“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Hi, I'm Tamara Green. I work for the school paper, The Sentinel. And I'm curious about something I've heard a few rumors about.”
“You want to know about Ted's dolls.”
“You know of them?”
“You obviously know I do. So you tell me why you want to talk to me.”
“I believe you get turned into a mannequin and pose in the window of The Sun Boutique in town on weekends.”
“That's correct,” Jane said. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you mind if I record this?”
“As long as the article doesn't include my name.”
“If you insist,” Tamara said, tapping her phone a few times. “September 18, 2023. Dolls on Campus. Interview #1 with Mannequin at Sun Boutique. Anonymous. Ready? Have you always wanted to be a mannequin?
“Oh, God, well, probably not always. But I remember going out to the mall when I was in first grade and my mother having to drag me away from the window displays of some of the stores. There's something about mannequins. Solid, quiet, serene, beautiful. It was something I thought would be cool to become.”
“And the opportunity has presented itself. How did that come about?”
“Well, it was like the second week on campus and after a meet and greet party for our dorm, me and this guy were talking and out of nowhere he says, 'I bet you'd enjoy being a doll.' And after some denial he turns me into a doll and it awakened within me all the times I'd thought about being a mannequin. When I told him that, he found Sun Boutique and negotiated the arrangement for me to spend my weekends there.”
“How did he know you would enjoy being a doll?”
“I have no idea. You'll have to ask him. Maybe I give off a vibe someone like him can sense.”
“Someone like him?”
“Someone who can turn people into dolls.”
“How does he do that?”
“Again, you'll have to ask him. All I know is he says, '3... 2... 1...' and then you can't move until he turns you back to normal.”
“I've heard there are there others who get turned into dolls, not mannequins.”
“The sex dolls? Yeah. I don't do that.”
“So you've never been a sex doll.”
“Not since that first night.”
“So, did he have sex with you?”
“He had sex with a doll. He has never had sex with my living body.”
“There's a difference?”
“A doll is a thing. I'm not a thing.”
“Except on weekends.”
“True.”
“Is being a mannequin all you thought it would be?”
“And more. I feel so well rested Monday mornings when the weekend is over.”
Tamara tapped her phone. “I think that's all. I think I need to talk more to the dolls.”
“My roommate does the doll thing. You should talk to her.”
“Emily? Yes, she's on my list.”
“Good luck.”
* * *
“September 23, 2023. Dolls on Campus. Interview #1 with Tanya. Ready?”
“Go for it.”
“You spend time a sex doll for your boyfriend. How did that come about?”
“Mike and I happen to spot a realistic looking doll in Ted's dorm room and asked Ted where he got it. When he said he turned someone into the doll I insisted that he do it to me as well.”
“You saw a sex doll and wanted to be a sex doll? Was this a long time desire or something just spur of the moment?”
“Oh, long time. I love the idea of being immobilized. I've toyed with bondage but bondage requires rope or shackles. And neither of those aren't good for your skin or circulation if you do it for more than short time. And frankly the technical points of getting tied up can really suck the mood out of an encounter. But turning into a doll and being fucked. That's exactly how the fantasy runs.
“There I am, minding my own business, when I suddenly can't move. A hand I can't see undoes my clothes, caresses my skin – Mike? Call Ted – and I can do nothing. I'm turned on and my owner can satisfy or not satisfy my need on his own terms.”
Tamara looks over at Mike sending a text on his phone. “You're going to turn into a doll tonight?”
Mike says, “You wound her up.”
“Can I tag along?”
“Let me ask Ted,” Mike says, tapping his phone some more.
“So, as a doll, do you experience pleasure?”
“When you purpose is sex, being used for sex is fulfilling your purpose. Every touch is intense, every thrust is exquisite. Sometimes when I'm a doll, I reach a state of such bliss that time loses all meaning and my awareness becomes focused on the orgasmic bliss.”
“That sounds addictive.”
“I suppose it could be. I only become a doll with Mike occasionally.”
“Mike has never been a doll? Why is that?”
“Yeah, why is that?”
“Oh, god,” Mike said.
* * *
“September 29, 2023. Dolls on Campus. Interview #1 with Aimee. Ready?”
“I guess.”
“What do you know about Ted's dolls?”
“It's a great way to spend an evening. Very relaxing.”
“So you've been one of Ted's dolls?”
“Oh, sure. I do it occasionally when I'm feeling a bit on edge and don't feel like relieving myself. My roommate does it every night.”
“Every night?”
