Fiona's Retribution

by Jennifer

 

I blame Ricky. Sorry, that doesn't sound very good, does it? Don't get me wrong, he was a great mate, and would never have dropped me in it intentionally. But that said, and even with the best of intentions, hanging around with Ricky was well, simply asking for trouble. It gravitated to him like a moth to a flame. Ricky. A tousle headed ginger haired scruffy young bloke who reckoned that life was a big joke from dawn until dusk. Far too good-natured and full of fun for the good of both himself and anyone that knocked around with him. Like me. Oh well, I suppose I'd better get on with it.

I remember the most humiliating day of my life as clearly as if it were last week. Actually, it was on a Saturday back in 1956, when we were both aged 14.

In his inimitable way, Ricky had recently yet again fallen foul of his 16 year old sister Fiona. Dark haired, brown eyed and at just that stage when younger brothers are a totally embarrassing pain in the arse to be barely tolerated. So with internecine relationships being at such a low ebb, it wasn't really surprising that Fiona wasn't happily disposed when good old Ricky and his sense of humour finally tested her tolerance beyond breaking point.

Don't get me wrong, as I said, he isn't a bad person. Far from it, he's a really nice bloke. It's just that he's, well, a little bit too enthusiastic for his own good when it comes to the humour department. More than once I've seen the look of sheer non-comprehension on his face when the victim of one of his pranks hasn't found his brand of humour very funny. Oh well, that's just the way he is.

It was an exceptionally inopportune time to test his sister's sense of humour. She'd just been given the push by her latest boyfriend, and was in no mood to tolerate anyone of the male species, let alone her younger brother. I sensed that staying out of her way was good advice, at least until the storm had died down a bit. Unfortunately, Ricky isn't very good in the diplomacy department. Boy, if anyone ever asked for trouble, he did. And he got it.

One Saturday afternoon, Fiona and my older sister Maggie were in a coffee bar with some of their friends near the sea front, discussing the less admirable attributes of men in general, when Ricky and I walked in and found them in earnest discussion. Fiona had their little sister Lucy in tow in her pushchair, and Lucy was wise enough to be fast asleep with a dummy in her mouth. Since she was unable to join in their heated discussion it was just as well. Ricky had been sent to find Fiona and tell her that she was to expect the arrival of one of her aunts that afternoon, and would have to take Lucy home immediately and get changed. But when we went into the coffee bar we were completely ignored by his sister and her friends. So we bought a couple of milk shakes and just sat quietly in the seat behind them, listening to their anti-male tirade.

And that was when Ricky got carried away. Unchallenged and thinking they were out of earshot of anyone else, the girls continued to make some outrageously unjustified accusations regarding males in general, and Ricky finally felt that it was his duty to express himself in defence of the entire male species. Outnumbered six to one, it was of course the wrong decision, but never mind, he meant well.

As the female diatribe reached its climax, he leapt to his feet, turned on the startled girls and shouted 'Oh shut up Fiona. I reckon Lucy's got more sense than you have. Why don't you change places with her, stick a dummy in your mouth and do us all a favour!'

As I said, not a good idea. Startled for a moment by his unexpected appearance, Fiona looked up at him with an icy venom, thought for a moment, and then said 'Well well, it's my idiot brother. I didn't see you there. That's lowered the level of conversation isn't it?' Embarrassed, she rose to her feet as Ricky explained why she had to go home. Appreciating the situation immediately, she pulled Lucy's pushchair out into the aisle, and bidding her friends farewell, set off home with her brother. I decided I might as well stay put with Maggie, as our relationship wasn't quite so volatile and tolerated each other reasonably well.

Little did Ricky realise to what degree he'd embarrassed his older sister, but he was soon to pay for his indiscretion in full measure. Fiona's not the sort of person to take insults lying down, so Ricky and I were a bit surprised when she seemed to have decided to let him get away with it on this occasion. She didn't make much of an issue out of it, and we thought the whole affair had been forgotten. How wrong we were.

One Saturday a few weeks later, Maggie said she was going round to see Fiona, so I decided to spend the day with Ricky. Mid morning found me outside the back door of his house. We knew each other well, and it was our practice to go straight in when we visited each other, without ringing the front door bell. As usual, I found the kitchen door open, and went in. The house was quiet, and I remembered that Ricky and Fiona's Mum and Dad had taken Lucy away to visit relatives for the weekend. I stood there for a moment, and then heard Fiona and a few other girls upstairs in her room. Ricky's bedroom was on the ground floor at the back of the house, so I went straight to his room and went in.

