Up, up and away!

With a creak and a groan, the wheel lurched into the air, and Susie and Bonnie and the rest of the lovely young ladies were carried up, up and away!

She was flying! The lights of the carnival twinkled below Susie. Not all that far below, since she was only about twenty feet off the ground, but far enough! It felt amazing! For one brief twinkling moment, all her cares fell away, all her worries about the cheerleaders and the ride's safety and tricky operators and that peculiar Mr. Trapp. Far below, Trapp was saying something to the assembled crowd, and a few boys seemed to be looking up in her direction, but that wasn't important right now. She was defying gravity! Super-Susie to the rescue!

"Wheee!" Bonnie shouted, beside her. "This is amazing! Wow!"

And she was right. It was amazing. Far away, over the tops of the sideshows, the Ferris Wheel glimmered, the flags on the Big Top waved in the night breeze. She looked down, directly into the faces of the crowd, who were directly below her. That was a little strange, looking right down into their beaming faces, but it didn't matter. From up here, she could see everything!

And, she realised with a start, they could see everything as well.

She was wearing a skirt.

"Wait," she said, and Bonnie half-turned in her direction, hearing the note of concern in her voice. "Wait, there's been a mistake! Put me down!"

The ride began to slow. Some of the other women had begun to figure out what was going on as well. Mayor Peggy began to protest, demanding to speak to the manager, her lovely long legs kicking, her green dress flying as a dozen or so of her most dedicated constituents began to assemble below her. Kitty Davis looked down in horror at Doc Topper, who was eating an ice cream cone as he stared up her sensible black dress. Rod had gotten his camera out, much to Petra Wong's chagrin, and half of Megan Honey's English class - the male half, mostly - had gathered beneath their pretty teacher to peep at what might be under her loose floral skirt.

The ride juddered to a halt, leaving Susie dangling in the air. Surely, now, Trapp would have to let them down? But he seemed content just to let the girls hang there, squealing and blushing, tugging against the straps that held their arms as the reality began to sink in that they were stuck. Up in the air. Panties on display.

Steeling herself, she looked down.

Half a dozen boys were standing under her. She recognised Ben, from her math class, and Hank, that football player who Bonnie kept picking fights with and winning. Both young handsome men were looking directly up her skirt, staring directly at Susie's little white panties. They seemed astounded by what they saw, as if it was a masterpiece of tremendous beauty.

Standing next to Hank was Anne-Marie, posse of cheerleaders in tow and a poisonous smile on her face. She raised her cell phone camera, grinning in a way that Susie didn't like at all.

"Hey, Susie," she called out. "Nice upskirt photo! This one's definitely going on Facebook!"