Black Lingerie Chronicles, Part Twenty-Two

There was a sudden hiss of escaping air and a muffled thump as something fell to the carpet behind her. Frowning, Mindy turned to see what had made the noise. She saw Sarah opening her eyes and the pile of clothing at her feet. Meeting her girlfriend’s eyes, she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

Sarah just shrugged, bending over and picking up a t-shirt.

“You are getting dressed?” Mindy asked, moving against her.

“We have a peeping tom, remember?” Sarah said.

Smiling at her, Mindy said, “It’s a little late to be shy now. There’s nothing left for Management to see they haven’t already seen.”

Sarah looked at her for a moment, then sighed and threw the shirt atop the pile. Looking up at the ceiling, she said, “If anyone’s listening, we’d like to have some privacy.”

“Do you think that’ll do any good?” Mindy asked, amused.

“Probably not,” Sarah said, shaking her head sadly.

“We can get dressed if it’ll make you feel better,” Mindy said.

“I have a better idea,” Sarah said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs. Turning into the master bedroom, she slipped under the covers and moved over so Mindy could join her. When Mindy pulled the covers over them, Sarah snuggled against her.

Smiling at her, Mindy asked, “Better?”

“Better than nothing, I guess,” Sarah said, laughing, “not that we haven’t already given Management an eyeful this evening anyway. Between the lingerie party and sleeping with Natty…”

“Yeah, that,” Mindy said, meeting Sarah’s eyes, “do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Sarah said, smiling at her.

“No?” Mindy repeated, surprised.

“No,” Sarah said, kissing her, “it was fun.”

“Huh,” Mindy said, snorting, “enough said, then?”

Laughing, Sarah found her hand under the covers, their fingers interlocking. Holding Mindy’s gaze, she said, “We’ll probably have to talk about next time, but for now… Yeah.”

“Next time?” Mindy repeated, raising her eyebrows.

“Like I said, it was fun,” Sarah said, blushing.

“Ah,” Mindy said, laughing, “there’s that kinky streak.”

“Hey, you don’t get to talk about me being kinky,” Sarah said, giving her a look, “not after I find out you have a bunch of sex toys. I mean, how? Even Loren isn’t old enough to buy that sort of thing.”

“She has a fake ID,” Mindy said.

“Oh,” Sarah said, snorting, “I thought people only got those to buy beer.”

“I don’t think she got it to buy sex toys,” Mindy said, laughing.

“Still,” Sarah said, then changed the subject, “are you sure Ashley hasn’t slept with her?”

“I don’t think so,” Mindy said, then started laughing, “fine. I’ll tell you the story, but you can’t tell Ashley I told you. Do you remember that Harry Potter toy she has? The Nimbus 2000?”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, then her eyes got wide, and she started laughing, “oh, this is going to be good.”

“Ashley was kind of masturbating with it when Loren tried to sneak out of Ashley’s window,” Mindy said, grinning, “which led to a very embarrassing encounter for Ashley. The next morning, Loren gave Ashley the vibrator as sort of a… a bribe and an apology, I guess. So Ashley wouldn’t tell on her for sneaking out. That and she said Ashley needed the right tool for the job.”

“No, she didn’t?” Sarah said, laughing.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, shaking her head, “so Loren’s giving Ashley a vibrator was comical rather than sordid.”

“It’s still kind of sordid,” Sarah said, still laughing, “what kind of person gives a twelve-year-old a vibrator?”

“I’d say the best kind,” Mindy said with a playful smile.

“I guess I really can’t argue with that,” Sarah said, kissing Mindy, “not after earlier.”

“Do you still want one for Halloween?” Mindy teased.

“Well, yeah,” Sarah said, making Mindy laugh, “do you think Loren will buy us one?”

“She said she’s done buying sex toys for minors,” Mindy said.

“Great,” Sarah said, with mock exasperation, “now she wants to have a conscious.”

Laughing, Mindy said, “I’ll figure something out.”

Sarah gave her a funny look, then asked, “Really?”

“Hey, I want one as much as you do,” Mindy said, kissing her deeply.

“Just don’t get in trouble over it,” Sarah said, snuggling tighter against her, “a week apart is too much. If you get caught buying a vibrator, I may never see you again.”

“Even if I did get caught, I’d still find a way to see you,” Mindy said, smiling at her, “even if it means here.”

Sarah made a face, said, “I’d still prefer somewhere with less of an audience.”

“Does that mean you don’t want to fool around?” Mindy said, the corners of her mouth turning up.

“I, well-” Sarah said, noticing Mindy’s smile, “maybe if we turned out the lights…”

Mindy doubted that would make a difference, considering Management seemed the omnipotent type, but she didn’t say it out loud. Mostly because all this talk of sex toys was starting to awaken the desire she had thought put to sleep by their time with Natty. With an inward smile, she thought, Damn hormones.

She saw in Sarah’s face that the girl wasn’t completely buying her own line about turning out the lights, either. Mindy’s inward smile became an outward one when she saw the girl was still interested, anyway. She guessed she wasn’t the only one driven by the hormones flowing through her body.

“We could see if Natty would let us borrow her vibrator,” Mindy said, kissing Sarah.

Pulling back from the kiss, Sarah gave Mindy a nervous smile, said, “Maybe your strap-on, instead.”

Mindy met the girl’s eyes, saw that under that nervousness was an excited determination. Giving the girl a tender kiss, Mindy said, “If you are sure.”

Laughing and shaking her head, Sarah said, “After getting my feet wet with Natty… I think I’m ready to dive headfirst into the Craziness.”

“I’ll go get it, if you are sure,” Mindy said, holding her gaze.

“I’m sure,” Sarah said, taking a deep breath that she let out in a nervous giggle, “go get it.”

Mindy gave her a lingering kiss, then slipped from between the covers. She hurried next door, trying to remember where she had left her strap-on. Outside, she squinted in the sudden glare. It didn’t seem like it should be daylight out. She had to remind herself it was a new day in the Place of Locked Doors.

She didn’t know why she was surprised. It had been daylight when she and Sarah had left Natty’s and walked next door. She guessed it just hadn’t registered, then.

Mindy paused to look around the deserted street. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was truly deserted, or if she just couldn’t see the citizens of the Place of Locked Doors. Somehow, she thought it was the latter.

When she pushed through the blanket over the doorframe and into Natty’s, she found the girl sitting on the couch, playing Mario Kart – or trying to, anyway. Even with a very naked Sarah waiting on her, she had to take a minute to watch the girl struggle with the controller.

When Mindy sat on the couch next to her, Natty asked, “What are you doing over here?”