What I saw was unexpected to say the least. There in front of me was a toddler dressed in a white baby frock, strapped into Lucy's pushchair. Only it wasn't a toddler, it was Ricky! He was securely restrained by the ankles with his feet on the footrest, and his wrists were strapped to the sides of the pushchair. He was wearing a set of pink leather baby reins, and they were attached with straps to the back of the pushchair. No doubt about it, this baby wasn't going anywhere.

I looked at him incredulously for a moment, and then burst out laughing as he wriggled and writhed helplessly in his baby restraints. He glared at me and said 'It's not funny Dave! How would you like to be tied up like this? Hurry up and undo these straps, quickly, before the girls come back.'

All was now becoming clear. Fiona obviously hadn't forgotten his insult of a few weeks before, and had clearly dreamed up this exquisitely humiliating revenge on her brother. I still couldn't help grinning as I began to unfasten the straps. 'What happened?' I asked as he leapt free and rapidly started trying to remove the baby dress. 'What do you think happened?' he grunted, as he untied the sash belt behind his back and fumbled desperately with the buttons down the back. Frustrated, he said 'Undo these buttons will you? I can't reach them.' I quickly unfastened the row of buttons, and with a sigh of relief he stepped out of the baby frock and flung it on the bed. I couldn't help laughing again when I saw that he was also wearing a terry towelling nappy and a pair of plastic baby pants. He quickly removed them, sat down on the bed, and removed a pair of white ankle socks and babyish black T bar strap shoes from his feet.

Freed at last from the humiliating garments, he rapidly climbed into his own clothes which had been left hanging over the back of a chair. As he dressed he said 'Ruddy Fiona and her mates jumped me about half an hour ago. They dragged me in here, stripped me, and then dressed me in those baby clothes. Then they strapped me into the pushchair. Thank goodness you decided to come round.' As he finished tying his shoelaces I said 'But why didn't you put up a fight? I'd have clocked them one. After all, they're only girls!'

'Oh yeah?' he grimaced, 'Amazons more like it. Believe me, you can't do much when you're being held down by five lacrosse players twice your size. Gee those girls are strong. Anyway' he continued, 'Let's get out of here. They'll be back in a minute, and I don't recommend still being here when they do. Come on.'

That was when we made our mistake. Instead of creeping into the kitchen and out by the back door, we made for the front door because it was nearer. We couldn't have timed it more badly. Just as we entered the hall, we suddenly heard the sound of the girls coming down the stairs. 'Run for it!' shouted Ricky, and we dashed to the front door. In his panic, Ricky fumbled for a fatal couple of seconds with the door catch while with an angry Fiona shouted 'Get 'em!' Ricky finally managed to fling the door open, and the two of us sprang out of the doorway and began running down the broad driveway as fast as we could, with the angry posse of girls hard on our heels.

It was then that fate took a hand. Just before we reached the front gate and probable freedom, I put my foot down awkwardly and fell headlong onto the ground. In an instant I was pounced upon by two of the girls and dragged to my feet. At least Ricky got away, and I saw him disappear out of the front gate, leaving me on my own, and judging by the mood of the girls I suspected that I was in for a torrid time.

Fiona looked at me angrily and said 'You little wretch! Thought you'd spoil our fun did you David? This took weeks to plan, and now you've ruined everything! This was supposed to be Ricky's day of retribution.' She glared at me for a moment, and then slowly began to smirk. 'Very well' she said, 'You untied him, so you can take his place. Ever wondered what it's like being a baby girl? Well you're about to find out. Bring him inside.' Four girls were now holding my arms, and despite my struggles they had no difficulty in dragging me back into the house to Ricky's room.

Fiona closed the door and locked it before putting the key in her pocket. Now I was trapped with nowhere to run to, and I shivered in anticipation of what was to come. The idea of finding myself in the same situation as I'd found Ricky was something I certainly didn't relish. What full blooded boy would? But by now I was in no position to do anything about it.

'Now then' said Fiona, tidying up the baby clothes that Ricky had flung onto the bed, and beginning to fold the nappy ready for use, 'We can do this the easy way, in which case you'll let me dress you, or we can do it the hard way, which means we force you into them anyway. What's it to be?' Looking at the girls I decided that the easy way would be preferable, and with a sigh I said 'The easy way I suppose. But Fiona, this is a rotten thing to do to any bloke!'

