HEADONISM

DISCLAIMER: This disclaimer is something I feel compelled to write even though I don’t really feel it should be necessary. This story is fantasy only. Please do not try this at home. The author does not condone the causing of actual harm to anyone. If Poe could write about similar topics, then I can’t see why I shouldn’t either!

This story follows on from TOTALLY TOPLESS and is based on a request by English Damsel (englishdamsel.deviantart.com/)

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THE APPLICATION

The television game show, Totally Topless, has now been on air for a few series and its success and popularity have been unquestionable right from the outset, drawing very large audiences for its weekly slot. The sight of beautiful, semi-naked girls willingly being guillotined on television clearly appeals to the voyeuristic tendencies of the masses and the thrill of the chase to see who is guillotined and who will take home her head in a presentation glass case only adds to the overall excitement of the show. I, myself, have recorded every programme to enjoy again and again. The pleasure gained from them never seems to wane.

Naturally, as soon as the programmed first aired, other television companies wanted a slice of the viewing figures and looked for their own formats for similar game shows, knowing that they would have sure-fire hits. One such rival to Totally Topless comes in the form of a game show called ‘Headonism.’ I also have all of these recorded. My collection of DVDs is ever-growing.

At first, it would seem that such a format would appeal, essentially, to a male audience but, in reality, there seems to be just as large a female following for the shows. I imagine that girls enjoy savouring the bravery of the female contestants on air and maybe even secretly wishing they had the courage to become contestants themselves. Penny was one such person.

After watching the last in the current series of Headonism, Penny watched as the credits started to roll on the screen. As is usual, the music was faded slightly and the credits squashed to one side of the screen so that an information panel could be displayed and a voice was heard to say, “If you would like to be a contestant in the next series of Headonism, just visit our website at the address shown here and fill in the simple form to apply.” Penny had seen and heard this before and had never plucked up enough courage to do anything about it but this time a little voice inside her said, “Go for it,” and she hastily noted down the address. She looked at what she had written and then thought again, screwed up the paper and threw it into the bin, thinking it was better watching others rather than getting involved herself. She knew she didn’t really have what it took to be on a game show in front of millions of viewers, worldwide.

Penny switched off the television and went to bed, the whole idea of applying still playing on her mind. It took some time before she was able to settle well enough to get to sleep but slept uneasily, dreaming of missed opportunities in the worlds of work and pleasure.
She awoke about 5:00am, still worrying about whether she would be doing the right thing to apply or not to apply. She dressed herself quickly and went downstairs.

Searching in the bin, she found the piece of paper and thanked herself for not actually ripping it up into tiny pieces. Steeling herself, she switched on the computer and opened her web browser. Very carefully she typed in the exact web address she had written down and opened the page. The form asked for her name, age, gender (both male and female contestants appear on the show), an e-mail address and her reason for wanting to apply. It also asked for her to upload a recent photograph of herself. Luckily she’d had a few photos of herself taken recently at a friend’s party so she quickly uploaded one of her in a low-plunging black mini-dress and high heels.

She filled in all the other obvious information before almost aborting her application when she didn’t know what to write for her reason for applying. She couldn’t say she just wanted to be on television. That sounded hollow and false. Could she really say that she loved the thrill of possibly losing her head? Perhaps that is exactly what the television company were looking for as the end of the form was full of information to make sure contestants knew what they were letting themselves in for, a disclaimer etc. She decided maybe that was the best option. If she heard no more after that, she decided that she’d just accept that she would just carry on being a viewer and not apply again. She filled in her reason for applying apprehensively, still unsure if she was doing the right thing and paradoxically hoping that it was enough to be accepted onto the show. She pressed ‘send’ and sat back, half in relief at taking the plunge and half in shock at what she’d done. She probably wouldn’t hear anything anyway so she resigned herself to getting on with her normal, humdrum existence.

Several days passed. Two weeks passed. Having all but forgotten that she had even gone through the agony of the application, she was surprised, maybe even shocked, to see an e-mail from Headonsim in her inbox. She stared at it in her inbox, not quite taking it in, apprehensive of actually opening it to see what it contained. Many things rushed through her mind until she settled on the idea that it was probably a rejection.

