Streay Confessions

"So you're going to take long naps from now on? Are you growing up or getting younger?" mom scolded me at about 6 PM when I woke up from a 5 hour nap.

"Sorry mom."

"What's wrong with you anyway? It's not like you're doing anything tiring." she touched my forehead.

"Yes I am, mom. Last night, I was up till 4 during which I climbed up and down the stairs half a dozen times. I ran around the building a couple of times. I was naked all the time by the way. And you don't think masturbating so many times takes a toll? It can all get pretty tiring."

Obviously, that's what I said in my mind, not out loud. Just yawned and rubbed my eyes.

"You're not getting sick from sleeping on the roof are you?" she touched my forehead. "It can get cold in the morning."

"No, it's fine."

"Still, this sleeping on the roof seems to be throwing your schedule off. Enough of it."

"No mom, it's fine."

"I am going to tell your father to sleep up there tonight."

"NOOO!" I protested a little too loudly.

"What's the matter with you?" mom said, surprised at my vehemence.

"It's.... I don't know mom. It feels nice. I like looking at the stars. And waking up to the rising sun. And the birds."

"Really?" mom looked at me skeptically. "You think I don't know what's going on?"

"What?" my throat went dry.

"I know you Urja. I've seen you grow. I know why you are so sleep deprived."

There was no way she would have waited till now if she actually knew. Right?

"It's that damned walkman."

Phew!

"I don't know why you kids today need these newfangled devices" (Yes, I get the irony of writing a line in 2013 about a walkman being a newfangled device)

"Mom, come on."

"I am sure you are up till late listening to that stupid walkman. Destroying your sleep cycle and wasting batteries."

I just decided to take it on the chin and look contrite.

"If you want to sleep up there again, no walkman. Just go up and sleep."

"Okay mom." Who needed a walkman anyway?

There were only two nights before the old ladies were on their way. Who knew when I would get a valid excuse to be alone at night on the roof again? I started constructing plans to make the most of the remaining two nights.

Late that night I started with what I now considered just simple warm-up. Naked strolls on the roof, then a naked trek down the stairs, turning off the lights along the stairs and so on. I also went for two quick naked hikes around the building. By 230 AM, I had been completely naked for an hour without my heart racing even once. And the surroundings had been as dead and dark as ever. I was now ready and excited about my next challenge which was going to be a big one.

It was really going to push up the risk of the possibility of self-rescue without really having me chart any new territory. I would still be naked only in areas I had already "conquered" but there would be a challenge nonetheless.

Remember that steel trunk full of old tools in a corner of the roof next to old pipes? I walked to it with my clothes in my hand. From the pocket of the pants, I took out a lock that I had hidden there at home when my mom wasn't looking. I put my clothes inside the trunk on top of the tools. Then for good measure, I also put the blanket, the bed sheet and the pillow cover in there, so I had absolutely nothing to cover myself with. Then I closed the trunk and locked it. Making sure that the lock was firmly secured, I walked to the northeast edge of the roof.

The plan was simple. I'd throw the key down, this forcing me to be deprived of my clothes unless I retrieved the key. Then I'd walk down to where the key was, find it, come back to the roof and open the trunk. Simple plan, right? What actually happened shows how even the most methodical and careful 18 year old can still fail to foresee certain complications. And how stupid I was.

Well, I wasn't completely stupid. I did think of some possible complications. For example, I didn't want to key to accidentally fall in one of the balconies and make it impossible to retrieve without knocking on their door buck naked. So I chose a part of the roof under which there were no balconies. I also didn't want it to get stuck in a tree, so I planned to aim away from the trees. And I didn't want it to bounce off an open window and accidentally fall inside one, so I aimed away from them too. In short, I aimed for a spot that I thought was ideal. And easy to retrieve from.

I took aim and threw the key. Except, regardless of how well you do in physics in school, it is not always easy to understand how physics practically plays out. I was worried about avoided the tree and the windows. So worried that at the last moment, I threw the key a little harder than I should have. I watched in horror as it fell and traced a path wider than I had expected. And it was dark so I couldn't see exactly where it fell, but I got the feeling it fell a little too close to the fence for my comfort. And there was a chance it might have fallen over the fence. One the other side. In the open field.