'Serves you right' she snapped back, 'After all the other things he's done, Ricky deserved it after that insult, and since you've interfered with our brand of justice, you can take his place. So stop moaning and take off your clothes before we take them off for you.' I slowly and reluctantly undressed, and was soon standing there naked.

'OK' said Fiona, 'Let's put your nappy on first, shall we? Lie down on the bed, face up.' I laid down, and Fiona positioned me on the terry towelling nappy so recently discarded by Ricky. She drew the three flaps between my legs and round my hips, and brought them together before fastening the nappy on securely with the four pink nappy pins. Then, picking up the translucent plastic baby pants, she pulled them on over my feet and drew them up my legs. I raised my bottom, and she pulled them on over my nappy. 'Now stand up' she said. I got off the cot, and she tucked the plastic pants in around the elasticated legs and waist of the nappy. I was now definitely watertight.

Looking at me and smiling for a moment, she said 'Now let's see how you look wearing this lovely baby frock. It fitted Ricky perfectly, so it should fit you as well.' She picked up the baby frock from the bed, and held it in front of herself with her head on one side, grinning widely. 'Isn't it sweet?' she giggled. Sweet wasn't the word. It was positively adorable if I'd really been a little girl, and was exactly what baby girls are expected to wear. It was now that I had time to take a proper look at it, and I didn't like what I saw. It was made of white satin, and styled with a peter pan collar, short puffed sleeves, a row of small pearl buttons down the back, and a broad sash which fastened in a large bow at the back. There was a smocking pattern across the front, and the baby frock was quite short, which meant that the wearer's nappy and plastic baby pants would be frequently visible. All in all it was perfect for a baby girl.

'Right' said Fiona, 'That's enough looking, let's get you into it.' She placed the frock over my head, and pulled my arms into the sleeves. Then she stood behind me and fastened up the buttons. Finally she tied the sash belt in a large non-slip bow and smoothed the frock down around me. 'Good' she smiled, 'That's a perfect fit. Now sit down while I put your shoes and socks on.' I sat down on a chair, and picking them up off the cot, she pulled the white cotton ankle socks onto my feet, turning them down neatly. They were typical little girl socks, with a pretty frill around the ankle. Now came the shoes. They certainly were the very essence of a little girl's shoe, black shiny patent leather T-bar strap shoes with a buckle at the side of the foot. The shoe style was once again in keeping with what little girls are supposed to wear. Fiona took the first one, and with the aid of a shoe horn, squeezed it onto my foot. It was tight, but at first didn't seem to be too uncomfortable.

She stood back to look at me and smiled. 'Yes, I think we're getting there' she said, 'But before we go any further, I think we'd better take some extra precautions to stop you from interfering with what we have in mind for you.' She opened a draw, and took out a pair of soft leather fingerless mittens. 'Right' she said, 'Hold out your hand and make a fist.' I did so, and she slid one of the close-fitting mittens onto my hand. It was fitted with laces much like a small boxing glove, and pulling the laces tight, she tied them in a non-slip double bow. Then she buckled up an additional sewn-in strap firmly around my wrist so that my hand was now imprisoned securely in a clenched fist position within the mitten. 'Now the other one' she said, and in no time both my hands were completely helpless. 'And just to make your hands prettier' she said, 'We'll add these.' She took a pair of white woollen fingerless mittens that she pulled on top of the leather mittens, and tied them securely in place with sewn-in pink ribbons around the wrists.

'Good' smiled Fiona approvingly, 'Now let's see about keeping our little toddler under control. We don't want you wandering around, do we?' She picked up the pink leather baby reins, which had babyish transfers on the front, and were fitted with three small bells that jingled every time she moved them. Grinning, she held them out towards me and said 'Come along little girl, arms in.' I obediently put my arms in through the straps, and she swiftly moved behind me and fastened the buckles tightly behind me. The reins were fitted with several D rings which could obviously be used to anchor the wearer onto almost anything.

