show performed by Medini the Hypnotist. Harry wanted to go, but Maddie’s mood almost made him want to just say fuck it and stay home. Maddie didn’t believe in hypnotism, and that’s why he thought she was being such a bitch (and since when did she need a reason, anyway?).
They got to the restaurant and ordered. Harry hardly touched his. He was like a kid at his first trip to the circus: he couldn’t wait for Medini to come out and perform. Of course, hypnotism wasn’t the only trick he would perform; he was also an illusionist.
“Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t rather be at home in front of the tv with a cold beer?” she asked. That whiny quality of her voice had returned.
“No, I can’t, honestly.”
“Well try lying, then.”
After this last bit, Harry tuned her out completely.
Medini came out unexpected; one minute there was nothing, and the next…poof! A ball of smoke appeared out of nowhere and faded, and there he was.
After introducing himself, he said he would hypnotize someone for his first trick. Maddie had the nerve to stand up in front of all those people and say that he was a fake; that the whole thing was a setup, with someone in the audience acting out whatever he told them to.
“Well, why don’t you come on up and find out for yourself,” he said.
Harry honestly didn’t think she would do it, but she proved him wrong. She climbed up on the stage, flustered.
“I take it you’ve never been hypnotized before? Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt a bit.”
She glared up at him and, following his direction, sat down and stared at the old-fashioned pocket watch as it swung back and forth.
In a few moments, Medini asked her to stand up and she did so. Harry noticed she didn’t look flustered anymore, and for a moment, he could hardly believe it himself; was she really hypnotized?
“What is your full name?”
“Madeline Ann Pritchett.”
“Well, Miss Pritchett, tell me: have you ever shaved between your legs?”
“No.”
“Well, stand right over here,” Medini said, indicating a well-lit area to his immediate left, “and take your clothes off. Fold ’em up nice and neat, if you will.”
Now Harry was in full disbelief.
She was already down to her underwear when Medini said, “Hold up, stop for just a second. He turned toward the crowd and looked directly at Harry. “You don’t have a problem with…” he twirled his finger, indicating the stage,” this right here, do ya? Because it’s not too late for Miss Pritchett to keep at least a little bit of her dignity.”
“Oh, no, go ahead,” Harry said. He was sincere, even more so than when he said ‘I do’.