Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 ï>¿The Keys by OutdoorCat

   The Keys Ch.  05

   Lydia must escape her workplace naked without being seen.

   Lydia was sprawled spread eagle on the floor of her office cubicle.  It
was the middle of the night.  No one was supposed to be there, least of all
her and least of all naked.  But that still did not explain the intrusion.
Who was it?  Why were they there?  Was she found out?  Seen perhaps out the
window?  Did she make too much noise and get followed upstairs?  A million
questions whizzed through her mind.  It was too much to bear.

   "I'm just saying, Marla, the guy's a perv.  I hate the way he looks at
me when we come in every week.  I can feel his nasty old eyes all over me."

   Okay, two people.  One named Marla.

   "Just let it go Brittany.  It's not like you can do anything about it
and, besides, he's just a dirty old man.  Who cares what he thinks?"

   "Maybe I do," Brittany retorted, "Maybe you wish he would give you the
same treatment!"

   Lydia listened carefully to figure out where the voices were coming
from. It was clear that it was two women.  Maybe it was a cleaning crew. 
Marla sounded like she might be in her late thirties or early forties. 
Brittany sounded much younger.  Early twenties, perhaps.  A vague memory
returned to Lydia about the building getting cleaned twice per week
overnight.  That's why she never had to change her trash out at the office.

   STUPID!  Stupid, stupid, stupid!

   Lydia felt tears welling in her eyes over the distress of her
predicament.  How could she overlook this?  Why didn't she ask someone at
the office about the cleaning schedule?  This could be it.  Caught.  And in
her place of work.  Fired.  Arrested for trespass and public indecency. 
Kicked out of school for having a criminal record.  Branded for life as a
sexual deviant by everyone she knew.

   "As if, darling.  Besides, I'm too old for that old coot.  I hear that
he likes the young hotties.  Maybe you can finally get a boyfriend, how
about that?" Marla laughed.

   Lydia heard the rumbling sound again.  It must be the cleaning cart, and
it sounded like it had stopped either near the doorway to the main hall or
right inside of it to hold the door open.

   "I think I would rather die," Brittany said in a dejected tone.

   The voice was closer.  Perhaps circling the room.  Lydia heard the
clamor of plastic trash cans banging against one another.  She suspected
that this Brittany person was picking them up to pour them out in the
cleaning cart rather than changing the liners.  Lydia eyed her own trash
can and knew that it would be the next one eventually.  She pushed herself
off the floor and assumed the lowest crouch she could manage.  Her breasts
pressed against her thighs in a feeble attempt to conjure a semblance of
feeling covered.

   It was pointless though.  Not a thing in the world, except perhaps a
fresh set of clothes, could possibly make her feel any less exposed than
being naked in front of two fully dressed women that she did not know. 
Lydia wondered despairingly how it had come to this.  She had been startled
during her evening escapade so far.  Frightened, even.  But this time she
was legitimately scared.  She could not conceive of a way out of this
debacle.

   "Look, let's just get this building done quickly so we can get out of
here.  Why don't you do the room across the hall while I work on this one?"
Brittany suggested.

   Yes!  Please do!

   "Why?" Marla shot back sharply, "So you can listen to music and goof off
again while I do all the work?"

   "Come on, Marla.  That was one time several months ago.  When will you
let it go?"

   The conversation was killing Lydia.  A needle prick upon her naked skin
with every word, but at least Lydia could be sure that the women did not
know she in the room with them.  The second cubicle cluster had been
emptied of trash.  Lydia's was next.  Like or not, she had to move and
there was no way to know if she could stay out of sight.  If she was seen
out in the open, she would just have to make a break for it.  Key in hand,
she crawled out of her cubicle on hands and knees around the corner.

   Lydia now had her back pressed against the exterior wall of the cubicle,
using her hands to brace herself against it.  Her waist twisted to point
her knees parallel to the wall as she faced the window overlooking the
front parking lot.  Lydia could not see the parking lot through the window
anymore though, only her stark-naked reflection with breasts on full
display.  Mere seconds later, Brittany arrived at Lydia's desk and casually
reached in to retrieve the trashcan.

   "I'll let it go when I'm good and ready, and you can count on that,"
Marla said teasingly.

   "Ugh," Brittany sighed, "Whatever.  Hey, do you smell that?"

   "Smell what?" Marla responded.

   Brittany sniffed the air, making Lydia feel like she was a woodland
rabbit being tracked by a bloodhound.

   "I smell...  chlorine, I think."

   Lydia's heart dropped.  She was the source of that exact smell.  She was
the one who, not even an hour past, was fully submerged in her friend's
chlorine-treated swimming pool.

   Oh, no.  I'm done.  This is it.

   Lydia braced in anticipation of her scent tracing the young woman right
to where she was hiding.  If that happened, Lydia was mentally prepared to
make a run for it.

   "Do we use any chlorine in our cleaning supplies?" Brittany asked.

