IOTDE: The Maid and the Mistress (Alternate Ending, Part 1) (Patreon)

Thanks for your patience. As is so often the case, this story ended up being longer than I anticipated, so I'll release it in chunks. Don't worry, you won't have to wait as long for the second part. I hope you enjoy.

“Ma'am?” asked Wendy Freeman meekly. “I have finished in the kitchen. Will that be all for today?”

Her employer, Mindy Swinton, gave her an annoyed glance over her reading glasses. She was sitting in her wing-backed chair beside the fireplace, perusing the collected poems of Robert Frost. She wore a plum-colored bathrobe, having just completed a long, luxurious shower.

In truth, Wendy's shift ought to have ended hours ago. Mindy was simply enjoying having a maid too much to let her go home. She had won a phenomenal settlement in a lawsuit the previous month, and had decided to celebrate her newfound largess by hiring a domestic servant. She had been fairly well-to-do before a drunken heiress had run over her cat and crashed into her fence, but now she was properly rich. She had decided that a woman of her means had no reason to ever fetch her own beverages, much less mop her own floor.

Wendy was very fortunate to have this position, given her spotty resume and large student debts, and unfortunately, Mindy knew this. Thus, any excuse was good enough to tack extra time onto Wendy's shift. She had been ten minutes late in the morning due to a mix-up at the bus station, so Mindy had declared that an extra hour in the evening was only appropriate.  Wendy had been ordered to make the kitchen spotless, and when she had completed this task to her own satisfaction, her imperious employer had declared the grout to be dull-colored and dirty, and insisted that her maid continue until she was satisfied.

“Is your task complete this time?” asked Mindy coldly.

“Y...yes, ma'am. I bleached the grout and scrubbed between each tile with a tooth-brush.” said Wendy. It had taken her the better part of two hours.

“What tooth-brush?” asked Mindy, her expression souring even more.

“Er...one of my old ones, ma'am. I keep a couple with my kit for detail work.” said Wendy.

Mindy sneered. “You mean you've been rubbing a dirty old brush that has been in your mouth all over my kitchen? Honestly, Wendy, do you care about your work at all?”

“I sanitized it very thoroughly, ma'am.” said Wendy. She felt anger well up inside her, not for the first time that day, but she knew she couldn't show it. She needed this job, badly.

“Like you “thoroughly” cleaned the kitchen earlier?” asked Mindy sarcastically. It was literally the case, but Wendy forced herself to hang her head in capitulation.

“I am sorry, ma'am.” she said, holding back tears as she said the words.

Mindy sighed dramatically. “I suppose it can't be helped. This what I get for a hiring a failed art student as a maid. Don't worry, you'll soon learn to serve to my standards, if you wish to remain employed, that is. I'll just dock a couple hours pay from your salary and we'll say no more about it.”

Wendy had to bite her cheek to stop herself from screaming. She was sore, sweaty, and her knees hurt from crawling around on the floor. Mindy had already had three hours of unpaid overtime out of her today, and now she was out “a couple” more. And Wendy rather suspected that Mindy was one of those people who consider three or four to be “a couple”. She had said that she needed this job when she had interviewed for it, but in truth what she needed was money, and her ten hour shift today was shaping up to be worth less than one grocery run to her.

She said none of this. She folded her hands in front of her. “Thank you, ma'am.” she said, in her best measured tone.

“Just refill my glass. Then you can go home.” said Mindy.

Wendy nodded and headed to the kitchen to fetch the bottle of wine, struggling to keep from muttering obscenities all the way.

When she arrived, it took her a moment to process what her eyes were showing her. The window above the large cast-iron sink was open, and three figures were in the kitchen. They were all women, all dressed in strange clothing, and all had very peculiar features. The youngest looked to be about nineteen or twenty, and wore a green kimono with pink flower decorations. Another was in her late twenties, and wore an old-fashioned blue dress with a white apron and puffed sleeves. The eldest looked to be in her late thirties, and wore a pink tank top with a picture of unicorn on it in purple, as well as a white disposable diaper with a blue front panel.

