Sandy couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s comment, the humor of it multiplied because of Dayna’s own position. Her wrists and ankles were locked in the stocks, with her feet bare. Sandy planned on getting in some serious tickling, but they still had to test to see if the stocks were tolerable for longer periods since the test the day before had been aborted. "If you could look at yourself," she laughed. "You’d see that it runs in the family."

"Well, yeah," Dayna sighed. "I guess. But I mean, my mother? It’s not something you expect."

"She sure got a charge out of the way we told the buried-in-the-sand story," Sandy laughed. "She just about wet herself."

"God, there were stories there I wanted to tell and just couldn’t." Dayna sighed. "It would have been so easy to start telling lesbian bondage situations, about our birthday parties, or those other times."

"Yeah, I knew we had to stay away from those," Sandy nodded. "I’m beginning to wonder just how lesbian we actually are. I mean, I start tickling your feet and you know where it’ll wind up. And I’d be perfectly happy with it."

"Yeah, me too," Dayna sighed. "It’s the fucking rain. We’re bored. Sandy, we need some time in bed with some guys, not with just each other."

"Couldn’t agree more," Sandy nodded. "We need some serious guy fucking. It’s been too long, not since spring break. The vibrator’s nice, but it’s not the real thing. I take it we don’t want to hit on anyone around this town."

"Oh hell no, no way," Dayna grinned. "Not that there’s anybody much in this town that I’d care to hit on anyway. That’s why a lot of kids leave places like Bradford. They already know everyone too well. But look, what do you say that we just finish up the hour, knock off the foot tickling and what comes after it, then load up and go up to the Briarwood Mall in Hawthorne? If Mr. Fredenberg still runs the place we could probably sit down by the fountain and busk a little, even though we probably wouldn’t get much of a hat."

"Works for me," Sandy sighed. "That way, we won’t be sitting around here and trying to figure some other evil bondage scheme as a way to pass the time. Anyway, we got lucky that last time with your mother. I thought our geese were mutually cooked until I realized what was going on."

"Yeah, but it was masterful," Dayna sighed. "I got about the last half of it, I guess. You know, when I first met you, I thought you were going to be real shy about bullshitting people and getting off hat lines. You’re a little more low key than I am, but you are no slouch, Sandy. You sneak the double whammy in from the side instead of coming right out with it like I do. We just do what works best for each of us."

"I learned a lot of it from you. A year ago I could never have kept my cool like that to begin with, let alone figure out what was happening and talk my way through it. Hanging out with you has changed me, Dayna. It’s changed me a lot. When I was running that lemonade cart down at Cedar Point last summer, I could never have dreamed the stuff I’d be doing over the next year."

"Well, me either," Dayna smiled. "It took the two of us to make a lot of it work. I know you think of me as the wild one, but you’re not a hell of a lot less wild yourself, and wilder in some ways."

"Yeah, but you brought it out of me. I was pretty shy when I first met you."

"Well, I was pretty shy when Tim first got me into the busking, at least seriously," Dayna said. "You know, if we’re going to Hawthorne, we really ought to drop in and say hi. I don’t know what his plans for the summer are, but I’ll bet he and Charlene will be gone a lot."

"Let’s do it," Sandy grinned. "It’ll beat sitting around here tickling each other’s feet to kill time."

"Fine with me. I don’t know how long it’s been, but if it’s over half an hour I could do an hour easy, more if I had to."

"I didn’t get that long a test yesterday, but that’s sort of what I figured, too." Sandy said and let out a sigh.

"Of course, whichever one of us is locked in here doesn’t get a hell of a lot of choice about how long it is or what happens, anyway."

"Yeah, it’s kind of a corollary to the Golden Rule," Sandy laughed as she slipped off the bed and got down on her knees in front of Dayna. "What you do unto others will be done unto you."

"And with interest, if possible," Dayna laughed.

"True," Sandy nodded as an evil grin came across her face. "But you know, I see those ticklish tootsies sticking out in front of me, sooooo helpless, and I have to take advantage of it just a little . . . "

"Sandy! No! Aaaahhh! That tickles! Aaaeeiihhhhh!"

*   *   *

Since it was the middle of the afternoon, Dayna didn’t expect Tim would be home anyway, so she drove straight to his insurance agency. She walked in the front door, and saw Jerry, his oldest son, sitting at a desk. "Where’s your dad?" she asked.