   "Not that I know of.  I don't smell it though," answered Marla.

   "Hm.  Maybe it's just me," Brittany shrugged and walked through the
middle of the room to empty the trash cans.

   Lydia did not know what to do.  If she ran for the door then Marla would
see her.  If she stayed put then Brittany would soon find her.  Heart
pounding against her chest, Lydia looked back toward the window to see her
own expression of abject terror.  She wanted more than anything to be
teleported away.  How could the night come to such an awful end, and
because of just one small oversight?

   Lydia heard Brittany walking back across the middle of the room to
return the trashcan to Lydia's cubicle.  After setting it in place, she
paused at Lydia's desk.

   "Hey, Marla, come look at this."

   She's seen me!

   Lydia screamed in her head and held her hand over her mouth.  But no,
that was not the tone that someone used when they come across a naked girl
by surprise.  Footsteps indicated that Marla's curiosity had been piqued.
Together, the two cleaning ladies stood in Lydia's cubicle.  One thin,
short cubicle wall separated Lydia from everything that she feared.

   "I think I know this girl," Brittany said.  "Yeah, I went to high school
with her.  That's Lydia!  I didn't know she worked here!"

   Lydia could not believe what she was hearing.  She was hiding just three
feet away from *that* Brittany?!  They had hung out together a few times
and shared a couple of friends, but their paths had not crossed enough for
them to get to know one another all that well.  Still, if Brittany could
identify Lydia in photo on her desk then she could certainly identify Lydia
crawling naked through the office that she was cleaning.

   "That's what you called me over here for?" Marla asked pointedly.

   "Yeah, that and to see if you plan on helping me tonight.  How about
it?" Brittany set the frame back down on the desk.

   Lydia realized that this was her chance.  The women were distracted so
she crawled on tiptoes and fingertips away from her cubicle and rounded the
corner.  Sure enough, the door was blocked by a cleaning cart.  There was
no way to get through without pushing it out of the way and attracting
attention to herself.  Taking an extreme risk, Lydia poked her head over
the walls of the cubicles to see if they were looking her way.  They were
not!

   Continuing her desperate escape, she silently scurried past the cart and
momentarily in view of anyone who entered the cubicle crossway.  Betting
that at least Marla would return to the cart, she ducked around the next
corner as well.  Now she was positioned opposite to the front window and
within jumping distance of the door that opened into the side hallway.  If
she could just get there, then she just might make it.  Otherwise, it might
be Lydia naked in handcuffs sulking in the county jail.

   Brittany and Marla had been continuing their conversation.  Lydia had
been so focused on avoiding being seen that all she had heard was vague
sounds resembling human speech in the background of her attention.  Now
that she was stopped again, she listened as footsteps walked back toward
the cleaning cart and moved it out of the doorway.

   "I'll be right back with the vacuum cleaner.  I think I saw it by the
refrigerator in the big room this time," Marla said from the main hallway.

   Great.  One down and one to go.

   Lydia heard the sound spraying liquid and the squeak of wet cloth
against glass.  Another win!  Lydia slowly raised her eyes over the cubicle
wall one more time to glimpse Brittany cleaning the windows opposite to
Lydia.  She was performing some light dancing to the music in her earbuds.
With Brittany's back turned and her ears occupied, this was the golden
opportunity for Lydia to escape into the side hallway.  Lydia bent back
down and tread lightly toward the wooden door.

   As quickly as she dared, which was not much, Lydia opened the door and
deftly pulled herself around it into the side hallway.  All the lights were
on now.  She had hoped in vain to be greeted with the coveted darkness.  It
would have made sneaking away so much easier.  Lydia decided that the
stairs were her only option.  The elevator presented too much chance of
being caught.  She did not wait a moment longer.  She glanced over her
shoulder out of reflex but all she saw was the reflection of her naked butt
in the window as she proceeded down the side hallway.

   By the time Lydia reached the corner, Marla had returned to the main
hallway with the vacuum cleaner.  Now, Lydia was stuck again.  Lydia
pressed her hip against the office wall and peered around the corner at
Marla to see what she would do.

   "Hey Brittany, I think I'm going to vacuum the hallway first while you
finish in there.  Is that alright?"

   The color drained from Lydia's face.  She could hide in the other
cubicle room, but Brittany would eventually start cleaning that one too. 
Plus, Lydia doubted that her strict timetable for getting the keys before
dawn afforded her the luxury of waiting for the women to finish cleaning
even if there was a good chance of getting away afterward.  Alternatively,
she could not simply waltz in front of Marla without getting caught.  Lydia
was truly stuck.

   "Brittany?" Marla repeated, and stuck her head into the cubicle room,
"HEY, BRITTANY!  HELLOOOOO!!!"

   Seizing the moment, Lydia thrust herself off the wall and into the main
hallway.  She wanted to run but knew that she would almost certainly be
heard if she did.  Instead, she trotted on the pads of her feet to dampen
the sound.  Halfway to the stairs, Lydia heard behind her:

   "BRITTANY!  I said I am going to vacuum the hallway!" "FINE!"

