Johanna Morgenthau and the Search for the Cinnamon Ice Cream
An erotic novel.
The plot takes place in Germany in 1994, in an unnamed city.
All characters in the story are at least 18 years old.
==== Chapter Two: In Miniature Land ====
== Visiting the Boys ==
It's Saturday. The week off did Johanna well, but she's dreading having to go back to school next week. Thomas had invited her over for two o'clock.
Thomas opens the door for her and formally shakes her hand. Good manners, but she would have preferred a hug. "Hello, I'm glad you came."
"Hello. As promised, a parent-free zone? I'm not in the mood to deal with parents of classmates after what happened."
"Come on in first. No, no, as I said, they're never here on the weekends." Johanna smiles cheerfully.
„And who did you say is visiting?"
"Come with me, I'll introduce you to the others. You know Sören from class 11b. He turned 18 last week, the old repeater."
Sören seems as shy here as he does at school. But he looks cute with his blonde hair, and unlike the somewhat skinny Thomas, he looks like he works out regularly.
"You probably haven't met Leif yet. He's an apprentice in my parents' carpentry shop. And then there's grandpa Malte."
Malte rolls his eyes, "If you can already be a grandpa at 27."
Malte is the only one with long hair, all black. He kind of looks like a student and has a bit of a beer belly.
"Am I going to be introduced?" complains Astrid, "or are only the boys interesting for her?"
Thomas points to Astrid, "And you already know my cheeky sister Astrid."
The six of them spend the afternoon together. In the hobby room, Thomas and Malte engage in a Warhammer battle, while Astrid and Sören have a fierce Blood Bowl duel. Meanwhile, Leif introduces Johanna to the basics of painting miniatures, which she finds endlessly fascinating.
After the living room war concludes, they watch the first episodes of 'Berserk'. At some point, Johanna volunteers to make something to eat and disappears into the kitchen with Leif.
Finally, it's evening. Each of the boys has had one or two beers by now. The girls have each had two vodka-colas. There's a break after the fifth episode of 'Berserk'.
Astrid turns to Johanna, "I'd really like to ask you something about last Monday, but I guess you don't want to talk about it?"
"Well, it's still a bit uncomfortable, but I've realized it actually does me good to talk about it," Johanna replies with a sidelong glance at Thomas.
"We can also slip away from the boys for a moment," Astrid offers.
"No, it's okay."
"Thomas didn't want to tell, but I think he knows something," Astrid probes further. "It was some kind of dare?"
"I don't know anyone here in the city, I wanted to make connections."
Astrid asks, "And for that, you let yourself be locked in the school's display case? I don't want to judge, but it sounds a bit extreme to me."
Johanna justifies herself, "I didn't know what was going to happen! I had a blindfold on, and suddenly I was standing there in the display case. I had no idea the whole school would see me naked."
By now, the boys are also listening intently to Johanna's explanations.
"I would be so embarrassed to stand naked in front of the whole school," says Sören, "I think if the ground didn't open up and swallow me, I could die of shame. How do you bear it, Johanna? And you have to go back to school. And there are even pictures going around!"
Johanna looks at him sternly, "Pictures? What exactly do you know about the pictures? Did you look at them?"
Sören feels caught, "What? No... I... just briefly. Well, not really, like that."
Johanna continues, "I see. Not really? Why not? Don't you like how I look? Do I look unpleasant somehow?"
Sören turns red. "I just mean..."
"Yes? What do you mean? Don't you like girls? Maybe you prefer boys?"
Sören turns even redder. The others burst out laughing. Malte rubs Sören's shoulders, "Come on, don't let her tease you. She's not going to bite your head off because you liked the pictures."
Johanna continues, "So you did like them? Tell me more!"
Sören says meekly, "Yes, I guess so."
"And what exactly did you like?"
"You... I just think you're pretty."
"Pretty. I see."
Johanna leaves Sören alone and gives his head a chance to return to its normal color. "The really bad thing about it was actually what happened after..."
She hesitates.
"The parents of one of the girls found out something. I don't know if we can ever see each other again. I had wished for that so much. And the dares--they weren't really--to be honest, I found it exciting somehow. I felt like a ... grown-up."
Johanna takes a short pause. Drinking. Everyone remains silent in anticipation until she hesitantly continues.
"Standing there naked behind the glass on display..."
She hesitates, fumbles a bit, "It turns me on when I'm naked and everyone can see me, I found it endlessly exciting to stand there behind the glass," she finally blurts out.