“Just came to grab something,” Mindy said, smiling, “having fun?”

“Trying to get the hang of this,” Natty said, glancing at Mindy, “what did you come to get?”

“My strap-on,” Mindy said.

Natty drove off the road, in surprise. Her eyes wide, she asked, “Yeah?”

Laughing, Mindy said, “Yeah. I think Sarah’s embraced the Craziness, now.”

“This is a big deal,” Natty said, meeting Mindy’s eyes.

“I know,” Mindy said, with a reassuring smile, “I’m going to make sure she’s ready. If she is, I’m going to make her first time something to remember.”

Nodding, Natty said, “I think your strap-on is downstairs.”

“Thanks,” Mindy said, getting to her feet. Pointing at the TV, she said, “Keep practicing, then we can race next time I come over.”

“Okay,” Natty said, smiling at her.

Mindy walked into the office down the hall, through the secret door behind the bookcase, and down the stairs to the weird studio apartment in the basement. She went to the bed, figuring that was the most likely place for her strap-on to be. Spotting it, she grabbed it, then had to laugh when she saw the other two strewn on the bed.

Shaking her head, she said, “Maybe we did get a little crazy.”

She ran back upstairs, calling out to Natty as she headed out the door, “Love you. Bye.”

“Have fun,” Natty called after her.

Mindy hurried next door, taking the stairs two at a time. When she opened the door to the bedroom, she was surprised to find it dark, save for a single burning candle set far away from the bed. In the gloom, she could just make out Sarah lying on the bed.

Smiling, she asked, “Do you think this will help?”

“I’m hoping they’ll get the message and look the other way,” Sarah said, slipping off the bed and coming to Mindy. Moving against her, the girl kissed Mindy deeply, said, “This is okay, though?”

“Yeah,” Mindy said, pulling her closer, “my hands will just have all the fun, instead of my eyes.”

“Mm…” Sarah said, sounding like she was smiling. She kissed Mindy deeply, taking the strap-on from her slack fingers while she was distracted. Taking it over to the candle, she looked at it. Laughing, she said, “You know, I sort of figured you were… I don’t know, exaggerating when you said you had a strap-on, but this… This is a real strap-on.”

Grinning, Mindy asked, “What do you know about strap-ons?”

“That’s a long story,” Sarah said, laughing, “one I need to tell you eventually.”

“The pond story?” Mindy guessed.

“Yeah.”

“Why do I get the feeling this is a whopper of a story?” Mindy asked, meeting her girlfriend’s eyes.

“It is pretty crazy,” Sarah said, with a little laugh.

“Maybe you can tell me later,” Mindy said, running her hands up Sarah’s arms and moving against her. She gave the girl a heated kiss, borrowing Sarah’s trick of taking the strap-on from her while she was distracted. She didn’t immediately break the kiss, let it linger until it was on the verge of getting away from them. Pulling back, she smiled at Sarah and said, “We better move away from the candle before this goes much further.”

Nodding, Sarah took her hand and led her to the bed, but didn’t move onto it. In the gloom away from the flickering candle, Sarah moved back into Mindy’s arms. Their lips met again. This time, Mindy didn’t pull back when their passion hit the point of no return. The desire that had been on a low simmer boiled over with the rising heat of their excitement.

Mindy got her hands between them, gently pushing Sarah backward. The girl gasped as she was suddenly falling, then she was safely sprawled on the bed. Mindy bent over her, giving her a quick kiss before sinking to her knees next to the bed. She ran her hands up the insides of Sarah’s thighs, pushing them open. She heard the girl inhale sharply as she pressed her lips to her girlhood. That breath was let out as a moan as Mindy’s tongue teased her bud.

“I thought you were going to use the strap-on?” Sarah said, around a sigh.

“Are you in a hurry, then?” Mindy asked, pausing only long enough for those six words. Her mouth returned to Sarah’s bud, drawing another moan from her.

“Well, no,” Sarah said, her body beginning to move with a mind of its own.

When she thought Sarah was ready, Mindy wetted a finger in her mouth, then eased it slowly into Sarah’s hot, wet core. The girl gasped but nodded when Mindy met her eyes in the gloom. Slowly, Mindy moved the finger inside of her, being careful not to hurt her.

“Is this okay?” Mindy asked.

“Yeah,” Sarah moaned.

Thrusting her finger in and out of Sarah’s slick vagina, Mindy lowered her mouth back to the girl’s bud. She smiled when Sarah’s back arched off the bed, and she started grabbing at the sheets. This was a new sensation for Sarah, and the girl probably wasn’t ready for the dueling pleasures that were washing through her body. The first time her babysitter had done this to her, she had had the most amazing orgasm, and Mindy hoped to give that same experience to Sarah.

Sarah- her babysitter, not her current girlfriend- had been incredibly gently, had done this to her without taking her virginity. Mindy wanted to be just as gentle, now. This was just the prelude, the main event later on. Which wasn’t to say she was going to let up before Sarah came.

Curling her finger forward, Mindy found that magic spot deep inside of Sarah, knew she had the right place when Sarah gasped in surprise. Smiling, she teased it with these little come-hither motions making Sarah gasp, again.

“Oh, God,” Sarah said, her back arching off the bed, “that feels so good.”

With her babysitter, Mindy had always been the pupil and Sarah the teacher. Now, it was her turn to be the teacher, and she liked showing this Sarah new ways to experience pleasure. Each moan and sigh Sarah made was the proverbial apple on her desk, the drawing made in crayon, the surprise hug from a student at the end of a school year. It made her want to introduce Sarah to even more ways to make love.

It didn’t hurt that she had a very eager pupil in Sarah.

Remembering what she had said about her hands having all the fun, Mindy let her free hand roam over Sarah’s writhing body. Even though the darkness was far from absolute, Mindy didn’t need her eyes to see Sarah’s lovely figure. Like a blind woman with a book of braille, she read the lines and curves, the swells and valleys of Sarah supine body. Sarah made for a very thrilling read, better than any bestseller on a bookshelf.

Mindy didn’t stop, even as Sarah’s cries grew louder, and she started to come. With her finger and her tongue, she pushed the girl right to the edge, then over. She felt Sarah come around her finger, saw the girl’s hips jerk in the gloom. Smiling, Mindy kept the lovely feelings flowing through Sarah with the slow twist of her finger.

“Holy shit,” Sarah laughed, her hips still twitching.

“You’ve never done this?” Mindy asked, even though she knew the answer.

“I’m a virgin, remember?” Sarah said, trying to catch her breath.