Resigned to this fact, she opened the e-mail and was amazed to read that she had been accepted as a contestant on the show. If she was still interested, she was to reply in the affirmative within 5 days of receiving this e-mail or her place would be offered to someone else. She was stunned, not sure whether she was ecstatic or horrified. Should she go through with it? She could lose her head. Up to now she’d felt very attached to it but suddenly it didn’t seem like hers to make decisions about any more. She had five days to make up her mind….. then….. her fingers seemed to have a life of their own as she typed her acceptance of the offer, her mind not appearing to control them. Before she could think about what she was doing, she’d clicked on send. Open mouthed, she stared at the computer screen. The words, “What have I done?” were on her lips as she tried to take in the enormity of her actions.

Over the next few days she was troubled by what had happened and partly hoped not to hear any more but by the end of the week she had an e-mail giving her information about the recording of the show, where and when to be there etc. She still found it hard to believe this was all happening. It was as though she’d set some satanic snowball rolling and now she couldn’t stop it. She felt she had no control of where things were leading. At the same time, the thrill of being on the programme was starting to take her over and eventually she began to feel a little more comfortable with herself, accepting the hand of cards fate would deal her. She bothered less about actually losing her head, if that were to happen on the show, and more about the thrill of the possible act of being guillotined. She started to fantasise about having no head and how that might feel: how the studio and the audience might look from the basket below the lunettes once the blade had dropped: who might be taking her head home in a presentation case. Everything started to feel a lot easier and more like fun when she accepted that she no longer seemed to control her immediate future and, instead, went with the flow.

THE SHOW - PREPARATIONS

The television company suggested that the contestants each bring a friend along for support on the day of the recording. Penny had asked her lifelong friend, Amy, to accompany her and she was happy to do so. Their conversation on the train must have raised a few eyebrows amongst eavesdroppers. “What if they do cut off my head?” asked Penny, her fingers reaching to her neck.
Amy laughed. “Don’t worry,” she said, “there’s a one in three chance it won’t be you so it probably won’t be.” She paused before adding, “Would you be disappointed if they didn’t?”
Penny thought for a short time before saying, “I don’t know…… Ever since I applied, I’ve gone from being thrilled at the idea of being in the show to questioning my sanity…. I don’t know if I want them to or not…. the thought of it is thrilling…. strangely, I actually think I do want them to…. but I’m not sure.”
“Even if they don’t,” said Amy, “if you’ve enjoyed the thrill of the risk, then it’s all been worthwhile.” She paused again and then asked, “How would you cope if you lose all your clothes on camera?”
“That hadn’t even occurred to me,” said Penny. “I really don’t think I’d mind. If I can risk having my head chopped off on air in front of millions of viewers, losing my clothes is probably a minor concern.”
“Would you mind your head being given away as a trophy?” asked Amy.
“After the thrill of the programme, I don’t think I would, “ said Penny, “I’m sure the winner would look after it well. They all seem such nice young men on the show….Anyway, it’ll probably be the head of one of the other contestants, not mine”
“I do admire your bravery for going through with this, said Amy, “I’m not sure I would have the courage, myself.”

The studio was just 10 minutes’ walk from the station and the two girls seemed to arrive there in no time. They stepped into the front of the building and approached the girl on reception. “Yes,” she said, “can I help you?”
“We’re here to take part in the programme recording this afternoon,” announced Penny.
“Which programme is that?” asked the receptionist.
“Headonism,” stated Amy.
The word had hardly passed her lips when the girl slapped a form in front of them.
“Sign this, please,” she said, “Is it both of you?”
“Just me,” said Penny, “Amy, here, is just here to support me.
Penny skim-read the form. It said something about agreeing to be nude on set if necessary and to grant permission to be guillotined if she got to that part of the programme. There were plenty of disclaimers. Penny got the feeling that no other shows recorded here probably warranted a similar form! She hastily signed and an escort was called to lead the girls to the green room area at the back of the studio where they met up with the other contestants, three male: Sam, James and Mike; and two female: Sophia and Mia; who would also be taking part in the show. There wasn’t time for much of a chat but all seemed to get on quite well. It was clear to Penny that one of the boys took quite a shine to her. She felt flattered. Sophia was also rather flattered because the other two seemed to show a marked interest in her. Mia felt rather shunned but didn’t let that worry her too much.

