Breaking Her Spirit

The story isn't as "rough" as the title suggests, but it will make sense after you finish reading. It's a short one-off, with yet another highly fantastical plot. If you're more into real-world scenarios, my stuff isn't going to be your bag. It may also be a bit of a risk, putting this in Erotic Couplings (I hear you folks are hard to please), as it's heavy on fantasy, but I feel like it belongs here.

Loads of appreciation for all the kind comments lately, folks. They keep me motivated and vain. For the few fans I have, I do have more sequels coming. Thanks for keeping tabs on me.

*****

Penelope Jones had been wandering the streets of the city for weeks now. Her parents and friends thought she was dead, and the search for her had recently been called off. After attending her own funeral, and wishing she could voice her presence to everyone there, Penelope "hitched" a ride back to five points. It's where the college kids hung out on the weekends, and though she didn't get to participate in their celebrations, she at least got to watch.

Observing strangers was all Penelope did these days. It killed her to stay at her parents, watching them suffer over their loss. She didn't have any close friends, but students at her school were briefly sad about losing one of their own. Still, they all moved on. If only Penelope had never answered that advertisement...

It took a few car hops to make it into the city, but soon Penelope was walking over the cracked and aging sidewalks of the downtown neighborhood. She contemplated the events that led her here. It started at the end of an advanced mathematics class, just a few weeks ago. Matt Ridley stopped Penelope before she left the class, following the bell.

"Hey, fellow math student," said Matt, tapping her on the shoulder. He had a deep, sexy voice and when he smiled, it instantly made Penelope's heart flutter. She darted her eyes away. "I was thinking, are you free Saturday night? I have two tickets to the game. And maybe after, dinner?"

It was the first time anyone had ever asked Penelope on a date. She didn't even go to prom or homecoming dances back in high school. Penelope's mind went blank, nerves tightening every muscle. Penny was an attractive woman, but she suffered from severe social anxiety. She wore no make-up, and rather plain, frumpy clothes. If primped up, she could win beauty pageants, but it didn't matter. Penelope's natural shyness inhibited her potential in that regard.

Matt waited for Penelope to say something, anything, but instead she just looked grossed out. Her eyes scanned the ceiling and then the exit. She scooted back a bit, nervously, unsure how to respond, incapable of doing so, her anxiety getting the best of her. Matt took it as her trying to leave.

"You don't have to insult me, you know. You can just say 'no thank you.'"

Penelope jetted out of the room without muttering a word, completely panicked. She ran as fast as she could across the campus grounds, finally stopping at the river, near the campus park. As usual, no one was there. She made it to one of the picnic tables and sat down, crying.

Penelope spent many hours in class this semester crushing over Matt Ridley. He was handsome, smart, polite... and now utterly turned off by her, Penelope thought. She blew her chance.

'What is wrong with me?' Penelope screamed in her head. 'Why can't I just fucking talk to people like a normal person?'

It was then that Penelope noticed a flyer stapled to the top of the bench. It had a purple and black swirling background, and loud, obnoxious fonts. It read, "CURE ANY MENTAL PROBLEM!"

The ad went on to show a picture of a gypsy and the words, "With the power of VooDoo!"

More text on the bottom half of the flyer explained how voodoo could be used for good, not just gimmicks, to help people overcome mental and emotional challenges. It promised that "Madame V" could reach out to the astral world, to help any person overcome their fears, phobias and mental blocks. A coupon at the bottom of the flyer read, "$50, money back guarantee! No appointment necessary!"

Penelope had already been through therapy. Nothing helped. But while she sat there, wiping her tears, she allowed her emotions to get the best of her. A practical and skeptical person, Penelope would normally have laughed off such an ad. Instead, she picked up her things, walked calmly to her car, and drove to the address on the flyer.

The woman at the door was not the woman in the ad. This one was bigger, and very assertive in her actions. "Come in, come in!" she belted to Penelope, at the door. The large and imposing woman had opened it before Penelope even got the chance to knock. It took a few minutes to explain why she was there, but Madame V (as she asked to be called) picked up on it quickly.

"You poor child!" said the woman. "Sit down on the couch here. Let me put your mind at ease. This is easy, so, so easy to fix!" She talked fast, running her words together.

