Archive-name: Changes/gretchen.01

Archive-author: Amelia Allbyte

Archive-title: On Becoming Gretchen - 1





Chapter One



If I hadn't accepted a 'cheap' ride my story would be quite

different. I'd probably be settled down in some nine-to-five job.

Maybe even have a wife and kids in a little vine-covered cottage.



But I did and my path has changed. As a result, I'm not allowed

to even consider going back to that sort of existence. And you

know, I'm not sure I want to - now. Anyway, after you read my

story, you be the judge.



My name is, or used to be, James Carrion. At the time, I was kind

of a vagrant. Itinerant worker sounds better, and I guess would

be more descriptive and apt. I would work at a job maybe six

months or so and then set out for a new place and a new job. At

any rate, my story begins as I was between jobs, so to speak. In

fact it had been quite a while since my last job and I was

getting down to my last couple of bucks when I heard that there

were jobs of some kind opening up in Wells City.



Since there weren't any immediate job prospects in this town, I

decided to try my luck there. When I paid off my room rent, I had

barely enough for the bus ticket. I was going to pay for that

lousy roach-infested room, but as I started to leave I was met by

my landlord, all six feet and two hundred pounds of him. So

naturally I was overjoyed to pay my past-due bill. I sure didn't

want my credit rating damaged, nor my nose bloodied and my eyes

blackened.



I trudged to the bus station. It was a cold, miserable day in

late fall. Not freezing, exactly, but one of those chill days

when the dampness goes right into your bones. Arriving at the bus

station cold, wet, and hungry, I found to my dismay that the next

bus for Wells City didn't leave for another six hours. Nothing

for me to do but wait, and starve.



I purchased my ticket and went over to sit in the dingy crowded

waiting room when this really good-looking dame came up to me. "I

just saw you buy a ticket to Wells City. Are you just going to

sit here and wait until the bus leaves?" she asked me.



"Yes, ma'am. I got no place to go and no money left. About all I

can afford to do is to just sit here until the bus leaves."



"Well, I'm going to Wells City and I hate driving alone. I'll

tell you what. If you will cash in your ticket, I'll take you

there, half price. We'll leave right now so you won't have to sit

around waiting."



To me that sounded like a really good deal. I'd get to ride with

a good-looking girl whose eyes promised real company rather than

wait around and then have to ride in a crowded bus. Besides, I'd

have enough money to get something to eat and maybe rent a room

for a day or so when I got there. Without a moment's hesitation I

agreed.



It only took a few minutes to cash in my ticket and pile into her

big fancy car and be on our way. You might have guessed by now

that this whole thing was just a come-on. At the time I was tired

and disgusted and my only thought was to get out of there, so I

never even thought of a come-on. We got going, her driving at a

pretty good rate of speed.



I wasn't paying much attention to where we were going until I

noticed that we had turned off the main road and were traveling

down a back country road. I turned to the girl to ask where the

hell we were going and looked down the barrel of a big, and I

mean big, pistol. "Just sit quietly. We're almost there," she

ordered.



I soon found out where 'there' was. The road dead-ended. She

ordered me to give her the rest of my money, which I reluctantly

did. I couldn't even hold back a few bucks since she knew exactly

how much money I had. She then ordered me to get out of the car,

which I did with a bit of alacrity. The farther I got away from

that gun, the better I felt. That gal was handling it like she

was born with it in her hand and she did this every day. Maybe

she did.



She didn't waste a minute. She turned around and drove off with

my money, my pack, and everything else I had except for the

clothes on my back.



There was nothing else for me to do except to trudge back toward

the main highway. I guessed I was a good ten miles up this

deserted little side road. To top it off, it had begun to drizzle

and it was getting dark.



I guess I walked a couple of hours in that drizzly rain, when I

finally came to a large house, kind of set back from the road. It

was the first and only house I saw the whole time I was walking.

It sat out there by itself. There was nothing else anywhere near,

not even a barn.



I approached it, hailed it, pounded on the door, and even circled

it. I tried looking in the barred and shaded windows but could

see no sign of life. Finally convinced that no one was about, and

being cold, wet, and hungry, I tried the door.



Lo and behold! The windows were barred and the door looked as

solid as a rock, but it was unlocked. The interior was as

elaborate as the exterior was imposing. I wandered through the

living room and den, sloshing water on the deep napped rug with

every step. I made my way through the house, meeting no one, and

finally found the kitchen. Looking about, I found a well-stocked

refrigerator.



I was hungry, but I was also wet by now, quite chilled. I decided

to try and find some dry clothes, or at least a blanket that I

could cover up in while the rags I was wearing dried. I then

started wandering through the darkened house. I finally found a

bedroom, but the only clothes I found were quite feminine.



I gave up and thought I'd try another room, maybe I'd have some

better luck and find some male clothes, when suddenly the lights

came on!



I turned, and the first thing that caught my eye was the barrel

of a cannon. For the second time in one day I was looking at the

wrong end of a pistol.