The boys were led away to a room to be prepared for the recording: just a little make-up to ensure the lights didn’t reflect off their skin. The girls, too, were led off to another room. Here they had their hair pinned up because one of them – no-one know whom at this stage – would be going on to part three of the show where this would be important. They also had their pubic hair shaved because two of them would end up losing their clothes in part two. It always looked better on screen to have a clean shaved genital area and the audience invariably preferred to see it this way. They were then introduced to the costumes they would be wearing in the show. It was standard for the girls to wear the very popular maid’s outfit for Headonism and each of the three girls changed into their costumes fairly quickly before also undergoing the make-up treatment to be ready for the lights.

A bit of standing around followed as equipment was being tested before they were led into the main part of the studio for the recording. The contestants got their first live view of the set where the competition would take place. Standing at the rear was the guillotine Penny had seen many times on the television. This time, though, it might be cutting off her own head in less than an hour’s time. It was quite a realisation for the three girls who had known what to expect but were now finding that it was finally becoming real in front of their eyes. All three visibly gulped when they saw it and Penny reached her fingers to her neck again briefly. Penny turned to see the audience filling up the seats in the studio and suggested to Amy that she should go and sit down as soon a she could or she might not get a good seat. Amy took the hint and was just lucky enough to get a seat on the front row before they were all taken.

Into the studio then came the programme’s presenter, Hedy Pleasure. (That was obviously not her real name but television producers love to make things rather kitsch.) Hedy, also dressed as a maid (as she always did), came over to speak to the boys, first of all to introduce herself and reassure them not to be nervous on set. She then spoke to the girls, who probably needed a little more reassurance about not being nervous, but Hedy had a very calming way about her, making decapitation sound like the thrill the girls had all hoped it would be when they applied.

The girls were ushered to seats at the side of the studio. The boys took their places in the three leather swivel chairs that appeared on every programme. Beside each chair, each male contestant had his own digital display screen and on the screens could be seen a rotating virtual model of a guillotine. It was colour coded in different parts: the main table was blue; the uprights were purple; the lunettes were green; the bascule was red; the basket was orange and the blade was white. Each section could be turned on or off separately on each screen by a controller in the studio’s control box. Hedy took her place at a lectern between them (stage left) and the girls’ positions (stage right) which would not be used until later in the show. Two assistants also came onto the set, one standing to attention either side of Hedy, and a little behind her, with hands behind their backs. These were two topless maids but, to add to the show’s uniqueness, they were also headless. Their heads sat on small shelves either side of Hedy’s lectern and at times, during the show, would have comical, scripted conversations as a further entertainment for the audience.

THE SHOW – PART ONE

A call was made to get ready and then the show was off to a flying start. Trashy music blared across the system and an unseen announcer shouted, “Welcome to this week’s Headonism with your hostess, Hedy Pleasure.” Hedy smiled broadly at the cameras. The voice continued, “On tonight’s show, for the boys, meet Sam, the manager of a gents outfitters; Mike, a graphic designer and James, a computer programmer...” As each name was mentioned, the camera cut to each face in turn to show the boys smiling, clearly pleased to be on the show. “…and for the girls, meet Mia, dress designer; Penny, office manager and Sophia, catering manager.” Again, as each name was mentioned, the camera cut to each girl in turn to show them smiling broadly and waving, each probably very successfully hiding their mixed feelings about their decisions to apply to be on the show. The voice was now silent and Hedy then continued the introductions, “…and assisting me as ever, Anna and Zoe,” she said, gesturing towards the two topless and headless girls standing a little behind her. The two girls’ headless bodies each curtseyed and both their heads mouthed a ‘thank you’ to the camera, beaming as they did so. The audience clapped and whooped all the way through this.

The camera returned to Hedy once more. “Thank you,” she said as the music died down and the applause from a capacity audience diminished, “We’re thrilled to be back with another edition of Headonism and, as ever, we have six wonderful contestants to entertain you this evening.” She then gave each of the boys a short interview for the camera before posing the question to the camera, “Who will be the lucky boy tonight?” She then went on, “We start with part one of the game, affectionately known as ‘A Head Start.’ I’m sure you all know the rules for part one but for the sake of everyone at home, if I ask a question and you buzz in and answer correctly, you will receive a part of the virtual guillotine on your screen. If you answer incorrectly you are frozen out for the next question. The first person to complete their virtual guillotine wins part one and will go on to part three at the end of the show. Got that, boys?” All nodded. They’d seen the show many times on television and were just keen to get playing.