"Really?" asked Penelope. Her skeptical side was showing. She sat down on the couch, clutching her purse.

"Now you trust me, okay? Can you do that?"

"I... I guess," said Penelope, meekly. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing more, or less, than I ever do," the woman said, wiggling her hands in the air, and then clasping them. "Now, you look here. You don't have to understand it, but I will explain, anyway. There is an astral plane that resides on our plane. It's here, it's with us. You can't see it, but your subconscious mind knows it's there."

"Um... okay?" said Penelope, not sure why she decided to come to this crazy woman.

"I see your distrust. You don't worry about that," said Madame V, patting Penelope on the knee. "I simply reach out to the elements on this plane, and ask them to interfere on your behalf."

"Interfere?" Penelope's voiced cracked.

"I don't decide the cure, young lady, the elements do. They can influence anyone's thoughts or behaviors, but not by changing them, per se. By allowing the vessel to discover the solution."

"I don't follow."

"For instance, I had a client who had a fear of snakes. He's an independent engineer. The day after I reached out to the elements, he was approached for a multi-million-dollar contract in the Amazon. He would build the plans, hire work crews, and help build a community. It was a project that would improve their farming and energy needs, by many times over."

For being a fast-talking gypsy, the woman was certainly well-spoken, thought Penelope.

"He didn't need to go for the money," she continued. "He is on a mission. He wants to leave this world a better place than he found it."

"So... his fear of snakes?"

"Are you familiar with the Amazon? You cannot walk ten feet without running into a snake. He simply found the power inside him to conquer that fear, the instant he set his mind on that mission. He had incentive."

"Oh, exposure therapy!" shouted Penelope. She had already tried it. "Well, shit, give me a multi-million-dollar contract, and maybe I'll start talking to people."

Penelope started laughing, and Madame V joined along, then said, "That is the only case where such a circumstance occurred, but this spell always works. Are you ready?"

Madame V held out her hand, awaiting payment. Penelope produced it. Five crumpled ten-dollar bills.

"Now sit back, my child, I only need to whisper a few words."

The gypsy shook something in her right hand, while she spoke unintelligible words under her breath. Small grains slipped through her fingers. Then, Madame V looked around her, left and right. Finally, she paused and smiled, nodding.

"You must remain calm, child," said the gypsy. Penelope noticed Madame V was not looking at her directly, just in her general direction. "Please, do not worry. It will all be okay."

"I'm fine," said Penelope. "You're uh... acting strange."

"I continue to be surprised by our natural world... and our supernatural one," said the large woman, sighing. Penelope tried to interject, but the gypsy talked over her, "There is a reason for this. You'll understand it eventually. Had I known your case was so severe, perhaps I could have warned you. You're going to be very confused for a time."

"Confused? What are you talking about?"

But Madame V kept talking, "Don't worry, child. You're a smart woman. You will figure it out. I'll leave the door open for you."

Penelope looked at Madame V, perplexed. "Leave the door open? I don't understand. Why aren't you responding to me?"

The gypsy got up and walked to the front door, opening it, and left the room. Penelope tried getting her attention and protested the entire time, but Madame V just ignored her.

Frustrated, Penelope left the house and went to her car. When she reached into her purse, she discovered she was incapable of grabbing hold of her keys. They were right there, yet her fingers couldn't grip them. Was it a lack of strength and agility, or was something supernatural happening? Frantic, Penelope ran back into the house to call for the gypsy. She threw her purse on the couch, screaming for the woman to come out. She never did.

Penelope kicked at the closed door in the hall, but there was no response. Her foot didn't even make a noise, even though it smacked hard against the door. She stood firmly on the floor beneath her and began kicking at it, too. Still no sound. Finally, Penelope gave up and went back to retrieve her purse, Again, her fingers were simply unable to hold it, as if she had no strength, yet she felt fine. She grabbed at herself, even squeezed her breasts, and everything was normal. Her fingers gripped into her clothing and skin. It made no sense. Penelope began screaming like mad. Never in her life had she voiced anything so loudly, yet it appeared no one heard her.

"What is happening?" she screamed. "Help! Help!"