As my eyes strayed from the mouth of the pistol, I saw that it

was held by a girl. Woman, really, as she was tall. Taller than

me, even allowing for her high heels. She had fair skin, accented

by her long black hair. She was wearing a white gauzy see-through

blouse that embellished her full breasts and wore black

form-fitting slacks that emphasized her long tapered legs.



She had an air of quiet confidence and held the pistol like she

knew how to use it. What was worse, she looked like she was

rather eager to try it out on me.



"Lady," I said. "You can put that gun away. I'm not trying to

steal anything except maybe a little food, the loan of some dry

clothes, and a chance to get it out of the rain and cold. I

banged on the door and hollered all around the place but no one

answered. I just figured that no one was home, so I came in." I

started to lower my hands.



"Keep them up!" she commanded, waving the pistol a bit. She then

walked around me, kind of looking me over from every angle,

giving little exclamations of approval or disapproval during her

inspection.



After circling me a couple of times, she got a pair of handcuffs

from somewhere. Quickly and efficiently, she pinioned my wrists

behind me.



Marching me back into the den, she stopped me on a big furry rug

lying in front of the fireplace. She made me lay down on my

stomach and produced another pair of manacles which she put on my

ankles. Then, to add insult to my helplessness, she linked my

wrists and ankles together.



"Your clothes are soaking," she said rather unnecessarily as if

she hadn't seen me dripping water the whole time. "We'll have to

do something about that."



She left and returned a few moments later with some scissors and

calmly began cutting my clothes off me. I mean everything. She

stripped me down to the buff so that I was lying there on that

rug, bare-assed naked.



She kind of giggled while I lay face down on the rug and tried to

pull my feet up to hide the crack of my ass. However, she

relented a bit and covered me up with another skin. I didn't know

whether the rugs were fake or real animal skin, but they sure

were soft, warm, and dry.



"Hungry?" she finally asked.



"Starving," I replied. "I haven't eaten since this morning. I met

this girl who offered me a ride to Wells City. We hadn't gone but

a little way when she took me down this lonely road, pulled gun

on me, and dumped me. Now I find this place, and the first thing

I know you pull a gun on me, hog-tie me, and strip me."



Then I added quite angrily, "You're damn right I'm hungry, and

mad and disgusted too. To top it off, you have me chained up this

way for no reason at all."



"I only asked if you were hungry," the woman replied. "I'm not in

the least interested in your problems or whether you are

disgusted or not. I'll get you something to eat."



She appeared shortly with a plate of what appeared to be pieces

of meat, gravy, and some kind of vegetables in it, and a bowl of

milk.



She sat the dishes down in front of my face. "You'll have to eat

it like my little doggy, but don't worry; when you're through,

I'll wash off your face."



I looked at the food, rather warily. It looked suspiciously like

dog food. She saw my look and laughed. "No, it's not dog food -

this time. But if we don't come to some sort of an understanding,

it may very well be, next time."



I was hungry, and despite the humiliation, began eating. The meat

was rich and tender. The vegetables were delicious. But have you

ever tried eating while lying on your stomach with your hands

tied behind you? It's not easy. You have to estimate where the

food is. By the time you get your face down to it, you can't see

it. Then you have to get your nose out of the way. No matter how

hard you try, you are still going to get your nose and chin

messed up. Also, trying to get liquid out of a bowl is no snap. I

guess that if a person practices long enough, he would get adept

at lapping it up like a dog or cat. In my case, though, I had to

kind of purse my lips and suck it up.



I finally finished it all, even to the point of licking the

plates clean. The woman removed the plates and cleaned up my

face. After putting the dishes away, she sat on the sofa, looking

down at me.



"I'm needing a maid to serve a group of girl friends I am having

here in a day or so. If you will act the part, I won't turn you

in to the police for breaking and entering and possibly trying to

attack me."



"I never tried to attack you and I wasn't breaking and entering.

I just came in to get out of the rain."



"On the contrary, I found you in this house sneaking around,

looking for something to steal. Probably if you had found me

unarmed, you would have tried to rape me."



"Why, you know that isn't true!"



"Who do you think will believe you, after I tell them my story of

how I caught you sneaking up behind me, trying to attack me?"



I was beat and I knew it. There wasn't a soul who would believe

my story. I could hardly believe that it had happened the way it

did, and I was there.



So, I asked, "Maid? What's with the maid bit? A maid's a female,

I'm not, so that leaves me out. I may be a lot of things, but I'm

no girl."



"If you agree, when I'm through, no one will know the difference.

I can put some makeup on you, dress you up, and you'll look quite

attractive."



"Hell, no! I'm not going to agree with such a silly thing."



"OK., I'll just call the cops and tell them I caught you in my

bedroom."



"Why, I'll just tell them what really happened," I responded.

"I'm sure they'll realize that it was just a mistake," I replied

desperately, knowing that no one would believe it. What was

worse, she knew it too.



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