Sold (Part 7 of 8)

“Nora?” her mother said. She sat on the guest bedroom bed next to the sleeping woman.

“Mom?” Nora woke. “What time is it?”

“Just after nine. Elaine got called into work and had me bring Ryan to school.”

“And then you came back here?”

“I thought we could talk. And, I’m kind of glad I did. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“I didn’t believe you.”

Nora sat up. “What didn’t you believe?”

“All of it. Magic. Dolls. Kidnappings. Sex. Well, the sex part wasn’t really an issue.”

“Why would I have lied and been unreachable for a year and a half?”

“I didn’t know. I thought you were just going through another phase. You chose to go to college on the other side of the country. After college you came back and then found a different part of the country to go to. It isn’t like we normally spoke every day. At first, when you went missing, it just seemed like you were busy or something.”

“Mom…”

“Let me continue. You were always more independent than Elaine. Always spending time with friends or alone to the exclusion of us. I just assumed it had progressed to another level.”

“And now you’re sorry...?”

“I saw Ingrid.”

“Oh, now you believe people can be dolls.”

“It’s insane. I’m sorry. I thought you ended up in some weird sex cult the way you described it. Especially since I assumed the magic wasn’t real and the dolls were just women pretending or something.”

Nora laughed. “Oh, if you only knew. There are, right now, six women standing in doll stands at Jean’s and Dave’s apartment, made of plastic.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well, for one thing, I’m here.”

“You just abandoned them to their fate?”

“Mom. All of it is real. They wanted to spend their time as dolls.”

“Why?”

“Let’s go talk to Ingrid.” Nora got out of bed.

“You’ll get dressed first, won’t you?”

Nora looked down. “I will admit. Spending a lot of time as a doll makes clothing feel very optional. But, yes, I’ll get dressed.”

“I’ll be in Elaine’s bedroom.”

When Nora joined her there, the bed was made and the doll was dressed. It sat upright in the chair in a reading nook. Her mother sat on the bench at the end of the bed.

“There’s no way Elaine made the bed.”

“No, I did.”

“And I bet you dressed Ingrid.”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, Ingrid. I need your help with Mom. I’ll change you back once she gets it or earlier if she doesn’t.”

As she spoke, the doll’s skin became pinker, pores could be seen on its arms, tiny strands of hair appeared. “Oh, oh, oh, fuck.” Elaine called out. “Oh, my, god. What? Nora. I… um… Hi, Paula. I…”

“Sorry, I always forget how people react the first time they’re revived.”

“No problem. Why are you here?”

“Tell Mom why you liked being a doll.”

“How do you know she did?” Her mother said.

Nora just held a hand out to Ingrid indicating she should speak.

“It was amazing, Paula.” Ingrid got up and moved over to the bed so she could be closer to the other two. “You will change me back, Nora.”

“Not a problem.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Be a doll and find out.”

“No way.”

“I don’t think she’d want to,” Nora said. “And it may not be for her. Mom, I don’t know the percentages, but you’re right, for most people, I suspect, being a doll would be boring. For some, torture, perhaps hellish. And for some...”

“It is divine,” Ingrid said. “It’s like floating. No anxiety. No worries. Just emptiness. I bet… I bet this is what folks who mediate wish they could achieve. Pure empty existence. Nirvana.”

“I don’t think I ever looked at it like that. But yeah, perhaps,” Nora said.

“I still don’t get it.”

“And you probably never will. Meditation isn’t for everyone. But listen to Ingrid, you can’t deny her experience was anything but positive for her.”

“Oh, I loved it,” Ingrid said. “I am not going to happy when you leave town.”

“I see. It is a cult,” Paula joked.

The other two laughed.

“I suppose there’s a small amount of truth there.”

“When do you want me to give you all my worldly goods, Nora?”

“We’ll discuss it later.”

“You’re both funny,” Paula said. “I don’t understand. Maybe I will have you do it to me. Just for a few minutes.”

“Sure, Mom. How about right now?”

“Now?”

