The Lamp Ch. 03-04

Mike was quick to answer. "I'm sure."

Tammy continued, "You know I could make every night like last night if you'd let me. But I think the best way for us is to stay here."

Mike answered, "No we're going out west."

Tammy responded. "Now see here Mike, I think I ought to have a say in where we live, and I don't want to leave home."

Mike answered. "We're leaving later today."

Tammy bristled and answered. "You think you know everything. Well you don't. You think a little aba daba and you're in control. Well I have news for you. I'm not leaving, and you're not leaving either."

Mike looked over at Tammy. "Tammy, Don't get cute. One good night in the sack doesn't give you the right to make the decisions."

Before Mike could finish his sentence Tammy interrupted. "Mike you're a hopeless twerp. I'rn running things around here and."

Before Tammy could say another word Mike shut her down. "Aba daba long. Your voice once again is gone."

Tammy tried to keep talking but nothing came out. He'd done it to her again. She tried making cute eyes at him, but he just smiled.

Mike said. "Tammy I thought there was a slight chance you would have learned something. Too bad. It's going to take you a lot longer, and you're going to have to go through a lot more before you figure things out. Now sit still and I mean still. I've got something I want you to have." With that he got up from the table and went out to his car.

Mike was talking to himself. I guess Tammy is just going to have to learn the hard way. A damn shame. She seemed to be almost there last night. Well, I guess some people just need a little extra incentive. Mike went to the trunk of his car. He got out the birdcage, two padlocks, and the collar. It's going to be a long trip out west for Tammy.

Mike went back inside. Tammy was still where he'd left her. He looked over at her and spoke. "Tammy you've had a sporting chance, and you blew it. I'm going to be honest with you. You can try to run away right now. You won't get very far, but I'll give you another sporting chance. In fact, to show you I'm someone who believes in fair play. I'm going to let you talk."

Tammy thought she'd try reasoning again. "Look Mike I don't want to run. I just want us to be happy. I just want us to be happy here like we were before the other night."

Mike answered. "Neither of us was happy before. Now I think we have a real chance at happiness, but I'm going to have to be in charge. I'll make all the decisions, and you'll be the one who listens and submits."

Tammy spoke. "Submit. Submit! Me submit. You've got another thing coming." She started to get up.

Mike jumped up and grabbed her arm. He pulled her to the floor. He said. "Kneel down and don't move."

Tammy didn't know if it was something she had to do because of his little word game, or something she had to do because he was bigger, stronger, and right now towering over her. She kneeled like she was told.

Mike took the pink collar out of the bag. He leaned over her and buckled the collar on. Then he took one of the padlocks and locked it through the eye of the collar. She was in her collar, and there was no way she was getting out of it.

Tammy reached her hand to her throat and felt the leather collar around her neck. She felt the padlock that was holding it in place. She shouted at him. "How dare you. Take this thing off me at once!"

Mike looked down and smiled. "No Tammy, you've earned that collar. It stays on until I get a better one, a metal one made. The next collar I put around your dainty little neck will be engraved, and it might just go on permanently."

Tammy started to get up, but Mike stopped her with one phrase. "Aba daba call, this girl is six inches tall."

Much to Tammy's surprise, but not to Mike's, Tammy started to shrink. She stood there in dumb struck disbelief as she got smaller and smaller. Then it stopped. She looked around. The table where she'd been sitting was way too tall. She couldn't even see the top. The chair she had recently sat on was above her head. She looked at Mike. He looked like a giant. She shouted, "What have you done you me? Put me back right away. Put me back to the way I was this instant. I won't stand for this."

Mike looked down at her and chuckled. "Yes you will. You'll stand for it, sit for it, lie down for it, sleep for it, and you will learn to like it. Now before you try to get away." Mike reached down and grabbed her bodily. He noted she was still quite soft even as little as she was. Being very careful not to hurt her, he walked over to the birdcage he'd kept out of sight.

Tammy shrieked when she saw it. "No you're not putting me in there."

Before she knew it Mike had her in the birdcage. He took out the second padlock, closed the birdcage door, and locked it shut.

Mike looked in at her. "Well Tammy you couldn't or wouldn't be reasonable. Now you're my little bird. Together we're starting out for the West Coast. I'll drive if you don't mind. You can ride along on the floor of the passenger's seat. I'd let you sit on the passenger's seat, but it might get bumpy, and I don't want anything to cause you to get a bruise on your delicate skin.