It took hours to figure it all out, but Penelope realized she was invisible in body, and voice, to others. At first, she thought she had turned into a wraith or a spirit, but it wasn't quite that. People could walk right through people, and they through her, but she couldn't walk through inanimate objects. As for herself, her hands didn't pass through her own body. Everything felt tangible and real to herself, in the literal sense.

She could sit on chairs, but not move them. In fact, she couldn't move or manipulate anything. To get through doors, she had to wait until people opened them. The only way she could get around town was by hopping in a car, just as someone was getting in, and hoping they were going the right direction. It made traveling very difficult.

The first few days were the worst. Penelope's parents reported her missing, and students at the school volunteered to search the grounds. Everyone went nuts over a missing, 21-year-old, white woman. It drove Penelope to the brink, wondering why and how this had happened to her.

By the fourth day, Penelope felt grimy in her clothes. Even if she hadn't touched tangible things, other than walls and floors, her clothes felt unwashed and gross. Penelope was in her room that day, at home, listening to her parents sobbing through the walls. As she peeled off her clothes, it dawned on her that she hadn't gone to the bathroom since this all began. She hadn't even eaten. Penelope dropped the clothes to the floor, and went to kick them out of her way. She immediately noticed something supernatural had happened again. The clothing was now tangible in the real world, and no longer accessible to her. Like all inanimate objects, she couldn't hold, touch or grip the clothes she had just been wearing.

Penelope realized she would now always be naked. For a moment, she was mortified, but it wasn't long before she learned that being naked in front of others isn't so embarrassing when one is invisible.

Penelope now sat in a booth at Lucky's Pub, her head buried in her hands. It had only been a few weeks since this all began, but she felt like she would go crazy if she didn't have real human contact soon.

'Am I going to be like this forever? Did I die, maybe? Is this death? What did I do to deserve this? I just wanted to get over my shyness, not be secluded from life! What did that gypsy do to me?'

These thoughts tortured Penelope. In her mind, she was going through every stage of grief: denial, anger, bargaining... she just hadn't made it to acceptance. She hoped the crowds would come to the pub soon. It would help take her mind off things.

Just then, the front door burst open, and a strong, deep voice boomed, "No way, guys! I told you, already. I have to finish my paper tonight. I can't stay long."

Three guys strolled in, looking as if they had just gotten back from a sporting event. What caught Penelope's attention first was the deep voice. She instantly recognized it as Matt Ridley's.

"Come on, Matt. Becky said she was bringing friends tonight!" said one of the friends.

"I'm leaving before Becky gets here," said Matt, flatly.

"Why?" asked the other guy. "She's hot as fuck, man, and into you."

Penelope saw Matt roll his eyes as they settled into the booth across from her. "Yeah, well, she comes on too strong," said Matt. "I'm too busy for dating, anyway."

This surprised Penelope to hear, considering he had just asked her out a few weeks ago. It was the catalyst that started this whole affair. Penelope suddenly realized she was stark naked, not ten feet away from the man she crushed on so much. Penelope felt a tingle in her spine, and a tickle in her lower abdomen area. It was a somewhat heightened, yet familiar feeling. She had experienced it before, when longingly gazing at Matt during class. A waitress finally came and took their order.

"One beer, guys, then I gotta boot," insisted Matt.

"Fine, fine," said the first friend.

Penelope watched the three enjoy their beer together, envious of how well they all shared such a deep connection. They were true friends, something she never had in her life. Matt finally slid out of the bench, and began saying his goodbyes. Penelope quickly got up to follow.

'I'll just watch him work on his paper, is all,' thought Penelope.

She stayed no further than two paces behind Matt, and hopped in his car the moment he opened the driver-side door. Of course, Penelope passed through Matt effortlessly, like with anyone. There was never any weird "feeling" for either party when she passed through bodies. She discovered that the first day, but Penelope had hoped that maybe something magical would happen this time. Unfortunately, there was no change.

Penelope sat in the passenger seat, staring at Matt's features while he drove back to campus. She knew she couldn't be heard, yet even still, she was too intimidated to try to speak. Matt was so handsome and genuine. Why did she always freeze up around him? Penelope badly wished she had behaved differently when he asked her out. Matt parked off campus, at a nearby student apartment complex.