“You technically still are,” Mindy said. She eased her finger out of Sarah, got to her feet, and leaned over the girl for a kiss. Pulling back, she smiled at her, said, “For a couple of minutes, anyway.”

“You didn’t?” Sarah asked.

“No,” Mindy said, picking up the strap-on.

“Huh,” Sarah said, lost in thought.

Grinning, Mindy said, “You could have been doing this the whole time.”

“Why wasn’t I told?” Sarah laughed.

“The same reason parents don’t want their kids to know how good sex feels,” Mindy said, stepping into the harness.

Mindy adjusted the straps on her hips, securing the strap-on in place. Sarah was propped up on her elbows, watching her. She thought the girl was grinning.

“You look happy to see me,” Sarah said.

“I’m always happy to see you,” Mindy said, leaning in to give her a deep, lingering kiss, “it’s just more obvious with boys.”

Sarah moved further onto the bed, and Mindy joined her. On her knees, she moved between Sarah’s legs, pushed them open wide. Running her nails up the inside of Sarah’s thighs, she said, “Are you still sure you want to do this?”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, a warble in her voice.

Mindy thought she was nervous, but not having second thoughts. She leaned in and gave Sarah a tender, lingering kiss. Pulling back, she said, “I’ll be gentle.”

“I know,” Sarah said, smiling warmly at her.

“Try to relax,” Mindy said, moving forward on her knees. She lined the dildo up, pressing it against Sarah’s hot vagina. The girl gasped, and Mindy froze. She gave Sarah a look.

Sheepishly, Sarah said, “It’s cold.”

“Sorry, Babe,” Mindy said, laughing, “take a deep breath.”

Sarah inhaled, and Mindy pushed her hips forward, forcing the air out of her in a gasp. The dildo slid home, buried inside of Sarah. Careful not to move, Mindy met the girl’s eyes in the gloom. They were wide with surprise, not pinched in pain.

“Are you okay?” Mindy asked.

“Um, yeah,” Sarah said, laughing, “I thought it was supposed to hurt more? I mean, it hurt but…”

Carefully leaning forward to kiss her, Mindy said, “It depends on who you are doing it with, I think. That and I think parents exaggerate how much it hurts to make kids wait.”

“Parents, again, huh?” Sarah said, amused, “this beginning to sound like a conspiracy theory for you. Parents are out to keep us from having sex.”

“It’s no secret parents don’t want their kids having sex,” Mindy said.

“Assholes,” Sarah said, making Mindy laugh.

When her laughter dried up, Mindy smiled down at Sarah, asked, “Ready?”

Sarah nodded. Slowly pulling her hips back, Mindy pushed them forward, again. A sound that was somewhere between a gasp, a surprised laugh, and a moan escaped Sarah as the dildo moved inside of her.

“That’s…” Sarah said, then ran out of words.

“Should I do it, again?” Mindy teased.

“Oh, yeah.”

Nice and easy, Mindy started thrusting into Sarah’s ready core. Each time the dildo disappeared inside of the girl, it forced a moan from her slack mouth. The pain was forgotten as the pleasure started flowing through her girlfriend’s body. Even in the gloom, Mindy could see the look of utter enjoyment on Sarah’s face.

Taking her cues from the sounds Sarah was making, Mindy let her pace slowly build. Leaning forward, Mindy put her weight on her arms, so she could really focus on each thrust. A sheen of sweat broke out on her body, and she was breathing faster, using the strap-on like this a workout.

The knot on the back of the strap-on was rubbing against her bud deliciously, the pressure sending shivers of pleasure through her own body. It felt so good, she had to keep reminding herself to take it easy for Sarah’s sake. It would easy to get carried away.

Sarah propped up on her elbow, giving Mindy a lingering kiss. When the girl went back to her back, Mindy followed her, still kissing her. Now lying atop the girl, Mindy didn’t stop thrusting. Sarah wrapped her arms around Mindy’s neck, not letting her pull away from the kiss, even though she was having problems focusing on it. Mindy kissed the curve of the girl’s neck, her shoulder when Sarah became too distracted by the pleasure washing through her to return the kiss.

Mindy smiled as Sarah’s nails bit into her shoulders as the girl clutched at them in the throes of ecstasy. It stung a bit, but she didn’t think the girl was drawing blood. With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, Mindy thought, Not yet, anyway.

It didn’t take long for Sarah to reach her limit. Each thrust of the dildo was finding the spot, and the pleasure was too much for her. Mindy heard her cries grow urgent, knew the girl was going to come. She thrust deep once, twice, three times, the last one setting off an explosion of ecstasy in her girlfriend. Still lying atop the girl, Mindy felt the jerk of Sarah’s hips as her orgasm shook her. She slowly moved the dildo inside of Sarah, didn’t let that lovely feeling die out too fast for the girl.

Sarah gave her a heated, lingering kiss, before pulling back to say, “I want to try something.”

“What?” Mindy asked.

Putting her elbow into the mattress, Sarah rolled them without answering. On top, she smiled down at Mindy, said, “This.”

The girl straightened up until she sat astride Mindy. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she started moving up and down, her pneumatic body riding the dildo that was still buried inside of her. Each time it moved in her, it forced a moan from the girl.

Smiling playfully, Mindy asked, “This is what you wanted to try?”

“You’ve never watched a love scene in a movie with the girl on top and thought I want to try that?” Sarah said, her voice thick with excitement.

Her smile widening, Mindy asked, “What kind of movies have you been watching?”

“Shut up,” Sarah said, laughing as she leaned in to kiss Mindy.

As the girl straightened back up, again, Mindy thought there were worst things than letting Sarah have her fun on top. Even in the faint flickering light of the candle on the other side of the room, Mindy could make out the sensual flex of her body as she moved up and down on the dildo. The shadows playing across Sarah’s skin as she moved were incredibly sexy, erotic.

Mindy knew the kind of scenes Sarah was talking about- even though she probably shouldn’t at her age- and she thought her girlfriend put those actresses to shame. Her opinion might be biased, but Mindy didn’t think there was anything sexier than Sarah sitting astride her hips, now. Like iron to a magnet or a moth to a flame, her eyes were drawn to Sarah’s lovely body as she wrung every ounce of enjoyment out of the strap-on that she could.

Unable to contain the words, she said, “You look incredibly hot like that.”

Smiling, Sarah said, “I thought I felt your eyes on me.”

“Can’t take them off of you,” Mindy said, meaning it.

Sarah leaned in and gave her a heated kiss. When she sat back up straight, the roll of her hips was more pronounced. Her back arched, her hair sweeping nearly to her backside. Her hands came up to cup her breasts, to tease her straining nipples.

