"Cute dresses!"

“I thought being in a sorority would suck,” says Beth, strolling through the farmer’s market in downtown Waxford. Piles of fresh vegetables, jars of honey, homemade sauces and food stalls of every description are laid out as far as the eye can see. Students from the college and tourists from across the state of New Crumpshire stroll between the stalls, sampling blue cheese, sausage, peach schnapps and fresh bread. “But it’s actually been really fun!”

“I’m so glad you’re having a good time,” says Tiffany. “I know we were pretty mean to you in Hell Week, but that’s just our ancient initiation traditions. Now that you’re a full sister, you don’t have to worry about anything like that ever happening again.”

“Pleased to hear it.” Beth, Kitty, Lily and Tiffany are wearing sundresses, eating strawberry icecreams, enjoying a relaxing excursion into town. Meg has been left behind in Sabrina’s tender care for the afternoon. “So, now that we’re full sisters, what else can you tell us about Epsilon Nu Phi? Is there any other lore we need to know?”

“Oh, there’s a whole bunch of stuff. I mean, I could fill you in on our stupid rivalry with the Delta Omega Mu frat bros, but that doesn’t really matter. They just try to prank us sometimes, but they’re only stupid boys, so they can never pull it off. More importantly, I have to tell you about our slumber parties! Sometimes, late at night, we try to contact the ghost of Arabella Pynchplum, and she actually responds! Plus, there’s all the secret dungeon tunnels underneath the campus…”

“Ooh, look,” says Kitty. “Cute dresses!”

“Wow!” A stall full of the cutest dresses the girls have ever seen has been set up in the middle of the farmers’ market’s busy central avenue, overseen by a tall and curiously proportioned middle-aged woman. They can tell it’s definitely a woman, because she’s wearing a dress. “Let’s check it out!”

“Oh, hello, girls,” says the middle-aged woman, as they approach. “My name is Chad… uh, Chadlene. Yes, that will do. Would you like to try on one of our cute dresses, girls? They’re seventy percent off today!”

“Seventy percent off? What an almost suspiciously good deal!”

“Yes, well, I’m a terrible businessman. I mean, businesswoman, of course! Hahaha!” Chadlene ushers the girls into a changing area, separated from the busy main avenue by a hanging blue velvet curtain. “Into these stalls, girls. Don’t worry, nobody will see you.”

“I should hope not! What kind of changing area would it be if people could see you?”

“You never know these days,” says Chadlene, holding up a measuring tape. “Now, girls, let me just take down all your sizes. To us women, of course, this is a very normal thing to do.”

“Naturally,” says Lily, peeling off her sundress and handing it over to Chadlene to be folded and carefully stored on a high shelf. Chadlene, being tall, can access it easily. Beth, Kitty and Tiffany do likewise, stripping down to their bras and panties and letting Chadlene take careful measurements of their legs, waists, hips, breasts, shoulders and breasts again.

“Wait here,” Chadlene says. “I’ll be back with your cute dresses in just a moment.” She disappears behind a curtain, leaving the four sorority girls to hang out in the changing room in just their underwear. There’s a long moment of silence,

“Ahh,” says Beth, in her white cotton bra and cute black Space Invaders pixel-art panties. “I feel so relaxed. What a perfect day.”

The curtain in front of the changing room drops to the ground.

“Smile, ladies!”

The Delta frat boys laugh and high five, cameras at the ready, sitting on two rows of benches opposite the changing room. The front of the dress shop has been closed up for the day, so the girls can’t get back inside to snag any more clothes.

Beth, Lily, Kitty and Tiffany squeal at the top of their lungs, suddenly exposed in just their underwear to the whole farmers’ market. Kitty tries to grab her sundress off the high shelf, but she’s too short. Even Lily can’t reach it! The students and tourists laugh until their sides ache. The local shopkeepers have all been warned in advance by the frat boys that an excellent prank is about to take place, and they’re laughing as well, handing the boys free beer and icecream in recognition of a job well done.

“Oh my god, you DICKS! AHHH!”

The four girls have nowhere to hide. But they can’t stay here, in front of all the cameras! The only thing for them to do is take off at a sprint through the busy farmer’s market, in their bras and panties, looking for somewhere to lie low and plot ****.

“I think I saw a boatshed by the river,” says Lily, urgently, leading the pack in their run of shame. “Let’s try hiding there!”

The dusty old boatshed is set up on the grass by the edge of Wanderhand River, which runs out of Pynchplum Lake through the center of Waxford. It looks conveniently empty. Musical laughter follows the girls down the hill from the stalls of the farmers’ market as they duck inside the open entrance, and disappear one by one into the dark interior.

There’s a muffled shriek, followed by silence.