Tammy grabbed the cage door and started to shake it. She shook it as hard as she could. She rattled the door with great ferocity. It wouldn't budge. "You bastard, You son of a bitch. You can't get away with this. Someone will see me. I'll call for help. I yell all the way to the West Coast. I'll get even with you for this buster. You can't keep me locked in this little cage. I'm no canary!"

Mike laughed. "Tammy you are as small as a bird. You're just my little bird. Yes! You are my little canary. I might add my little naked canary, and I expect you to ride all the way west in your new little house." He laughed. "Are you comfy? I made you a special little bed out of foam rubber. You have your own little wall to wall rug on your cage floor. Who knows? I might just let you live there from now on. You look so cute in there. You better be good. You've got a long ride ahead of you. If you aren't real nice to me, I might just leave you in there forever.

Tammy started to cry. "I'll be good. Please let me out. Don't leave me in this horrible shitty little cage. Mike I can't stay in here this way." She shook the cage door again. The cage rattled, but didn't budge.

Mike said. "Well we'll see. It is a long drive, and I might need some sexual relief from time to time. It might be fun having a little twelve inch woman climbing up and down my meat pole." He picked up his wife in her little cage and started for the car. On his way down the drive he picked up another little paper bag. He said to himself. We can't forget our little lamp, now can we. It would be a long drive. The car had just been tuned up. It had a full tank of gas, and he was ready to get off.

Mike sat Tammy in her cage down on the floor of the passenger's seat like he promised. He started the engine and off they went. He started singing . "West Coast Baby here I come..."

*

Chapter Four:

Mike and Tammy drove along for about nine hours before stopping to get gas. Tammy had started complaining about having to go to the bathroom. Mike had already planned for that. While he was gassing up the car, he reached on to the back seat and got one of the rolls of toilet paper. Taking a single piece he folded it into several layers and slid it between two of the little bars of the cage. "Here you go Tammy. Pee on the paper, and tear off a piece to wipe. If you have to poop, follow the same procedure. Once you're finished throw the dirty pieces out on the floor of the car. I'll throw them out from there."

Tammy was infuriated. She was trying to find a way to get Mike to let her out the cage. He seemed to have thought of everything. Tammy was feeling ridiculous. She was a grown woman, in a tiny birdcage, with absolutely nothing on, and using torn pieces from one sheet of a paper towel, a paper towel that under normal circumstances would be something she would hold in her hand. Now it was bigger then she was. The cage, also a smallish object was bigger than she was. Everything was bigger than she was, and he made her wear this foolish looking animal collar padlocked onto her neck. Jesus, she thought. If she ever got out of this, she'd make him pay. Brother would she make him pay. Cripes, she thought. If she ever got out. No! She meant when. She meant when. She would get out. She would. She would, she kept telling herself. He won't be able to keep me like this forever, he wouldn't, he couldn't do that to her.

After gassing up they drove on for another seven hours. Mike thought. "He'd been driving fifteen hours. He was tired and hungry. He guessed it was time to stop, get a bite to eat, and find a place to sleep until the morning. As he drove along he spotted a Motel Six with a Burger King next door.

Taking the cover for the cage, he covered Tammy up. He went into the motel and arranged for a room. Then he crossed to the Burger King and got two small fries, two cheeseburgers, and two small cokes. He knew Tammy was probably hungry too, and he wanted to be as nice to her as he could allow. He took the food into the motel room, and went back to the car.

At the car he opened the passenger door, pulled out the birdcage, still covered of course, closed, re-locked the car, and went back to the motel room.

Once inside he lifted the cover off the cage. Tammy was sitting on her rug waiting for him. Mike unlocked the padlock holding the cage door closed, opened the door, and told Tammy to climb out.

As she climbed out he warned her. "Since it's just the two of us together you'll be allowed to talk. Don' think you can get away with anything. I've got my eye on you." He went, "Aba daba go, to your normal size you may grow." He watched as Tammy returned to her full womanly size. But before she could make a move he grabbed her by her collar, took the length of chain he'd bought the previous day and after first unlocking and then re-locking the collar's padlock he had the chain hooked to her collar. He took the other end of the chain and hooked it with the remaining padlock to the foot of the queen sized bed."