“Do you have anywhere to be for the five hours before Ryan gets home?”

“I said for a few minutes.”

“Not what I asked.”

“No, I don’t have any plans except to spend time with my daughter.”

“Fine, lay down and relax.”

In the midst of lying down, she lifted her head to say, “Just a few minutes.”

“The time will be measured in minutes. Not a problem.”

“Okay. Oh, I…”

“It grabs you fast, doesn’t it?” Ingrid said. She looked at Nora. “Not that she can answer. You’re thinking like a hundred minutes, aren’t you?”

“Something like that. Let’s let her be. I still need breakfast.”

They went to get breakfast. “I could not even guess how many times I’d have wanted to turn my mother into a doll, specifically one that can’t speak, when I was growing up,” Ingrid joked.

“Elaine tells me she loves your mother.”

“Of course, my mother doesn’t treat her like her child.”

“Ah. Yes. There is that.”

“I’m not sure if I’m glad we get this time to talk so Laney doesn’t make fun of my questions.”

“Hmm?”

“Or if I should be upset I’m not a doll.”

“There’s plenty of time for that. In fact, I’d like to borrow you once we finish eating.”

“Borrow?”

“I need someone I can experiment on magically.”

“I’m your doll.”

Nora had taken Jean’s necklace with her. Jean had insisted she be a doll the whole time Nora was gone. The experimenting she did with Ingrid involved putting the necklace on and off her to observe the magic taking effect.

After an hour, she removed the necklace one last time. She had a lot to think about. And she needed to restore her mother soon.

Ingrid said, “That necklace seems perfect. It’s too bad you don’t have several of them.”

“The inconvenience is once it’s taken off the spell ends.”

“That seems like a feature.”

“For personal use, sure. But, we’re renting dolls. Not dolls that can be turned into people at the renter’s whim.”

“And you can’t be there all the time.”

“I’d rather not be. I want to create a doll making and restoring station of some kind. I’ve got some ideas from your help just now. I just haven’t put it together.”

“Like a fully functional doll stand.”

“That’s… The form factor of the device has eluded me. A doll stand could be just the right mix of bulk and convenience.”

“Good luck with that.” They were in Elaine’s bedroom. “Change me back before you face Paula’s wrath.”

“Coward.”

*****

“What’s that?” A young voice asked.

“Hey, Ryan. That is a doll stand,” Nora said, turning to face the boy. He stood at the door to her bedroom. A treadmill still stood folded up against the wall in the corner. The empty stand was in front of the treadmill.

“Doll stand? What’s it for?”

“Standing dolls up. Usually they just fall over.”

“Isn’t it too big for a doll?”

“For a toy doll, yes. I work with life-sized dolls.”

“What job has life-sized dolls?”

“Merchandise display. Most people call them mannequins. But life-sized dolls aren’t mannequins and mannequins aren’t dolls.” She was glad she’d thought ahead of time about someone like Ryan, who didn’t know about the doll rentals, asking her about the stands.

“You don’t have any dolls here.”

“No, I don’t. But, I don’t need them here. Customers aren’t going to see dolls in my room, are they?”

“I guess not. Mommy said you can do magic.”

“I’m not sure why she would tell you that.”

“Can I see a trick?”

“I’m not very good. How’s this?” She created a glowing light in her hand. It was somewhat dim.

He ran his hand through the light. “Cool, I guess. How does it work?”

“It’s magic,” she joked. “I really don’t know. It’s just something I can do. But I don’t really understand it.”

“Could you teach me?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never taught anyone before.”

“Was it like going to school when you learned?”

“Sometimes.”

“Maybe some other time. That little light doesn’t look useful.”

“I told you I wasn’t very good at it.”

“Well, you’ll get better. Bye-bye.” He ran from the room as children tend to do.

She smiled and got back to poring over the spellbook in her lap. She had been surprised when she’d found it among Rachel’s books. It is specifically about making magic devices and it was more useful than the book Eddie had given her. She was on a page about trigger mechanisms. She was trying to figure out how to incorporate it into the stand. The turning into a doll part was easy conceptually. Stand on the stand and put your weight on the arm rests. Zap. The stand trigger the magic and there’s a doll on a doll stand.