"At home, packing the motor home," Jerry replied. "I don’t know how he managed to stay home this long. I mean, I’ve been home over a week."

"So you’re interning again this summer, huh?"

"Yeah, he stayed around long enough to get me up to speed a little. Jim’s gonna be here, too; he’s out getting pictures for a claim. At least Uncle Mel is going to hang around."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Dayna smiled. "You get the house to yourselves all summer without the folks around. Just think of the opportunities. Booze! Wild parties! Wilder women! Hell, most college guys I know would just about kill for a chance like that."

"Jim and I aren’t really like that," Jerry shrugged. "And with Uncle Mel living just up the street, we wouldn’t want to let it get out of hand."

"I suppose," Dayna grinned. "Bummer. We’ll run over and see your dad and mom. Tell Jim I’m sorry I missed him."

"Sure will. See you around, Dayna."

They went back out through the light rain and got in the Chevette. "Seems like a nice enough guy," Sandy commented. "Not bad looking."

"Oh, he is. His brother, too. I dated him a year ago last Christmas. Straight, straight, straight. You know how kids rebel against their parents by turning wild? I mean, like you and me?"

"Yeah," Sandy grinned, seeing the point right off. "They rebelled by turning straight."

"You got it. I’d be willing to bet good money that they’re both virgins. What a waste."

They found Tim working on the plumbing of the small motor home; it was pretty close to loaded. Charlene was organizing some drawers. "Boy, you’re lucky you caught us," Tim said. "If this rain quits enough to where we can finish loading, we’re out of here tomorrow, the next day at the latest."

"We stopped off at the office," Dayna replied. "Jerry said you were pretty well going to be gone all summer."

"Yeah, until early August, anyway," Tim replied. "We want to be back for a few days before they head off to school. Garden State Renfaire first, with a little busking here and there along the Jersey shore during the week. Don’t know how well it’s going to work out, but we’re long overdue for a long vacation, and this will give us a chance to see if we can make it work again. It’s been years since I’ve tried it like that and never out of a motor home."

"It ought to work," Dayna said. "Boy, I sure wish we’d had this down at Indy last weekend. We about got washed out of our tent."

"We were over in Ohio, just on a trial run," Charlene told her. It was pretty damn wet out there, but we were snug as a bug. I know how that living out of a tent in the rain works. We did it for years, and sometimes we were lucky to even have the tent. This seems like the lap of luxury by comparison."

"We talked it over last spring, and decided we’re going to try to make do out of a tent until we go full time."

"I can understand," Tim nodded. "Let me just warn you on one thing. If you’re going to get into an RV, don’t try to get by on the cheapest thing you can find. Spend some bucks and get a good one."

"We figured that," Sandy agreed. "We had some folks tell us that down in Florida last winter, so we’ve been trying to stick some money back for it. If we have a good summer, that’ll help a lot."

"So what are you kids planning for the summer?" Tim asked.

"About like we worked out last fall," Dayna replied. "We’re doing Indy on the weekends now, Maple Leaf coming up and wrap up with Flint again. There’s some empty weekends in there, I think we’re going to try some local festivals or other gatherings just for the sake of something different. Just roam around tourist areas during the week, see if we can hit a decent pitch or two. That’s what we’d be doing now, except for this lousy rain. We were thinking about going over to the Mall for a couple hours, just for practice."

"You had a good winter then, I take it?" Charlene asked.

"Pretty good, except for the classes and school part," Sandy said. "We had a couple real good weeks down in Florida over Christmas, and then another good one over spring break."

"We made a little money in malls and bars and private parties around campus," Dayna added. "Nothing to write home about, but it kept our hand in. This summer is pretty much going to be a test for us, too, except we’re going to stay a little closer to home."

"Well, have fun and stay loose," Tim smiled. "If this summer goes all right, we may well run a longer season after Jerry graduates next year. He’s planning on coming into the agency full time next spring. I don’t want to be quite as all-out as we were in the old days, but since we’re going to have the kids to hold the fort, I’m figuring being gone for a while, then back home for a few days."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal for you," Dayna nodded. "From what I know about the two of them, they ought to do just fine."

"They seem to have their acts pretty well together," Charlene nodded. "Maybe a little too well. I can’t tell you the last time Jim was out on a date, and Dayna, I think you were the last person Jerry dated. They need to loosen up a little."

"No girl friends?" Dayna asked, astonished. "Either of them? What are they, gay or something?"