   "How long are you going to be in here?"

   That was the last clear thing that Lydia heard as she whisked herself
around the barrier to the stairs and descended the first few rubber steps
toward the first floor.  With both hands on a guardrail and each foot on a
different step, Lydia strained her ears with her mouth agape and eyes
widened.

   At this distance, Lydia heard scattered bits of conversation upstairs
but nothing that sounded like an alarm or pursuit.  Somehow, by some
miracle, Lydia had evaded the two cleaning ladies under full fluorescent
light and in the nude.  If she had not lived it, she would not have
believed it to be possible.  Taking no more time to consider this
incredible outcome, she continued down the dark stairway into more light.
It appeared that the whole building was awake now and actively wanted
Lydia, the naked intruder, to be found.

   Reaching the bottom step, she checked all four directions for activity
and discovered none.  She was now in a hurry to take her key and go as far
from Trace and Avers as she could.  Lydia's feet made a gentle tap-tap
sound on the tile flooring with every step that carried her to the back of
the building.  She only got a quarter of the way down the crossway when she
heard whistling and heavy footsteps.

   At first, she didn't know where to look.  It sounded like it was coming
from all around her, so she looked up and down the hall in frenzy to
pinpoint its source.  Caught up in the moment, Lydia was not even covering
herself as she searched.  As the footsteps got louder, she realized that
she was heading in the direction of the noise.  She immediately doubled
back, nearly tripped, and clumsily hid herself on the side of the snack
machine.  Confirming her fear, she heard the heavy steps of work boots and
whistling now definitely in the crossway approaching the intersection where
Lydia stood.

   As fast as she could think, she considered the odds of being seen if she
hurried to the intersection and turned right.  From there, she might sprint
to the end, turn right once more and get to the back door of the building
before being seen.  She thought about it too long though.  By the time she
had made up her mind about such a plan, the whistling was nearly upon her.
The security guard was a few steps away from feasting his eyes on a naked
girl who was so foolishly streaking through the building.

   There was only one thing left to do.  Lydia sidled the machine and
squeezed her body into the narrow space between the snack machine and the
cold wall.  Despite the obscurity of the rear of the machine, she could
almost feel the light all over her bare body.  To make matters worse, her
newfound hiding place was positively filthy.  Lydia stood face to face with
clumps of dust hanging from back panel.  She could feel even more with her
toes which were stuffed uncomfortably under the machine.

   Making one last gesture before committing to a resolute position, she
lifted her arm lateral to her body and pulled it back behind the machine to
cover her mouth and nose with her hand.  Not only was she hoping to muffle
her breathing, if she dared to breathe at all, but also mitigate any
chances of sneezing in the presence of all the dust.  Finally, she heard
the footsteps come to a halt.  All she could do was stare down the hallway
toward the front of the building.

   "Hrrm, hmmm..." grumbled a voice.  The security guard smacked his lips
and shuffled his feet.

   Why did he stop?  Does he know I'm here?  Is he just toying with me?

   From her present position, she was trapped if the man had any physical
intentions with her.  She could scream, or call out for help, but even
budging herself out of the space behind the snack machine would take
several seconds even unimpeded.  Perhaps he did not know that she was
there. After all, how could he?  But unless he turned left or went back the
way he came, then Lydia would be moments away from giving him a show that
just might give the old man a heart attack.

   Lydia imagined that if the security guard turned right at the
intersection then there was no chance of escaping notice.  Then again, he
had no reason to go that way.  He could continue forward to the front desk,
but on any whim upon which he decided to turn around there Lydia would be
with no veil between his wandering eyes and her naked body.  She squeezed
her eyes shut to try to expel the horrible image from her mind.

   "Yeah, sure.  Why not?" the gruff voice said out loud.

   What is he doing?

   Lydia opened her eyes and worriedly scanned the floor, searching in vain
for clues to what was happening just five feet in front of her.

   She heard the sound of crumpled paper being roughly unfolded and fed
into the snack machine.  Of all the times and in all the days for a snack,
Lydia wondered why he had to pick now.  A jangling noise was followed by a
series of clanks as the guard deposited coins into the machine.  He pressed
buttons and the coils holding the various foods whirred to life.

   To Lydia, it felt like the machine was vibrating against her entire
body. Despite everything, she was surprised to feel a not insignificant
sensation of pleasure across the front of her breasts which had been
flattened against the back panel.  At any other time, she might have
released a sigh at the unexpected tingling feeling which was spreading over
her.  All she could do at the moment was shudder from the unexpected,
grotesque pleasure from the machine that was hardening her nipples.