Mindy smiled, thinking Sarah was putting on a show for her, teasing her. Her heart beating faster, she realized it was working. The girl had already had her attention, but Sarah’s playful seduction had her enthralled, captivated.

She thought Sarah might have turned herself on, too, trying to excite her. Mindy knew it was an aphrodisiac to have someone’s attention the way Sarah had hers, to have someone looking at you with carnal thoughts on their mind. Right now, she thought her heavy eyes might be doing more for Sarah than the dildo inside of her.

Well, maybe not, Mindy thought, watching the girl bound on the dildo. It looked like Sarah was getting plenty of enjoyment out of it. Even in the gloom, Mindy could see the slack-mouth, eyes rolled back look of ecstasy on her girlfriend’s face.

Grinning, she thought she was going to have to sneak her strap-on out of the house to the cabin, after this. They were going to need it, once Sarah wasn’t grounded, anymore.

Mindy thought the girl was going to make herself come if she kept riding the dildo like that. Mindy didn’t see how she couldn’t. She thought about telling the girl to take it easy, that she would feel it in the morning, but Sarah’s cries suddenly grew sharp, and her hips started to falter. Mindy grabbed the girl’s hips, kept her moving up and down long enough to finish. Sarah cried out one more time, her whole body shaking as she lost herself to the ecstasy flowing through her. She sat very still for a moment, just trying to catch her breath.

Sarah suddenly shook her head, started laughing. Sounding a little embarrassed, she said, “I think I like this one better than the vibrator.”

“Wait to try both at the same time,” Mindy said, laughing when Sarah’s eyes got big.

“I don’t think I’m ready for both,” Sarah said, easing off the dildo. She started laughing, again, “My legs are like jello.”

“I bet they are,” Mindy said, sitting up to give her a kiss, “you got a little carried away.”

“Probably,” Sarah said, easing off the bed. When she had to put a hand on the mattress to steady herself, she changed her mind, said, “Definitely.”

“Where are you going?” Mindy asked, rolling on to her side.

“Nowhere,” Sarah said, pulling Mindy closer to the edge of the bed. She fumbled with the buckles on Mindy’s hips, said, “It’s my turn to play with this, now.”

Laughing, Mindy rolled onto her back and unfastened the other side. She handed the harness to Sarah, then sat on the edge of the bed to help her girlfriend slip into it. When the girl had both straps secured, Mindy gave the dildo a tug.

She smiled when Sarah gasped, said, “You might want to take a moment. The knot might feel a little too good after that.”

“You can feel it on this end?” Sarah asked, looking down at the rubber penis she had sprouted.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, continuing to stroke the dildo.

Biting her lip, Sarah said, “That feels really good.”

“You can come from wearing it,” Mindy said, then scooted back on the bed. Getting to her hands and knees, she inclined her head for Sarah to join her.

The girl crawled onto the bed, moving behind her. Sarah pressed her body against Mindy’s back, leaning in for a kiss. Mindy craned her neck around, their lips meeting. She moaned into Sarah’s mouth as the girl’s hands slid up her flanks to cup her breasts. Her nipples stiffened under the attention and ached sweetly. Her desire had abated some, but came roaring back to life as one of Sarah’s hands left her breast and headed south down her taut stomach. A flush of heat spread between her thighs, then over her whole body as Sarah’s able fingers teased her bud. The swirling pressure sent delicious little shivers of pleasure through her body.

By the time Sarah straightened up and pressed the tip of the dildo against her vagina, Mindy was more than ready for it. She moaned thickly as Sarah pushed her hips forward, burying the toy inside of her. Looking over her shoulder, Mindy met the girl’s eyes as she started to thrust the dildo into her. She smiled when Sarah looked to her for encouragement, pushed back against the toy.

Sarah took to the strap-on easier than she had. Mindy remembered struggling with the motion the first time she wore the harness, but Sarah seemed to be a natural. Mindy had been ready to tell the girl it was all in the hips, but Sarah figured it out on her own. The push-pull of her hips was perfect, each stroke finding its mark.

“You are good with that thing,” Mindy moaned.

Smiling, Sarah leaned in and kissed Mindy deeply. The girl never stopped moving her hips and the pleasure washing through Mindy made it nearly impossible to focus on kissing the girl back. Realizing Mindy was struggling, Sarah let her off the hook, straightening back up.

Mindy wasn’t sure she shared Sarah’s opinion that the strap-on was better than the vibrator, but it was definitely a close race. She kind of wished she had grabbed the vibrator, too. The two sex toys together made for an almost mind-melting pleasure. She shivered just thinking about it.

I really need to figure out how to get a vibrator for the cabin, Mindy thought, even though she had no idea how. Maybe later she’d come up with something when she wasn’t so distracted. Sarah was making it impossible to focus on anything other than the pleasure each thrust was sending through her.

Sarah’s hands were on Mindy’s hips, and she was really letting Mindy have it. Mindy knew she’d be sore in the morning, but she didn’t want the girl to let up. She hoped the excited sounds she was making was encouragement enough because she couldn’t catch her breath enough to tell Sarah ‘don’t stop’. Sarah got the message because the roll of her hips didn’t slow.

It didn’t take long for Mindy’s body to reach its limit. There was only so much her nerve endings could handle, and the dildo had all of them screaming for an end. Then that blessed relief came as an orgasm rocked Mindy. It was so intense that she shot off the dildo, collapsing on her stomach.

Sarah leaned in and kissed Mindy’s shoulder. Still trying to catch her breath, Mindy turned her head to kiss the girl, anyway. Rolling onto her back, she smiled up at the girl, said, “Holy shit.”

Laughing, Sarah kissed her, again, then stretched out on her back next to Mindy.

Mindy moved against her, asked, “What do you think?”

“About the strap-on?” Sarah asked, smiling at her, “I like it… Both sides of it.”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said you are good with it,” Mindy said, sighing contently, “very good.”

“Thanks,” Sarah said, sounding pleased by the compliment.

“God, I’m going to be sore in the morning,” Mindy said, rubbing her inner thighs, “but that was so good.”

“Should I leave this on?” Sarah asked.

Laughing, Mindy said, “You had better take it off.”

“Are you sure?” Sarah teased.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, kissing her, “much more of that, and I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

Undoing the straps, Sarah said, “You mean for real? In the real world?”

“Yeah. You’ll be sore in the morning,” Mindy said, giving Sarah a tender kiss, “when you lose your virginity over here, you lose it over there, too.”

“How does that work?” Sarah asked, tossing the harness and dildo on the bed next to them.