"I don’t think so," Tim shook his head. "Maybe it’s just their father talking, but I think they’re so damn straight they don’t know how to unbend a little and have some fun."

"I wonder," Dayna frowned, thinking hard. "Look, this is a hell of a thing to say, and I wouldn’t say it to anyone but you two, but would you have any objections if Sandy and I were to come over here after you’ve left and put the make on them pretty hard? I mean, make it real easy for them?"

"Not only would I not have any objections, I’d encourage it," Tim nodded.

"I agree," Charlene smiled. "I think it would be good for them. I’d really appreciate it if you did. Maybe we should have the two of you for supper tonight, just to crack the ice a little."

"Yeah, that might work," Sandy nodded. "We might not get down to it for a while, we’re planning on being gone a lot."

"Just a word of warning, for your sakes as well as theirs," Tim said. "Don’t even think about letting things get serious. It wouldn’t work. Dayna, you’re like Charlene and me, the wild geese call at you pretty hard, and Sandy, if you’ve been hanging out with Dayna, you’re the same way. Neither Jerry nor Jim would know a wild goose if one bit them in the ass."

"I figured that much," Dayna said. "I mean, I figured that out when I dated Jerry that time. But I figure I owe you two a favor or six."

"Sandy?" Charlene asked. "Are you all right with this?"

"I owe you a few too, secondhand," Sandy grinned. "If you hadn’t gotten Dayna turned on to being a wandering musician, I’d be over at Cedar Point selling lemonade right now and hating every damn minute of it."

*   *   *

Mr. Fredenberg at the mall was happy to see them – he hadn’t seen Dayna since the previous fall, and had never met Sandy. "I don’t mind if you want to set up here for practice during the week," he told them after a little talking. "We’ve got a rotation of people coming in on Saturdays, now. The only one who’s as good as you, Dayna, plays old-time music on a hammer dulcimer, and she doesn’t put on the show."

"We’re not going to be able to be here on Saturdays anyway, so that’s no problem," Dayna said. "But if you really need us here sometime, just let me know. You gave me my first break in this business, and I owe you, OK?"

"Let me think about it," Mr. Fredenberg said. "I’ve pretty well got the promotions for the summer figured out, but I’m thinking maybe a music festival along in the fall. We’d bring in several different groups for shows out in the north wing. I don’t know if you’d like it though. We’d pay you a fee, you wouldn’t pass the hat."

"Oh, we can do it the square way if you really want us to," Sandy laughed. "We’re not that purist."

As expected, the hat that afternoon wasn’t anything to write home about, but, as Sandy said, they made more money than they would have sitting in the stocks at home and having the other one tickle their feet.

The dinner at Tim and Charlene’s was pretty conventional, mostly trading stories about some of the things they’d done with guitars in their hands the last year, and staying clear of the other wilder activities. The point of the whole affair was to let the guys see that the girls were friendly with their parents.

It stayed pretty casual right up until the girls started to go; the boys, being gentlemen, stood up to escort them to the door. Sandy and Dayna each took one, put her arms around him, and laid a hot kiss on him. "It’s probably going to be lonely with your folks gone," both of them whispered in their respective guy’s ear. "Maybe we could drop in and help you pass the time some time when we’re in the area." Each of them stammered and groped for words for a reply, but managed to get the message across that yes, that would be very nice.

"I’ll tell you one thing," Dayna told Sandy as she drove the Chevette toward Bradford. "Jerry is not gay. Not with that kiss he gave me, and especially not with the size of that hard-on under his pants he was poking me in the belly with."

"Same thing," Sandy grinned. "And I’d have to say that Jim had a pretty damn good one, too."

"Let’s give them a few days," Dayna suggested. "They know we’re gone for the weekend, anyway."

"Works for me," Sandy said. "I wouldn’t want to guarantee it’s going to be a done deal, anyway. You’re right, they are godawful straight. But I think there’s a chance we can get through to them."

"Could be," Dayna nodded and changed the subject. "What I got out of the weather report is that there’s supposed to be one more day of this crap before it turns nice. I know we can camp down at the renfaire site during the week. What do you say we blow out of here the day after tomorrow, go set up camp down there, then hunt around the Indiana-no-place area for some pitches?"

"I’d say it works for me. How about tomorrow? I’ve got those pants pretty well whipped, but I’m not happy with them. Maybe we ought to just think about buying what we want."

