The Puzzle Box Curse

"Have a fun day!" Hamamelis shouted, as she left. Violet didn't respond.

After putting the finishing touches on her outfit in the first floor restroom, she continued to the bus stop. She was glad she lived in downtown Chicago, near her work. When she lived in Texas, she had to drive everywhere, but parking and traffic were simpler when she used mass transit, and her apartment was only a twenty minute bus commute, tops. When she got to the stop, a frequent fellow bus rider—whose name Violet never learned—was already there. They struck up a polite and friendly conversation about the last week, since he had not seen Violet in the previous week. She cleared up how she and her gal-pal had taken a brief vacation in Missouri and that it was less fun that she had hoped. The gentleman, a mechanical repairman for one of the high-rises, expressed his sorrow for her lousy holiday but gave some advice on travelling in the region in the future. He seemed kind of distracted and a bit uncomfortable, though, and Violet wasn't sure how to treat this.

"Are you feeling okay today?" she asked.

He blushed a bit. "I'm fine. I must not have gotten enough sleep last night." He seemed to want to end the conversation, so Violet just stared ahead and across the street. A minute later, the bus arrived. It was pretty full, but Violet managed to find a seat next to Karen, an intern who worked at the same firm as Violet did.

A similar conversation about Violet's week and then a conversation about Karen's involvement in the development of an Asian cultural festival ensued. Apparently, Karen—who was Korean—was going to be manning a booth about archery as a sport and as a historical practice. They continued their conversation, but as they were going, Violet noticed that Karen seem to be similarly uncomfortable and distracted as her repairman friend was. She wasn't stupid; she knew this might have to do with Hamamelis. She just hoped that her preacher could fix all of it. When they got off the bus, Karen was walking a bit funny, but she obviously tried her best not to draw too much attention to herself.

Violet hurried upstairs, wanting to avoid anyone she could. She didn't want to cause anymore harm, if indeed she had. She was starting to get a little paranoid about her situation. Plus, she was feeling rather naked in her pantieless state. She got to her office without starting anymore conversations, and then she saw her secretary. Violet had a nice office on the twenty-third floor. Her window pretty gave her a view of an ornate office building across the street. To get into her office, though, she had to go through her personal secretary's office. Normally, this was great, because Shona acted as a good gatekeeper. It was part of her job, after all. In order to do her work, Violet was going to have to talk to her. There was a week's worth of calls, mail, email, memos, news... There was a lot that needed to be discussed to get Violet back up to speed.

Shona was a fantastic secretary. She always showed up on time and was willing to work for as long as Violet needed. Despite Violet's appeals for a raise for Shona, upper management was always making excuses, and Violet always thought it had to do with race. In Violet's mind, despite her queasiness about the idea of interracial relationships, her acceptance and adoration for Shona was an important part of why she didn't think of herself as a racist. The young and lovely black woman who maintained order in her office was proof positive that she was tolerant and modern. Whether anyone else saw it that way, Violet didn't know.

They made some brief idle chat before Violet moved the conversation to work. After all, it was important that she get ready for what was supposed to be an important week. The state legislature was working on regulatory reform in the commodity markets, and her firm needed to make sure that they were friendly to the market players. She was going to need to make some calls, rewrite a press release, and apparently meet with a state senator who was wavering, despite having been solidly on board with her firm's agenda. There was going to be a meeting on Wednesday, and hopefully, the strategies would be put together then. Unfortunately, Shona was beginning to look antsy and flustered. She kept trying to reach at her back.

"Do you need to take a break?" Violet asked.

"Uh," she said, pulling at the back of her blouse, "I think so. I'll be back soon!" She ran off to what Violet guessed was the restroom.

Fifteen minutes later, she returned. By then, Violet was about half-way through organizing her email and Shona simply took her seat at her desk. Violet barely noticed and was too engrossed in her email to return to their work. After that other fifteen minutes, she returned to Shona, who was slouching low in her desk, looking a bit preoccupied and a little upset. "Are you okay, Shona?"

"Yeah," she said without much confidence.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She sort of sat up a bit and looked like she was ready to finish what was started. It was then that Violet noticed that Shona was nipping out a bit. It looked like she wasn't wearing a bra, and it looked like she was trying to hide it without being too obvious about doing so. Violet was good with personal interactions, and she very often picked up on these sorts of things.