Penelope muttered, "Huh, I thought you lived in the dorms," but she barely voiced it. Her eyes darted to Matt's to see if he possibly could have heard. It appeared he did not.

Matt turned off the car and opened the door to get out. Penelope pushed past him as fast she could, careful to exit before he closed the door. The last thing she wanted was to be locked in the car. That happened once before, and it sucked. Three hours in a car alone feels like thirty.

Penelope followed Matt to a second-floor apartment. It was a one-bedroom, so she deduced he lived alone. Penelope kept her distance a few feet away from Matt, and followed him around as he went through his routine. He dropped his wallet and keys on the table, kicked off his shoes, and stopped in the living room to turn on his computer. Penelope debated following Matt to the bathroom, but she couldn't help herself. She just wanted to be near him.

Penelope tried to look away (or told herself that) when Matt unzipped his fly and lifted the lid to the toilet. He was so quick and well-versed in the actions, he had his cock out before she could fully turn away. It was surprisingly large, and Penelope autonomously did a double-take before finally looking away, allowing Matt some degree of privacy.

'Jesus, I was not expecting that' Penelope thought. She felt that tingling sensation again, intensified. Here she was, alone in the house with this perfect person, and yet she was so far away... protected by an invisible barrier. As Matt finished up and flushed, Penelope turned back to him, catching one last glimpse of his impressive package. She felt a hint of dampness in her crotch.

Penelope may have lost other bodily functions, but her libido seemed to be working just fine. Perhaps if she hadn't been going through such depression, she would have noticed earlier.

Just like he told his friends, Matt went to his desk and began working, pulling up some folders on his computer. Not long after, he was typing away, sorting files, and talking to himself every now and then, in the process.

"Okay, Professor, I know you want me to source this guy, but I don't think it's relevant what he has to say. How the heck am I supposed to segue his crap into this?"

Matt was waving erratically at the computer screen as he griped to himself. Penelope chuckled, thinking how cute he was.

The living room was small. Other than the desk, there was one loveseat and a sofa. In the corner, left of the fireplace, was a large-screen TV sitting on a stand. Matt's desk was positioned directly next to the loveseat, due to the awkward spacing of the room. Penelope chose to sit in it, rather than the sofa, which was angled more toward the television.

From six feet away, Penelope watched Matt very much like she used to in their class together. She turned a bit, facing him more directly. As strange as it was, she felt confident sitting so close to him like this. She knew she couldn't be seen, yet somehow, being naked felt liberating.

Penelope thought back to when Matt was in the pub with his friends. How they would look at each other directly in the eye, and engage in such easy, casual conversation. They were so assertive and comfortable. Penelope sat up just a bit, arching her back. Penelope wondered what Matt's reaction would be if he could actually see her. Her big tits were pointed right at him, and her legs, just partially spread, ached to be opened wider. Penelope found herself swirling a finger around one of her nipples. She didn't masturbate often, and she hadn't at all since she became invisible to the world.

'Am I really going to do this? This can't be right.'

Penelope squeezed gently on her nipple, feeling that tingle swelling. She put her right hand to her crotch, and extended her forefinger, just barely touching her clit. She rubbed it in a small circular motion, as she watched Matt continue working.

"Oh my god," said Penelope, "this feels so good." She arched back even more, kicking her hips out. It allowed her to spread slightly further.

Matt quickly looked up at the ceiling. "Huh?" he said. He turned around, looking behind him, then back at the monitor, shrugging his shoulders.

Penelope was so caught up in her actions, she didn't really catch Matt's confusion, but watching him move around, showcasing his firm build, in his tight shirt, got Penelope even hornier. She reached further down, inserting two fingers and groaned.

"Hello?" asked Matt, calling out. He stood up from his chair.

Penelope stopped for a second. There must have been someone at the door, she thought, and she had been too caught up to hear anything. She pulled her hand away and sat up. Matt thought the same thing and walked over to the front door, checking it. No one was in the hall. Shrugging it off again, Matt walked back to his desk.

"Man, I should have finished this already," he muttered. He took a sip of soda, and began typing. Not long after, Penelope picked up where she left off.