Wendy opened her mouth, ready to demand they explain who they were, what they thought they were doing, and most importantly, why they had chosen to step on the tile floor she had just spent most of her day cleaning. Then she saw that their bare feet were hovering above the floor. And that their ears came to elegant points. And that their eyes were a shade of vibrant blue that simply never occurs in nature.

The three visitors turned to her, with distant, dreamy smiles on their faces.

“Hello there.” said the one in the kimono.

“What's your name?” asked the one in the unicorn shirt.

“I...I'm W...Wendy. Wendy Freeman. Please, I was just leaving. Whatever you're doing...” she stammered at the clearly supernatural beings.

“Oh, we won't be long.” said the one with the apron in a warm, friendly voice.

“We just need some black licorice, and we'll be on our way, too.” explained the one in the kimono.

“Black licorice?” asked Wendy, even more confused than she had been a moment earlier.

“I know, it must sound funny.” said the woman with the unicorn shirt.

“But it's really important that we get some.” said the one in the kimono.

“Good lord, Wendy! What could possibly be...oh my gawd!” shouted Mindy as she reached the kitchen. She obviously had lost patience waiting for her wine. “Who the hell are you freaks?”

The one with the unicorn shirt gave Mindy a bemused look. “We don't have names, if that's what you want.”

Mindy wasn't quite as quick on the uptake as her maid, but the fact that her three nighttime visitors were hovering in the air did register eventually. Sadly, that fact wandered through her mind, vainly looking for something to connect to. Meanwhile, her natural arrogance saw no reason to limit itself.

“I don't care who you think you are! Get out of my house this instant, or I'll call the police.” she said angrily.

“Oh, you can't do that.” said the one in the kimono. “Sorry.”

“Still kinda waiting on that black licorice question.” said the one with the apron, rubbing her index fingers together nervously.

Mindy turned to Wendy. “What?” she mouthed.

“They say they want black licorice.” said Wendy. The shock was beginning to pass, but her heart was still thumping like a hummingbird's. She fought to keep the fear out of her voice.

Mindy blinked. She wrinkled her forehead. She blinked again. “What?!” she asked again, even more emphatically.

The one with the unicorn shirt sighed. “Look, you either have some or you don't. We don't mind if you don't, really, but seriously, if you have some you're gonna want to get it out for us.”

Mindy stared at the hovering trio of diapered women. She gestured emphatically as she spoke.“Why? What could you possibly need a bunch of candy for? And why should I give you anything? Get the hell out of my house!”

“Uh...ma'am?” said Wendy from behind a very frightened smile. She strongly suspected that these three were a lot more dangerous than they looked, and they might both be in serious trouble if  her employer didn't come to grips with the situation soon.

The one in the kimono floated over next to Mindy like a dandelion seed in a light breeze. She put up a hand to her companions and stage-whispered to Mindy  “Just a word of advice...you should really cool it a little. Licorice or no, it always a good idea to be friendly.”

Mindy stared daggers at the younger woman. She sighed and floated back to her two companions, throwing up her hands in a“Well, I tried.” gesture.

Mindy crossed her arms. There was a long pause. Wendy felt like spine was going to fuse together.

“Fine.” spat Mindy bitterly. “Wendy, bring the licorice out for our...guests.”

Wendy had to fight with herself to avoid exhaling in relief. “Uh...we have some?”

Mindy rolled her eyes. “It's in the cupboard behind the cookbooks. Which you would know, if you had organized them properly when I told you to.”

Wendy's sense of relief evaporated. “I...I don't believe so...Ma'am.”

Mindy rolled her eyes and pointed toward one of the cupboards. “Oh, for heaven's sake! It's in there! I have a cousin that sends me some every Christmas. I haven't been able to get rid of it.”

Wendy stared resolutely at Mindy's expensive slippers as she softly spoke. “Ma'am, I've been through every inch of this kitchen today. There's no licorice in here. I'm certain of it.”