"You know it's office policy to wear a bra, if you're going to wear a blouse like that, right?" Violet asked and immediately felt a bit of regret.

"Yeah." Shona looked like she was ready to cry. Violet closed the door to the office.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, okay?" she replied, clearly flustered. It was out of character for her, since she was usually on top of everything, unphased by the biggest of changes.

"Is there something wrong with... Uh, is there something wrong with your boobs?" she asked, suddenly feeling some guilt and major concern.

"Yeah, I think so. My bra stopped fitting." Shona, who usually looked you straight in the eye looked like a punished school student, staring at the papers on her desk.

"It's okay. I won't get you into trouble. You know that." Come to think of it, Shona's breasts did look somewhat bigger.

"Yeah. It's really weird. In the bathroom, they looked like they weren't mine. I had to pinch myself." It looked like Violet's efforts at comfort were paying off. "They're bigger, and the nipples are bigger, too."

"Can I see?" Violet didn't know where that came from. Hamamelis would have told her about another curse, right? Maybe she would, or maybe she just liked tormenting her. At any rate, she was curious. She would have been curious last week, too, right? She wasn't sure. She'd been through some weird shit.

Shona looked a bit shocked, but it was one of those things where one could consider it a medical issue. "Yeah." She unbuttoned her blouse and opened it. Her breasts, which were a bit smaller than average before looked kind of big. They weren't huge, and they didn't mismatch her body, but they were definitely bigger. They had good form, too. They were round and full, drooping pleasantly. The dark brown nipples were very prominent, too. Each one was bigger than one of Violet's thumbs, and each was surrounded by a two or three inch areola. They looked almost painfully erect.

"Do they hurt?"

"No. The only pain was from the bra. I think I should go to the doctor."

"Yeah, probably so," she half-way lied. She thought she should see a religious leader instead, but a doctor was more rational. "Can we get caught up? You can make an appointment right now."

"Okay, yeah, that will work." She was rebuttoning her blouse and trying to perk herself up. "I'm supposed to be happy about this, right? I mean, big boobs are good for picking up guys..."

"I guess, but you'll have to buy new clothes."

"Yeah. Plus, I could be sick. You know, breast cancer or something." With that, she started unbuttoning her shirt again. She looked a bit frantic. "I should check for lumps!" she said, a look of mortal concern on her face.

"Okay..." said Violet. She should look away, she knew, but there was morbid curiosity at work. This had to be Hamamelis, right?

Shona worked her shirt off completely, and Violet closed the blinds on the window. It was daytime, and no one should be able to see in well, due to the glare, but one couldn't be too careful. Shona then started giving herself a self breast exam. The lovely orbs jiggled and almost bounced during the rather frantic examination. "Ungh." Shona moaned.

"What's wrong?"

"They're kind of sensitive," Shona said, her face blushing enough to show through her dark skin.

"They hurt?"

"Um. No. I'm sorry, Ms. Harlow, but they felt kind of good." She checked a couple other spots. "No lumps, though." She put her blouse back on, and Violet noticed that she was starting to get a little wet, and she adjusted herself to make sure that she hadn't made a dark spot on her suit pants. She hadn't.

"Okay, go ahead and call the doctor." Violet's heart was racing. She closed the door to her personal office and pulled out her cell phone. Hurriedly, she dialed her pastor's number. He picked up.

"Preacher Joe! I'm glad you're there. I have a big, big problem."

"Violet! It's good to hear from you! What's wrong?"

"I think... no, I know my apartment is inhabited by a demon, and I want you to exorcise her."

There was a moment's silence. "Okay. Yeah, these things can happen. What makes you so sure it's a demon? Is it voices, apparitions?"

"It's a little woman with red skin and a tail." Violet was already feeling ridiculous.

"What? Really? I can come over tomorrow, if that's okay. I had to take a trip to my wife's family home in Peoria. I can be by in the evening, any time. I've never done an exorcism, though."

"I don't imagine it comes up much. Look, just call ahead. She won't let me wear clothes."

"Um. Okay. It will just be me and my wife, okay? She went to a seminar on demons and how to get rid of them once, so she has a good idea of what to do. I think that so long as we are faithful, Jesus will take care of it, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Violet felt like a fool, but she needed the hope that she could get her situation taken care of. She looked into Shona's desk area, and she was there, apparently finishing with setting up her appointment. This was good. They'd finish up their effort to get the week banged out, and all would be well.