Tammy was now her full size again, but safely secured by seven feet of chain from her collar to the bed. She wasn't going anywhere, but she would be available if he wanted to have a little fun later.

Tammy looked at him. "Please Mike, don't you think this has gone far enough?"

Mike answered. "No Tammy it hasn't. In fact things are going to go a lot farther before I'm finished."

Tammy replied. "Mike I'm sorry. Truly I am. I don't want to be locked up in a birdcage all the way across the continent. I don't want this stupid collar locked on my neck all the time. I don't want to be naked day and night. If I promised, wouldn't you get me some clothes, take this ridiculous collar off, and let me ride on the seat beside you like a normal human being?"

Mike answered. "Tammy I trust you just as far as I can throw you. If I let you off the hook now, you'd turn my life into a living hell. No dear, you're my little bird. You'll stay my little bird until we get to the West Coast, and if you aren't well behaved, when we get out west I'll buy you a doll's house, and make you live in that for the rest of your life. So don't ask or beg me for anything else."

Tammy kept quiet. God, Mike's really changed. When he say's he'd put me away in a doll's house I half think he's telling the truth. Worse, I think he's talking himself into doing it. He's been thinking. Then Tammy spoke. "OK, Mike. Geez, I see you bought some burgers. I'm really hungry. Did you get me anything?"

Mike was glad Tammy changed the subject, "Sure did Tweetie. Here." Mike opened the sack and pulled out a bag of fries and a burger. He handed her one of the cokes and a straw to go with it. He took the other contents for himself. Together they silently sat and munched on the chow.

Tammy sat silently thinking. "Mike's got his own plans. I'm not sure if they include me. I know he loves me, but I think he thinks he can put me aside once we get to where we're going. What I have to do is try to make sure he still loves me. I've got to be on my best behavior. On my best behavior all the time."

Tammy finished her meal and looked over at Mike. "I love you Mike."

Mike looked back at her. "And I love you too. Now let's go to bed. No sex tonight. I'm too tired, and I want to log a lot of miles tomorrow. I'll sleep up here. You stay down there on the floor. Or if you want, I can shrink you back up now, and you can sleep in your cage. I'll bet the foam rubber or the carpeting will be a lot softer and a lot more comfortable."

Tammy wanted to ask if she could sleep in the bed with him, but thought better of it. "No Mike I'll just stay down here tonight." Then she said. "Mike what if I have t go to the bathroom. I don't think this chain will reach the bathroom."

Mike looked at the chain, looked where the bathroom was, and looked at Tammy. He didn't trust her, not even for a minute. He said. "You're right. I guess its back in the cage for you."

Tammy exclaimed. "Oh no Mike. If I have to go I'll hold it in till the morning."

Mike had decided. "No, we better get you back inside. He reached around got the key to the padlock for the chain and unlocked it" Asba daba fall, back to six inches tall."

Tammy felt herself growing smaller. When she reached six inches Mike pointed toward the cage. "Back inside dear."

This time Mike didn't have to grab her and put her in. She wearily crawled over to the cage and went back inside.

Mike took the second padlock key and relocked the birdcage. He lifted the cage and carried over and placed it in a corner of the room. He considered. She'll be out of the way here, less likely to cause a stir. Then thinking of the possibility of drafts he took the cage cover and pulled it over the cage.

Tammy cried out "Please don't cover me up. I won't be able to see anything, and it'll be dark in here until you take it off. Mike? Please?"

Mike told her through the cage. "No Tammy it's for your own good. I don't want you catching a chill on that drafty floor. Get used to the dark. Goodnight. Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite."

Tammy heard Mike drift back over to the bed. She heard him lie down and pull up the covers. Within minutes she heard his steady breathing. Tammy thought. Here I am in a damn cage, on the floor, in the dark, laying on a shitty little piece of foam rubber, with nothing on. He's in a bed, with a pillow, covers, and the ability to get up and do anything he wants. As she squirmed around trying to get comfortable she silently whined. What did I do to deserve this?" Together they lay in the same bedroom, one in a tiny cage on the floor, and the other lying on a big comfortable queen sized bed.