“I don’t know,” Mindy said, with a little laugh, “which is my answer to just about every question about the Place of Locked Doors.”

“That’s kind of…disturbing,” Sarah said, meeting Mindy’s eyes.

“Disturbing?” Mindy repeated.

“What if one of us breaks a leg over here?” Sarah asked, propping up on her elbow, “will it be broken in the real world, too?”

“Um…” Mindy said, frowning, “Erin tried giving herself a tattoo, but it didn’t transfer to the real world… A broken leg is kind of different, though.”

“I was hoping you’d say no,” Sarah said, sitting up, “I don’t like the idea that anything that happens over here has an effect on the real world… But it does, doesn’t it? Like losing your virginity for real? Or the photos on Erin’s camera?”

“Erin’s necklace,” Mindy said.

“What would happen if you died over here?” Sarah asked, shivering.

“Babe,” Mindy said, sitting up and hugging her, “you are freaking yourself out.”

“Well, yeah,” Sarah said, laughing sarcastically, “aren’t you freaked out?”

“I guess I never thought about it,” Mindy said, sighing, “I always thought this place was harmless.”

Sarah looked at her for a long moment, then said, “We need to find a better place to meet.”

“The cabin,” Mindy said, reading her mind.

“Yeah,” Sarah said, sighing, “I really need to get to work on the plumbing, but I can’t get anything done for a week.”

“I’m not good with a wrench,” Mindy said, laughing, “sorry, babe.”

Sarah leaned in and kissed her, said, “That’s okay. You are good with your hands in other ways.”

“Mm…” Mindy said, smiling at her in the gloom, “let’s take a bath.”

“A bath?” Sarah asked.

“You are going to be sore in the morning… not just down there, but your thighs and back, too. A bath will help… A hot shower tomorrow, too,” Mindy said, with a tender kiss.

“Okay,” Sarah said, slipping off the bed and offering her hand.

They grabbed the candle on the way to the bathroom. Setting it on the back of the toilet, they started the water going. As the water began to fill the tub, Mindy found them some towels in the linen closet.

Suddenly getting an idea, Mindy asked, “How hard will working on the cabin be?”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked, meeting her eyes.

“You could flip over here and call me, walk me through some repairs,” Mindy said.

Nodding her appreciation, Sarah said, “That’s not a bad idea. If nothing else, you can take some pictures for me. I need another look at the wires, connectors.”

“What good will that do?”

“Dad has all the supplies I’d need to make new cables. I could make them ahead of time,” Sarah said, then laughed dryly, “it’s not like I have anything better to do.”

“It’s only a week, Babe,” Mindy said, kissing her.

Sinking into the hot water, Mindy sighed happily. She moved to the far end of the tub, and Sarah sat in the hollow of her legs. She knew the hot water would loosen the muscles in Sarah’s lower body. Having sex puts a strain on muscles that didn’t always get that much use, she knew. Especially the first time.

They were quiet awhile, just enjoying the heat of the bath and the closeness of their bodies. Eventually, it was Sarah who broke the silence, “I don’t want to stop coming here.”

“You don’t?” Mindy asked, surprised. After Sarah expressed her concerns about the safety of this place, she had thought the girl was finished with the Place of Locked Doors.

“We just need to be careful,” Sarah said, snuggling back into Mindy’s arms, “just like in the real world. If we assume the same rules apply, we’ll be okay.”

“Makes sense,” Mindy said, smiling.

“Besides, it’s not like Natty can come visit us,” Sarah said, the smile on her face plain in her voice.

Laughing, Mindy said, “You are serious about another go with Natty, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, turning to meet Mindy’s eyes, “I mean-”

“It’s cool, Babe,” Mindy said, kissing her, “I love being with you, but sometimes I miss the craziness.”

“I’m beginning to see why,” Sarah said, smiling at her, “this last couple of days have been a lot of fun.”

“Yeah,” Mindy agreed.

“How does this sound for a ground-rule- it’s you and me and fill in the blank. Do you know what I mean?” Sarah asked, meeting her eyes, “it has to be us and we, not you or me.”

“It’s a good rule,” Mindy said, kissing her.

“We can have some fun with the other girls, but it’s just you and me for real,” Sarah said.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, smiling at her, “I noticed you didn’t say Natty, but ‘other girls’.”

“I was thinking about Ashley’s party,” Sarah said.

“Ah,” Mindy said, knowing that was what she had meant all along.

“I’d hate to be the one to break up a tradition,” Sarah said.

Amused, Mindy asked, “Is that why you want to do it?”

“I mean, it seems like a pretty awesome tradition,” Sarah said, grinning at her.

“Are you sure?” Mindy asked.

“Yeah,” Sarah said, excitement creeping into her voice.

“I’ll talk to Ashley about it, then,” Mindy said, then couldn’t help adding, “I think you’ve caught up to us in the kinky department. You are a bonafide member of The Craziness.”

“What was Ashley calling it, the Black Lingerie Club?” Sarah said, laughing.

“It has a nice ring to it,” Mindy said.

“Are we going to have a secret handshake? A clubhouse?” Sarah teased.

“A clubhouse?” Mindy said, her eyes widening, “you mean like the cabin?”

“I was kidding,” Sarah said, then tilted her head to one side, “but that’s not a bad idea. If we get the water going, the cabin could be our hang out spot.”

“Maybe we could have Ashley’s party there,” Mindy said, smiling, “it’d be better than trying to be quiet in her bedroom.”

“True,” Sarah said, then sighed, “we really need to get the water going if we are going to have it at the cabin.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Mindy said, kissing her, “now tell me about the pond.”

———————————————————

“What are you doing after school?”

Mindy, Erin, and Ashley were at their usual table in the lunchroom, having just sat down with their trays.

“I’m going to work on the cabin a little,” Mindy said, opening her milk, “Sarah is going to flip over to the Place of Locked Doors and call me so she can walk me through some of the repairs she wants to do.”

“Are you… um, handy?” Ashley asked.

“Not really,” Mindy said, laughing, “I don’t know how much I’m going to get done without her.”

“We could help, if you want,” Erin said, glancing at Ashley.

“Yeah,” Ashley said, nodding.

“Really?” Mindy said, surprised.

“Mostly because we want to see this cabin of yours,” Erin said, grinning at her, “the one we keep hearing about but still haven’t gotten to see.”

A little sheepishly, Mindy said, “Sorry. I’d love some help if you want to come.”

“We’d have to ask our parents but yeah,” Ashley said, nodding.

“Um, don’t mention the cabin,” Mindy said, thinking it would be better the fewer people knew about it, “just tell them you are coming to my house.”