'Very good' she said, as she stood back to admire her handiwork. 'Now let's see how you fit into your pushchair shall we?' She went across to the pushchair and wheeled it into the middle of the room. I noticed the generous array of pink leather straps that matched my baby reins, and it was clearly big enough for me to fit into, as it had so recently been occupied by Ricky. 'Right then' she said, 'In you get.' I reluctantly sat down in the pushchair and found that it was easily large enough for me. I didn't realise that pushchairs were made in such a large size, but I'm fairly small and obviously they are available.

As soon as I was seated, Fiona brought the two straps attached to the back of the pushchair over my shoulders and two around my chest, and clipped them into the D rings attached to the front of the reins. Then she pulled them tight and buckled them up securely before fastening another strap around my waist. My feet came next. Ankle straps immobilised my feet immovably on the foot rest, and further up, an additional strap went around my legs just above the knees. This was connected by two additional straps to each side of the pushchair, which meant that I couldn't move my knees either apart or from side to side. She now held my arms straight down by my sides, and strapped my wrists and upper arms to the sides of the pushchair. I could now see how clever she had been to immobilise my hands. Wrapped up as they were, it would be completely impossible for me to undo the straps with my fingers and free myself. I was literally as helpless as a baby, and completely at her mercy. Finally, Fiona secured a strap gently but firmly around my neck to immobilise my head.

With a wide grin on her face, she opened a bag on the floor and took out some white hair ribbon, elastic bands, and two pink plastic hair slides. 'Now this I am going to enjoy' she smiled, 'Let's see how you look with two nice pretty bows in your hair like a proper little girl.' With the strap around my neck keeping my head still, I was in no position to stop her from inflicting this added humiliation. 'Your hair is slightly short for a girl' she said, as she picked up a comb, 'But not too short for ribbons I think.' After combing my hair down the centre, she picked up a white elastic band, and pulling my hair on one side into a bunch, she wound it tightly around my hair. She did the same on the other side of my head so that I now had two bunches of hair sticking up conspicuously. Taking a length of hair ribbon, she wound it firmly around one bunch of hair, and tied it tightly in position in a non-slip bow. Then she pulled the bunch of hair through the knot of the bow to keep the bow close to my scalp. 'Ow!' I said 'That hurt, it's too tight!'

'Nonsense' said Fiona, grinning slightly, 'That's how it has to be done. Think yourself lucky that you weren't brought up as a real little girl like me, whose bane of her life was her mother and older sisters continuously badgering her about the state of her hair. You wouldn't believe the number of tearful sessions I had to put up with as I had my hair tied up in hair ribbons. Now you can get used to it.' She then repeated the process with the other bunch of hair, and finished off the effect by clipping the two plastic hair slides into my hair to secure the ribbons. As a finishing touch, she combed my hair forward in a fringe, and taking a pair of scissors, cut it across the front in a neat, even line.

'Oh yes' she smiled, as she combed my fringe neatly into place, 'That's perfect. Yes, I think you're going to make a delightful little girl David, even better than Ricky because you're so small. And fortunately, your hair is quite long for a boy, so I don't think there's any chance that your hair ribbons are going to fall out.' She made a few fussy adjustments to my hair, and then stood back to critically assess what she had done to me. The smile that broke out on her face told me everything.

'Well there we are then' she grinned, 'One little baby girl safely strapped into her pushchair. But before we let our little girl know what's in store for her, I think it's time to prevent any noisy protests.' Reaching into her bag again, she took something out, and then stood in front of me, holding it up for me to see. In her hands was an oversized baby's dummy with an oval plastic circular mouth cover and a ring at the front. A large silicone rubber bulb was attached to protrude into the mouth, and there were long pink ribbons hanging from it to hold it securely in place. I stared at it in fascination, and I was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole idea, not that I was in a position to do anything about it by now anyway. While I stared at the dummy with a mixture of curiosity and dread, Fiona suddenly held my nose closed with her fingers, and as I unthinkingly opened my mouth to gasp for air, she quickly plunged the bulb of the dummy deep into my mouth. Then she began to wind the dummy's securing ribbons tightly round the back of my head and to the front again several times before tying them in a non-slip bow at the back.

She stood back to admire her handiwork, and all the girls burst out laughing. 'Don't you look sweet!' exclaimed Maggie. 'Just like a little dolly in her pram.' I began to feel very uneasy by now, as I began to realise that I was now really helpless and absolutely subject to their every whim whether I liked it or not. Instinctively I began to strain against my restraints, but the strong leather straps were unyielding, and I couldn't move. Neither could I protest. I soon found that out when I unthinkingly tried to call out in indignation, but the only sound I could make was a muffled 'Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmf! Mmmmmp!' as I shook my head from side to side and struggled to push the dummy out of my mouth with my tongue. No chance. Despite my best efforts it remained firmly in my mouth, which drew even more gleeful laughter from Fiona and the girls.