Hedy began asking the questions. It was pretty much known that the questions seemed to be fairly easy at the start so as to give everybody a good chance and, sure enough, all three contestants soon had the guillotine table showing on their screens. “It’s neck and neck, here” said Hedy, a phrase she always used in the show to describe the situation when all contestants were scoring equally. It had been a policy of the show to say this since it first began. A little more time and a few more questions and each player had the guillotine’s lunettes in place on their models. “It’s still neck and neck,” said Hedy, commentating on their performance. It was at this point that the questions always seemed to get harder and, sure enough, Mike started to fall behind as the others started to complete their virtual guillotine models. A little further still and Sam started to trail, leaving James out in front with only one more piece to gain: the blade. Hedy asked another question and James buzzed in only to be frozen out of the next question. The following question had them all baffled but Mike buzzed in, only to be frozen out too. Another question followed. It related to computers so James felt fully at home and answered it easily. When Hedy shouted, “Correct!” he punched the air as he saw the blade materialise on the digital screen beside him, completing his guillotine. The other screens immediately went blank and, to a suitable sound effect, the blade on James’ screen dropped to obscure the lunettes where the victim’s neck would be held. As it reached the lunettes, the basket jumped a little as if jolted by the sudden thump, before settling back again in place. The audience applauded and whooped at James’ success. “That’s the end of part one of the show.” said Hedy, “We’ll be back with the girls in part two after this short break.” At this point the camera focussed on the two assistants’ heads who made a quick, mildly humorous exchange before the trashy music blared once more and the audience applauded loudly.

During this short break in the recording, the boys were ushered to seats at the side of the studio and the girls were asked to take their places for their round of the game. Where each girl was to stand, there was a vertical pole, about waist height, on her right hand side and on top of it was a mushroom-shaped button to push when wishing to answer a question. On each girl’s left hand side was a hat/coat stand to receive any discarded clothing lost during the game. The three stations were in a line across the studio. The girls took their places at each buzzer, ready for the second part of the show. When all was ready, everyone received a cue that recording was due to begin again.

THE SHOW – PART TWO

That trashy music, so beloved of over-hyped game shows, played once more and the audience were whipped into applause by placards telling them to do so, though they really needed no encouragement. Again the music died down and the applause with it. The camera aimed at the girls in their stations as Hedy announced the second round of the competition before focussing on each girl in turn as Hedy then conducted short interviews.

“OK,” said Hedy, “this part of the game is affectionately known as ‘Your Clothing Or Your Head,’ and just to remind everyone of the rules: If you buzz in to answer a question and you are incorrect, you will lose an item of clothing, which you must hang on the rack to your side. If you are correct, you can choose one of your opponents to lose an item of clothing. If you lose your blouse, bra, apron, skirt and panties, leaving you with just your frilly head-dress, bow-tie, stockings, suspenders and shoes, you will be eliminated from the competition. The last one of you remaining when the others have been eliminated will go on to meet James in part three of the show. No contestant is allowed to cover any parts of herself with her arms or hands during the game and if you lose your panties you must remove them for the camera before leaving the show. Is everyone clear?” The girls all nodded. Smiles were a little more nervous now they’d actually reached this part of the proceedings.

Hedy asked her first question. Mia was straight in and answered correctly. She chose Sophia to lose an item of clothing. “Say goodbye to your blouse,” said Hedy, and Sophia began to unbutton her top before hanging it up on the stand, next to her. The next question was answered again by Mia who gave the wrong answer. Hedy repeated, “Say goodbye to your blouse,” and Mia unbuttoned it before hanging it up on the rack beside her. “Are we going to be neck and neck, here?” asked Hedy but the answer to this was a definite ‘no’ as Mia answered the next question correctly and nominated Sophia to lose her next item of clothing. “Say goodbye to your bra,” said Hedy, as Sophia reached around her back to unclasp it before slipping the straps down her shoulders and placing it on the rack. She knew she was not allowed to cover her 36C breasts so accepted that they would be on view to the audience, both in the studio and worldwide, via the television, once the show was screened. The men in the audience thoroughly approved and made it clear by applauded and whistling. Sophia went a little red in the face but smiled, nonetheless. Penny got an answer wrong and was greeted by Hedy’s, “Say goodbye to your blouse.” In the audience, Amy winced to see her friend being unsuccessful.  

