It looked just like the ordinary world, but it was anything but ordinary.
A step through a doorway and I found myself in a world where nudity is mandatory. How could this be the way the world works? Why did this have to happen to me?
I was shy. I was quiet. I wasn’t the sort of woman who wanted to be the center of attention.
But here in this world I had to follow the law. Even if that meant that I was completely exposed. Even if that meant that they could see everything. Even if that meant stripping down to nothing and baring it all.
Excerpt
“Sorry,” I said, my voice mumbly and thick, “I’m from out of town and I didn’t know anything about all of this clothing pass stuff.”
I could tell from the look on their faces that they didn’t buy a word of that. I wasn’t sure how far reaching this madness was but I had a feeling that ‘out-of-town’ wasn’t going to cut it.
But sometimes being bumbling and awkward can have its benefits and I guess this was one of those times. They decided not to call me out, both of them nodding at each other and then turning to me.
“Right,” said the first woman, “Well I don’t want to be a stickler or anything but you better get undressed. You don’t want to go around fully dressed without a pass or you might wind up getting ticketed and you know what the punishment for that is.”
“Hefty fine and no clothes for a year,” said the second woman, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Unless that’s your thing,” continued the first.
No. Not my thing at all.
I didn’t know what kind of madness had seized these two women but I had to hope that it was localized enough that I could get out of this with as little embarrassment as possible. I figured I would play along until I was able to get out of sight and then I would redress and rush home as quickly as possible.
I wasn’t a fan of the idea of getting naked in front of strangers, but at least it was only women and having been to the gym and such before it wasn’t exactly a foreign experience. Though I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been naked outdoors…
Shaking a little I reached behind me to unzip my uniform and slip it off of my shoulders. It was a modest dress, with wide shoulders and a hem that came down past my knees. Stepping out of it I felt a shiver, like it wasn’t just my body that was exposed. Like it was so much more.
My underwear was modest and plain. I looked at these two women who were staring at me expectantly, they wanted me to get on with it. They had places to be and this was the most ordinary thing in the world to them.
I didn’t know what I was going to do, almost every single bit of me was screaming this was wrong. Almost every bit of me was urging me to run.
But there was a part of me that wanted something else. There was a part of me that didn’t mind what was happening here.
I made a point of ignoring that part of me and soldiering on.
My bra came next, followed by my underwear and then I was bare, the cool breeze running over my bare skin as the only thing I wore was a pair of running shoes on my feet. In awkward silence I folded my clothes neatly and slipped them into my bag.