Giving It All Away

How can you tell when a person has had enough? They give up. They give up emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Then, they give it all away.

This was exactly where Stacey Stuart was, on the 12^th of July, 2021. She had given up and was now in the process of giving everything away. She had a plan, of course. You have to have a plan.

But, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. This is precisely when Stacey Stuart met Vladimir. She had managed to give away her car, her TV, her stereo and even her phone. Most of her clothes were junk, so those she just burned. All that was left were the two dollars she had in her pocket, the ratty jeans and t-shirt she wore, and the holey all-stars that reeked of her unwashed feet.

For the last two days, she had been on the street, preparing. Was she desperate enough? Just about.

Vlad watched her from across the alley as she picked through the dumpster for some morsel to sustain herself. That was when he approached, when she was knee-deep in filth.

"What on earth are you doing?" He asked, his Russian accent flavoring his words.

"I just need one more meal, and then..., well, then it's time." She explained.

"Time for what?" Vlad asked, thinking he knew.

"You know." Stacey made a motion as if a rope had been yanked upward around her neck. She was pretty convincing.

"Have you given everything away?" He asked, regarding the waif-like creature that stood pitifully inside the dumpster. She would be attractive if she hadn't been so thin. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-Six. Why?"

"Just curious. Why don't you come out here so you can finish your business." Vlad insisted.

"And what business would that be?" Stacey asked, curiously.

"You need to finish giving everything away." He insisted.

"Look, mister. I've got nothing left to give away." Stacey appeared annoyed and climbed out to challenge the foreigner.

"I beg to differ." Vlad grinned an evil grin. "Shall I explain?"

"Sure. Go for it."

"Let me feed you something, first. Come back to my place and I will cook you a last meal, if you will." Vlad offered.

"What have I got to lose? If you waste me, I've accomplished my goal anyway, right?" Stacey grumbled. She followed the strange man through the back avenues of the city to an old apartment building. Stacey could tell it was used to be nice, but had fallen into decay like everything else there.

Once inside, Stacey was amazed at how well kept the place seemed to be. Appearances can be deceiving, she thought. Climbing a few flights of stairs, they came to a steel door.

"This is my home. Please respect and take off your shoes before you come inside." Vlad requested.

"Look, mister, my feet haven't been washed and they stink in these things. Are you sure?" She asked, warily.

"I'm quite certain I can handle your... odor," Vlad assured her.

As she slipped out of the well-worn sneakers, the unmistakable aroma of Stacey's feet filled the hallway. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, but he always did have a thing for feet.

"Hand them to me." He ordered. She looked at him sideways, but saw no reason not to comply. She bent down and picked up the ripe shoes and hung them out in front of her.

Taking them from her, he walked down the hall a few doors and deposited them in the garbage chute. "There, you've given something else away." Vlad declared.

"Very funny. Now I've got no shoes." Stacey complained.

"Precisely." Vlad opened the door to his apartment and ushered Stacey inside. She padded across the large expansive room, admiring the ornate decorations and lavish accoutrements.

"This place is amazing." Stacey finally said. He indicated a sofa, and she sat, albeit a bit uncomfortably. She knew how dirty she was, and looked down at her feet, the soil on them visible even in the dimmed lighting of the room.

He could sense her discomfort, her nose wrinkling as she realized how awful she smelled; how her feet stank. She was a filthy girl, and that was soon going to be remedied. "Why don't you take a shower, while I cook you something. I'm quite certain it has been some time since you washed."

He showed her the marble-tiled bathroom and told her to help herself to any shampoo or soap she pleased. "I'll cook something, then." And with that, he left her.

Stacey slowly stripped out her rancid clothing, leaving her jeans and shirt in a pile on the floor. She wore no underwear or bra, so that was all it took for her to be entirely naked. She looked at herself in the large ceiling-to-floor mirror, shaking her head at the state she was in. Her hair hung lank and straight to her small, deflated breasts, and her ribs seemed to be more pronounced than ever before. She was starving to death.

Stacey's skin was pale beyond pale, and were it not for the thin sheen of soil, she might be completely white, her skin almost transparent. Looking down, her once ample bush had thinned to a sparse covering of random hair that barely hid anything. Her vulva and labia were on full display.