Erin looked at her for a moment, then a conspiratorial smile spread on her face, and she said, “You have some nefarious plans for this cabin, don’t you?”

“If Sarah and I get it fixed up,” Mindy said, her voice low, “it could be our- I mean all of ours- meeting spot. It’s an easy walk for everyone. And it’s a lot less creepy than the Place of Locked Doors. Especially now that we know about Management.”

“Yeah,” Ashley said, then grinned, “we decided to call the Place of Locked Doors, Nattyland.”

“When did we decide that?” Mindy asked, making a face, “Nattyland still sounds like an amusement park.”

“With one very sexy ride,” Erin said, blushing at her own statement.

“True,” Mindy said, laughing at her embarrassment, “but what about Nattyville?”

“I guess we’ll have to get everyone’s vote before we pick a name,” Erin said, shrugging.

“And Natty gets to veto any choice we make,” Ashley said, adding when the girls looked at her, “I mean, it’s her town, after all.”

“Fair enough,” Mindy said, then leaned closer, “what’s your plan for your birthday?”

Ashley glanced at Erin, then said, “I don’t know.”

“Sarah’s on board, if you want to have a party like Erin’s,” Mindy said.

“Really?” Ashley asked, her eyes widening.

Grinning, Mindy said, “Yeah.”

“Wow, that was quick,” Erin said, laughing.

“She’s embraced the Craziness,” Mindy said.

Ashley was quiet a moment, then started smiling. Nodding, she said, “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

“Sarah and I thought we might do it at the cabin,” Mindy said, looking around the table, “we’d have a bit more… freedom out there. No parents to walk in on us… don’t have to be quiet.”

“Um, yeah,” Ashley said.

“We could bring our toys… maybe some lingerie. We could do it on the Saturday after your birthday, so we’d have all day if we need it,” Mindy said.

Grinning, Ashley said, “Definitely sounds like a party.”

————————————————

“Isn’t the pond that way?”

Mindy glance at Ashley, saw the girl pointing. Nodding, she said, “Sarah said it was, anyway.”

“Did she ever tell you what happened to her?” The redhead asked, her emerald eyes shining with mischief.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, grinning, “although, I think I got a slightly different version than you.”

“What do you mean?” Ashley asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Mindy said, thinking Ashley and Erin didn’t need to know all the details.

Ashley looked at her a moment, then just shrugged. When the cabin came into view, the redhead stopped in her tracks. Looking from Mindy to the cabin, she said, “That’s it?”

“Yeah,” Mindy said, laughing, “it’s not much to look at on the outside. I hoped if it looked ran down, no one would go poking around inside.”

“It has a slasher movie shtick to it,” Ashley said, shaking her head, “I can even see the tag line on the movie trailer ‘A group of young girls go to a cabin in the woods for a good time only to come face to face with terror’.”

“I have to agree with Ashley on this one,” Erin said, rubbing her arms, “this is the kind of creepy cabin smart people avoid.”

“Then my plan worked,” Mindy said, grinning at them, “let me show you inside before you condemn the place.”

The girls all filed onto the groaning porch. When Mindy opened the door without so much as a creak, she winked at them. Stepping aside, she let Ashley and Erin go in first. They looked around wide-eyed at the clean, spruced up interior.

“Like a whole other cabin,” Erin said, still looking around.

“Yeah,” Ashley said, nodding her appreciation, “gave me that Harry Potter vibe, where they walk into the little tent and its like a palace inside.”

“What do you think?” Mindy asked.

Going to the mattress on the floor, Ashley pushed down on it with her hand. When she straightened up, she was nodding.

“The stoves works, thanks to Sarah,” Mindy said, pointing at it, “we’ll probably need it.”

“What about the lights?” Erin asked.

“Sarah thinks they run off the same batteries as the water pump,” Mindy said, crossing her fingers, “if we can get the bike generator and the new batteries installed in time, we’ll have light and running water… Not to mention a working shower.”

“Oh, that would be nice,” Erin said, grinning.

“Yeah,” Mindy agreed, pulling her phone out of her back pocket, “Sarah should be calling me any minute.”

Nodding, Erin looked around the cabin, “This place needs some furniture… A couch or something.”

“Do you have a couch laying around we can use?” Ashley asked, sarcastically.

“Well, no,” Erin said, then reconsidered, “actually, yeah. We have a whole basement full of furniture.”

“Huh,” Ashley said, chewing on that. Finally, she said, “How would we get it here, though?”

“I don’t know,” Erin said, laughing, “you just asked if I had a couch laying around.”

The phone rang in Mindy’s hand, and she left Ashley and Erin discussing ways to get some furniture for the cabin, stepping out on the porch to take the call. Smiling as she answered, she said, “Hey, babe.”

“Hey,” Sarah said, laughing, “this is so weird.”

“It’s the only way we can talk until you are finished being grounded,” Mindy said, sitting down on the porch step, “how are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Sarah said, sounding like she was smiling, “but other than that like a million bucks.”

Laughing, Mindy said, “A million bucks, huh?”

“I kind of want you to come visit me now,” Sarah said.

“I would, but I have Erin and Ashley with me,” Mindy said, glancing over her shoulder, “they volunteered to help me, but I think they just wanted to see the cabin.”

“Did you ask them about Ashley’s birthday party?”

“Yeah. They said yes,” Mindy said.

With a nervous laugh, Sarah said, “God, I can’t believe we are going to do it.”

“You said you wanted to.”

“I do,” Sarah said, excitement creeping into her voice.

“Then we really need to get this shower going,” Mindy said, smiling, “so tell me what you need me to do.”

“The main thing I need is photos… maybe some measurements. You could remove the old batteries, clean up a bit,” Sarah said.

“So I don’t need to take anything apart?” Mindy asked, crossing her fingers.

“No,” Sarah laughed.

“Good,” Mindy said, relieved.

Erin and Ashley stepped out onto the porch, the latter asking, “What’s good?”

“She doesn’t need us to take anything apart,” Mindy said.

“That is good,” Erin agreed, laughing.

“Let me put her on speaker,” Mindy said, pushing the button and setting the phone on the porch, “can you hear us, Babe.”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, her voice tinny through the phone’s speaker, “what do you think of the cabin, ladies?”

“Once you get past the scary movie outside, it’s kind of nice inside,” Ashley said.

Laughing, Sarah said, “I said the exact same thing.”

“So what do we need to do to get the shower going?” Erin asked.

“Won’t know until we get power,” Sarah said, then added, “Mindy is going to take some pictures, so I can get some stuff done ahead of time.”

“Pictures of what?” Ashley asked.