But, what reverses it? She needed to modify the stand somehow. She just wasn’t sure how. At dinner, she said, “Is there a good bar around here?”

“You drink?” Her mother said.

“A lot less now. If I hadn’t been at a bar all those months ago, I wouldn’t be a wizard now.”

“You’re hoping someone will suggest you spend time as a marble statue this time.” Her sister joked.

“Tempting. No. I just need to stop thinking about dolls for a while. Unwind a bit.”

“I’ll call Carol,” Ingrid said. “She probably has a favorite watering hole.”

“Carol?”

“Her ex’s best friend,” Elaine said.

“Ex’s best friend?”

“I got her in the break up. Half off since she was used.”

That got a few laughs.

*****

Carol and Nora sat at a table in O’Malleys a few hours later. “I can’t believe anyone would want to be a doll,” Carol said. She was a few years older than Nora.

“They do. I’m not saying it’s common. But they are among us.”

“Hey, ladies,” a guy approached the table with a friend. “I’m Bart. This is Jerry. We were wondering if we could join you, maybe buy you a drink.”

“Hello, ladies.”

“I’m Nora. But, I don’t think Carol will be interested.”

“Not particularly.”

“Oh, that’s a shame.”

“Yeah, we’re just here to hang out, not to meet people,” Carol said.

“Well, if you change your mind, we’re sitting over there.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Nora said. “At least they weren’t pushy,” she said once they were far enough away.

“I have to leave in an hour if you want to go talk to them later,” Carol said. “I could see Jerry caught your eye.”

“That’s funny. I thought he had eyes for you and Bart was hoping to catch my eye.”

“That could be true. I wasn’t paying attention to their interest in me.” Carol sipped her drink. “I’m wondering though. Are you looking to score? Elaine told Ingrid you’re a bit freaky.”

“My sister said that?”

“Ingrid implied your sister was jealous that you know how to cut loose in a way she’s never been comfortable with.”

Nora laughed. “Are you saying you would be willing to get down and dirty with Bart or Jerry with me because you’re curious?”

Carol took another drink, a bigger one, “Yes. Bart. But I’m open to either of them.”

“You will either love me or avoid me at all costs after tonight.”

“Sounds fair.”

“How do you feel about that couple over there?”

When Nora clarified she meant a man and a woman who were sitting together laughing as those in a recently started relationship do.

“She’s hot. Why?”

“Go to Bart and Jerry and tell them to look at me. If they’re willing to do something, the six of us, give me a thumbs up when I look over and nod.” She got up and approached the couple.

Confused, but game, Carol sat down next to Bart. “See my friend Nora over there?”

“You two looking to hook up?”

“Only if the hook up is you two, us two, and those two.”

“You planning an orgy?” Jerry said.

“Nora is,” Carol said.

Nora was talking mostly to the guy since the woman he was with looked uncomfortable in a good way. Her hands were in a death grip on the edge of the table, like she was trying not to have something happen in public that she knew she couldn’t stop. The guy was looking around frantically, hoping no one would notice.

“Is she about to…?”

“Fuck, she is,” Carol said.

“You didn’t know the plan?” Bart said.

“Not really. But I’m on board for sure now.”

“Me too.”

“Yeah.”

At that moment, Nora looked at Carol across the room and nodded. Nora gave her a thumbs up. The six of them met outside a moment later. The new guy, Vince, suggested his place had room and was nearby.

Nora said, “One moment. All of you need to tell me you agree that what happens at Vince’s home the rest of the evening and morning, stays there. And no one gets mad if they find themselves a bit out of control.”

The group assented, Deena, the new woman, saying, “Absolutely. No one say no if you know what’s good for you.”

They followed Vince home. As soon as the door closed, the lock bolted itself. The three guys floated across the room landing on chairs with their legs up and their pants missing. The three woman moved between those legs, two of them a bit robotically, and pleasured the guys.