"SHITSHITSHIT!" I whispered to myself and ran to the steel trunk. It was an old trunk. Maybe I could pry one edge of the lid open enough to pull out my clothes. No chance. I pulled the lock a couple of times, more as a futile attempt than out of any realistic expectation of it giving way. Then I picked up one of the old pipes and tried to use it as a lever to break the bolt which the lock had closed. Nope, no chance. I simply wasn't strong enough.

My science teacher had told us about Archimedes saying that given the right fulcrum and a place to stand, he could lift the earth. Well Archie old pal, try prying this trunk open first, I thought to myself. No matter what fulcrums and levers and pivot points I used, I couldn't open the trunk. I considered bashing the lock open with the pipes, but I had two

concerns. One that I probably wasn't strong enough to break the lock anyway. And two, it would create a ruckus that might rouse people on the top floor who would then come to examine what was happening. And find me naked, crouched over a steel trunk.

I hyperventilated for a while before talking myself down. Remember, I told myself, you just think the key has fallen over on the other side. For all you know, it has fallen on this side of the fence. Your luck has been good so far. Don't count it out. And even if it has fallen over on the other side, you can climb through the barbed wire fence and retrieve it. You've done it many times before when playing hide and seek or cops and robbers. Either way, there's no point thinking you're Hercules and trying to break open this trunk. Best to just go down to that spot, where you have already gone naked 4 times in the last 2 days, and retrieve the keys.

It was, as I had read in a book recently, a fait accompli. I managed to calm myself down and set off on the mission. This was just a minor hiccup, I told myself. I just needed to go, retrieve the key, and make things right. Just a small hiccup, I repeated to myself as I walked down the dark stairs down to the entrance passage.

I was preoccupied with thinking if I would need to get a tetanus shot if the barbed wire scratched me in case I needed to cross the fence as I took a step outside the passage. That's when I heard a sound. A little later than I would have heard it if I wasn't distracted, but still just in time to jump back inside the passage. It was the sound of an auto rickshaw engine. Muttering the few obscenities I knew back then, I slowly peered out of the passage, glad that at least it was dark.

The rickshaw came to a stop outside the building's gate. I saw Mr. Bedi get out of the rickshaw, followed by Mrs. Bedi, carrying their sleeping 4 year old girl. Holy crap! What was I to do now? The first step obviously, was to run back up the stairs. They lived on the third floor. So at the very least, I had to be on the fourth floor. I sprinted up the stairs and hid behind the banister on the fourth floor.

A minute later, I heard footsteps as they walked up the stairs, and some conversation in Punjabi, which I partly understood.

"Why is it so dark?"

"Maybe there's a power cut."

"But the lights in front of the building were on."

"Maybe it's just a single phase failure."

"Let me try the switch."

And then peering down the parapet, I could see the ground floor lights come on.

"Oh, the switch was off. Maybe they forgot to turn it on."

"Weird, the whole staircase is dark!"

Their footsteps and conversation sounded so loud to me that I was sure the whole building would be awake any minute. Everyone would catch me naked. I would be dragged in front of my parents. My mom would cry as she berated me and cursed her fortune at having given birth to such a trollop. My dad would either be very angry or very ashamed. I would be confined to the house, and then married off to some old man. All because I had these stupid fantasies. And I was stupid enough to act on them.

"It happens some times." I heard Mrs. Bedi say. "I have never seen all floors dark but occasionally some floors are dark."

"Well, today, they are all dark. This is why we need a watchman."

The voices got closer and they were now on the third floor. The lights there came on too. I heard the sound of key in lock and then the door squeaking as it opened. Hidden behind the fourth floor banister, I slowly crawled up the stairs backwards. Then I almost peed in fear as I heard heavy footsteps continue to come up.