Shrugging her shoulders, she turned to the shower, lifting the large single spigot to send rivulets of water cascading down from a large showerhead. Stepping beneath the jets, she sighed audibly as the water ran over her skin. For a moment, she just stood there, the warm shower feeling better than anything she had felt in some time.

Then she set about the task of washing the accumulated filth from her body, her hair, and most especially, her feet. Her reverie was broken when the door to the bathroom opened.

"Let me take these for you," Vlad said, as he lifted the pile of clothing off the floor.

Not knowing what else to say, and not wanting to offend, Stacey answered. "Okay."

He watched her for a moment, distorted through the rippled glass of the shower door. When she stopped moving and turned in his direction, he realized she knew he was there. Holding the clothes at arms-length, he backed out of the room, leaving Stacey to her shower.

When she knew that she was as clean as a single shower might allow, she shut off the water and stepped out into the relatively cool room. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she toweled herself dry, but upon seeing her body in the mirror, she was forced to stop.

Indeed, without the benefit of dirt, her skin was as white as alabaster, and the blue veins that coursed beneath were nearly visible through her semi-transparent skin. She never noticed that before. Was that part of starving yourself, she wondered?

Realizing that she had nothing to wear, and not that she would have wanted to don her filthy clothing now, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the bath. The sounds of implements against metal drew her to the kitchen, where she found Vladimir, standing over a large stove. "I've got nothing to wear."

"Precisely. What is your name?" He asked.

"Stacey. I thought I told you." She sighed.

"No, you did not. Why don't you have a seat?" He pointed to a large glass-top table that dominated one end of the kitchen. She did as he asked. "I thought you were giving things away, not taking them?" Vlad pressed, noticing the towel that she had wrapped around her naked form. "You gave me your clothes, willingly, and they found their way to where they belonged."

Stacey knew that he had tossed them down the garbage chute, just as he had her sneakers. Looking down at the towel, she realized that it was the only barrier to being completely without possessions. Standing, she unwrapped the soft cotton towel and held it out for Vlad to take. "Here."

"You can return it to where you borrowed it from, please," Vlad asked, politely. He watched as she stood, naked and exposed and seemingly unashamed. She turned and walked away, after allowing him to gaze upon her. She hadn't needed to do that, but she had. He sat and stared at the empty chair until he heard the padding of her naked feet on his hardwood floor. He turned to the stove, finishing the meal.

Stacey had no idea why she didn't feel embarrassed. She had never done anything like this, ever. She was completely naked, and as Vlad had pointed out, finally devoid of all physical possessions. The sensation of owning absolutely nothing was almost as cleansing as the shower had been. Perhaps that is why she felt no shame or humiliation at being naked before this man.

"You see, now I have given everything away." Stacey pointed out, as she consumed the tasty meal Vlad had prepared.

"Still, I beg to differ with you, Stacey," Vlad explained.

"Look, mi... what is your name, by the way?" She asked, realizing she had no idea.

"Vladimir. But you can call me Vlad." He offered, clearing the plates to the dishwasher and returning to the table. "You still have this." He reached out and tugged at her long blonde hair.

"My hair? You want me to give away my hair?" She seemed disturbed by the idea.

"Why not? It certainly has value. As thin as it appears, I am quite certain you could still donate it to a good cause." Vlad tested, wondering if she was even listening. Since he had suggested the idea, Stacey seemed lost in thought.

"Yes. Why not." Stacey offered, running her thin fingers through the long blonde strands.

"Come. I will help you with this." He led her back to the bathroom, opening a large cabinet and taking out a black leather pouch. Vlad pulled over a small boudoir chair that sat in the corner and positioned it before the mirror. "Sit, here."

Doing as he asked, she was once again staring at herself in the mirror. She seemed to look a little better, her color not so pale. Perhaps the meal had perked her up.

"I am going to tie it tightly," Vlad explained as he slipped a cable tie around the hair as close to her scalp as possible. Cinching it up, the hair was pulled into a bolt no thicker than his finger. "There. Now, I need to ask again. May I take your hair, Stacey?"

"Yes," Stacey answered. "I am giving away my hair." Resolved, she sat up straighter, as if offering the silky blonde tresses to him.