   The release of the snack resulted in a *ker-plunk* and the machine
resumed its dormant state.  The guard reached inside and retrieved his
prize.  Lydia hoped that he would just go right then, but he proceeded to
rustle the wrapper until it opened.  He crunched into it which gave Lydia
no indication that he was leaving any time soon.  She was eternally
grateful that in this one instance that she was wrong.

   The heavy footsteps resumed toward the intersection and the guard came
into Lydia's view.  He was a portly, slightly hunched over older man who
appeared to be in his mid-fifties.  True to his reputation, he also
appeared to be groggy.  Lydia once more cursed the cleaning crew
internally. She might have never encountered the security guard if they had
not shown up.  He might have slept through the full duration of her
clandestine nude visit.

   The man suddenly stopped at the intersection of hallways.  All Lydia
could do was stare with wide eyes and wait for what might happen next. 
Once again, this was someone who could ruin her whole life by just turning
around.  He would see her, recognize her, and at best report her to her
boss.  At worst, well, she could not help but think of what Brittany had
said upstairs about his apparent appetite for young attractive girls. 
Lydia would be at this old pervert's mercy.

   "Meh," said the man as he rifled through his left pocket, pulling out
the contents and fumbling with them in his palm.  He seemed disappointed
because he forcefully refilled his left pocked and stepped toward the water
fountain.  He bent over and drank, evidently parched from the snack that he
had just eaten.  At this point, Lydia was paralyzed with fear.  She
considered just making a break for it and hiding her face, but she just
could not bring herself to attempt it.

   The man stood up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.  He turned to his
right and started again back down the hallway toward the front desk.  The
guard looked at the snack wrapper as he walked and tossed it to the ground.

   "One more for the cleaning ladies, heh heh heh," the guard chuckled to
himself, no doubt thinking that he was clever.

   Just a few more steps.  Please, just a few more steps.  Don't turn
around!  I'm begging you, please!

   As she watched the man shuffled down the hallway, creating more distance
between them with every step, Lydia noticed something that she had not seen
before.  She could see herself!  Not well, but there she was.  The windows
throughout the building were like giant mirrors by night when there was no
sunlight beaming in from outside.  The window at the end of the hallway
distinctly showed a fully naked girl hiding behind the snack machine
against the wall with a hand over her mouth.  All the guard had to do was
notice.

   Each second felt stretched and painful to Lydia.  Each footstep of boot
on tile pounded like a hammer in her mind.  All the universe was condensed
to herself, the hallway, and the man whom she prayed did not see her.  Step
by step by step, the guard paced the length of the hallway.  He seemed to
be watching the floor.  Perhaps he was eager to return the desk so he could
fall back asleep.  He veered left and disappeared around the corner, the
sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.

   Lydia knew that there was not a moment to waste.  She pulled against the
side of the snack machine to unwedge herself from the gap.  With a final
tug, she pried herself loose and stumbled awkwardly in the hallway. 
Checking each direction quickly, she saw that no one was around.  Lydia
once more used the pads of her feet to half-run toward the back of the
building.  Passing under the stairs she heard the roaring sound of a vacuum
on the second floor.  Two people upstairs, two people downstairs.  Four in
the building, soon to be three.

   Lydia turned left toward the building's back door without even checking
the back hallway.  Unconsciously, she was watching herself scamper along in
the reflection of the window.  Her hair was flowing back and forth.  Her
breasts were bobbing up and down.  Despite everything that had just
happened, and her rush to exit the building, there was apparently enough of
her subconscious with available mental energy to admire the sight her
sensuous natural beauty.

   At the end of the hallway, Lydia opened the wooden door and closed it
behind her quietly.  Again, this room was drowned in darkness save for the
red glow of the "EXIT" sign.  She felt her way over to the back door,
twisted the handle, and pushed.  Nothing.  It did not shift in the
slightest.  Lydia produced a subdued groan in exasperation, knowing what
must come next.  Turning to the side and bracing for impact, she flung her
full weight against the door.  The door crashed open and she stepped into
the night.

   Finally outside, she could see in the well-lit windows that no one was
coming.  She wound the door towards her and threw it shut, creating one
last resounding boom that echoed across the pond.  Caution was now in the
wind.  She turned from the building and sprinted across the grass toward
the water.  Faintly in the moonlight, Lydia spotted her backpack, shoes,
and hat.  She skidded to a halt and slid feet first on the dew.

   Four items in hand, including the key for which she had passed through
much trepidation and exposure to retrieve, Lydia picked herself up and took
off at full speed around the nearest corner of the retention pond and
directly away from Trace and Avers.  Streaking across the property, both
literally and figuratively, she dared not slow down to take a single look
back.  No voices followed her, nor the sound of the backdoor opening.  She
had made it.

   Lydia continued until she was across the undeveloped field, a few
hundred yards from the back of Trace and Avers.  The lights were still on
inside, but no other activity was apparent.  Checking to make sure that she
had everything, she unzipped another key compartment in her hat and dropped
it inside.  Then, she placed it on her head and put on her backpack.  She
managed to pull on her shoes as well with a few one-footed hops.  She was
thankful that she had not stepped in anything hazardous on her reckless run
across the field.

