The two sharp raps on the outside of the shipping crate gave her a start but she realized that it was a signal that she was now hopelessly destined to be just another parcel in the massive movement of this, that and the other thing in the world of shipping.
Charlie awoke in a start and instantly realized where she was.
"Yes, Charlie, you little fool, you actually did it," she scolded herself through the tight gag.
More than securely gagged the double strips of tape over her eye holes plunged her into complete darkness. Not that the walls of the shipping crate allowed much light to pass through to the inside anyway. And those ear plugs aided by sound deadening ear coverings, and the walls of the shipping crate lined with foam padding did much to deaden the sounds of the outside world.
Charlie squirmed a bit but the restraits held firm. The supports and straps, while comfortable, were more than strong enough to assure that she was not going to get out of that crate until someone took her out.
Even if she did manage to thrash about and break the yoke that held her secure she was still inside of the crate. Better to remain secure within the firm but friendly grasp of the restrains than to rattle around inside of the crate like a football inside of a trash can.
Worse than the understanding that she was shipping herself away was the fact that she had already lost track of time. She had no idea how long she had slept so she had no idea what time it was. All she knew was that her crate was scheduled to be picked up between 1 and 3 PM on Saturday.
She wondered why she had jumped to get into that shipping crate so very early in the morning the day before, knowing that the scheduled pickup wouldn't be until the following day.
She used the excuse that the man from the sex shop was there to finalize her fate but she knew the reality was that she wanted to get the process going before common sense could invade her brain and change her mind and not get into that crate at all.
Her entire world was now in complete darkness and contained within that single shipping crate. All she had left in this world was her naked body and the various bondage bits and pieces that held her firm and fast inside of that crate.
She then thought back on how she got to be in that crate. She would have plenty of time to think, reflect and regret.
Her free fall from what ever little grace she had had was a process that spanned several months but was now well underway to what could be its final phase. How it would be completed would no longer be up to her. She had nothing left. Nothing. She had made sure of that.
When it became apparent that being shipped would be Charlie's destiny there was little doubt that all remnants of her former life be stripped away and lost. Maybe forever. There had been thoughts of storage of personal items, clothing and favorite furnishings but somehow that fall back seemed far to luxurious for Charlie.
The process was set in motion when she followed the link that her brother had given her. The more Charlie discovered the more it struck a cord. She had been in a fog for so long, burried in her work but when she had to tally it all up she realized that there was nothing there. No friends, no family that actually cared, no nothing. No real life that anyone would aspire to.
The couple she spoke to online were extremely interested in her. The very next day they met at a coffee shop and the wife, a tall and powerful looking woman, got right to the point.
"You are willing to submit to us for two full years," she asked cautiously. "Full control, no escape. Total ownership."
Charlie thought about it and said, "Yes. You wire the 50 thousand to the person on this card and I am yours."
John Yankovitch got the bank draft the very next day and the shipping crate and instructions arrived a day later. They were very eager to own little Charlie she thought.
She had looked around at the furnishings in the house that would no longer be hers in another few days or so and decided that it was important that there be no fall backs. She would have nothing to come back to. Nothing.
She spent her time cleaning the place out and the trash and recycling bins were filled with bits and pieces of her life. Early each Thursday morning she watched another part of her life taken away as the large trucks came by, scooped up the bins, and unceremoniously dumped her belongings into the bowels of the truck joining the neighbor's unwanted trash..
No need for furnishings or appliances of any kind where she was going so she carried it all out to the street where eager neighbors and passersby removed every last piece of it in less than 24 hours.
So when the trucks came on this particular Thursday and emptied those bins Charlie watched the very last of her possessions carted away, never to be seen again.
It was an emotional time and of course there were the usual tears in her eyes that had come every Thursday as she forced herself to watch her life being dismantled and relegated to just so much trash.
But she wanted a clean break from this life. If and when she was free to start over she wanted something different. Of course the coming back part just might be a big if.
Charlie turned and looked at the crate. It and the contents designed to restrain and restrict her was all she had left now. That and the same sweatshirt, jogging pants and low top sneakers she had worn for the past 3 weeks. Her last pair of panties and her last bra had just driven out off down the street.
Back inside of the crate the realization hit her and hit her hard that it was almost certain that she would come to both regret her choice to do this and she would almost certainly come to hate that crate. But then again, an honest appraisal of her state of mind would confirm that that was her plan all along.
"Plenty of time for regrets and self hatred, you stupid girl," Charlie mumbled to herself.
One thing she did have was time as she was now left totally alone. Left to contemplate her fate and more than that, left to consider how she would come to be in this dark place in the first place.
Her life could hardly be considered either special or interesting and certainly not glamorous. But simple had suited her just fine. She wasn't even 30 yet and yet, what had she really done with her life.