Haunted Former Factory

As widows, they were seen as available sexual objects by the men in their community, which had led the women to their practice of tying up any man who came to the factory when they were alone. They were making the point that they saw themselves as individuals, not women without male protectors. By the time of the air raid, the local men had got the message and would not come, nor would they bother the women when not at work, or else all four would retaliate.

But they had an education that was better than the work they were doing. That is why they could read and understand the manuals for unfamiliar modern equipment.

+++

"You have no curtains," Aashi said. "We could make some but we seem to have left our workshop behind. We're now with you in your time, Malcolm and perhaps have left 1940 for ever."

"How do you feel about that?" I asked.

"Now seems better," Aashi answered The other three nodded.

"But curtains." Aashi insisted.

"Somewhere, I have two sewing machines," I said. "Sarah wasn't really any good with them. She had inherited her grandmother's Singer with attached electric motor. She just about managed to produce a pair of curtains with that, with much swearing. I saw a second-hand more modern one in a sale from a shop shutting down but Sarah took one look at the box and decided it was too complicated for her, so it has never been out of the box. When she went she left both machines behind as she thought she'd never use them."

+++

They weren't satisfied until I found the two sewing machines and the old curtains from my rented flat that didn't fit in the newly renovated premises. They started with the old sewing machine while two of them read the instructions for the newer one, marvelling at all the possibilities with the attachments.

While they were busy I was actually able to do some work in my study. I was busy there until Jiya came in to tell me my lunch was ready.

The dining room table was covered with a range of cold meats, cheese and various bowls of salad. I usually made do with a shop-bought sandwich. This was luxury.

Over the meal they all insisted they had to go shopping this afternoon. They couldn't make curtains without materials, and they only had the clothes they were wearing.

"What about the sarees you wrapped me in last night?" I asked.

"They are old and shabby, OK for sexual games but not for wearing," Charvi said. "We can make our own, but we need material."

"Ok, I surrender. We'll go shopping, but..."

"But?" Sajni asked.

"I'll have to work late to make up for lost time. I can't if I'm wrapped in sarees."

"OK." Sajni said. "It's a deal. We go shopping and we let you work undisturbed this evening. But tonight we want you in bed. We would like to be just one of us, but there is only one bed -- yours."

"I can get more beds but not before Wednesday," I said. "The builders... Oh shit! The builders. They will be back on Monday morning and they can't see you four."

"They probably won't." Aashi said, "But it could be a problem."

"Could all four of you hide in my study while the builders are here? And no sewing. They'd hear the machines."

"Perhaps. We could do some hand sewing." Jiya said. "But it will be boring."

"I have to work to pay the bills. I'm already behindhand because of the move. I can't afford not to be working next week, even if I have four charming guests."

"What about the weekend? We can keep you supplied with coffee and meals, and all the domestic chores. You wouldn't have to do anything else but your work, Malcolm. Could you catch up then?"

"That might help. But I have so much catching up to do. I think, even if I work all weekend, I'll have to work late every evening. But, yes, I'll take you shopping this afternoon."

+++

I took them to a part of the city where there are many ethnic shops. We found a fabric shop that specialised in saree lengths. When we went in there was an older lady behind the counter.

"Hello Sir, and ladies," she said.

"You can see us?" Jiya was shocked.

"Yes, and see you."

"Why? And How?"

""I know you aren't real. You are ghosts. But I lost my husband two months ago. He is still around -- as visible as you are, and a great comfort for me."

That made life much easier for me. The four women were able to choose and discuss with the shopkeeper. I just stood in a corner marvelling at the interaction between a widow and the four ghosts. But I had to pay. We loaded the purchases in my car and went to a curtain material shop.

This time I had to pretend to be discussing things on my mobile phone but we achieved the object -- enough material for all my windows.

Our penultimate stop was a well-known clothing store to buy bras and panties. I was embarrassed as I stood in the lingerie department pretending to talk on my mobile phone as a growing heap appeared in my shopping basket apparently by magic.

I had to move to make way for an elderly woman in a wheelchair being pushed by someone I took to be a granddaughter. The woman spoke to me.

"They are busy, aren't they?"

"Who are?" I replied. There were no customer assistants anywhere near.

"The four young ladies with you," she answered.

"You can see them?" I asked.

"Yes, as clearly as I can see my dead husband Albert. He's over there looking at socks. The lingerie department always embarrassed him."

I looked where she pointed. I could see Albert. He walked across to us.

"Hello, Albert," I said. "I'm Malcolm."

He held out his hand. I shook it.

"Albert, I was telling Malcolm I could see the four ladies with him."

"I'm jealous," Albert said, "They are spectacular. If I wasn't with you Emily..."

"But you are, Albert, and you love me." Emily said.

Jiya walked up with a pair of panties to put in my basket.

"Jiya, this is Emily and her husband Albert," I said.

"Pleased to meet you," Jiya said as if a human who could see her and her ghostly husband was a normal occurrence.

JIya bent down to kiss Emily on the cheek and then embarrassed Albert by giving him a hug. The other three were introduced and all three kissed Emily and hugged Albert. If there had been anyone around it must have looked and sounded odd. Emily and I were talking to each other and apparently five other people who weren't there.

When we left for me to pay all four women kissed Albert on the cheek. He blushed but recovered when Emily took his hand.

+++

I left the women in the car for the final stop. I bought a mini-fridge and an electric kettle. I thought if they were in my study the women could make coffee without meeting the workers.

I unloaded the car and left the four of them sorting out their purchases while I went back to work. About eight o'clock Sajni came to tell me the evening meal was ready. After that I was working until ten thirty.

