"This is the place."
"
This
is the place?"
Carol and Henrietta had to just about peel their jaws off the floor as the car pulled into the parking lot where the strangest building they ever saw awaited them. To call it a building, though, would be like calling Mount Everest a hill. For one thing, it didn't look like it had been built, but carved out of stone. Not just any stone either, but from a great boulder in the Senora Desert, if the fiery hue it was gleaming with was anything to go by. Narrow windows lined the walls without betraying what lied within. Stone columns akin to those built by the architects of Rome held the roof up on either side of the entranceway. And to the back rose a great stepped pyramid that could have easily belonged to the Incas had it not been constructed of the same reddish stone as the rest of the temple. It was like someone had taken the ruins of multiple ancient civilizations from all across the globe and mashed them into a single structure.
But as bizarre as all of that was, none of it held a candle to the many images of nude female figures that decorated the whole thing. They were carved into the walls, on the columns, as archways over the windows, and even as gargoyles on the rooftop. Some seemed to be on guard like sentinels, others almost looked to be staring enticingly at the viewer with hunger in their blank eyes, and others looked as though they were committing, or about to commit, even more lewd acts with each other or themselves. It was definitely beyond what could be presented in public as proper art.
"What is this?" Carol asked as she gazed upon the building from where she sat in the backseat.
"This is the New Deastone Temple of Zenriah," said Maisie, who was sitting next to her. "Our main place of worship."
"Looks...interesting," said Henrietta, though it was clear that wasn't the first word that had come to her mind.
As the three women exited the car, Maisie turned to the only clothed member of their troop with a serious expression. "Now, before we proceed, you have to understand that this is a holy place. We Zenrists venerate the female body in all its perfection, and as such, we insist that women only enter in their perfect states."
"So you mean...I have to be nude?"
"Exactly."
"I see. Guess I should have figured." Henrietta paused and brought a finger to her lips as she took a moment to mull things over.
Maisie nodded sympathetically at her. "If you don't want to, I suppose we could—"
"No, no! I'll do it, I'll do it! I want to see what this religion is all about too. And besides...it has been kind of strange walking around with clothes on next to you two nudies."
Quickly, she set about taking her clothes off, pulling her blue summer blouse over her head and slipping her denim shorts down her legs. Hastily, she stowed them in the car, and then reached behind her to set about taking off her bra. However, the moment her thumbs hooked onto the strap of her bra, she stopped again and started nervously nibbling on her lip as doubt started to leave its mark on her face.
Carol could only shake her head at her girlfriend. Henri was no prude, she didn't have any inhibitions whenever she was in the company of friends or lovers, and she made it no secret that she greatly enjoyed Carol's near constant nudity whenever they were together in either of their homes. But being around a crazy nudist like Carol hadn't rubbed off on her; Henrietta still had the old taboos that society drilled into its citizens. She was shy being undressed around strangers, and likely paralyzed about the prospect of being nude in public. Carol honestly didn't know what her problem was. Henrietta looked good in her 36-year-old body, sporting some impressive D-cup breasts that stood out especially well on her slim figure, and bearing a healthy tan that went well with her wavy auburn hair. She honestly didn't think Henrietta had anything to be ashamed of. But alas...