All the girls now had lost at least one item of clothing. Sophia answered two questions wrongly, saying goodbye, firstly, to her apron, and then her micro-skirt. With only her pantries to go before elimination, her chances of progressing in the show looked slim. It looked as though she’d actually chickened out of the competition by the way she answered; as though she’d deliberately decided to fail and avoid the guillotine at the end of the show. Penny answered two questions correctly and each time nominated Mia to lose clothing. Firstly Mia said goodbye to her bra and then her apron. Standing there topless, she looked proud of her spectacular 38C breasts and thrust them out to show them to full effect, which was very popular with the audience. Amy looked on from the audience and was thrilled with Penny’s success, although the thrill was tempered a little when she realised that with this success, Penny was a little closer to losing her head.

Mia answered the next question correctly and, almost as though she’d taken revenge for Sophia’s popularity with the boys, chose Sophia to lose her final item of clothing. Mia looked a little sheepish as Hedy said, “Say goodbye to your panties.” Sophia knew this was the end of the game for her and slowly bent down as she slipped her panties down her legs and over her shoes before hanging them up on the rack. She stood there for a few seconds as the audience took in the full-frontal view of her in just her frilly head-dress, bow-tie, stockings, suspenders and shoes. They approved of what they saw; the males in particular, who whooped and whistled while applauding loudly.

Hedy continued, “I’m afraid we must now say goodbye to you, Sophia, as you have been eliminated from the competition. Thank you for playing Headonism. I hope you’ve enjoyed the experience.” Anna stepped forward and presented Sophia with a clear resin trophy bearing the show’s name and an image of a guillotine as a consolation prize and a reminder of her appearance on the show.
“I certainly have,” said Sophia who didn’t completely convince with her reaction. Perhaps she had actually chickened out after all and was relieved to be leaving. Zoe took her by the arm as she walked across the studio, waving to the audience, who applauded loudly as she went. She looked stunning in the little clothing she was left wearing, but the losing girls usually did. That was one of the things that made this show so popular particularly with the male audience members.

So we were now left with just Penny and Mia. Mia confidently answered Hedy’s next question but was horrified to find that she had the incorrect answer, cupping her hands to her face and staring open-mouthed. Hedy paused a little before stunning Mia with the words, “Mia, say goodbye to your skirt.” The tiny skirt lapped over at the front and Mia unclipped it before opening it out as a long strip of fabric behind her. She let one end go and hung it on the rack beside her. It was only with the loss of her skirt, her last but one item of clothing, that it struck her how her apparent concentration on eliminating Sophia had meant that Penny had got off very lightly, losing only her blouse. It seemed almost certain to Mia, with only her panties left to lose, that she, herself, would be the next person to be eliminated. It appeared that, to Mia, losing her head would have been preferable to her to losing her clothes and the competition.

A small consolation came when Hedy asked the next question and Penny got the answer wrong. Hedy’s voice was heard to say, “Penny, say goodbye to your bra.” The audience had hoped for this moment because although Penny had the smallest back of the three girls, she clearly had the largest breasts. They stared, without breath, as Penny reached behind her back to unclasp her bra before sliding the straps down her arms, revealing her beautiful, firm, 34D breasts to the audience, who whooped, cheered and applauded loudly. Penny reddened a little in the face at the attention as her breasts jiggled a little before settling in place. There were now two delicious pairs of magnificent breasts on full show for the second time in the game.