Fiona looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, smiled, and said 'Now just one finishing touch I think.' She reached into her bag again and took out a white frilly baby's bonnet with a large stiffened brim to frame the wearer's face. She placed it firmly down over my head and around my face, and pulling the securing ribbons tightly together under my chin, she tied them in a large neat bow. 'Oh yes' she laughed, 'That's absolutely perfect. Now you really do look like a cute little girl don't you? What do you think girls?'

'Delightful' chuckled Maggie, arranging my bonnet neatly, 'I always wanted a baby sister. Looks like I've got one now, haven't I?' A chorus of giggles went up as I blushed crimson with humiliation. 'And come to think of it' said Fiona, 'We can't really call him David looking like that, can we? I think our little girl needs a suitable name.' There was a moment's pause before my sister broke into a broad grin and said 'I know. Mum said that if he'd been born a girl his name was going to be Emily.'

'Perfect!' exclaimed Fiona with a chuckle. Emily. Oh yes that's very sweet. OK then, from now on our baby's name is Emily.' A chorus of taunting 'Emilys' went around the room as I sat in the pushchair smothered with embarrassment.

Standing in front of me, Fiona bent down, put her face close to mine and looked at me with a wicked smile. 'Now then Emily, guess what comes next?' Whatever they had planned I was sure it would be unpleasant, and how right I was. I knew these girls too well. I looked at her questioningly over my dummy and murmured 'Mmmmmm?'

'Well' she grinned, 'We think you look so sweet that it would be a shame to keep you all to ourselves. So we're going to take you for a lovely long walk around town to show you off. Isn't that lovely?' For a moment I thought she must be joking. Then as she straightened up and looked down at me triumphantly with her arms folded I realised that she wasn't. She really intended to take me out.

Maggie glanced out of the window and said 'Looks like rain, we'd better put our coats on.' Then looking down at me she grinned and said 'What about our little girl here? What's she going to wear?'

Fiona thought for a moment, staring at me with a smile on her face. Then she gave a chuckle and said 'Oh I think I know what we can do about that. I've got something perfect in mind. Don't worry, we'll take care of it later. Come on then, let's get going.'

As she spoke, my heart began to pound. This was something I'd never anticipated. The thought of actually being taken out around town like this really set me off in a panic. In a paroxysm of struggling I began to squirm and gurgle into my dummy at the prospect, and strained against the strong leather straps as hard as I could. But I was held fast, and stayed rigidly confined in the pushchair. A few tears of humiliation welled up in my eyes as I realised what was in store for me, while the girls giggled with delight at my helpless contortions as I gazed wide-eyed over my dummy, my face framed in the baby bonnet.

And so my purgatory began. Fiona unlocked the door before moving behind me, and releasing the brake of the pushchair, wheeled me out onto the hall, and stopped next to where the girl's raincoats were hanging up. They took them down and put them on, and Fiona pushed me towards the front door. Maggie opened it, and a moment later I was pushed out of the door and into the open. I squirmed and gurgled helplessly like a toddler having a tantrum as Fiona wheeled me relentlessly down to the front gate and out onto the pavement. Still writhing in hopeless protest, I was now pushed along in full view of every passer by.

The first amused onlookers were three teenage girls who stared in disbelief as we approached them. Fiona stopped the pushchair so that the girls could take a good look at me. Their expressions changed from puzzlement to a grin, then a smile, and then they started giggling. 'I don't believe it!' laughed one, 'It's a boy! How gorgeous. What's it all about?'

'Oh just a bit of fun' lied Fiona with a smile, 'We were playing forfeits and he lost, that's all. Good, isn't it?'

'Good? It's hilarious' giggled one of the girls, 'He looks so sweet. I'd love to do this to my younger brother, that would teach him to be such a pain.'

'Really?' said Fiona, 'Well perhaps I can help. Give me a call some time, and we'll work out some way of trapping him into it. I'm getting good at this kind of thing, and it's such a gorgeous way of punishing irritating naughty boys who upset us.' She wrote down her phone number and gave it to her. 'Oh that's great' said the girl, 'I'll give you a call tomorrow.' I didn't envy her brother as they walked on, and we continued on our way.