"Could be," Dayna said. "We can pack up, and we could go work Briarwood again. There’s one thing that has to be done, though."

"What’s that?"

"You’ve got to spend some time in the stocks so I can tickle your feet."

*   *   *

Thursday morning they loaded the car early and drove back down to Indianapolis. They tried several places with moderate success, then set up camp at the renfaire site and headed back out to look on Friday. The daytime was moderate at best, in several lackluster places, but Dayna happened to pick up a copy of the Star to discover a local festival in a small town forty miles off, so they knocked off trying and got on the road. They found a good spot on the Main Street, and good crowds, and in four hours made as much as they’d made busking outside of renfaires in the last two weeks combined.

"We’re going to have to keep our eyes open for those kinds of things," Dayna said as they drove back through the darkness. We’re going to have to get in the habit of finding a library and going through the local papers."

"Yeah, there’s something like that going on all over the place all the time in the summer," Sandy said. "It almost makes me wish we weren’t so tied to the renfaires."

"True, but for now they’re our bread and butter. Don’t forget that we’re getting a check to go with our hats this weekend. Besides the renfaires are fun and we meet a pot load of cool people."

Her words proved to be especially correct the next evening, they discovered that in the next campsite there were a pair of jugglers, Erik and Kurt, from the St. Louis area – nice looking guys, good with their hands, naturally. They held straight jobs, but took off every Friday night to drive to a renfaire for their act, and drove back Sunday night. As almost always on a decent night, there were groups of people hanging around the various campsites, partying and socializing. Right from the beginning some of the bawdy, raunchy songs they did off hours made their camp a popular place, but after a while they hung the guitars up and people drifted off; soon they were left with just Erik and Kurt.

"You girls like to share a joint?" Kurt asked.

"Sure," Dayna said. "It’s not the first time. I don’t mind grass if someone else is doing the buying and the carrying."

"Just one warning," Sandy said. "Pot makes us both horny."

"Does us, too," Erik smiled.

"Bird in the hand, right Sandy?" Dayna glanced at her friend, the message implicit: Jerry and Jim were still out there, but it wasn’t a done deal. And it had been a long time since spring break.

"Absolutely."

As it wound up, Sandy spent the night with Kurt in the guys’ tent, while Erik stayed with Dayna. The four of them put together a joint breakfast, nothing special except for the fact that the guys had some good coffee, but all too soon it was time to get in costumes to get ready for opening.

"Settles one thing," Sandy said as she laced up her corset.

"What?" Dayna smiled. "That we’re not all-the-way lesbians?"

"I didn’t think we were, but I wasn’t sure. Don’t get me wrong, Dayna, we’ve had a lot of fun and we’ll have more, but I do like doing guys once in a while."

"Right," Dayna smiled. "Plastic is fine, but the real thing, well, it’s real."

Between shows that afternoon, they wandered around the grounds, looking for good pitches, and doing a little shopping, too. In one tent they found belly-dancer outfits just about like Sandy had been thinking of. The woman running the place understood how the outfits worked and what worked well for the two girls. Dayna’s hair color worked well with the outfit when just wrapped in a bun on the top of her head and tied with a beaded ribbon. Sandy’s blonde hair had to be pinned up, and then covered with a headpiece that reminded her of reruns of I Dream of Jeannie. Both the tops were essentially thin halter tops, but decorated with a couple pounds of dangling metal jewelry; their hips were encircled with hip scarves covered with more of the metal jewelry and tassels worn above the baggy pants like Sandy had tried to make.

"Sexy," Sandy commented when she saw the outfit in the Mirror of Happiness. "I really like to be able to show off that bare midriff."

"Looks really cool," Dayna agreed.

"Those necklaces and bracelets you’re wearing go real well with those outfits," the woman running the place said.

"All right, M’Lady," Dayna sighed. "How bad is this going to hurt?"

"You two are with it, right?" the woman smiled. "I’ll cut you a discount."

It shot all their off-show busking profits for the week and then some, but this was just about what they’d been seeking for a long time as an alternative to the more conventional costumes.

"God, I love these outfits," Dayna sighed. "I’m sure going to hate having to get back into our regular outfits for the last show, but we’re going to have to hustle to do it."

"Oh, let’s have some fun," Sandy grinned. "Do it in these. Maybe we kick off with Midnight at the Oasis."