Shit! Mr. Bedi was coming up! Crawling up that way slowly, I could not reach the roof in time. In a few seconds he would come up to the fourth floor, turn the lights on, and see me naked. Worse, in the backwards crawling position I was in, he would get to see my pussy and my boobs. On the other hand, if I turned around and sprinted up, the footfalls would definitely tip him off to the presence of someone. Already suspicious about the lights, he would assume it was a thief. Even if I made it to the roof unseen and locked the door behind me, he would raise hell and wake up everyone in the building.

Either way, I was doomed. I was caught. There was nothing to do but give up. I straightened my back, and sat on the stair with my knees folded in front of me, to hide my private parts the best I could. The Bedis were nice people. Maybe I could throw myself at their mercy and beg them not to tell my parents. And maybe they would be understanding. I sure hoped they would be.

Mr. Bedi took two more steps. A few seconds now and his head would be over the banister and even in the darkness, he could have seen me. Right then,

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Bedi said.

"I thought I'd turn the fourth floor lights on too."

"Let it be. Come here and help me put her to bed. I have been carrying her up the stairs."

"Yeah, it'll just be a minute..."

"NOW!" she said in a tone I myself didn't discover I had until I got married.

"Okay okay"

I breathed a sigh of relief when the footsteps receded and the door closed.

I slowly walked up to the top of the stairs in front of the roof door and sat there, on the verge of tears. What had I gotten myself into? This dare of locking all my clothes up had seemed like such a cool idea. And the extra thoroughness of locking the bed sheets and blanket with them now seemed even more stupid. Here I was, naked in my building, in a conservative society, with my family's honor on the line and my own reputation in serious jeopardy. In a small town like mine, you never recover from scandal of the sort I would kick up if discovered.

Even with all the distress, there was a part of me, definitely with horns and a red cape, that was turned on and naughtily pleased. That part of me also tried to calm me down or egg me on, depending on how you look at it. Think about it carefully, it said. Yes, the Bedis came home and you almost got caught. But almost. You are still safe. And even if they hadn't come home, you would still have to go behind the building and hunt the keys. It's not like you can wrap yourself in the mattress and knock on your front door. And for all you know, the key might be right there and easy to retrieve.

And come on, when you started this, surely you didn't expect not to encounter any people at all. Isn't it thrilling ALMOST getting caught but then escaping? Don't you feel the rush? Yes I do. Well, come on then!

With a new resolve I started deciding what steps to take next. Yes, the Bedis were back home. But they had come from a long train ride. They would probably be asleep soon. Yes, the stairs were now almost completely lit. But really, was their being dark anything more than just psychological protection? If someone were to step out of their home, dark or light, I would still get caught. And based on the previous two nights, I knew that it was still going to be mostly dark and quiet. It is unlikely that someone else would now come home. Lightning doesn't strike twice.

I gave the Bedis about 20 minutes to fall asleep. Then I started tiptoeing down the stairs. The fourth floor was still dark. So that was fine. Looks like Mr. Bedi hadn't come out to turn the lights on there. I stood halfway on the stairs between the third and fourth floors and listened intently. No voices coming from the Bedi residence. Maybe they had gone to bed. Slowly I started descending the stairs again. Once I crossed their door, and got to the second floor, I started feeling more confident. I considered turning the lights off again, but decided not to. If by chance Mr. Bedi decided to check again, he would definitely suspect foul play.

Soon I was at the entrance passage. Poking my head out, I checked the surroundings. All clear. Instead of taking the usual clockwise way, I took the shorter anticlockwise route to where I had thrown the key. There was an added risk with the usual route - the Bedis' apartment had windows and the balcony on that side. So it was best to avoid it in case they were still awake.

Standing at the southeast corner, I peered over and made sure that the coast was clear. Then I turned back to make sure another late night traveler wasn't about to return. As I looked back, I couldn't help but admire how sexy my ass looked, jutting out as I bent over. What a sexy view someone would get if they were to see me from the back. Hey! Focus! I checked again to make sure the coast was clear and on tiptoes ran to the northeast corner. Made sure the northern side was completely dark. And then took a few steps towards the general spot where the key had to be.