The number of people began to increase, and my humiliation intensified. More and more amused spectators enjoyed themselves at my expense, and I had to endure a plethora of taunts and teasing. After about an hour of this agony, Fiona looked up at a darkening sky and said 'Looks like rain. Oh well' she smiled, 'Never mind, I'm sure we'll be able to keep baby dry, won't we?' Shortly afterwards came the next of many humiliating incidents. Two women, accompanied by three little girls aged about six, stopped and engaged the girls in conversation as soon as they saw me. They roared with laughter as Fiona explained my punishment to them, and the little girls burst into a fit of giggles before they continued on their way. Wave after wave of humiliating derision covered me on that humiliating walk, as we approached the town centre. It was fast turning into a nightmare.

As I was being pushed along the pavement I tried to cringe down into the pushchair out of sight, but firmly restrained as I was, it was impossible. The strap around my neck prevented me from hiding my face, so there I was, staring wide-eyed over my dummy, dressed as a helpless little baby girl in her pushchair being taken through the streets for all the world to see. Soon enough, the amusement of the passers-by intensified, and the girls stopped several times and told people that I'd misbehaved like a baby, so I was being treated as one to mend my ways. Unfortunately most of them believed it, and thought that it was a great idea. Many a little girl thought it was hilarious, especially when I tried to protest, and could only gurgle indignantly into my dummy. As we continued our walk, and just as we reached the town centre, it started to rain. Fiona said looked up at the darkening sky, and said 'I think we'd better get baby Emily indoors.'

'Good point' said Fiona with a grin and said 'Now you'll see what I had in mind to keep our baby dry. I've got some money, so why don't we pop into 'Mothercare' and fit the pushchair with a rain cover to keep baby dry?'

'Oh that's a good idea' laughed Maggie, 'He'll look sweet under that. Come on, it's just along the precinct.' The girls hurried me along, and dived into the door of the shop just before it began to pour heavily. As I took stock of our surroundings, I realised why Fiona had suggested this shop. It was stocked with everything to cater for a baby's needs. There were little dresses and rompers, baby bottles, bibs, and significantly, a large number of prams and pushchairs at the rear end of the store.

The girls confidently pushed me towards two shop assistants who smiled as we approached. As they realised that the baby in the pushchair was somewhat older than one would expect, their expressions changed predictably from puzzlement at first, to a grin, a smile, and then laughter. Wiping a tear from her eye, one of them said 'What on earth have we got here?'

'Oh it's just a little lark' giggled Fiona, 'This is his punishment for smashing up my baby sister's pushchair during a student pram race. He didn't even ask if he could borrow it. So, we decided that since he wanted to go about in a baby's pushchair, we're obliging him.' At this outright lie I tried to protest my innocence, but once again, all that my dummy would allow was 'Mmmmmmm! Mmmmmmn! Nmmmmmmf!' At this, the girls all fell about with renewed laughter.

The shop assistant chuckled as she looked at me, and I blushed crimson with humiliation. 'Sort of made the punishment fit the crime did you? How delightful, that's brilliant. But how did you get him into the pushchair?' she smiled, 'Surely he didn't just let you dress him up and strap him in, did he?'

'Oh that was easy' grinned Fiona, 'Six of us and one of him? He didn't stand a chance. Mind you, he certainly didn't expect that we'd bring him into town like this, so that's made it even more fun. He's hating every minute of it, and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it!'

The girl smiled as she looked at me and said 'Well I must say it's an exquisitely appropriate punishment, quite ingenious in fact. I mean, he just looks so cute and helpless, especially with that pretty baby's bonnet framing his face. Aren't you the cutest little baby girl?' she laughed, as she bent over me and grinned into my eyes. Standing up again, she turned to Fiona and said 'Thanks ever so much for bringing him in here, it's the funniest thing I've seen for ages.'

'My pleasure' said Fiona, 'But actually, we did bring him in here for a purpose. With that downpour outside, we need something to cover up our baby from the rain.'