   She surveyed her surroundings and saw that she was near another tree
line across the road, but the thick foliage would not permit entry.  Lydia
had no cover again but at least in the field the only illumination was
moonlight.  She rubbed her hand against her abdomen and discovered that she
was sweating from her exertion.  Beads of perspiration were starting to
form down her back, along her neck, and most noticeably to Lydia, between
her legs.  She looked up at the sky and finally processed what she had just
done.  A moment's rest was all she would allow for herself to cool off and
recollect herself.  Lydia was naked out in the open, a fact that she wanted
to change soon, and there were more keys to find before she could get
dressed again.



   The Keys Ch.  06

   Lydia visits the local library naked to find her next key.

   Lydia had the luxury of several minutes to let the night air wick away
the sweat from every corner of her body.  Fortunately for her, there were
no sticky clothes to hold back the accumulated perspiration like a sponge.
It was much easier to cool down from a steady run when there was nothing
insulating her naked skin against the atmosphere around her.  Her mind was
set firmly on putting as much distance between herself and the Trace and
Avers building as possible.  She had not spotted anyone following her, nor
any sign of commotion from the building that was shrinking from sight, but
she was still eager to continue her journey just in case.

   It was a nearly ten-minute walk from the field to her next destination,
so Lydia had some time to think.  Considering the harrowing closeness of
her exposure during her last stop, the prospect of quitting was growing
more attractive by the moment.  After all, what was she doing?  She was
nearly two miles from home, completely naked in the middle of the night,
and fetching keys from all over town in the most public of locations.  She
cupped her breasts and looked around nervously, just as she had every
thirty seconds for the past five minutes.

   On the outside, she seemed a calm, casual woman who just happened to be
nude on a late evening stroll through town.  Internally, however, she felt
like she was on the verge of a panic attack.  Every fiber of her being told
her to put on her dress and act like a sane woman.  She could completely
remove any further risk by putting on the clothes that she brought with her
and waiting until places opened in the morning to retrieve the remaining
keys.  She would be tired upon returning home, but at least she would not
be arrested, humiliated, or worse.

   Unhanding her breasts, she walked on pensively with her left arm across
her waist and using her right hand to play with her lips.  Gazing at the
stars and scattered clouds silhouetted by the light of the moon, she
weighed the possibility.  If she quit now, then what would it all have been
for?  Kerri's house, the park, and sneaking into her work would have been
for nothing if she did not go all the way through with her plan.

   Now she was passing single-story buildings with darkened windows, but
keeping her distance all the same.  Lydia was approaching an even more
developed part of town that was anything but residential.  Consequently,
there was no one around to see her under the increasingly frequent
streetlamps and so she was not bothered by them.

   I guess I shouldn't get dressed until I have made up my mind for good.
Putting on clothes and then taking them off again would feel the same as
quitting altogether.

   She stopped several feet short of the train tracks and hid behind a
large blue mailbox.  Something about hiding made her feel even more ill at
ease.  Nothing was coming, so she stepped beyond any hope of cover and
crossed the train tracks into the next part of town.  The first thing she
encountered was a convenience store with a gas station.

   Remembering back to when she made her plan, Lydia knew that the 24-hour
gas station was on her route.  At the time, she thought it would be a fun
and easy obstacle.  Now, facing it naked and without cover, it felt more
like an existential threat.  In reality, it was not much effort for Lydia
to skirt the border of the light under the gas pumps to pass behind the
shoddy cinderblock building.  She knew that there was a camera inside, and
an attendant on the night shift as well.  Going around the back was well
worth the time and effort spent.

   Lydia noted the back door but figured that the person inside had no
reason to go back there in the middle of the night.  She passed around to
the other side of the building and peered into the gas station parking lot
just in case any cars had shown up.  It was 2:36am by Lydia's watch.  No
one was filling up their tank that late at night.  She decided to take off
at a run away from the gas station.  Two more blocks and she would be at
her next destination.

   No, I can't quit now.  Not after everything I've been through.  Sure,
I'm naked and I could be seen at any moment.  But if I don't do this, then
I will regret it forever.  I could come out and try it again another night,
but if I tuck tail now and run from this then I will always remember this
first time that I tried and failed.  Not just failed...  quit!

   Her mind was made up.  She would proceed with the plan and just hope
that she did not run into any more issues with people showing up
unexpectedly.  Trace and Avers was surely a fluke.  Her next destinations
would be much easier, she thought.  Lydia gripped the thin straps of her
backpack, proudly pushing her chest out before her with a mischievous grin.
She was facing her fears and felt her resolve return to her the farther she
got from the danger of being seen naked at her workplace.