"That’s a little hot for a show with as many kids as we’re going to have at this one," Dayna protested.

"Then let’s just do the regular show, but there’s a couple places I can throw in some belly dancing moves."

"You know belly dancing?"

"We had a quarter of it in high school," Sandy grinned. "Phys ed class."

"Damn, all we did was dodge ball and shit like that," Dayna shook her head. "Let’s do it. If we stand here and talk about it anymore, we’d have to do it anyway." She let out a long laugh.

"What’s that?" Sandy asked.

"I just got a really neat idea. Not for the show, though."

*   *   *

Monday evening, after a supper out of cans, Jerry and Jim were sitting in the living room, wearing shorts and T-shirts, watching the Cubs game. "You like some popcorn?" Jerry asked.

"Better not," Jim replied. "Butter’s got a lot of calories. I’d take another Diet Coke, though."

"Yeah, guess I’d better not myself. Damn, we should have gotten out on the golf course."

"Yeah," Jim sighed. "The way the Cubs are getting their butts whipped, it’s not worth watching."

"Count on the Cubs to break your heart. Wonder what the folks are doing?"

"Probably having a ball, you know them."

"I guess that’s like them," Jerry said as he headed for the kitchen. "Those girls who were here last week, too. Boy, I don’t know how they manage to live like that."

"Me either," Jim sighed. "I couldn’t do that. Wonder if we’re ever going to see them again? Dayna was fun on that date I had with her, a little weird. Sandy kind of struck me the same way."

"It would be nice, but don’t hold your breath," Jerry called from the kitchen just as the doorbell rang.

"Wonder who that is?" Jim said, getting up from the living room chair.

"Hell if I know," Jerry said, turning from the kitchen. Both reached the front door at the same time.

It was actually Jim who opened the door, to an astonishing sight: two good-looking babes in belly-dancer outfits, wearing very thin veils. It took Jim a second to make the connection. "Dayna! Sandy!" he said. "What’s this all about?

"Dayna?" Dayna said, looking puzzled. "Sandy? Who are they?"

"She’s Jeanie the Genie," Sandy smiled. "I’m Jennie the Genie."

"We’re both genies," Jeanie smiled as she and Jennie walked through the open door, and each took a guy in their arms.

"Rub us in the right spot and we’ll make your dreams come true," Jennie added.

"Dreams?" Jerry stammered as Jeanie or Jennie or Dayna or whatever moved the veil from in front of her mouth, just before she planted a kiss on his lips – and deeper. A very hot kiss; the one last week had just been a warm-up.

"Yeah, what . . . " Jim managed to get out before Jennie laid an equally hot kiss on him.

"Come on, we know," Jeanie said as she pulled her lips back.

"Know what?"

"You were the ones who were wishing, weren’t you?’ Jennie grinned.

"Wishing? For what?

"You mean to say that you weren’t wishing that a couple of genies would come to the door and be your harem girls for the evening?" Jeanie grinned.

"Someone to kiss and cuddle, make you happy and fill in the lonely evening?" Jennie added.

"But . . . but . . . "

"That’s what we’re here for," Jeanie said seductively as her hand reached down for something very hard that was poking her in the belly.

"All you have to do is rub us in the right spot," Jennie added just as seductively as she made a similar move.

"The right spot?" Jerry said still shocked and confused. "What right spot?"

"The right right spot," Jeanie grinned. "You’ll just have to find it."

"But you’ll know it when you do."

"Then you’ll get your first wish, and all night long if you want."

"But guys," Jennie warned. "There’s one thing you should know."

"You know what the rules are with genies, don’t you?"

"Rules? What rules?" Jerry said, bewildered by the whipsawing Jeanie and Jennie were giving them.

"Oh, come on guys," Jennie laughed. "You know the rules."

"You only get three wishes."

"No more. It’s part of the job description."

"It’s in the union contract, I think. But three wishes, that’s all."

"Tonight you get the first."

"In a few days, we’ll drop by, and you’ll get the second."

"All night long again, too, if that’s what you want."

"We don’t know exactly when it’ll be."

"We’re very busy genies; we’re never sure where we’re going to be next."

"A few days later, we’ll show up again, and you’ll get your third wish."

"That’ll be the last wish. We’ll never come to you again."

"Or you can send us away now."

"But you’ll always wonder what you’ve missed."

"Now do you want to try to find that spot to rub?"

"We really, really want you to rub it."

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