'Sure' said the girl, 'No problem, I've got just the thing to keep baby dry, which will also make her look very cute I think.' Going across to a shelf, she took down a package, and came back, unfolding a pushchair raincape and shaking it out. 'How about this?' she laughed, as she handed it to Fiona. Holding it up, Fiona grinned and said 'Oh yes, that's perfect. All right then girls, let's cover baby Emily up. Jane, take off his bonnet will you?' Jane untied my bonnet, and the two shop assistants burst out laughing again when they saw my hair ribbons. After retying the two bows neatly, Fiona began to cover me with the raincape. It was made of pink PVC with a pattern of little ducklings in red boots carrying umbrellas and couldn't have been more babyish. The cape had two small holes in it that she pushed the ends of the pushchair handles through. Then she slid the raincape down the handles until it was bunched up behind my head.

Spreading it out over me and down over my legs feet, she pushed my head through an aperture, and tucked the cape in around me before fastening the elastic securing loops underneath the pushchair to keep the raincape firmly in position. Now came the most humiliating bit. Where my head poked through the hole, she closed up some press fasteners at the top up to my neck, and then pulled up the cape's attached pointed pixie hood over my head, fastening it on securely with two press fasteners under my chin. 'There we are Emily' smiled Fiona, pulling the hood well forward, 'Don't you look lovely?' I peered out demurely from under the hood. 'Oh yes' said Maggie, 'That's delightful, and I really like the pixie hood, it makes him look so cute.'

'Just a suggestion' said the shop assistant, 'But how would you like an additional clear plastic rain cover as well? Guaranteed to keep any baby dry.'

Fiona chuckled and said 'What a good idea. I imagine that with that on top of the raincape it could turn into quite a little sauna in there when the sun comes out. Excellent idea.' The assistant went to the shelf again, unfolded a clear PVC pushchair rain cover, and with Fiona's help, began to fit it to the pushchair. It had a ribbed frame to support it, rather like an umbrella. This clipped onto the frame of the pushchair at the top, and then unfolded down to my feet so that I was completely covered. Like the raincape, it had loops attached to hold it in place under the pushchair. Fiona knelt down and secured them, then stood up and said 'There, now we're ready.' Looking down at me through the clear plastic of the storm cover she said 'Well that'll keep the rain off you little girl, but not necessarily dry. You see, if the rain stops and the sun comes out, we won't remove that raincape and storm cover. Oh no. We'll find a nice sunny place to sit you for a while, and it'll soon be like a hot house in there, especially with that raincape on as well. Won't that be lovely for you?'

She turned to the shop assistant and said 'Do you have a roll of clear sticky tape by any chance?' Puzzled for a moment, the assistant picked up a broad roll of clear packaging tape on a dispenser and said 'Like this you mean?'

'Perfect' said Fiona, and began to tear off a length of tape. 'Now' she said, and bending down, she covered a row of ventilation holes in the rain cover. As she proceeded to cover up all the other ventilation holes, one of the other girls began to chuckle. 'Oh yes, that's a brilliant idea' she said, 'That'll really turn it into a sauna if the sun comes out. Actually, I made my little sister keep her mackintosh with the hood up in the sun only the other day as a punishment for coming out with some foul language with more or less the same idea, but this is positively fiendish!'

'It is, isn't it?' grinned Fiona, pleased at her own cruel ingenuity. 'OK everybody, let's get going.' The three girls buttoned up their raincoats and put up their hoods ready for the torrential rain outside. Then, with Jane pushing the pushchair, we all went out through the door and into the downpour outside.

The rain drummed onto the storm cover as I sat helplessly in the pushchair, wriggling and gurgling helplessly, while from time to time one of the girls would peer in at me and laugh. After a while the rain began to lessen, and it finally stopped as the sun came out and shone down at full strength. Lowering the hood of her mac and unfastening it, Fiona noticed the sun's heat, and looking down at me, grinned maliciously and said 'Well little girl, it looks as if you're in for a nice warm walk around town now, doesn't it?'

In only a few minutes, facing directly into the sun as we were, her prediction proved horribly correct for me as the pushchair quickly began to turn into a sauna. The heat and damp became more and more uncomfortable for me, securely covered in two thick layers of plastic as I was. I gurgled loudly into my dummy and shook my head from side to side in a futile attempt to shake off the hood of my raincape, but I couldn't get it back off my head by even a fraction. The girls giggled at my helpless discomfort, especially when I gurgled with frustration into my dummy.

