“See,” Ann said, “This is what I wanted to show you.”

     “Oh my God!” Betsy said, “I thought you were joking.”

     “Nope,” said Ann. “She’s real. She’s really alive.”

     “Does she get released?” Betsy asked.

     “Nope!” Ann said crisply. “This is totally permanent, for her entire life. I mean, of course they have hooks for her inside, for bad weather and nighttime – she’s got a climate-controlled space inside. One day if the owner is tired of her or she's not pleasing to customers then the owner has ways to dispose of the body. She'll never be released while she's alive.”

     They were standing in the service alley behind the car repair shop.

     They were high school seniors, walking home from school.

     Ann had taken Betsy on a short detour during the walk home. They were looking at a naked young woman hanging from a wall. Her arms and legs were amputated, replaced with eye bolts. She hung from the bolts from her arms. The woman didn’t look up or seem to know they were there.

     “Oh my God,” Betsy said again, overcome by her feelings. As she collected her thoughts she had a million questions. “Can she see us?” she asked.

     “I don’t think so,” said Ann. “I talked with the owner. He said her eyesight and hearing are pretty well disabled. He said that's supposed to help her.”

     “How does that help her?” Betsy asked.

     “She doesn't need to know what is going on around her. Taking away her sight and hearing is supposed help her really focus on feelings in her body,” Ann said.

     “Her vocal cords came out too,” Ann continued. “She’s here to please the customers. A lot of them are men. I guess men like a woman who doesn't talk!” she said with a chuckle.

     “I've noticed that!” Betsy said with a laugh and a nod. "Men!" she said, shaking her head but still with a smile. Then getting serious again she said, “But still – it's a horrible thing to do to her.” 

     Ann shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “She agreed to all of this. Maybe she enjoys it. She looks fantastic. She gets lots of attention. She gets lots of stimulation from customers – sometimes it goes on all day long when the place is busy. She gets to make people happy. She doesn’t have some of the stress and worry that most people have. Maybe this life is a lot of fun,” she said with a smile. “At least maybe some parts of this life are fun.”

     Betsy shook her head. “No way,” she said. “No woman should agree to this. She must have had a horrible life or been a total loser. Maybe some guy had her under his spell. This isn’t right. This shouldn’t be legal – I’m sure she didn’t realize what she was getting into.”

     “I don’t know,” said Ann. “Maybe she knew. Maybe it’s an interesting challenge. I’m sure many women would find it totally horrible. Maybe a few might enjoy it. Everyone's brain is wired a little differently.”

     “Well, maybe,” Betsy said warily.

     “Anyway ….” Ann said. “I think I told you my boyfriend Zach is opening his own business soon. It’s a car repair and re-painting business. He’s got a lot of talent and drive. I think he’ll do great.”

     “Yeah, I heard,” Betsy said. “He’s a hard worker. He’ll do well.”

     “Well …” Ann said. “We talked and … I brought him over here to see. And … I don’t know. Maybe I might do this,” she said with a nervous tone.

     “What??!!” Betsy said. “Oh tell me you’re not serious.”

     “We also took a tour of the clinic where they do all the work,” Ann said. “I guess they do a few girls a year. And they said business seems to be picking up.”

     “Why – why would you do this??” Betsy asked.

     Ann got a nervous smile. She blushed. She shrugged her shoulders. “I haven’t made a decision yet. It’s just … something I’m thinking about. I wanted to let you know.”

     Betsy was struck silent for a moment.

     “Zach’s sister is really supportive,” Ann said. “She said she’ll help me with my food and hygiene and things.”

     “Wow,” Betsy said.

     “It’s funny,” Ann said with a chuckle. “I asked her if she’d like to do it with me. The two of us could hang by our arms side by side. She was like, ‘Oh hell no! Fuck no! I will never do this in a billion years!’ I guess that just shows how everyone is different.”

     “So if you do this it'll be for your whole, entire life. Is that right? You'll never be released?” Betsy said.

     Ann nodded. “Yeah that’s what makes it so horrible and so exciting.”

     “And any man who comes along can run his hands over you as much as he wants?” she asked

     “Yup,” Ann nodded. ”And women too if they want. That would be kind of scary and humiliating, but also sexy and exciting in a strange way.”

     They were both silent for a moment.

     Ann gesturing to the girl on the wall. “I try to imagine what she must think about. She knows she'll never be released. She'll never have your arms or legs back. She'll never see again. She just hangs there bare, so anyone ogle her and fondle her and do … whatever. She can think about how that will go on every day for as long as she's alive.”

      She took a pause, then continued, “Just thinking about this girl gets my heart beating. I think about nighttime. People go home to be with their families and make dinner, and talk and maybe watch TV or read or whatever. The shop is closed, and she's left hanging alone in the dark all night. I feel so sad for her. And I feel kind of excited too. Part of me wishes that was me. Doing it for real must be ... well I guess the bad and good emotions must be really strong.”

     “I suppose,” said Betsy.

     “And I look on the bright side,” Ann said cheerfully. “If I pick this life soon then I don't have to take any final exams this semester!” she said with a laugh.

     “That's funny,” Betsy said with a smile and a nod. “Okay, that sounds good. Maybe I should think about it too!” she said with a laugh.

     “Anyway,” Ann said getting serious again. “I wanted you to know. I have the papers at home. If I sign the paperwork then the process might start fast – maybe the same day. So if I’m not around I didn’t want you to worry about me.”

     “Well, okay,” said Betsy, still trying to sort out her feelings. “You know you're only 18. You could put this off a few years to enjoy life. You could do some travel. You could try college. You're a gorgeous young woman – you could have all sorts of fun experiences.”

     “Yeah,” Ann nodded and sighed. “I thought about that. Zach said I can put off the decision a few years if I want. I'm just worried if I don't decide now I'll change my mind later and then I'll never do it. I think this is the right time to decide,” she said. “You’ve always been a good friend. If I do this I hope you’ll understand. I hope you won’t be shocked or angry with me.”

     “Oh sweetheart,” Betsy said with affection, “of course not. You should do what you want. Just be careful and do what’s right for you.”

     “Thanks,” Ann said. She paused. “If I do this would you visit me once in a while?” she asked warily, looking closely at Betsy to see what her reaction would be.

     Betsy smiled, then nodded. “I could do that. That would be cool,” she said.

     “Really? That's very sweet,” Ann said with genuine emotion. With a hushed tone she said, “Ugh, I think I want to do this. But God it makes me so scared I feel sick. It would mean so much to me if I thought you might visit sometimes.”

     “I'll help you any way I can,” Betsy said.

     “And if you visit I hope you won't be sad. I hope you won't feel bad for me. Maybe you could visit once in awhile to see how I'm doing and feel happy for me.”

     “I could try,” she said with a nod.

     “Anyway,” Ann continued. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

     They continued their walk home. They talked more as they walked.

     The next morning when she got up Ann got out of bed and looked at the consent papers on the desk in her bedroom. She was bare except for her skimpy panties.

     “Time to decide,” she thought.

     She had to take some deep breath to stay calm.

     She sat at the desk and grabbed a pen.

     She was nervous. “God, what am I doing?” she thought as she marked the papers with her final decision then signed the bottom of the forms.

     She put the paperwork in the special envelope they had given her.

     Her heart was beating hard as she sealed the envelope. She thought about the challenges, pains and pleasures ahead for the rest of her life. Then she got a wicked smile. “There's no backing out now,” she thought. 




(Posted on Nov 8, 2018. Modified and edited a bit on Nov 9-13, 2018. Last edit on Dec 19, 2018.)