Mindy stomped over to the cupboard and began pulling apart the stack of cookbooks that Wendy had arranged in alphabetical order earlier that day. “This is the last straw. I've had it with you and your sloppy work ethic! I am docking your pay this week, and if I hear one com...wait, where is it?”

Wendy gritted her teeth. She mentally counted to ten. She kept her feet firmly planted on the ground and folded her hands in front of her. She was afraid that even the slightest motion might cause her to say or do something that she would later come to regret.

“Right.” said Mindy, closing the cupboard and inhaling sharply. “I think I must have moved it to the attic.” Wendy immediately began heading out of the kitchen, but Mindy stopped her. “Don't bother! I'll go find it.”

Mindy muttered angrily to herself as she hurried away, leaving Wendy alone with the three otherworldly beings.

“I, uh, don't suppose I could just go home now? I was supposed to be gone hours ago.” sighed Wendy when she was confident that Mindy was out of earshot.

“I'm sorry, dear.” said the one with the unicorn shirt. “No one leaves before we do, I'm afraid. Shouldn't be too much longer. ”

Wendy wanted to ask what they needed her for, but she was afraid of what the answer might be. Who knew what such creatures might be capable of? She just hoped that Mindy really did have enough candy to satisfy them.

“Speaking of which, should we be worried that she'll go for a window?” asked the one in the kimono.

“Nah. I'm following her thoughts. She seems pretty certain that she has some licorice for us.” said the one with the apron.

“What's the big deal about licorice anyway?” asked Wendy, pulling up a chair and sitting down at the table. She reasoned that she might as well get comfortable.

“It's our other food source.” explained the one with the apron. “If we go to somebody's home and they don't have any, we have to sustain ourselves the other way.”

Wendy's eyebrows shot up. The legs of her chair crapped against the tile floor as she shifted uncomfortably. “W-what does that look like? Do you...bite our necks or something?”

“No!” said the one in the kimono, looking disgusted and offended.

“Let's just cross that bridge if we come to it.” said the one with the unicorn shirt. “You don't have to be worried. It won't hurt, in any case.”

In the distance, the sound of the attic door being opened and a ladder being lowed was audible.

“You're actually handling this pretty well.” said the one with the apron. “I would probably be screaming and running for the door by now.”

Wendy was far from relaxed, but in truth, she was too tired and miserable to be really frightened. She sighed and  shrugged. “I dunno. I guess something like this may as well happen. Everything else has gone wrong. I'm in debt up to my eyeballs and the only job I could find is for a woman who treats me like a slave. I don't really have any option but to put up with it, and she knows that. So sure, float in the window in your diaper and do your thing, whatever the hell it is. I don't even have the energy to be terrified anymore.”

Wendy didn't smoke, but she thought she might start after today. To her surprise, the one with the apron hugged her from behind and rested her head against her shoulder. She closed her eyes and accepted the small comfort.

“Here it is!” said Mindy, returning to the kitchen. “Now, will you leave me the hell alone?”

Wendy opened her eyes to see that her employer was carrying a stack of plastic bags, each of which was packed with neat rows of black licorice vines. Combined, it looked to be be about ten pounds worth of allegedly-but-debatably delicious treats. She dropped the pile onto the kitchen table, as though laying down a winning poker hand.

“Yes!” breathed the one the one in the kimono. She shook her fists in the air triumphantly.

“Finally!” said the one with the unicorn shirt, rubbing her hands together.

“Scooore!” cheered the one with the apron. She nearly bumped her head on the chandelier in her excitement. Wendy had no idea what they were so excited about, but she smiled along with them. They were all acting like prospectors who had just found gold.

The one in the kimono floated over and hovered around the large pile like a wasp, a manic grin on her face. She was obviously overcome with anticipation, but waited semi-patiently as the one with the unicorn shirt solemnly tore open each bag and separated the licorice into three neat piles of precisely equal size. Wendy got the impression that she was the one in charge of whatever this operation was.