The wet streets steamed as the sun quickly dried them off, and the girls decided to stop for lunch at an outdoor café. As they selected a table, Jane carefully positioned the pushchair so that I was facing directly into the sun. Then they all sat down. Fiona leaned forward and grinned at me through the clear plastic rain cover. 'Warm enough?' she said, knowing full well what I must be going through.

As the girls proceeded with their leisurely lunch, the heat and damp inside my plastic cocoon became intolerable, but there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't help but squirm and writhe against my restraints, and I gurgled with frustration into my dummy, but it was all in vain. The sweat began to pour down my face and soak my body. I could feel rivulets of perspiration running down my tightly enclosed legs and down onto my shoes. It was dreadful, and made all the more humiliating as the girls continued to giggle at my desperate wriggling.

Jane looked at me through the clear plastic, and with mock concern said 'Oh goodness me, Is ickle baby all hot and sticky? Does ickle diddums want to get out of her pushchair den?' I struggled even harder at this, but the unyielding leather restraints held me rigidly still while I moaned a feeble 'Mmmmmmm! Nmmmmmm! Mmmmmmmf!' into my dummy. Tears of humiliation and discomfort were now running down my cheeks. 'Well hard luck' grinned Fiona. She was certainly making me pay for spoiling her intended fun with Ricky.

Eventually the girls decided it was time to head off, and after paying their bill, they once more began to push me through the shopping precinct. My sister took command of the pushchair, and we started on the walk homewards. Fiona now felt that it was time for people to get a better view of me again, so stopping the pushchair for a moment, she removed the rain cover and cape. Then, smiling broadly, she took the white baby bonnet out of her bag, and tied it securely on my head again.

I don't know which was worse, being wrapped in my hot plastic cocoon, or being exposed to the jeers and ridicule of the passers-by. The girls deliberately pushed me slowly around the precinct for three more hours while they did some shopping, and encouraged their willing audience to make me feel as humiliated as possible. But at long last they began to tire of their sport, and decided to head for home. At long last we arrived back at Fiona and Ricky's house, and wondering if he'd had the nerve to return, I heaved a muffled sigh of relief when we were finally indoors and out of public view. Needless to say there was no sign of him, and the house was silent as the girls wheeled me back into his room.

Fiona stood in front of me, bent down, and put her face close to mine. She broke into a broad grin and said 'Well there we are then. Did our ickle baby girl enjoy her little walkies? Fun, wasn't it?' I glared at her silently, and we both knew the answer to that. With a chuckle she stood up straight and said 'Oh well, I suppose we'd better let you go. What a pity.' She turned to my sister and said 'Come to think of it Maggie, how would you like to take him home like this?' I hoped desperately that she was kidding, but knowing Fiona, I knew she probably wasn't. In a panic I began to squirm and writhe in my restraints and gave a muffled 'Nmmmm! Mmmmmf!' of protest.

But fortunately for me, Maggie realised that Mum would probably disapprove of the idea, and said reluctantly 'Lovely idea, but I think we'd better let him go here. I don't think Mum would appreciate our form of justice.'

'Oh well' said Fiona reluctantly, 'It was just an idea.' She bent over me, untied the bow of the baby bonnet and removed it. Then she unfastened the securing ribbons of my dummy, and I heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled it out of my mouth. I moved my aching jaw from side to side as she removed the ribbons and hair slides from my head. That done, she and Maggie unfastened the pushchair straps and helped me to my feet. Fiona stepped behind me, unbuckled the baby reins, and pulled them off. 'Now then David' she said, as she unfastened the bow of my baby frock and unfastened the buttons down the back, 'That was what we had planned for Ricky today. Thanks to you, we were deprived of that pleasure, but rest assured he'll be sorry. I've dreamed up something for him that will make your little experience today seem mild in comparison. You'll be seeing him sooner or later, so you can tell him that from me. It won't be in the next day or two, I want him to sweat it out for a while. But believe me, he's going to regret what he did today.'

While she'd been talking I'd put my own clothes on again, and soon I was ready to go home with my sister. We made our farewells, and as we walked home, Maggie looked at me and grinned. 'Well' she said, 'That'll teach you not to interfere, won't it?'

'It sure will' I replied ruefully, 'What do you reckon she's got in mind for Ricky?'

'I've no idea ' she said, 'But whatever it is, you can be grateful it won't be you.'

And as things turned out, I was. But that's another story.

 

END

  

  

  

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