Mia was now down to her frilly head-dress, bow-tie, panties, stockings, suspenders and shoes. It only took one more successful answer from Penny to ensure that she then lost her last item of clothing. Hedy’s voice again was heard. “Mia, say goodbye to your panties,” she said. Mia looked rather downhearted as she bent over to slip her panties down and over her shoes before hanging them on the rack beside her. There were more whoops and applause from the audience. She did look delightful as she stood there for everyone to take in the full spectacle of her full-frontal form. Hedy then said, “I’m afraid we must now say goodbye to you, Mia, as you have been eliminated from the competition. Thank you for playing Headonism. I hope you’ve enjoyed the experience.” Again Anna stepped forward, and she presented Mia with a clear resin trophy bearing the show’s name with its image of a guillotine as a consolation prize and a reminder of her appearance on the show. Mia looked close to tears as she took the trophy and thanked Hedy for the opportunity to play the game. She also turned to Penny and wished her good luck, giving her a hug as she did so. Zoe then took Mia by the arm as she walked across the studio, waving to the audience who applauded loudly as she went. Like Sophia, she looked stunning in the little clothing she was left wearing. Her 38C breasts jiggled in front of her as she walked, adding to the audience’s delight. Amy wasn’t sure whether to be happy or to cry now that her friend had reached part three of the show but she applauded her on her success, nonetheless.

Hedy congratulated Penny on reaching part three of the show, affectionately known as ‘Getting Ahead’. As she did so, Anna and Zoe were pushing the guillotine into the centre of the studio. Facing it towards the audience, Anna opened the lunettes, ready to receive Penny’s neck. The guillotine was then turned side on to the audience and Zoe pulled back the bascule before setting it upright at the end of the table. Cameras were trained on the guillotine at every angle and each view was relayed to the excited audience via a series of monitors above the action on the set. This was the part of the show that was most popular with viewers. Even beautiful girls stripping off their clothes didn’t have quite the excitement generated at this point in the show. However, the guillotine’s victims being at least partially naked did add greatly to the spectacle. Penny looked spectacular. She was topless, but wearing her frilly head-dress, bow-tie, tiny skirt, apron, panties, stockings, suspenders and shoes. She had done well to retain this much clothing. Many winning contestants wore much less by this stage of the game. The fact that the winning girls always still wore their bow-ties at this point was not a problem as the lunettes covered them and they did not get in the way of the guillotine’s blade.

“Please step up to the bascule, Penny,” said Hedy. Penny did as she was asked, wondering if she should ever have filled in that application. However, a macabre thrill went through her body and she couldn’t help herself walking smartly up to the bascule ready for the next  part of the show. She pressed her body against the bascule, squashing her beautiful, firm breasts as she did so. Zoe strapped her in place and lifted the end of the bascule before sliding it forward and slipping Penny’s head through the lunettes. This could all be seen from as many different angles as the audience preferred by viewing the large monitors. Amy gulped a little as she saw her friend’s head pop out at the front of the machine but she also had a macabre thrill that made her cheer for Penny with the rest of the crowd. Penny knew that, as was always done on the programme, there would be each view of her head entering the lunettes flashed up on the screen, one after another, when the show was broadcast. She found it difficult to take in what was now happening. With Penny’s head now clamped in place, Hedy made an announcement about taking a short break and that the show would be back soon for part three. Anna and Zoe’s heads again made a short mildly amusing quip before the trashy music drowned them out and recording stopped for a few minutes.

One of the studio engineers was a little concerned about the lighting and the short break turned into a rather longer one while it was checked. Penny hadn’t expected to be lying on the guillotine for so long. “We’ll soon be up and running again,” assured Hedy. Meanwhile, Penny’s mind began to wander back through the whole process of applying for the show, travelling to the studio, her experiences in the studio before the show and playing the game. She asked herself if she was now the lucky winner or the unlucky loser. One thing she knew for sure was that she would lose her head very soon and James, who was the winner in the boys’ round, would be taking it home as a trophy. She stared down into the shallow basket, which was on a ledge just below the lunettes so as to avoid too long a drop. A shallow basket meant that her head would not be obscured from the audience at any time during the proceedings. It was very heavily padded to avoid bruising and she took comfort in a soft landing. She’d seen that very same basket used on all the previous shows but had never imagined that it would one day actually contain her own severed head. She waited, as patiently as she could without trying to chicken out, something she knew would destroy the whole programme she’d just helped to record. It would be a bit late to change her mind now. She wondered what Amy was thinking right now, seeing her best friend clamped in place in the guillotine and ready to go.