   Two blocks passed by in a blur as she became lost in thought.  The
town's library stood on the opposite street with a single light over the
front door.  All else was dark around it and within, just like she had
wanted.  She ran diagonally across the street toward the side of the
building.  Just like the last time during the day, she planned to enter
around the back.  Somewhere inside the library was Lydia's next key.

   The grass was taller around the side of the building and a few bushes
obstructed her path.  She had to hike her legs high to lunge over them. 
The back of the building was eerily dark.  Lydia had grown accustomed to
the general dim light provided by the streetlamps.  She placed her right
hand on the red brick exterior of the library and carefully wound her way
further behind the building.  The library was oddly shaped, which meant
that Lydia had to take a few turns to finally arrive at her entry spot.

   There were no full-sized windows in the back of the library.  Instead,
the windows were about seven feet from the ground to allow for the sunlight
to enter the library at an angle.  They were long in breadth but short in
height.  For Lydia's part, it was a boon that they opened from within. 
From where she stood, there was a gap in the trees through which she was
clearly visible to the next street over.  Lydia deemed it to be safe,
however.  Even during the daytime, no one really looked back this way.

   Standing with her feet together, hands on her hips, and head tilted
sideways, she considered the challenge that she would face with getting
inside.  Lydia stepped over to the bushes to pull a five-foot step ladder
that she had placed there a few days prior.  She unfolded it and placed it
against the wall.

   This should be enough to get inside.

   She walked back to the bushes and placed her backpack on top of one that
looked particularly sturdy.  Next, she put her hat on the bag.  Finally,
she kicked off her shoes next to the base of the bush and was fully nude
once more.  She had a growing appreciation for the feeling, evidenced by
the giddy jump-in-place dance she did upon feeling the earth between her
toes again.  She brushed her front and her back with her hands, just to
feel her body, and walked back toward the step ladder.

   Here we go!

   Taking two steps at a time, Lydia ascended toward the window and found
it cracked open just slightly.  It had been held in place by a few index
cards so that, in passing, the window would appear closed but would be able
to be opened from the outside if done carefully.  It took a few tries to
secure a grip on the pane of the window with her fingertips, but she was
eventually able to pull the window towards her and upwards.  Inside, it was
impossible to see.  Lydia was staring into a lifeless void.  All of a
sudden, she was not so sure she wanted to go in.

   Under her weight, the ladder was sinking slowly into the soft soil
below. Just a few more inches and she would have to climb down, reposition
the ladder, and try again.  She lifted her left leg high, acutely aware
that her butt was hanging shamelessly in the breeze, and found a foothold
on the bottom of the window frame.  The act caused her right foot to
suddenly swing wildly and knock over the ladder with a muffled crash. 
Before she could stop herself, Lydia yelped in fright.  She was
precariously dangling naked out the back window of the local library.

   The coarse brick was rough against her skin and especially her sensitive
nipples.  Lydia summoned all the strength in her arms to pull herself up
and rest belly down in the high-up window.  She was half in, half out of
the library and panting hot, heavy breaths into the night.  After a few
more seconds she pushed against the base of the window and rotated her body
to allow her right leg to enter the building as well.

   Feet first, Lydia descended into the foreboding darkness of the library.
Ordinarily, she loved this place.  The librarian had always been warm and
inviting throughout Lydia's childhood and adolescent years.  She had whiled
away many summers picking out books from the shelves and either taking them
home to read or curling up in a quiet corner of the library to get lost in
another world.  She felt like she knew the library as well as her own home.
Suddenly, her foot felt something smooth and cold.

   *PING!  Ping-ping!*

   A low rumbling sound ensued and Lydia understood with deep regret that
she had accidently kicked a metal vase with a fake plant off a coffee
table, and it was now rolling away.  She relaxed her elbows and searched
for the table to on which to rest her foot.  Finding it, she let go of the
window and ambled in the direction of the rapidly quieting vase.  She
grasped it off the floor with both hands, restoring the silence.  Crouched
into a ball, her eyes blindly darted left and right to see if her noisy
entry had been noticed.  There was no one in the library though.  She was
alone except for the thousands of books.

   Lydia walked back to the window and returned the vase to its table.  She
turned around and carefully stepped between one of the aisles, somewhat
aided by her adjusting eyes but still mostly feeling her way through.  She
did not feel the need to step lightly here.  There was no night shift at
the library, and therefore no one to catch her.  She lifted her hands to
push her hair back into position.  The vacancy was a welcome change from
her previous stop.

   Carpet turned to tile as she emerged into the common area with the study
tables.  The library was divided into two sets of bookshelf rows on the
half of the library that she was in.  She let her hands drift over the
tables where she had often sat to study for exams in high school.

   If past me could see myself now, I think I would be so embarrassed.  I
wouldn't get any studying done either!

   Her footsteps were marked by a pat-pat sound against the vinyl tile
until she crossed yet another boundary onto cheap carpet.  Her eyes were
finally adjusting to the darkness, but not enough to read the titles of the
books.  Thankfully, she did not need to read them.  She remembered exactly
where she had hidden her key.  It was inside the large book that sat two
rows deep, on the second-to-top row on the left, and five books from the
end.  Amidst the pages of that tome was the next key that Lydia sought.

