The Keys Ch. 07

Lydia cautiously checked the parking lot of the library to ensure that no one would witness her nude departure. It would be a shame to be spotted right outside the library after taking so much care to avoid detection while inside of it. All was still and quiet. The world did not seem to care much about her ordeal in the library. She made sure one last time that she had picked up everything. Her backpack, shoes, and hat were all in tow as she stepped out the shadows and made for the sidewalk. There was some light upon her, but not enough for Lydia to worry about. She was getting used to being visibly naked in public as long as she could be reasonable self-assured that no one was looking.

She mentally prepared herself for the zigzagging trek through town. Lydia had walked the roads during the daytime in preparation for this. Approximately ten blocks separated her from her next destination which was the town square. Ironically, this was the least tricky stretch of her route despite being arguably the most urban.

There were shops in this part of town. Law offices, dinner restaurants, antique shops, and other quaint small businesses. However, this also meant that there was a maze of side streets and back alleys for her to escape through. There were plenty of mailboxes, tables, hedges, low-standing advertisement boards, fences, and more to hide behind in case she needed to act quickly. Lydia could feel the press of buildings all around her, any of which could have peeping eyes monitoring her progress. Lydia imagined a stranger spying on her, taking a picture, and sending it to everyone's phone in town to her eternal shame. She would never find out who did it if that happened, not that it would have mattered much at that point.

That was hardly the case though, and Lydia knew it. No one was in town this late at night, neither on the streets nor in the windows. Although she was getting more comfortable with strolling naked on the sidewalk past these familiar landmarks, there was still a big part of her that was be self-conscious about being naked where she should not be. That was the danger, the great taboo, that also made what Lydia was doing so alluring to her.

I need something to shake this off and make it memorable. Something that no one else could ever say they had done.

That was when she remembered the plastic life-sized grizzly bear statue outside the sporting goods store. It was coming up and she had an idea. Checking around the corner of the block, just as she had done with every turn since the library, the statue came into view through the hazy mist halfway down the street on the opposite side. Lydia crossed the empty street and walked down the line of shops toward the statue.

The bear faced the street standing on all fours, mouth opened as if in mid-roar. Lydia ran up to it when she got close enough and bent down beside it. She smiled as her heartbeat quickened. Lydia had not planned for this little stunt but she knew was going to enjoy it. Nothing was coming from either direction. She could just make out five or six blocks to the left and right before the streetlamps and traffic lights dissolved fully into the haze. She stood and jumped onto the side of the bear, clumsily pulling herself up with her right leg.

For a moment, she let herself rest with the front of her body pressed against the cold, hard back of the grizzly bear. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, mounting the statue as though riding it. Lydia shuffled forward and kicked her feet up. She imagined actually riding a live bear through town wearing nothing but a smile. Lydia balled her left hand into a fist and raised it in the air as if signaling an advance. With the other hand, she cupped the side of her face and dared to hushedly cry out a howl of triumph.

I can picture it now. The Bare-Naked Bear Lady: A Local Legend!

That was enough though. It was best not to linger too long. She smiled at having done this crazy, amazing thing, and pulled her left leg over the bear so that she could slip off the statue back onto the sidewalk. Looking around again just in case, she set off once more for the town square. With three more blocks to go, the watch that hung from her backpack beeped.

3am. No more time for games. The halfway point is not far but then I need to make a straight line back home if I want to be back by sunrise.

Lydia decided to take a side-alley approach to the square. It was dark back there, but light enough to avoid tripping over the occasional refuse that littered the ground. There was a bench that Lydia figured was used by employees of nearby businesses on lunch break. She decided to prepare for her town square run in that spot. She removed her backpack and folded it under the bench next the wall. Her hat followed next and then her shoes. Lydia looked at the asphalt and weighed the wisdom of leaving her shoes behind for this one given the roughness of the surface and potential stepping hazards she might encounter.

A deal's a deal. This is what I set myself to doing. Cutting corners would not be fair.