None of the observers – calling them participants seems wrong – remembered everything that followed. Nearly eighteen hours of unimaginable debauchery followed during which only one person made any decisions about what happened. All six of them were flopped on the queen sized bed, turned into a heap of motionless dolls. Another ten hours passed before Nora got up.

“I know you all enjoyed that. Thanks for letting me cut loose.” She got dressed. “I suppose I should start restoring all of you. Although I sense some of you are in no rush.”

*****

Weeks passed. Rexx called Jacob. “Did you forget about me?”

“I knew you’d miss me, Rexx. What’s up?”

“I still have Evelyn.”

“Yeah, our wizard won’t be back for another month maybe longer. We figured she could stand on a doll stand here or spend the time with you.”

“Okay. I love having her around. It’s funny. But I miss her voice.”

“That’s sweet. You’ll hear it again eventually.”

“I know. Thanks, Jacob.”

*****

“It worked at least one way,” Nora said as she turned herself back into a person. She was alone in her temporary bedroom. She left to find a volunteer. Ingrid and Elaine were watching television. It was after ten at night. “Hey, I need a doll volunteer.”

“Me-ee,” Ingrid sing-songed.

“How long will she be a doll?”

“As long as you like.”

“All night?” Ingrid said.

“Just follow me,” Nora said.

“I’m not sure I like that duration,” Laney said.

“We can discuss it later,” Ingrid said.

“Not if you’re a doll.”

“Drat. She saw through my plan.”

Nora laughed. “It won’t be over night the first time.”

“The first time?”

They arrived in Nora’s room. “Get on the stand, Ingrid.”

“Does it work?”

“You’re about to test it.”

She placed herself in the stand and looked blankly at the far wall. She frowned, “Did it fail?”

“No. It didn’t start yet. Tap the doll stand base with your foot three times. You’ll have a few seconds after that.”

Ingrid tapped the base three times and then made sure she was looking blankly at the wall.

Light flashed across her body bright enough to make Elaine close her eyes and look away. When she looked back, her fiancee was a doll.

“It worked. You didn’t do anything just now?”

“Just watched. Now, you step next to the stand and tap the base three times.”

“Should I look away?”

“That was a bit bright, wasn’t it?” Nora said. “The bright light doesn’t bother me. I’ll see if I can tone it down in a future revisions. But, yeah, look away when you activate it.”

Elaine used her foot to tap the doll stand base three times. Light, again, flashed across the doll’s body with blinding intensity. When it faded, Ingrid stood on the stand.

“That wasn’t for very long. Can I activated it again?”

“If you two have some time, I’d like to see the device cycle several times in a row.”

Ingrid transitioned back and forth from human to doll four times before Elaine’s tapping didn’t produce a light show. The doll remained a doll.

“Nine activations in about twenty minutes. Not bad.”

“Amazing, I suppose,” Elaine said. “Now what?”

“Now, you wait five minutes before trying to revive her. If that fails, another five, ten, etc. I’m curious how quickly it recovers its energy.”

After an hour, the doll was still a doll.

“Do you mind if we go to sleep and try again in the morning?” Nora said. “I seem to have underestimated the recharge time.”

“I have to leave her here all night?”

“No, pick her up and… you know... sleep with her. In the morning, put her back on the stand and see if you can activate it.”

She hugged her sister. “I’ll have a happy night. So will she. Good night, Sis.” She grabbed the doll and left.

“Good night, Laney.”

*****

It took another two months of tinkering to get the drain reduced as well as the brightness reduced. In the meantime, each Friday night, Carol and Nora would go to the bar. A line of people who had heard about or had experienced one of Nora’s orgies were waiting for her to arrive.

There was a bit of celebrity tension involved. Everyone wanted to swarm her and beg her to invite them to the night’s puppet orgy. At the same time, they didn’t want to seem desperate. Nora always insisted on having on cocktail before entertaining any of the requests.