"Can we finish?" she asked.

Violet looked up from her cleavage. "Sure."

"How did it go?"

"Well, I described what happened, and they said it was 'unusual' but that it didn't sound imminently life threatening. I have an appointment on Friday. Um, we were talking about setting up a meeting with Senator Bensen, right?"

"Yeah, he was supposed to be on our side, but he's wavering. I guess he wants more PAC money, but you never know with these guys. Sometimes, they get called out by liberals, and it's all a mess." Violet practically spat out the word "liberal," and Shona cringed. Shona wasn't as anti-liberal as Violet was, since a lot of her family were liberal activists. Indeed, she was frequently picked on for who she worked for.

"Well, I'll put his number on the phone, if you want to talk to him. I'll get past his secretary for you." Shona deftly thumbed through the rolodex and dialed the phone with nearly inhuman speed. "Hi, Vera, this is Shona Walberg at Wright, Blanke, and Samuels... Yes, I'd like to set up an appointment for Violet Harlow... It's about the regulatory bill, yes... Well, the sooner the better... Today?... You're sure?... Okay, if that's all you've got this week, I'll arrange it... Three o'clock... Sure... You, too... Bye bye.

"Okay, he's busy all day, except from three to three-fifteen. He couldn't talk, but you've got an appointment—a short one, but it will have to do, right?"

"Yeah, if you want to bug out early, I'll pay for the cab ride."

"That won't..." She stopped. She was bothered by something. "I feel funny in my chest," she said.

"What's wrong?" Violet was concerned. She thought that Hamamelis' curse would only work on one person once. This wasn't a good sign. Shona unbuttoned her blouse once again, and both women were suddenly shocked. Between her breasts, a dark spot with swelling beneath appeared. It seemed to be getting larger. Shona was about to scream, but Violet covered her mouth.

"Shh. I don't think we want to make a show, right? It will just be an embarrassment."

"Okay, okay. What's happening?" The swelling increased, and it was soon clear that the spot was another nipple. It puffed fairly rapidly pressing her two natural—well, they were at least a modicum of normal—breasts apart. They seemed to slide a little to allow their new company room. Shona was breathing rapidly, frightened and curious at the same time. Violet's mind was a panic, a desperate mix of fear, hatred for Hamamelis, and a feeling of guilt. She held it together, though, since she felt that she had to be tough at the moment. It wasn't her that was being changed, even if she was perhaps the vehicle. The third breast finished filling in its space within a minute of Shona opening her shirt. It was about the same size as her other two had become with a nipple that matched the others. The symmetry was perfectly bilateral, unlike ordinary breasts. Normal breasts in sets of two are always different from left to right, though breasts can be mirrors of each other. In this respect, the third breast was atypical. No one could argue that its form was offensive, though. Its presence would certainly offend many people, but it did have a certain beauty all to itself.

At the moment, that beauty was underappreciated. "What the fuck? I think I need to call the doctor again. What the fuck, Violet?" She looked frustrated now more than afraid. Whatever happened had apparently ended, but the inconvenience was going to be more long-term.

"I don't know," she lied. "Let's get you home. You stay here, and I'll grab a big coat for you, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Lock the door, and I'll knock two then three times."

"Yeah."

Violet discretely left the area and headed toward the wardrobe department. Since WB&S needed to do media often, they maintained a room full of all sorts of outfits, plus a full-time seamstress on staff. It was down a few floors, and Violet took the stairs, not wanting to have to confront anyone. She hurried down them, nearly out of breath when she got to the correct floor. The wardrobe department door was wide open, and Violet could hear the sewing machine at work. She slipped in, trying not to arouse any attention. However, Mrs. Hammer was at attention and spotted Violet.

"Hello, Ms. Harlow, what can I get you today?" she asked.

Violet glanced over to see Mrs. Hammer sitting behind her sewing machine, apparently looking forward to company. While ordinarily, Violet would love to talk to the sweet woman, she was in a hurry and afraid of what might happen to her. "I just need a long coat. You know, a trench coat or something?"

"Men's or women's?" Mrs. Hammer raised an eyebrow. Despite her age, she maintained a certain aura of elegance and grace that made her more beautiful than one might expect. She always struck the right pose.