With that thought in mind, Lydia hastened to the end of the alley, around the corner to a café, and bent down behind a table which had been left out overnight. She eyed the town square in the next block over. Standing in the middle like a monolith was a bronze statue of a man in an old-style suit. Perhaps it was the founder of the town, or some important mayor, but despite having lived in the town since childhood Lydia had never thought to find out. For her, it was just the town square statue.

The town square comprised a block in the town's planning grid. There were knee-high hedges that bordered the square against the sidewalk. Within, there were a few pathways that meandered among flower gardens, tall bushy plants, a pavilion in one corner, and, of course, the statue right at the center. The statue, now worn green by time, stood upon a concrete base that rose about four feet off the ground and spread out across five feet on each side of the square base. The statue's right foot stood just ahead of the left and pointed slightly upward, symbolic of the town's resolve to continue ever onward and upwards. That much, at least, Lydia knew about.

She knew that she could not remain crouched naked behind a café table forever. Under that statue's foot was the next key that she needed to get back into her house and back to her clothes. Lydia darted across the street after looking around first for cars. She nearly stumbled and fell when she heard and eruption of laughter emanating from the park. Disoriented, but maintaining her footing, Lydia laid herself flat on the sidewalk behind the hedges on the park perimeter and tried to figure out where the laughter, which was dying down now, was coming from.

She pressed her torso upward in a yoga pose to peek over the bushes. The park had four lamp posts, all equally spaced between the statue at the center and each of the four corners of the block. With their help, she was able to spot a group of people under the pavilion. Now that she was closer, Lydia could hear them more clearly. It was a group of teenagers out for a late-night social hour.

Of course this would happen to me! This is just par for the course tonight...

Lydia cursed her bad luck and thought about what she should do. She felt rushed by the fact that, despite being hiding from the group of teenagers, she was on laying on the sidewalk on full display to anyone who happened to drive by. The spectacle of a young, naked woman would undoubtedly garner the attention of the driver, and then the teenagers, and it would mean that Lydia would need to make a quick getaway. Further, it would mean being unable to return to the square which would effectively lock her out of the house naked until she did return.

Deciding on a course of action, Lydia stayed low and crawled down the sidewalk behind the hedge. The concrete on her knees was torture, but the alternative of getting caught was worse. Lydia spotted five teenagers who looked to be either high school seniors or recent graduates. Two girls, and three guys. Suddenly, one spoke loudly:

"Look, you can be a goody two shoes about this but we're just having fun tonight! Who's going to come out looking for us at three o' clock at night?"

Who, indeed? Lydia thought sourly.

Lydia realized that they were out for a little bit of intoxicated fun that they probably could not get at home. There was no way to be sure though, and it really did not matter to her. Lydia just wanted to get the key and go. Finally, she had crawled far enough to position the statue between herself and the pavilion where the group was. Still staying low, Lydia got up and hopped over the hedge while trying her best to stay out of the light of the lamp post. Unfortunately for her, it was to no avail.

Lydia skipped over flowers and around hedges, taking great care to keep the statue in her line of sight. Almost there, she ducked behind one of the tall hedges by the statue and gazed between the leafy branches at the pavilion.

"Yeah, she's totally going to be a goody two shoes," laughed the male voice stupidly.

"You can tease me all you want, you jerk. I'm not going to have any! Could one of you guys tell Gavin to just leave me alone about it?" shouted a young feminine voice.

Lydia's breath caught in her throat at the recognition. Risking her concealment, she looked beyond the hedge's corner to confirm what she thought she knew. Sure enough, it was her little sister Madelyn. Almost nineteen, there was no good reason for her to be out this late with these morons. Then she thought twice about it.

Well, that would really be the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn't it?

"Yeah, Gavin, she's right. She doesn't have to have any if she doesn't want to. You seem to be having her share anyway at this point so just chill, alright?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Gavin said sitting down.

I'm so proud of you Maddie!