By the end of the two months, the orgy was taking place in the basement of the bar. The bar was paying her to allow them to host it. The number of participants approached twenty.

This night, the number was double that because she had earlier announced that it would be the last one before she moved away the following week. It lasted well into Sunday morning. When the group was turned back into people, they all insisted Nora allow them to give her a standing ovation and thank her. With a tear in her eye, she thanked them and left.

*****

“I’m going to miss you, Sis,” Nora said. She stood next to her luggage, which included the disassembled magic doll stand.

“Me, too.”

“No more doll fun for me?” Ingrid said sadly.

“You need to go check out Laney’s bedroom.”

“What? Did you make a second stand?”

“I did.”

Ingrid squealed. “Thank you so much.”

“Promise me Elaine will not be calling me a week from now complaining you spend too much time as a doll.”

“Can I have three weeks of indulgence before that ban goes into effect?”

“That’s up to Laney.” Nora said.

Nora arrived at her home airport several hours later. Ron met her at the airport.

“I thought Jacob did all the deliveries, Ron?”

“He does. I usually ride along with him. But not always. Welcome home.” They hugged. “Where am I taking you?”

“Jean’s and Dave’s assuming you’re still storing the bulk of the dolls there.”

“We are. I’ve got the bulky bag. Grab the other and we’ll get going.” In the car, he paused as he fooled with his phone. “I’m just letting everyone know to meet there. Everyone’s missed you.”

“Where’s Dave?”

“He still has a day job. He’s trying to maintain a little distance even though the dolls stay in his apartment. He says he’ll be there soon.”

At the apartment, it took a half hour to get through hugs with the staff and close friends. As the welcome backs faded, Nora had Ron and Dave get one of her bags and had them assemble the doll stand without her help.

“It’s shinier than the others,” Ron noted.

“Perhaps,” Nora said. “Dave, get Jean from the bedroom and put her on it.”

“Okay. Is she getting a new stand?”

“No, this isn’t hers or any of the dolls individually.”

Ron helped Dave get Jean situated quickly on the stand.

“Now, tap the base with your foot three times.” As the not-overly-bright light show faded, Jean inhaled. “You made a doll device? You did it?” She said as she practically flung herself into Nora’s arms.

“I did. Get back on and tap it three times with your foot.”

Jean rushed over to Dave and kissed him before getting on the stand and turning herself into a doll. The handful of people in the room cheered.

“Anything else we should know?” Dave eventually asked.

“Remove her from the stand. Get the other dolls who probably missed having me revive them more frequently. I don’t really know how many changes the stand can do. All I know is they deplete faster if there isn’t a few minutes between activations.”

All the dolls were revived with the doll stand over the next two hours. Dave sent Ron out to get refreshments. When her returned, he held the door open. “Look what I found,” he said.

Jacob entered carrying the doll of Evelyn.

“How long was she gone?” Dave said.

“The whole time Nora was gone plus like a week.”

“She was with Rexx that whole time?” Nora said.

Rexx entered. “Um, hi. Yeah. I’m Rexx. Jacob said I would want to see this and asked me to follow him over.”

Jacob and Ron set her down. Ron tapped the base three times. Evelyn orgasmed as soon as she could move. No one laughed but they all smiled.

“That was awesome. Did that thing restore me without Nora?”

“It did. Did you see…?”

“Rexx!” Evelyn ran to him and they kissed deeply. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Evie.”

“Hi, I’m Nora,” she said, shaking Rexx’ hand.

“You’re the wizard.”

“I suppose I am. And I’m two-thirds of the way through making a second doll stand just like that one, well, technically this one is the second one. I’m making a third one, just for you and Rexx.”

“You are?” Evelyn said giving Nora a hug.

“That would mean Evelyn could be a doll or not whenever we wanted?”

“Yes,” Nora said. “Consider it my wedding gift to you.”

“I still have to propose.”

“You will.”

“He will,” Evelyn said. “I’ll have to remember a doll transformation device doesn’t need to go on our registry any more.”