The next morning Mike was up, and ready at dawn. He lifted Tammy's cage off the floor and set it in the bed and took the cover off. While she sat on her carpeted floor, Mike took his time getting a nice hot shower. He cleaned thoroughly, he shaved, and brushed his teeth. He knew Tammy probably would like to do the same thing, but Mike had decided it would be at least another two nights before he'd let her enjoys any of these pleasures.

They got into the car and started to drive. Mike looked down at Tammy as she sat on her carpet and asked "You hungry or thirsty?"

She answered. "I'm dying of thirst, and a little something to eat would be great too."

Mike had an idea, and he wanted to see it through. As they drove along the interstate he saw an exit sign that indicated a small strip mall. He pulled off, found the mall, and parked the car near the far end of the lot. Covering her cage with the night cover Mike told her he wouldn't be long.

He walked up to the mall. He found another pet store and went inside. They had cages, but that wasn't what he was after. He remembered that most bird cages had amenities like little baths, swings, and watering tubs. He decided to get four more smaller dog collars, pink if he could find them, and he needed some dog choker collars, each about seven inches long. He went inside. Looking up and down he spotted all the things he needed. Taking his little set of parcels he went to the check out and bought everything.

After the pet store he went for the pharmacy. Like most pharmacies it had a plethora of things one could buy. He went inside. He found a pair of pliers, and he bought some more small padlocks, a pair of scissors, a pair of electric hair cutters, some hair curlers, a bottle of depilatory cream, a tube of pink lip gloss, pink blush, a roll of bright light blue silk ribbon, a couple of inexpensive pairs of white socks, a pair of white stockings, some cheap mascara and eye liner, two colors of finger nail polish., a bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder, and a tube of skin cream. Heading down the aisle toward the check out country he espied something he thought was interesting. Along the wall he spotted several types of little bells, the kind that made that soft tinkling sound associated with Christmas. They weren't jingle bells. They the type old fashion type. He picked up two packs of them. When he neared the counter he espied some bottled water, and a package of cookies. He picked up the cookies and several bottles of water. Buying all these purchases he went back to the car.

Once he reached the car he opened the passenger's side first. There wasn't anybody nearby so he wasn't worried about being discovered. He lifted the cover on Tammy's cage. She was still there sitting on her carpet floor. "Tammy I've gotten some things for you." He reached in the bag and pulled out the two little birdcage tubs. Unlocking the cage door he reached in and installed the two tubs on the far side of her cage. Then he reached in the bag and pulled out the little perch he'd bought. He looked at Tammy. "All little birds like a perch they can sit on." He installed that. Last he pulled out what was obviously a little bird swing. He told Tammy. "Just in case you get bored today I bought you a little swing. He hooked it from the top of the cage. Look Tammy, You can sit on your little swing and go back and forth. Won't that be fun?"

Tammy looked at the things he was installing with disgust and dread. She thought. He's really planning on keeping me in here.

Mike looked at Tammy. She wasn't looking very happy. He said "Well aren't you going to try your new perch and swing set?"

Tammy looked up at her husband. "You aren't serious are you?"

He answered. "I sure am, and I'm telling you, if you know what's good for you you'll give me a little show right now."

Tammy had no choice. Mike was out to make her feel like a fool again. She climbed up on the perch. It was really only a short wooden cylinder, and it was very uncomfortable. She spoke. "Well is this what you wanted?"

Mike smiled. "Yes, now try the swing."

Tammy gratefully got off the uncomfortable perch and climb on the swing. All it was really was a small piece of plastic attached to two thin strips of nylon. The swing was more uncomfortable than the perch. She sat there feeling like an idiot.

Mike said. "Well?"

`Tammy replied. "Well what?"

Mike said. "Well aren't you going to swing for me?"

Tammy grimaced. She started to pull back on the nylon threads. Slowly, inexorably the thing started to sway back and forth. Tammy said. "OK?"

Mike answered. "Show how high you can go."

Tammy kept swinging back and forth. Slowly the swing ascended higher and higher. Tammy said. "Mike this swing is pretty flimsy. I'm afraid it might break or I might fall. Can I stop now?"

Mike was enjoying the show. "Tammy you look great on that swing. Just imagine I have my own little girl toy, in her little cage, swinging on her own little swing. Tammy you look like a sexy little doll. I might never let you out of there."