RELUCTANT PRESS

I looked back at her and grinned delightedly. Flinging my shoes off on the verandah, I rushed upstairs. The sun was streaming into the room just as it always had done.

That's one thing about being happy in a place the sun always seemed to shine, even when it was raining.

The room was still very much a child's nursery. The cot was a large one but it had sides to it as do all cots, with little panels with hand-painted teddy bears and golliwogs (oops, sorry, no longer a politically correct in-word these days), elves and fairies, all in some sort of transport of delight. The quilt was pink and the pillow fringed with lace. Snicked up on the quilt slept Claude de Pussy, her cat. On a low chair was old Teddy, but in a new velvet jacket with big white buttons and a red Swiss hat with feather.

"The hat's new," I said with a broad grin as Auntie appeared in the doorway behind me.

"Yes, I thought you'd like it," she said cheerfully. "Now, my love, I've put those cases of yours under the stairs where they can stay for the 'duration'. You won't be needing a thing out of them everything you're going to need is right here in this very room. Now, I want you to take off those horrid restricting things, get into a nice warm bath and have a good soak. And while you are doing that I shall go and make a nice cup of tea. And I'm going to bring you some milk; you've lost a bit of weight you know, but Auntie is going to take you over completely! I have some lovely things for you to wear and I am sure you are going to love them too."

"Yes, Auntie," I said obediently as I pressed my stockinged feet into the luxury of the new white carpet.

"Have you seen what's on the dressing-table," she said with a mischievous smile.

The dressing-table was a girl's with a little pink frill around the kidney shaped top. The mirror was oval, old fashioned and delightful. As well as a pink brush and comb set with hand-mirror, was a large box with a picture of a little girl making herself up. It was, of course, THE LITTLE LADY'S BEAUTY BOX.

"Oh my," I exclaimed.

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JOYCE'S GIRLS BY JOYCE

"When I saw that I just couldn't resist it. We can have a lot of fun with that when you and I are all alone together," she said with a broad grin.

"Gosh, there are all sorts of things in here lipstick, powder, blusher, eye shadow, nail varnish, earrings, bangles... it seems to have everything."

"You and I are going to have such fun while you are here. Now go on, you can start by taking all your things off everything, do you hear, then into a nice warm bath with you."

I started to undress. I felt so free with Auntie standing there watching me disrobe. It was just like old times. She picked up my shirt, pants and socks. "Underpants too, dear!"

I proceeded to remove them.

-

"Oh. my dear, I see they have shaved you in hospital and that is just how you ought to look, you little darling. I'm going to bring you a bottle of my Nair. It will be so much nicer for you to be completely soft and smooth all over. Will you do that for me?"

I could just feel myself sliding into an exquisite babyhood. "Yeth," I lisped as I put my finger into my mouth.

"Oh, you little honey. Well, I'm off to get my tea and your milk and if you are good and do just as you are told I will bring you one of your favorite shortbread fingers," she said, picking up my underpants.

She was back again in two minutes with a bottle of her Nair in her hand

"You can be as liberal as you like with this, dear legs from ankles to thighs and don't forget those underarms. I'm so glad you don't have any horrid hair on your chest you're just not that kind of a person, half man and half ape!"

She eyed my nudity approvingly.

-

"Leave it on for about 5 or 7 minutes then you can shower it off before getting into your bath."

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