   She stood in front of the bookshelf and felt along the row until she
found it.  She had picked this book, in part, because it was about the
ancient history of some civilization or other.  No one was likely to check
it out or even touch it.  The other part of it though, was because this
book was in clear view of the front desk and the front door.  It was
tantalizing to look out the front into the parking lot of the library in
her current state.  Lydia picked out the book and felt for the telltale
crease in the pages.  Opening the book, the third key was waiting for her.

   Man, this one was way easier.

   Lydia closed the book in a flourish which made a sort of *plop* sound.
She returned the book to its spot and decided to venture into the main
entryway of the library.  A shiver ran down her spine at the novelty of
standing in yet another place so familiar while wearing no clothes.  She
imagined Mrs.  Bradley, the librarian, typing away at her computer on the
front desk waiting to greet new guests.  Lydia walked around the front desk
and pulled out the wooden rolling chair, sitting upon its cool surface and
placing her hands on the keyboard.

   "Oh, hello!" Lydia smiled and waved to the imaginary guests.  "Today is
naked day at the library.  Feel free to deposit your clothes in that bin
over there!"

   For a moment, Lydia actually thought naked day at the library might be a
pretty fun idea.  No one in town would go for it though.  For better or
worse, the world was still full of prudes who simply did not understand
that joys of simple, casual, and public nudity.  She did though, which is
why she guessed she was doing all of this in the first place.

   Lydia leaned forward in the chair and felt the cold texture of the seat
pressing against her shaven pussy.  She sighed and resisted the temptation
to continue massaging her tingling sex against the surface.  It may be
pleasurable, but that was Mrs.  Bradley's chair.  She got up and realized
that she had not been to the bathroom since leaving her house.  Since she
had the chance, she decided to prowl over to the bathroom for a quick
visit.

   If the dark library was imposing, the pitch black bathroom was
terrifying.  Lydia swallowed and stepped inside, but turned on the light as
soon as the door was closed.  She figured it was safe enough to use the
light here.  Even if someone were to check the premises and glance inside,
the bathroom light would not be suspicious.  Lydia passed the sinks and
entered a stall.  Again, the convenience of nakedness proved useful.  She
was able to sit down without needing to pull down any pants and relieved
her bladder immediately upon resting.

   Her eyes drifted upward as a sweet, euphoric feeling enveloped her body.
Seconds later, she finished her business and wiped herself clean.  Again,
no pants to pull up or belt to fasten, she flushed the toilet and exited to
wash her hands.  She loved this.  While at the sink, she admired her nude
aspect in the mirror.  She had never seen herself naked in this mirror
before.  It brought a smile to her face.  Feeling silly for a moment, she
stuck her tongue out at herself before splashing some water over her cheeks
to freshen up.

   Hands dried, she approached the bathroom exit and flipped the light
switch.  Nothing happened though.  She flipped it again and again but to no
effect.

   Hmm...  it must be on a timer.

   She was correct.  The light was programmed to stay on for thirty minutes
after it was switched off.  Lydia suddenly recalled a vague memory about an
obscure town ordinance that required all public buildings to have a timer
in place on the lights for some far-fetched safety purpose.  Lydia shrugged
and exited the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind her.  Light
spilled out from the cracks of the bathroom door but it generated an
insignificant glow.  She stood with her back to it to allow her eyes to
adjust to the darkness again.

   It was time to go now that she had her key in hand.  Striding
nonchalantly toward the study tables, she felt something strange underfoot
on the vinyl.  Squinting to see, she saw the faint outline of a footprint
traced in mud pointing toward the bookshelf which had held the key.

   Oh, you've got to be kidding me...

   Kneeling down to crawl on hands and knees, Lydia followed footstep after
footstep until they ended near the last study table.  She was thankful that
she had at least not tracked mud throughout the entire library.  Standing
up, she returned to the carpeted area that led to her entry point.  Sure
enough, there were dirty footprints on the carpet.  Now she needed to make
a decision.

   She could just leave.  But then the librarian would find the footprints
in the morning, follow them to the window, and figure out that someone had
broken in.  Would Mrs.  Bradley call the police?  Would forensics be able
to figure out her identity based on the footprint?  Would they dust for
fingerprints on the window?  No, Lydia had to clean up her mess.  Figuring
out the best way to do it was the trick.

   Lydia returned to the blinding light of the bathroom and grabbed some
paper towels from the dispenser.  She ran them under the faucet to the get
them wet and went back out to the study area.  At this point, she had
figured out where everything was so she did not need to wait for her eyes
to adjust all the way.  She got back down on hands and knees to start
wiping away each dirty footprint from the tile.  It did not escape her that
she was cleaning floors of the library like a naked servant girl.  She
tried her best to find the humor in this bizarre situation.