In bed that night only Sajni rode me while the other naked bodies surrounded me. On Friday morning, after breakfast the four of them were making curtains while I worked, From time to time one of them would bring me a cup of coffee. By the end of the day, after two great meals, I was pleased with the amount of work I had done. So were they. The bedroom, dining room, kitchen and family bathroom all had curtains.

That night was Charvi's turn to make love to Malcolm. I went to sleep surrounded by four women who loved me.

+++

On Saturday morning we went to a bedding shop and ordered two pairs of twin beds that could be zipped together to make a large double. They would be delivered on Wednesday afternoon.

The rest of the weekend was like Friday. All five of us were working hard. I was catching up on my business; the four women were making clothes.

+++

By the time the builders arrived at eight o'clock on Monday morning we had had breakfast and all four women were in my study with clothes, mainly blouse pieces, to sew. I told the builders that my study door would be looked as I had confidential customer information in there. If they needed me, they could knock and I would come out to them.

I had an idea. As the four had been able to operate the kitchen equipment and the complex new sewing machine after reading the instructions, perhaps they could learn to use computers.

Apart from my desktop, I had the laptop I used when visiting my customers, and a slightly older and slightly slower laptop I had replaced. I had training DVDs for Windows 10 and Word 365.

I showed Jiya and Charvi the basics and loaded the Windows training packages. By lunchtime they had a reasonable understanding of Windows and could move on to Word. All four of them had learned typing at school and had hoped, as the war progressed, that they might have been able to take office jobs. Their competence in a short time was amazing. Later that afternoon those two showed the others what could be done.

After the evening meal I went back to work. At eleven o'clock the women decided I ought to stop. After they came into my study, within seconds I was helplessly wrapped with scarves and sarees again before they carried me into the bedroom. Jiya already knew enough to save my work and close down my computer.

They teased me with eight bare breasts before a repeat of the Wednesday night when I had met them first. I was ridden four times in the night before going to sleep surrounded by naked bodies. In the morning there was no time for more sex if we were going to have breakfast and hide the woman before the builders arrived, but once locked in my study I was comprehensively kissed before we resumed work.

Late afternoon the builders announced that they had finished the work I had wanted done. The ensuites had all their fittings. Curtain rails had been installed in all the rooms that hadn't had any. The painting and decorating was my responsibility but everything was now usable.

Over the evening meal the women suggested that they could paint the woodwork and walls left bare but they didn't want to wear their sarees when painting. They also needed more footwear but we couldn't see how we could go into a shoe shop.

Back in my study I searched eBay. We found some cheap hotel chambermaid uniforms and I ordered three dresses for each and a couple of pairs of basic trainers. They were fascinated by the possibilities of buying online and their improving computer skills meant that they could if they had access to my PayPal account.

I was slightly worried, The cost of the builders had depleted my savings, The cost of feeding five instead of one had added to my outgoings, But because I could concentrate on my work I was beginning to improve my income. I would need money for paint and decorating materials. Where I had envisaged taking months to decorate, four women could probably do the work in weeks. I compromised. I agreed a limited amount for each to spend on eBay until my financial position was better.

Each night I was the sexual partner of one or more women. Once the beds had been delivered and erected, it was usually one woman a night except on Friday nights when they would all wrap me helplessly before a night trying to satisfy all four.

+++

Ten days after I moved in, I had a bill from the water company. When I had bought the former factory I had advised all the utilities that I was now responsible but this bill was for five years of arrears of the standing charge for the time before I owned it. I took it to the estate agent.

"Hello, Malcolm," he said. "How are you coping with the ghosts?"

"Coping? That isn't a word I would use. Enjoying, appreciating are perhaps more appropriate."

"My great-aunt Emily says she saw you with four women in the lingerie department. Was that the ghosts?"

"Yes. We met Emily and Albert,"

"Albert? But he's dead."

"So are the ghosts."

"From Emily's description they are very attractive young ladies."

"They are. They're wonderful, and over the next few weeks they're going to be painting my place."

They can do that?"

"And cook, and clean, and do my washing... It's like having resident staff..."

"Who do sex as well?"

I blushed.

"The lift will be repaired by the weekend. I'd like to invite your great-aunt Emily for afternoon tea next week, Is that OK?"

"I'll ask her. But she will need her granddaughter Amanda who pushes her wheelchair. Amanda said she saw your ghosts in the distance, She also claims to see Albert, perhaps because she was Albert's favourite grandchild."

"OK. The invitation is for Emily, Amanda and Albert."

+++

Emily accepted for Tuesday afternoon. Before then the uniforms and trainers had arrived and the women were painting. But they had also improved their computing skills, so much so that I was beginning to use them as assistants in my business. At first they were only doing proforma letters in Word, but they progressed to answering emails. They letters and emails were signed A, C, J ,or S 'for Malcolm'.

Their help was expanding my business. Each of the four did about two hours work for the business every day but they had also set up their own business making bespoke fetish wear sold on eBay. The older Singer machine had been replaced by a modern one and the living room had become their workshop. Gradually my income and theirs was increasing.

The afternoon tea was a great success. Amanda could see and hear all of them. Emily was amused as all four women flirted with her husband Albert. The women had produced an array of great cakes. They demonstrated their skill as seamstresses by making a cropped blouse in Amanda's measurements. She left with a complete saree outfit.

Over the next few weeks we converted what had been the haunted factory into a home with furniture from a local charity furniture shop. The decoration was completed. The women's business was gradually building and mine was very profitable with effectively the equivalent of two full time workers.

Every night I had one or more of the women in bed with me demonstrating their love. But every Friday night I was firmly wrapped up with scarves and sarees before becoming the victim of all four that night. Buying a haunted factory had changed my life and I was enjoying every minute of my interaction with the ghosts...