Lydia wanted to shout it at her, as well as shout a few other things about spending time with these shady characters. This moment would have to be Lydia's secret forever though because the next question Madelyn would ask Lydia if she brought it up was how Lydia had known about it. Lydia could not simply share the fact that she had been hiding naked in the bushes in the center of the town square overhearing the exchange. Suddenly remembering her purpose and her state of dress, she released the branches of the bush and stood back behind it.

There would be a moment in which the group would be able to see a glimpse of a naked girl as Lydia passed between the bush and the base of the statue, so she had to time this perfectly. The only thing working for her at this point was the fact that no one had seen her yet, and therefore had no reason to pay any attention to anything in the direction of the statue. With low, steady breaths, Lydia spied on the group for several minutes. She was waiting for all their heads to be turned away at the same time. It happened, but not the way that Lydia would have liked.

A car passed by the park on the opposite side of Lydia. Cursing internally, she decided to take her chance. Because the group did not want to be bothered either, given their own present questionable activities, they all looked to see if it was a cop car. Lydia had not bothered to do even that much before darting around the bush and next to the statue's base. However, she figured that if it had been the police then the group would have scattered, hopefully not in her direction.

Pressed against the ground to avoid the sight of the passing car, Lydia waited for it to disappear down the street and for the group's talking to build up again. She had successfully made it to the center of the park. She used the statue's base as leverage to pull herself up, wiping a thin film of sand off her arms, breasts, and legs. The key was right there, but she was conflicted about how to get it. She could reach up in a quick motion, or she could go slowly and deliberately.

Lydia decided on the slower way, once more using the statue to hide her hand's approach. Her eyes stared widely at the group for any indication that she was seen, shifting her gaze only to dig the key out from under the statue's shoe. The key scraped against the bronze, but it was too quiet for anyone but Lydia to hear. Switching tack, Lydia scooped the key into her hand, swiped it back toward her, and ducked behind the statue's base once more.

Lydia sat bare bottomed on the ground holding the key against her chest. She turned her head toward the pavilion hoping that the hard part was over. She loved her sister but was afraid of what might happen if Madelyn caught her completely naked, in public, miles from home, and in the middle of the night. Would she tell their parents? Perhaps she would hold it over her head as blackmail? Would she just be disgusted and disappointed? Lydia did not want to find out. She looked between the corner of the statue's perch and the tall bushes that led to it. That was the last difficulty that Lydia needed to overcome before she could return to her backpack with relative safety.

Lydia peaked around the statue to see that they were all gathered around Madelyn looking at something her phone. As if by reflex, Lydia stood hunched over in a sneaking pose and shuffled toward the bush and around its corner. The hard right turn is what did it. Without meaning to, the key slipped from her hand and fell to the asphalt ground at Lydia's feet. To Lydia, it was like being frozen in time while she watched it fall in slow motion. The moment seemed to last forever, watching the key approach impact with nothing that she could do about it.

The key bounced once, yielding a shrill clang, before settling by Lydia's left foot with a softer tinkling sound. Regaining her agency, Lydia bent down and picked it. Her left hand gripped the key to prevent it from escaping again with her arm unconsciously hovering over her chest. Her right hand covered her mouth as her eyes flicked every which way in panic. The talking from the pavilion had died down instantly. She could feel five sets of eyes aimed squarely in her direction.

"Did you guys hear that?" Gavin asked tentatively.

"I think so," said the other girl in a concerned tone. "I think it came from over there."

Lydia could just die right there on the spot. One stupid blunder had cost her everything. She could run now and hope that none of them, least of all Maddie, would recognize her from behind. Would they give chase? Could she make it if they did? Lydia was screaming in head, berating herself for dropping the key at the one moment that she had made it to the clear. Perhaps, she hoped, if she waited long enough then they would lose interest.

"I'm going to check it out," Gavin said getting up.

What do I do? What do I do?!

"Yeah, I'll come with you," said one of the other guys that Lydia did not know.

Gravelly footsteps approached warily, rubber soles of shoes grinding against the sand and concrete. Each advancing shuffle of the boys' shoes grated against Lydia's soul. She could run. Or perhaps she could pretend to be the police from behind the bush. Would that make them run away?

