 |
|||
|
|
Natalya Uranova sat quietly in a small room at the one hotel in Pestrovya waiting to be called. She was looking forward to the interview. Everything she had heard about the job made her think that it would offer her the chance she longed for to leave this provincial town for a more exciting life.
It wasn't clear what the job was really about; she was hoping to find out more at the interview. All she knew was that it would involve travel. As far as Natalya was concerned that was what she was really interested in. When she was shown into the interview room the exotic appearance of the women interviewing her was enough to make her think, “Yes!” straight away.
The two women introduced themselves. “Victoria,” the small dark girl said, offered a gloved hand to Natalya. She was dressed entirely in black, wearing the tightest of high necked tops and leggings. The severe, sleek look was only relieved by a silver neck band from which hung a large jet plaque set in a silver surround. If her appearance was daunting, her demeanour was welcoming. “Take a seat,” she said. “Please don't be nervous.”
“I'm Lauren,” the other woman said as Natalya sat down. Even from those two words she was obviously American, but although her accent said USA, her clothes were those of a high ranking Kushtian woman. Her outfit was as loud and colourful as the other woman's was sober, a brightly striped wrap over a deep turquoise coloured robe. Natalya felt very drab in comparison. Her pale green blouse and the straight, dark green, skirt had seemed like sensible dress for an interview but now she was not so sure.
Natalya smiled in response. It was even exciting to be talking in English. She had studied it at school, of course, and there was always plenty of American television to practice her understanding but she hardly ever had the chance to speak it. “Thank you,” she said.
The interview got under way. Natalaya was pleased with how it seemed to be going. Lauren asked most of the questions. “How did you enjoy your studies? What were your favourite subjects? What do you enjoy in your free time? How does your boyfriend feel about you taking a year away from here?”
The last one was the easiest to answer. Her boyfriend had been pretty cross when she'd told him she was thinking of doing this. He seemed to think she was there just for his amusement. Well, Natalya had told him she wasn't going to build her life around him. Natalya hadn't minded. It wasn't as though it was any sort of life-time commitment.
Lauren nodded with an understanding smile. Both she and Victoria seemed to be happy with Natalaya's replies, she thought. Victoria nodded to Lauren and Lauren asked if Natalaya would like some tea.
Natalya nodded. “Yes, please,” she said. Victoria disappeared for a few moments and returned with a glass of pungent black tea. It was stronger than Natalya liked as a rule but she didn't complain, sipping it happily as the questions continued.
Suddenly she felt a little odd. She reached forward and put the glass of tea down, worried about spilling it on the carpet. As she sat back she felt even more peculiar; as though her arms had become like logs; as though every joint had become frozen. She tried to speak but even her mouth would not do as she wished. Victoria was the one now smiling as she stepped forward. “Good,” she said, “that's the last one.”
“No!” Natalaya was thinking. “You don't understand, I can't move. Please help me.”
Victoria stepped forward towards her. Far from coming to her aid, Victoria reached for Natalya's blouse, unfastening the buttons and pulling it open to expose her. “There,” she said, “I told you this one would be all right.”
“What does she mean?” Natalya was thinking. “All right for what? And why can't I move?”
Natalya was helpless to resist as Victoria and Lauren went to work on her. First they laid her on the floor and then began fitting straps around her arms and legs, fastening them so tightly that even if Natalya had been able to overcome her paralysis she would still not have been able to move. With the straps in place Lauren disappeared for a moment and then returned with a small trolley. Together she and Victoria lifted Natalya onto the trolley and wheeled her out into an adjacent room. Four large cases, each of them black with chrome plated strapping and corner reinforcements stood along the far side of the room. Another case stood open in the middle of the room. Inside Natalya could see heavy padding and more straps. Victoria pushed the trolley across to it and together she and Lauren began fitting the unresisting Natalya into the case.
Lauren and Victoria went to work with the straps, fixing Natalya in a sitting position within the padded case. It was as they fastened the last of the straps that Natalya began to feel some feeling returning to her muscles.
“Uh oh,” said Lauren, “she's coming out of it more quickly than the others. Let me have the mouangf.”
Natalya didn't recognise the Kushtian word but she knew what it was as soon as Victoria responded, passing Lauren a leather plug gag. Lauren pulled Natalaya's mouth open and pushed the plug of the gag in. The plug held her teeth apart and filled her mouth. As Lauren fastened the strap around her head, Natalaya felt the muffling effect as the heavily padded face piece pressed down over her mouth. The slight groan she managed as the effects of the paralysis subsided died in her throat. Lauren smiled, evidently pleased at the effect of the moaungf. Natalya, feeling movement returning to her arms, tried to struggle against the straps but to no effect. Lauren smiled again and fitted two more straps, one around Natalya's forehead and one more over the moaungf locking Natalya's head solidly in place. As Lauren began to close the case, shutting her into inky blackness, Natalaya caught sight of the other cases again. She wasn't alone, she thought. There must be four other girls like her in those other cases. What on earth was happening to them all?
She had no chance to do any more than think. As the case closed all light was extinguished and she felt the padding of the lid press all around her. Only immediately in front of her face was there any gap between her and the padding of the case. At least I can breath, she thought. There was a clunking noise; locks fastening on the case, Natalya guessed. Then there was nothing. No sound. Nothing. Just the blackness of the inside of the case and nothing.
Natalya had no idea how long the nothing went on for. She tried to push against the straps a few times but with no result. In time she resigned herself to whatever was to happen.
Then there was noise and movement. Words barked in Kushtian heard faintly through the padding of the case. Scraping sounds. And then the sensation of the case she was in being moved, lifted she thought; onto some trolley she guessed. Then she was taken on to a truck, if the next few hours of throbbing vehicle vibration and sound were any guide. What ever was happening to Natalaya, she knew that she wasn't staying in the hotel and that she was leaving Pestrovya behind.
© Freddie Clegg 2009
All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or reposted without permission.
All characters fictitious
E-mail: freddie_clegg@yahoo.com
Web Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freddies_tales/
|
|
|