On hands and knees, I scoured the area, doing my best to ignore naughty self-suggestions about how hot I would look if someone were to walk out into a balcony right then. My eyes got used to the darkness but I couldn't see the keys anywhere. I even looked under, inside and behind the shrubs and plants. the leaves and branches tickled my nipples as I did so, forcing me to suppress my giggles. No sign of it. I expanded my area of search. Fifteen minutes later I had scoured the entire north side of the building without any luck.

It had to be on the other side of the fence, I decided. I had thrown it far enough to avoid falling into any balcony. I made my way through the shrubs, their thorns and branches scratching my sides and my ass, and was leaning against the fence. I looked around. And almost screamed in delight as I spotted the key from a glint of the star light. It was sitting there, looking very innocent, in grass some distance from the fence. I bent down and reached out with my hand. Nope, too far. I got on my knees and inserted my leg through the fence to reach it with my toe. Gah! About 8 inches too far. I looked around for some sort of a stick or branch I could use to reach the key. Nothing.

I pulled my leg back, knowing I had to cross over. Like I had done many times before as a kid. I put my hands through the fence, then my head. And that's where the progress stopped. One of the barbs from the wire started pressing into my boobs and I stopped trying to push myself through. I remembered reading somewhere that in terms of thickness, your head is the biggest organ. If your head can make it through something, so can the rest of your body. Yeah well, that might be true for men. And flat chested women. As I gently tried different angles to make it through the fence, I realized that the rule doesn't hold for women big big breasts. The last time I had climbed through this fence was about three years ago when I was a lot less chesty than I am now.

I gave up trying to crawl through the fence and just sat on my ass in the mud trying not to acknowledge the inevitable. This challenge had just gotten a whole lot challenging. To reach the key, I would have to go back to the front of the building, open the gate, step out, walk along the houses on the west side, walk around to the back to the open fields, get the key and then come back all that way.

By this point, I was beyond despair. I was starting to relish my predicament. I did not want to get caught. Nope, I really did not. It just gave me a thrill to think that I would somehow be getting out of this predicament too. It wouldn't be easy but it was going to be one hell of a ride.

I got up, dusted the muck off my naked body and started walking back. I stayed cautious despite my enhanced sense of anticipation. The coast was still clear. Soon I reached the building's gate. Standing there, I was visible from two sides of the building. Obviously, no one was around or they would have yelled out. I was about to open the door when I remembered. Its hinges were drier than dinosaur fossils. The last thing I needed was to wake someone up with that screeching noise. Luckily, I realized that it was very easy to climb. It didn't have spiked on the top or anything. Great work, Mr. Architect! What was the point of the barbed wire then?

But why was I complaining? It made my life easier. I climbed over the gate, feeling distinctly uncomfortable and also unhygienic when the top bar of the gate rubbed against my inner thighs and my labia. I got down. And suddenly, felt a rush of accomplishment. I had crossed another important milestone, although I hadn't planned to cross it before. I was now out of the relative safety of my building. The small lane from the entrance of our building formed a T-junction with the lane opposite the other houses. Along that lane were some plants. I crouched behind the plants and made my way north. The porch lights of those houses were on, but these lanes had no street lights so I felt mostly safe.

I finally reached the open area past the last house. A few steps and I had to bite my fist hard to avoid crying out. I had stepped on something very sharp. Damn! I thought flip flops would be too noisy. But doing this whole thing barefoot wasn't a great idea if I was going to step off concrete. I checked my foot. No bleeding. I had stepped on a small rock with a sharp edge. But luckily it hadn't broken the skin.

I walked more carefully, avoided any suspicious looking rocks and pebbles in the dark as I made my way towards the key. Looked around again to make sure that the windows and balconies were dark. They were. I finally made it to the key and picked it up. I kissed it a few times with relief. I have never loved a key more in my entire life, not even the keys to my first house or first car. I walked back with a sense of relief. The toughest part of the night was done. I had the key.

I was walking back. I was in front of the first house when my throat went dry again. There was the unmistakable sound of a door opening. Instantly, I jumped into the shrubbery on the lane along my building wall, hoping it would hide me completely. I stayed completely still and listened. There was the sound of flip flops in a short distance. Moving very slowly so I didn't move the shrub and give myself away, I raised my head and looked in the direction of the sound.