No. That would be ridiculous. I need to be the one running away. Maybe if I scream when I go it will catch them off guard so that I can get a head start. Here... we... go...

"HEY, GUYS!" bellowed Madelyn. "Seriously, what are you even doing over there. Come back."

Lydia could not believe it. Was she about to be saved by her sister?

"What do you mean? We're checking out the noise!" Gavin protested.

"You're being paranoid. That noise came from way down the street. Now get your drunk, dumb ass back over here!" Madelyn demanded.

Lydia, stunned by the intervention, was also surprised by her Maddie. Lydia did not know that her sister had that in her. By this point, Lydia's back was against the tall bush. Any movement now would cause a rustle amongst the branches that would prompt the boys to continue their investigation, so she waited.

"... Fine, fine..." Gavin said in a defeated tone. "We need to be going anyway."

"Maybe we're not ready to go. Maybe I just don't want you wandering off. If any one of us gets caught out here, then we're all on the hook. My parents know who I'm with tonight, so if they find out you got hurt or arrested or something even more stupid then they'll know that I had something to do with it. So just come back and sit down."

Yes, I can work with that. Please, please keep going Maddie!

The two boys who were a few steps away for revealing Lydia and her nakedness to the entire town square, a horrific thought for Lydia even if it was just five other people, retreated to the pavilion. Lydia carefully relaxed against the bush, now itchy all over from dozens of leafy pokes all along her backside. She bent down and assumed a crawling position. No more sudden movements, Lydia decided, lest she drop her key again.

The conversation in the pavilion picked up again as she crawled toward the lamppost. Not wanting to take any unnecessary risks, she furtively maneuvered over the low hedge off the asphalt path and into the flower bed. The hedge tickled her breasts as she went but made no noise. Lydia assumed a prone position. Ordinarily laying naked in the dirt was not her idea of a great time. However, despite the cover the statue, she was determined crawl her way out of the town square just to be safe. She had been lucky up to this point but did not want to keep tempting fate until her luck ran out.

It was grueling work, and Lydia got dirt in places that she would have desperately preferred not to. For some reason, the air was warmer in town. Perhaps there was less airflow or perhaps she was sweating out of fear. Either way, her body was slick with perspiration again. She could feel it between her legs as they slid off one another and when her arms glided off her sides. Worse, under her arms she could see the dirt mixing with the sweat to form smears of mud. Looking down at her bare chest, Lydia could see the same thing happening there and knew that by the time she left the square she would be a muddy, naked mess if she was not already.

Lydia was officially miserable at the situation she was in. She was nearly to the edge of the square though and decided to risk rising to a crouch. Even if the group at the pavilion were to look over, at this angle, they would see Lydia's naked butt protruding from amidst the flowers and know that she was there. From this distance, speed was preferable to obscurity. Lydia hopped over the hedge that separated the square from the sidewalk, and broke into a run across the street. She was nearly to the other sidewalk, closing in on the entrance to an alleyway, when...

"DO YOU GUYS SEE THAT???"

Less than a heartbeat later, Lydia was in the alleyway and perched behind a collection of trashcans. No one would be able to see her there.

"I'M TELLING YOU GUYS!" shouted Gavin stupidly, "I'M TELLING YOU, I SAW A NAKED GIRL OVER THERE!"

"Would you just shut up!" screamed the other girl shrilly, "Why would someone be running around naked at this time of night? Are you trying to get us caught with some bullshit prank?!"

"But I did see her, I did! She's over there!" Gavin argued.

"Whatever. Guys, can we get out of here? I think Gavin was right about leaving. I'm sick of his crap," Lydia could hear Madelyn saying.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired anyway," one of the other boys said.

That was the last of the conversation that Lydia heard. As soon as she was reasonably sure that there would be no pursuit, she bounded down the alleyway and turned left into another back alley. She had her key, but she had to get her backpack. Taking care not to step on anything or trip, she quickly arrived at the end of the alley, checked the street for traffic, and proceeded toward the alley in the next block across the street.