This pleased Vlad, and it showed him that she was willing to part with more. "I will shave you now." Reaching into the pouch, he removed what looked like a straight razor. He sprinkled a healthy amount of water over her still damp hair, so that it soaked into her scalp.

Stacey watched, in awe, as her center-part grew wider, the razor efficiently tonsuring her head to the very skin. The void grew wider and wider until the entire top of her head was bare. She thought her skin was white until she saw her scalp, which seemed to glow in the bright fluorescent lamp.

Vlad worked slowly, but skillfully, as he removed the girl's hair from her head. The razor was deadly sharp and ran through the golden strands like butter. He would tug slightly at the border as he shaved, lifting the hair so the follicle drew back below her skin. She would be as smooth as glass.

Stacey could see as well as feel her hair slowly surrendering to the razor, as more and more of her snow-white scalp was revealed. Finally, she felt one final tug as Vlad ran the blade down the bottom of her nape, and the rope of blonde hair fell away, hitting the floor with an undignified plop. "Well, that's me bald." Stacey sighed, reaching up to run her narrow fingertips over the silky-smooth surface of her scalp. "Wow."

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Vlad asked, as he saw the smile spread over her face. It was the first time he had seen it and he realized how pretty she truly was.

"Oh, it's strange. I've never been bald before." Stacey admitted.

"No, I don't imagine that you have. It is not something most women would do." Vlad ran his fingers over her scalp and smiled at his deft workmanship. He had done a very good job, her scalp unblemished and totally hair-free. He bent to pick up the severed ponytail. "I will take this from you."

"Thank you," Stacey said, actually meaning it.

Vlad was astonished by her statement. Unbelievably, she was thanking him for taking what most women would consider their pride and joy. But take it he would. Leaving Stacey to continue admiring her new look in the mirror, he walked to the kitchen, depositing the bundle of hair into a zip-loc bag.

He watched from the hallway as she caressed her head, still not quite believing what she had done, he thought. Even bald, she was quite beautiful, but then, his job was not done yet.

"There, I have nothing left to give away now," Stacey said, confidently. The small shiny bulb that was her head, gleamed in the light of the bathroom as she turned to face him.

"We shall finish with the hair, now." Vlad insisted, lifting the razor from the counter and raising it to her brow. She did not resist as he removed the slender arches. With a few short, careful strokes there was no evidence that anything had ever grown there at all, her expressionless face blank with their absence. He set down the razor and took a very small pair of scissors from the pouch.

The blades of the tool were curved as if made for the task he was about to put them to. "You must hold perfectly still. Close your eyes, Stacey."

She felt the slight tugging at her lashes, as they were trimmed close to her lids. The thick stalks of hair tickled as they fell down her cheeks, but she maintained her composure as he had asked. Repeating the process on the other side, she relaxed as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"There, now only one place remains," Vlad suggested.

Stacey looked up at the mirror, and hardly recognized the alien creature which met her gaze. Without her blonde hair, eyebrows, or lashes she seemed almost other-worldly. Her blue eyes seemed naked, as if stranded in a pool of white, and her mouth too seemed out of place, suddenly. "I look so strange." She finally said.

"Stand for me, Stacey, and we will complete this part of your journey." His words seemed to mesmerize her, and she stood without question, knowing what he was about to do.

She felt the razor before looking down to watch the process unfold. Soft tufts of blonde curls began to tumble down her open thighs as he denuded her sex. Again, the tiny bundles tickled as they slipped over her sensitive skin.

This was the last vestige of hair remaining to her, Vlad realized. After this, things got much more complicated. He finished the task in no time at all, admiring the now hairless girl standing before him. So odd, but so perfect. There was something to be said for seeing a human completely depilated. It was the ultimate expression of nudity.

"What have you done to me, Vladimir?" Stacey asked, as she turned this way and that in the mirror. She knew how different she was, how alien. Was she ready now? "There is nothing else, you know." She boasted.

"All of your physical adornments and possessions have now been taken from you, Stacey. You are correct in saying this." He examined her expression, however muted by her flattened face. "I may take more, however, if you are willing."

"What else is there?" Stacey asked, honestly confused by Vlad's offer.