Mindy watched with arms crossed as the three floating figures descended upon their respective piles like hungry lions. They began shoving the ropes into their mouths one by one. They barely seemed to chew them at all, almost slurping them up like strands of spaghetti. Nothing human could or would eat so much candy so quickly, yet their enjoyment was both obvious and extreme. For nearly two minutes, nothing could be heard in the kitchen save for their moans and sighs of pleasure and satisfaction. When the confection was finally devoured, the three elfin creatures leaned backward in the air and sighed with deep contentment.

“Awwwww.” said the one with the apron, rubbing her stomach.

“Yeah. Yeah. Thaaat's the stuff.” said the one in the kimono. She looked like she needed a good night's sleep, or maybe a cigarette. Wendy couldn't imagine enjoying anything, much less a pile of licorice, that much.

“Get. Lost. Now.” snarled Mindy through bared teeth.

The three ignored her for a moment. Then, the one with the unicorn shirt seemed to recover from her post-binge bliss. “Sadly, we have to give you your reward now.” She really did sound annoyed about it.

Mindy cocked an eyebrow. “No one mentioned a reward.” Her demeanor subtly shifted from anger to cautious interest. She liked coming out on top, especially in financial terms.

“Well, we try not to get people's hopes up.” said the one with apron, still rubbing her belly. “But for a sweet haul like this, we can do something preeeetty big.”

The one in the kimono rolled her eyes. “Aw man, really? That sucks.”

“Sooo...how much we talking?” asked Mindy, ignoring her.

The one in the unicorn shirt tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well, you clearly already have a good deal of wealth, but if you really want it, I suppose a little more wouldn't hurt.”

She drifted down and tapped the tile floor with the tip of her nail, as though popping a soap bubble. Wendy and Mindy's eyes widened as a section of the kitchen floor suddenly swelled upward like a bouncy castle being inflated. It filled, stretched, and solidified into what looked like a an old seaman's chest made of polished walnut. The lid popped open, revealing a collection of gold doubloons and precious gemstones worthy of any pirate movie. Mindy speed-walked over and began eagerly perusing the treasure as Wendy groaned inwardly. Why did some people get all the breaks in life?

“Well now! That's different. I wouldn't have been so put out if I had known you gave out prizes.” said Mindy, fishing a ruby the size of a robin's egg from the dazzling pile. She looked at it skeptically. It looked too big to be real. Wendy was no expert, but she guessed that even that one stone would be enough to cover all her debts.

“Very nice.” concluded Mindy, sounding a good deal more pleasant. “Anything else?”

The one with the unicorn shirt cocked an eyebrow. The one in the kimono and the one with the apron looked at each other. That was probably not the response they had been looking for.

“Good point.” said the one in the kimono finally. “This house is a little drab for someone of your new means.”

She floated over to the countertop and pressed a finger against the polished granite surface. A pink spot formed where she had touched it, which rapidly spread. The granite was replaced with rose marble, which then filled with a delicate pattern of golden speckles and wispy white clouds. Wendy jumped to her feet as the ground began to shift under her chair. The kitchen expanded, doubling in size, then tripling. Every material was replaced with a fancier, more expensive one. A silver-embossed tea set on the counter became solid gold. The oak cabinets became rosewood with bronze handles. The glass chandelier bloomed into an artful arrangement of delicate crystal. The tile floor fused into a single sheet of polished ebony. Magnificent portraits and landscapes coated the walls, each surrounded by ornate frames of polished hardwood. Within seconds, they were standing in a room that might have fit in at Buckingham Palace or Versailles.

Wendy stared in awe. Mindy stared with concern. The treasure chest had been impressive, but the sheer power on display here was enough to make anyone nervous. “Er, that's very nice.” she began. “But I really prefer to do my own decorating. This is all a little...much. Isn't it?”

They smiled. All three. Wendy felt her blood run cold when she saw them. It wasn't a warm smile of sympathy, nor a dreamy smile of bliss. It was the smile of someone who was waiting for you to get the joke, and knew you wouldn't like it when you did.