“Wires and connectors mostly,” Sarah said.

“Oh,” Ashley said.

Suddenly, Erin stood up straighter, then asked, “How old do you think this cabin is?”

“I don’t know,” Mindy said, shrugging, “old.”

“More than fifty years old?” Erin asked.

Her eyes widening, Mindy said, “Probably. Change of plans, Babe. We are coming to you.”

“Why?” Sarah asked.

“You don’t want to see us? I’m hurt,” Ashley teased.

“Don’t listen to her,” Mindy said, picking up the phone, “Erin’s a genius. Why take pictures when you can look at the real thing?”

“You mean… Why didn’t I think of that?” Sarah said.

“Because you aren’t a genius like me,” Erin said, grinning, “We’ll be there in a minute.”

“I’ll warn Natty she’s about to have more company. See you all when you get here,” Sarah said, hanging up.

Suddenly laughing, Erin asked, “Are you sure this cabin is old enough?”

“Um, no,” Mindy said, then started grinning, “but worst-case scenario, we hang out with Natty for a little bit.”

“Works for me,” Erin said.

Back in the cabin, Ashley flopped on the bed, said, “This is a comfortable mattress.”

“Yeah,” Mindy agreed, stretching out next to her, “I’m not sure why Mom and Dad tossed it out. Still, I’m glad they did.”

Grinning at her, Ashley said, “You’ve put it to good use?”

“Oh yeah,” Mindy said, laughing, “I’ve even slept on it a couple of times.”

Erin joined them on the bed, said, “We’ll be putting a few miles on it in a couple of weeks.”

“How did you talk Sarah into it so fast?” Ashley asked, glancing sideways at Mindy.

“She talked herself into it,” Mindy said, shaking her head, “my girlfriend is as kinky as we are.”

“I knew she’d fit right in,” Erin said.

“Let’s go see her,” Ashley said, closing her eyes.

“See you on the other side,” Mindy said, doing the same.

Letting her mind go blank, she pictured Natty’s old bedroom. With it fixed in her thoughts, she felt herself start to travel. How easy it was flipping over to the Place of Locked Doors now surprised her. It was effortless. She left her body behind, traveled through the place between the places, then she was in Natty’s old room without so much as a stumble.

She didn’t even have a chance to open her eyes before a pair of arms were around her, and soft lips pressed against her own. Smiling, she kissed Sarah back, pulling her close. When she finally pulled back to look at the girl, Sarah was grinning at her.

“Hi,” Sarah said.

“Hi, yourself,” Mindy said.

There was the tuneless whistle of escaping air, then Ashley popped into being. A heartbeat later, Erin materialized in the Place of Locked Doors. Erin gave Mindy and Sarah a curious look, then shrugged.

“Natty’s downstairs,” Sarah said, finally slipping out of Mindy’s arms.

Everyone filed downstairs, found the girl wearing jeans and a top from the clothes the girls had given her. Mindy smiled at how regular wearing modern clothes made Natty look. She looked just like a girl they might see at the mall, not a ghost displaced in time.

Even without wearing something lacy or see-thru, the girl still drew the eye. Natty was beautiful, but it was more than that. Not for the first time, Mindy wondered just what it was about the girl that made her so irresistible.

“The gang’s all here,” Natty said, smiling.

“And dressed for a change,” Mindy said, laughing.

“That’s a shame,” Erin said.

“Yeah,” Ashley agreed.

Clearing her throat, Sarah said, “We are going to the cabin, remember?”

“Fine,” Ashley said, with a fake sigh, “lead the way.”

They left Natty’s, walking up the street to the head of the path. Mindy was a little surprised that it was here in Natty’s time. If anything, it looked more trampled. As she stepped off the sidewalk and into the woods, she wondered who was using this path back then.

“This leads to the pond,” Ashley said, glancing back at her house.

“And the cabin if you hang a left,” Sarah said.

“How far is the walk?” Erin asked.

“Not far,” Mindy said, then pointed at the ground, “the path is well worn.”

“Maybe the kids went to the pond in the sixties, too,” Erin said, looking down at the ground.

When they came to the fork in the path, and Mindy stopped, looking at the trail heading toward the pond. It was still there but grown over. The one heading toward the cabin was just as well worn as before.

Glancing at Erin, she said, “I don’t think they were going to the pond.”

“Maybe the cabin used to be a hangout,” Erin said, shrugging, “I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

Mindy nodded, and they kept walking. A little while later, the cabin came into view. She was glad it was there. That was a step in the right direction. She crossed her fingers the generator was there, too. Earlier, she hadn’t considered the fact that the generator might not be as old as the cabin. The bike looked old enough, but she couldn’t guess about the rest of it.

I guess we’ll know soon enough, Mindy thought.

“Looks a lot better in this now… Less murder-y,” Ashley said.

“Yeah,” Sarah said, laughing, “let’s check the shed.”

The walked around to the outbuilding, which looked to be in better shape. Glancing up, Mindy saw the cables running to the house, and she hoped that was a good sign. Pulling the door open, she sighed with relief when she saw the bicycle and battery bank.

“This isn’t the same bike,” Sarah said, circling it, “batteries are different, too. Damn.”

“This doesn’t help?” Mindy asked, disappointed.

“I can still figure some things out,” Sarah said, smiling at her, “if nothing else, I can see it work… The pump, the lights… everything. Half of fixing something is knowing how it’s supposed to work. At least, that’s what Dad always says.”

“How does it work?” Erin asked, looking from the bike to the batteries.

“You pedal the bike, which turns that little motor there. The motor produces an electrical charge which charges the batteries. The lights and pump run off the batteries,” Sarah said, then added, “I think. That’s how the ones I found on the internet work, anyway.”

“They had this kind of thing in the sixties?” Ashley asked.

“Apparently,” Mindy said, drawing a sour look from the girl.

Sarah went to the water tank, removed the cap, and looked inside. Even with the door open, the light in the shed wasn’t that great, so Mindy didn’t know what she hoped to see. Still, the girl nodded, seemed satisfied.

“The pump fills the tank, like I thought,” Sarah said, looking around the shed, “running off batteries, they wouldn’t want the pump on all the time. Probably just ran it long enough to fill up, then cut it off, again. Let’s go inside. See what kind of water pressure we’ve got.”

They followed Sarah into the cabin, but they never made it to the shower to check the water. There was a hole in the floor that stopped them in their tracks. Mindy blinked in surprise, then frowned. A portion of the floor appeared to be on a hinge, serving as a door. The hinge was flush to the wall, so she hadn’t noticed it before. Closed, the hatch blended into the cabin floor completely.