"From here, your offerings become more existential," Vlad explained. He pulled Stacey close, without resistance from her. He could smell the faint peachy smell that freshly shaved skin exudes. How he loved that scent. "Do you smell that?" He asked.

She sniffed the air, seeking the odor he was referring to. "What am I supposed to smell?"

"Is there anything different? A scent that you are unfamiliar with? He hoped that without his prompting, she might pick it up on her own.

"Peaches." She admitted. "Where is that coming from?"

"It is not peaches, but your skin. When you have removed all its coverings, the fresh sebum pours out onto the surface of your skin. It is a truly wonderful scent, and lasts for such a short time.

Suddenly, Vlad's senses were bombarded with another, more pungent scent. There was no mistaking the fact that Stacey was sexually aroused. "If you sense the fragrance of your skin, then surely you must now smell your own sex as it reacts to how you are feeling."

Embarrassed for the first time, Stacey closed her legs together, in an effort to squelch her scent. The action had the opposite effect, filling the room with her pheromones. "I'm sorry." Stacey pulled away from him, standing singularly in front of the mirror.

"Don't be sorry. The act of surrender is an incredibly erotic experience." Vlad comforted.

"Is that what I'm doing? Surrendering?" Stacey asked, again, startled by her less than human appearance.

"It is what you have been doing since before you entered this apartment, Stacey." Vlad pointed out. "First your shoes, then your clothes, and finally, your hair." Vlad saw the emotion welling within her, and a tear coursed down her cheek. "What you have experienced is incredibly powerful. When there is nothing left to give, the emptiness can be a bit overwhelming."

"I am nothing." She sobbed, raising her hands to her face and covering her eyes.

"No!" Vladimir scolded. "You are not nothing, Stacey." His raised voice startled her out of her mood. "There is a vast difference between being nothing and having nothing. It is true, that, for the first time in your life, you have nothing. We have accomplished that. What you have now is a misplaced sense of worth. The fact that you have nothing, does not mean that you are nothing. All that you are still resides within this vessel." He reached out to pinch the skin at the base of her abdomen.

"Until it doesn't." Stacey reminded him of her ultimate goal; the reason she embarked on this journey.

"Yes. Until it doesn't." Vlad agreed. "Let us hope that we can dissuade you from acting on that, at least until you have given 'everything' away.

"I thought you just said that I had nothing. That must mean that I've given everything away." Her reasoning was sound.

Vlad tapped on her freshly shaved skull. You can give me this." He suggested, reticently.

"What, my head?' She chortled.

"Not your head, Stacey. Your mind." Vlad explained. "Give me your mind, Stacey." Perhaps this was the only way, he thought.

"Well, we've come this far." Stacey examined him closely, for perhaps the first time. His face was somewhat timeless, although he appeared to be young, he was certainly not. His white hair belied his true age, or so she thought. His eyes were kind but deep, and dark, and his smile was warm but a little disconnected. She opened her stance, turning towards him. "How exactly does this work?"

"Nothing so simple as discarding your clothing, or removing your hair, I assure you," Vlad explained. "Come, and we shall begin." He led her to a new part of the apartment.

Stacey's eyes widened as she was put into a large office, full of books and oddities. It reminded her of something from a movie she saw once, but she couldn't place it. "You are a very interesting man." She whispered, loud enough for him to hear.

"Thank you, Stacey. You, contrary to your own beliefs, are a very interesting girl." Paying back the compliment, he opened a small box on his desk and withdrew a hypodermic needle.

"Woah, what's that?" Stacey asked. He would have been disappointed had she not shown some resistance.

"Nothing evil, I assure you. It is a hypnotic drug that allows your mind to become more open to suggestion."

"What, like sodium pentothal?" Stacey inquired.

"Very good. I'm impressed with your knowledge. This one is called sodium amatol." He reached out and swabbed her arm with alcohol before inserting the needle, introducing the contents into her muscle. The dose he had administered was twice the normal amount for her size, but then, he wanted her compliant.

After a few minutes, Stacey was becoming drowsy. "I feel really weird."

"Yes. That's perfectly normal. Soon we can begin." Vlad readied the files that he had made years before. He remembered the unsuccessful attempt with remorse. He had done everything he could. He hoped Stacey would be different.