"It doesn't matter."

"And about what size?" she asked as she stood and started moving toward the racks of clothes.

"Uh, medium? It's not critical. My secretary... She spilled a lot of coffee on her shirt... She's had a really bad day and might be sick, so we just need something to cover her up for a cab ride home."

"I could probably find a shirt to replace hers for the day, if you like," Mrs. Hammer offered.

That wasn't very likely, Violet thought. "No, she just needs to get home. A fitting wouldn't be appropriate."

"Okay, then." Mrs. Hammer emerged from the clothing racks with a coat in hand. "This one should do. We used it in that commercial about Representative Fox and his dealings with D.C. insiders. I liked that one."

"Me, too, Mrs. Hammer."

"Yeah, well, I won't delay you. Have a good day." Mrs. Hammer's smile was so genuine, it could be used as a standard by which all currencies would be judged as counterfeit, regardless of their proper origins at the Denver Mint.

"Bye!" Violet said as she left the room as quickly as politeness would allow. As she entered the stairwell, she thought she heard a scream, but she was in too much of a hurry to debate it. She quickly ran up the stairs, nearly slipping several times and reached her floor, having to will herself to slow down so that she didn't arouse too much suspicion. When she reached her office, she knocked her code, and she heard the bolt slide. She nonchalantly slipped in and handed the topless but now triple-stacked Shona the coat.

"Okay," she said as she threw it one, tightly tying the waste belt. "I think I'll be okay. I went ahead and called a cab while you were out."

"Good," Violet said.

"Can you walk me out?"

"Absolutely. I don't think I have to do anything until that meeting, so it will be alright." Violet prayed that Hamamelis' curse wouldn't strike again. They made their way downstairs to the street level where the cab was waiting. Violet helped Shona in and watched as the cab left.

The rest of the morning was uneventful for Violet. She was trying to keep it together. Her drive to get her work done prevented her from doing what should be obvious: go home and try to figure things out. She didn't even do research on her special problem from her office. Instead, she did work. She worked on memos and press releases. She boned up on Senator Bensen and their past dealings. She didn't want to get anything wrong, though she was worried that her curse might interfere with the meeting. These things were important, though. At lunch, she ate a meal from the vending machine, and she did her best to avoid human interaction, something that took a lot of willpower, since she was fundamentally a social animal.

Finally, two-thirty rolled around, and Violet headed off to her meeting with the senator. He was in his Chicago office at this point, since the state legislature was out of session. It was not a long walk, and the weather was fair, so she left on foot and made her way to the office building. She showed her badge at the door, and the security officer let her through. Several local politicians had offices in the building, so she was a frequent visitor. When she reached the office, she encountered Vera, Senator Bensen's receptionist and secretary. She was an attractive forty-year old Chinese American who didn't look a day over thirty. She was small but full of energy. Despite Violet's best attempt to look unfriendly, she started up a conversation.

"The senator will be with you soon. Can I get you anything?"

"I'm okay," Violet said, trying to avoid eye contact.

"You usually ask for coffee, and it is time for the afternoon crash, you know."

Violet was feeling weary. "Sure. Cream and sugar, please."

Vera retrieved the sweet elixir of life and returned as chipper as ever. Despite her best attempts, Violet again had to recount the tale of her vacation, something she was getting rehearsed at. They talked about Vera's son who had just applied to a plethora of universities, most of them private and on the East Coast. Vera looked uncomfortable at one point, but she seemed intent on being the perfect hostess for Violet. Finally, five minutes late, Senator Bensen announced that he was ready over the intercom. "Yes, sir, I'll be in the ladies' room for a bit, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

"That's more information than I need, Mrs. Chin, but I appreciate it."

"Sorry, sir."

Violet entered the room. Senator Bensen was a veteran professional baseball player in his youth, and Violet always took great pleasure in looking at his tremendous collection of memorabilia, trophies, and dated sports equipment. He took pride in it, and used it frequently to aid in conversation. His White Sox jersey hung prominently on the wall behind his chair, reminding people constantly that the locals loved him for his baseball skills. Violet always thought it was a silly but quaintly pure way to work up to a higher office. He certainly backed up his popular credentials with a quick wit, and it was difficult to dislike the man.