“Yeah, I've tried to tell her to cut down on doing it. But she says she enjoys the bliss.”
“I'll see if I can get an interview with her. But when did you first become one of Ted's dolls?”
“Well, I only did it the first time because Gillian would not stop telling me how cool it was. It was only a week or so since she went the first time. We were turned into dolls and sat on Ted's sofa. A guy showed up and carried me off to his dorm room. There he has sex with the doll version of me over the course of a couple hours. Then he rinsed the doll out and brought it back to Ted.”
“And you didn't know him?”
“No idea who was or is. He was rather stacked though so I'm not sure why he needed to rent a doll.”
“You referred to yourself as 'it'. Why is that?”
“I'm not sure. When you become one of these dolls, you are aware. But your name no longer means anything to you. You remember that you are normally a living person but there's a disconnect. You think of the humans around as 'other'. For example, Ted's name no longer registers for you. You think of him as Owner. And the person who uses the doll, even if you hear their name, the doll thinks of them as Renter. I have recognized someone who rented me. But in the moment they are simply Renter. It wasn't until I was human again that I realized who they were. Or, well, the doll recognized them too. The doll just couldn't put a name to the face. Because the face was Renter's face.”
“That sounds frightening. Or at a minimum disorienting.”
“Well, a doll has no fear. At least not like you or I have fear. The doll can't get anxious or worried or even have the desire to run away. The doll just is. Pleasure and fulfillment are about the only emotional responses I've ever had as a doll.”
“Fulfillment?”
“Yes, when Renters become satisfied after use of the doll, the doll feels this satisfaction for doing its job, a.k.a. fulfillment. And the sex is pure pleasure. And with enough stimulation, the doll blisses out, basically the only way the doll can lose consciousness. Frankly, you should just go to Ted and become a doll if you are so interested. It's a fun way to spend an evening. It feels good. And you will feel relaxed afterwards.”
“Do you know why that is?”
“It's the whole disconnect. While you are a doll, human concerns cease to exist. Do you have a test tomorrow? Doesn't matter. The doll won't think about it at all. The dolls aren't stupid. They just don't focus on themselves.”
* * *
“October 8, 2023. Dolls on Campus. Interview #1 with Ted. No direct quotes. Ready?”
“I'm not sure this is a good idea,” Ted said.
“Well, I don't intend to include your name in the article. It might be viewed as an advertisement if I did. When did you first learn you could turn people into dolls?”
“It was a few years ago.”
“Can you elaborate?”
“I could. But I won't. Nor will I tell you how I do it.”
“I figured as much. How about why? I interviewed someone who said you made a bet with her in order to transform her the first time. Why do you turn people into dolls?”
“It's fun. It's safe. I get to have sex with no strings attached. And because they ask me nicely.”
“Safe? What would happen if you didn't turn them back?”
“They would spend the rest of their existence as a doll unless I put a time limit on their transformation.”
“Do you normally do that?”
“Yes, I do unless I'm asked not to.”
“Has anyone ever asked you not to?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask what the circumstances were that led to doing that, I'm guessing you won't say who you did this to.”
“No, I won't say who. Suffice it to say there exists at least one inanimate object that I created that has not been human for one or more years now.”
“So before you were in college?”
“Yes. Next subject.”
“Can I ask what you meant by inanimate object? Can you turn people into things that are not dolls?”
“Based on your earlier question, you have spoken to a student that you know is turned into a mannequin frequently. Mannequins aren't dolls. And most of the dolls I create have all been anonymous sex dolls. But I can do other objects.”
“You seem very guarded.”
“I never intended to this to become a side hustle.”
“Why not stop?”
“And disappoint people?”
“So, you don't mind that it's a side hustle. Is it profitable?”
“I don't know. At the moment, the time I spend on it is not a burden. If it ever became a burden, I'd stop. The cash is a bonus really. I don't need it. But if I didn't charge I would never be able to meet demand. May I ask a question?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you investigating this?”
“It's happening on campus. And you have to admit it will attract readers.”
“That's what I fear. As I said, I only have so many dolls. If demand rises, I have to turn people away. And I also fear the headline: Students Turned into Sex Objects for Cash. Or something like that. While true, it makes me sound like a monster.”
“I wouldn't use such a title. The working title is Dolls on Campus.”
“And you think your editor-in-chief will go with that title? And not something closer to mine?”
Tamara did not answer.
“The interview is over. And you will not publish this story.”
“That's not for you to decide.”
“Isn't it? 3... 2...”
“What are you? No!”
“1...”