THE SHOW – PART THREE

What must have been ten or fifteen minutes went past. At least that’s what it seemed like to Penny. “OK,” came the comment from the engineer, “we can get on now.” The trashy music played once more and as it and the audience’s applause died down, Hedy announced, “Welcome back to part three of the show.” In part one we discovered who was to operate the guillotine and our winner was James. James stepped forward from the side of the studio and he embraced Hedy, kissing her on the cheek. He stood beside the guillotine as Hedy asked him how he felt at this moment. James could only say that he was very excited and that he’d never done anything like this before. Contestants each week found it hard to find anything very new to say. It wasn’t easy to think of anything that might have been new. However, he did say that he was very much looking forward to taking home his trophy at the end of the show and that he would treasure it. Hedy then asked Penny how she was feeling at this moment and Penny bit her tongue to avoid complaining about the wait. Instead she said that she was fine and was looking forward to the next stage of the proceedings. “Good, you will be our twenty-second head since the show began,” said Hedy. “OK James,” she continued, “ take hold of the lever, please and I’ll just ask for a drum roll from our resident musicians. When the drum roll finishes, just pull the lever.”

The drum roll began, and Penny stiffened up a little as she knew what would be happening in only a few seconds. Would she faint from pain? Would she come through it as though nothing had happened? Would it be a wholly wonderful experience. The drum roll stopped. She felt a slight jolt as James pulled the lever and she heard a click above her head as the blade was released, followed by a rumble in the uprights of the machine. Finally, in what seemed like several seconds, but must have only been a split second, she felt the thud as the blade reached the bottom of its travel together with a slight stinging in the back of the neck which turned to an overwhelming feeling of calm as she felt her head begin to move away from the front of the guillotine. Her whole body relaxed and another surreal stretching of time made her feel that she floated gently and slowly through the air as her head slipped downwards and away from the blade. Its short journey finished with a soft landing in the heavily padded shallow basket below the lunettes. It rolled just a little and landed on its side so she could see the blade that was covering the lunettes where her head used to be. Penny knew that, again, this whole sequence would be relayed in a series of short replays from different angles when the show was broadcast. Some would portray her guillotining in slow motion, just to heighten the effect for viewers. The audience whooped and cheered as they saw Penny’s head fall.

Without further ado, Hedy called James to the side of the guillotine to allow full view to the audience while Anna presented him with a polished wooden platter which he held out in front of him. Anna then carefully picked up Penny’s head – still wearing its frilly white head-dress - from the basket and gently placed it onto the platter, facing the audience, where the severed head beamed out across the studio, glad that she’d gone through with the whole process. Hedy announced to James, “Here is your trophy from tonight’s show. We will have it mounted in a transparent display case for you to take home this evening.” James thanked Hedy and looked at Penny’s face before thanking her too. He looked very pleased with his prize and raised it in the air to make sure that all the audience and viewers at home would see it clearly.

Meanwhile, Zoe was pulling the bascule backwards from the guillotine’s blade – with no head to impede travel, Zoe didn’t need to open the lunettes or raise the blade, the neck stump just slid out smoothly – and setting it upright at the end of the table. She unstrapped Penny’s body and Penny stepped away from the machine to join James and Hedy. Penny looked stunning: headless and topless, wearing her tiny skirt, apron, panties, stockings, suspenders and shoes with a lovely finishing touch to her new neck stump: her bow-tie. Hedy called Mia and Sophia – still in their losing states of undress - back in front of the cameras as all waved to the audience while Hedy said, “We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s show and that you’ll join us again next week for another edition of Headonism. Goodbye.” Zoe and Anna’s heads hade their final quip of the show and Amy searched through the net on her phone to find the Headonism online application form as the trashy music began to get louder and the applause erupted. In the broadcast version of the show the titles would conclude with a picture of Penny’s head in its transparent display case.

Well, Penny’s head was not the only part of her that went home with James that night and she still watches the show regularly…. from her transparent display case on the table beside James’ television chair. By the way, my name is James, and, I can tell you, I treasure my trophy from that night!

YHM (Copyright 2015)


Here is an image a little (no bow-tie or apron, unfortunately) like the way Penny would have appeared at the end of part two of the show. This girl doesn’t know the rules about not covering herself! mro16.deviantart.com/art/Pin-U…