   Getting ahead on my community service in case I get caught, I suppose.

   All the footprints were cleaned from the tile, but there were more to
pick up from the carpet that led to the back window.  Lydia started wiping
with the wet paper towel but succeeded only in smudging the dirt deeper
into the carpet.  What to do now?  From the floor, she looked around for
anything that might help.  Her eyes settled on the front desk.  That was
the only way.  She knew it, and she dreaded it.

   Lydia knew that there was one vacuum in the library from the fact that
it was left in various spots by Mrs.  Bradley throughout the day.  She was
not sure where it might be at the moment though.  Feeling her way through
the library until she found it could take upwards of an hour.  She needed
light.  Biting her lip in apprehension, she walked back toward the front
desk and crouched behind it.  She would have to use the light switch behind
Mrs.  Bradley's desk to activate the lights in the library if she wanted to
find the vacuum.  It was the only way to literally hide her tracks.

   With one hand on the wall under the light switch, Lydia looked around
with one last shred of hope that she could just spot the vacuum from there.
No use.  She was sure that this would be okay if no police were to drive by
and she could do this in five minutes or less.  She thought she could
manage that.  Three deep breaths.  One...  two...  and...

   *flick*

   The lights blazed on throughout the library.  Lydia blinked twice to
recover from the shock and looked around for the gray vacuum cleaner. 
There it was!  Next to the reading nook a few paces from the front door was
the vacuum cleaner.  Now that she knew where it was, she could get it and
go.  She flicked the light switch down, and her expression fell into a
grimace.

   How could I forget about this?  I was literally JUST thinking about
this!!!

   Lydia realized that from the moment she had flipped the lights off by
the switch, it would be a half hour before the shroud of darkness fell once
more over the library.  Not sure what to do, she scanned the carpeted floor
behind the front desk her with her mouth open wide.  No answers came to
her. She knew that she would either have to ditch the plan and run to the
back window, or move really fast to vacuum the dirt.  She had no choice.

   Checking first to see if anyone was directly in front of the library,
she sprinted from behind the desk and pulled the vacuum from its spot.  She
rolled the vacuum behind her across the entryway and through the study
tables.  Lydia searched frantically for a wall outlet and found one near
the coffee table that she had stepped on upon entry.  She rushed between
bookshelves to the back and unwound the vacuum cable to plug it in.  For
good measure, she scooped the dirt off the coffee table and dropped it on
the first footprint.

   The vacuum roared to life like a jet engine.  It was not the loudest
sound that Lydia had ever heard, but it felt like it to her.  With both
hands on the vacuum cleaner, she rolled it back and forth over every
footprint on the carpet until there was no sign that any had been there. 
Seconds turned into minutes as she repeatedly glanced between gaps in the
bookshelves to make sure that no one was barging in the front door.  If
they did, then she would have to drop everything and make for the back
window as fast as possible.  She was not entirely sure that she could get
through it time without being caught, or at least without being seen.

   Lydia reached the end of the aisle and finished up the last footprint.
Except for the light which flooded the library and exposed Lydia to full
view from every direction, there was no evidence that she had been there at
all.  She turned off the vacuum and ran back to the wall to unplug it. 
Returning to the vacuum, she rolled up the wire and secured it to the
vacuum.  One last hurdle.  As quickly as she could, she dragged the rolling
vacuum cleaner clear across the library and positioned it back by the
reading nook where Mrs.  Bradley had left it.

   At this point, Lydia did not bother ducking behind the desk to pass by
the front entryway.  If she was going to get caught in the library, she
figured it would have happened by now.  There were no cameras that she knew
of to record her antics, so as long as no one was in the parking lot then
she was in the clear.  The lights would be off by the time the library
opened in the morning and no one had to know that Lydia had been by.

   She weaved through the study tables and ran down the aisle toward the
coffee table with the vase.  She raised herself on it and kicked her leg up
to hook onto the window frame.  Pulling herself up and over, she landed on
the soil and grass outside.  She picked up her hat from the bush and
deposited her third key into the zippered compartment.  She put it on her
head turned again toward the ladder.  She set it back up against the wall
and climbed up one last time to close the window.

   There.  Just like I found it, and everything else in the library too.

   Lydia climbed back down and folded up the ladder before returning it to
the bushes behind the library.  Perhaps in a few days she would drive by to
pick it up.  For now, the area felt too risky as if every brick and book
wanted nothing more than to reveal Lydia's nakedness to the entire town.

   Feeling safe enough in the darkness despite the light from the window,
Lydia took her time adjusting her backpack over her shoulders again and
cleaning her feet before putting on her shoes.  Overall, this stop had been
a better one for her than the last.  The vacuuming was unexpected, and the
light was a surprise, but no one had seen her or even been close.  Lydia
decided that was good enough for her as she marched off toward the side of
the library.

   Three keys down, and just three more to go.