Glancing at her, Sarah asked, “Did you know about this?”

“No,” Mindy said, laughing.

“Great,” Ashley said, shaking her head, “more secret rooms. I thought we were done with this at Erin’s.”

“I guess our town likes its secrets,” Mindy said, still looking at the opening in the floor, “what do you think is down there?”

“Who knows?” Erin said, grinning, “let’s check it out.”

Mindy went first since, pulling her phone out of her pocket to serve as a flashlight. She wondered what she was about to find- another sex loft like the one under Erin’s house or something sinister. She thought about Ashley calling this a murder cabin, and she hoped there wasn’t anything grisly down there.

Rough-hewn wooden stairs led down into a dirt floor basement. A single naked light bulb hung from one of the floor joists, and Mindy pulled the chain. The low wattage light revealed the contents of the room, if not their purpose. There were large barrels against one wall and a cobbled-together metal contraption with copper containers connected by copper tubing.

“That’s a still,” Ashley said, her eyes wide. Laughing, she said, “They were making moonshine down here.”

“Are you sure?” Mindy asked, looking at the still. Frowning, she asked, “How do you know that?”

“You’ve never seen that show ‘Moonshiners’?” the redhead asked. She laughed self-consciously when everyone shook there head, said, “Anyway. That is a still… I’d guess those are fermenting barrels for the mash or maybe storage for the finished shine.”

“You watch some weird stuff,” Erin said, giving the girl a look.

Shrugging, Ashley said, “It’s actually kind of interesting… Although I don’t know how they can have a show about making illegal moonshine and not get the stars arrested. That never made sense to me.”

“Do you think the still is still in the cabin?” Sarah asked.

“Why? You planning on making moonshine?” Erin teased.

“I was just thinking this is a nice size space,” Sarah said, looking around.

Seeing the wheels turning in her girlfriend’s head, Mindy asked, “What are you thinking?”

“Maybe we could move the clubhouse down here,” Sarah said, meeting her eyes.

“Leave the upstairs empty?” Mindy guessed.

“Maybe not empty,” Sarah said, grinning, “just keep all things that would get us grounded down here.”

Nodding, she said, “It’s not a bad idea.”

“We can clean it up a bit,” Sarah said, thinking as she talked, “put down a real floor… maybe a couple more lights…”

“Find some furniture,” Erin offered.

“Yeah,” Sarah said, smiling at her, “a couch, at least.”

“How do you expect to get a couch out here?” Mindy asked, laughing.

“Carry it?” Sarah said.

“Smartass,” Mindy said, shaking her head, “where are we going to get a couch from.”

“People are always putting them out on the curb,” Sarah said, shrugging, “if we can find one in half-decent shape…”

“You are just going to carry a couch down the street?” Mindy asked, dubiously.

“We’d probably have to wait for night time,” Sarah said, laughing, “might draw a little too much attention during the day.”

“Too bad we can’t use all the furniture in Erin’s basement,” Ashley said.

“Oh hey, I hadn’t thought about that stuff,” Sarah said, looking at Erin, “we wouldn’t even have to use someone’s throwaways.”

“How do you propose we get it out of her basement and all the way here?” Mindy asked.

“Carry it?” Sarah said, grinning.

“Smartass,” Mindy said, but affectionately.

“I think it might be doable,” Sarah said.

“Really?” Erin asked, surprised.

“Carrying it down the street would draw too much attention, even at night, but we might not need to,” Sarah said.

“What do you mean?”

“When we get back to Natty’s, I want to check on something,” Sarah said.

Erin looked at her a moment, then shrugged.

“Let’s test the water so that we can get out of here,” Mindy said.

Upstairs, they all squeezed into the bathroom area. Mindy turned the cold tap. The water came gurgling out of the faucet, rusty at first but clearing up quickly. She would have been surprised if it didn’t work. The one she was curious about was the hot water. Did the cabin have a hot water heater? If so, did it run off the batteries, too?

Crossing her fingers, she turned the knob. She ran her hand under the water, but it was cold. She sighed and was about to pull her hand away when it suddenly got warm, then hot. Turning to the others, she grinned.

“Plenty of pressure and there’s hot water,” Mindy said.

“Nice,” Sarah said, nodding her appreciation, “I wasn’t sure about hot water. There must be a water heater somewhere.”

“Do you think it runs off the batteries?” Mindy asked.

“I don’t know,” Sarah said, then laughed, “I’ll have to find it first.”

“Is there anything else you want to look at?” Erin asked.

“Um, yeah,” Sarah said, stepping out of the bathroom area, “I need to take a couple of measurements.”

“Don’t you need a tape measure?” Ashley said, then held up her hand before one of the girls could call her on the dumb question, “Place of Locked Doors. Forget I said that.”

Grinning, Sarah closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated, then there was the now-familiar change of air pressure as a tape measure appeared out of thin air. It clattered to the floor between the girls.

They went outside so Sarah could measure the length of wires she’d need. She showed the girls a couple of things they could do when they made it back to the real world. It was mostly removing the old batteries and cables, so all she’d have to do was install the new ones. Sarah also wanted Mindy to oil the chain on the bicycle, see if they could get it un-seized.

While they were in the shed, they looked for the water heater. It was tucked in one corner, wrapped in enough insulation to survive a nuclear winter. Mindy watched as Sarah looked around the base of the heater. The girl found wires poking out the bottom, followed them to a switch on the wall. More wires ran from the switch to the batteries. Sarah flipped the switch, and an orange light blinked to life on the water heater, then went out when she flipped it again.

Grinning, she said, “Nice. We can turn the heater on and off to save the batteries. It’s got so much insulation on it to keep the hot water… well, hot.”

“How long do you think it’d take to heat the water?” Mindy asked.

“Don’t know,” Sarah said, shrugging, “the water is already hot, now, so we can’t check it. Well, without standing around, waiting for it to get cold, again. We should probably just head back to Natty’s.”

Largely quiet the whole time they were at the cabin, the girl grinned and said, “I have a roast in the oven if you are staying awhile.”

“I definitely am now,” Ashley said.

“Dinner at Natty’s,” Erin said, nodding, “I’m in.”

“Okay,” Mindy said, offering her hand to Sarah.

As they walked, Mindy gave Sarah a look. Finally, she said, “You really think we can get the furniture out of Erin’s basement to the cabin, don’t you?”

“Probably,” Sarah said.

“How?” Mindy said, dubiously.

“Let me work on it a bit, then I’ll tell you,” Sarah said, grinning at her.

“Why do I feel like we are all going to get grounded for this?” Mindy said, shaking her head.

What Did You Think?