The Meeting with Spirit

“Proper?”

“Yes,” Nicole answered emphatically, “proper.”

It hadn’t been hard for Nicole to find the administrative offices of Girl World. As soon as she had left the cafe she found a friendly and respectable man sitting on the grass in a pink ruffled dress and a backpack labelled “Mommy’s Little Angel”. She apologized for interrupting his playtime (he had quite the collection of dolls enjoying a tea party!) and asked for directions. Once the older man had pulled his soother from his mouth, he plainly explained the way she should go.

The building itself was different from other buildings she had seen in Girl World. There was nothing warm, nothing inviting about it. As she approached it, butterflies made havoc in her stomach. Dark, cold, metallic. Light seemed to vanish as she approached it. It was as if the building wasn't entirely there, as if it were a void in reality. Crossing the threshold, Nicole felt as if she had stepped away from Girl World, entering... something else...

But that was silly. It was a building, just like any other building in Girl World. There was a reception desk, a waiting area, and a bank of elevators. From the inside, it couldn't feel more normal.

Still, the goosebumps on her arms as she approached the man at the front desk made her uneasy.

A friendly chat with the receptionist, a short man with puffy red lips and fake eyelashes, and soon she was rushing up to the top floor to meet with the person in charge.

A woman named 'Spirit'.

"I can understand your concern," Spirit, an absolutely gorgeous woman with an air of authority said after hearing Nicole's feedback on the state of the resort, "but Girl World prides itself at being very open minded. We can't exclude visitors from expressing themselves just because they have chosen a, shall we say, alternative lifestyle?"

"That's just it," Nicole said, spreading her hands wide for emphasis, "A resort as classy as yours must have standards! It's a free-for-all out there! Yes, many of the men are respectable, upstanding citizens, but the rest are perverts!"

"Just because someone dresses in a way that..."

"Having men walk around wearing pants and suits and what-not it unacceptable! If you don't draw a line here, they'll return home and continue their deviancy! Soon you'll have men reading to children in libraries wearing cargo shorts, or men wanting to run for Congress wearing suits, or men getting married in tuxedos! I know I'm traditional, but someone has to say enough is enough."

Nicole watched as a hint of a smile formed on Spirit's lips. The resort administrator stood and turned, facing the large bank of windows behind her desk. She seemed to be staring far below at the resort, considering her options. After a few moments, she spoke again.

"And if I decided to act on your proposal..."

"I would be more than happy to help you in any way that I could," Nicole said, "This is important work, and the world needs to be righted. I have a brother of my own back home, and I can't imagine if he were to stumble onto a perverted environment like this. What kind of crazy ideas would get into his head?"

"What kind indeed?" Nicole heard Spirit say with a chuckle. Then the beautiful woman turned with a fluid grace and faced Nicole.

"I have considered your proposal, and I accept," she said, "It's time for a new chapter in Girl World. Nicole, your new title will be Director of Resort Standards, and you start immediately. Head downstairs and meet with your team. I'll have them meet you in the lobby. I expect big things from you, young woman."

Nicole stood, more proud than she ever remembered being. She wouldn't let Spirit down. Nothing would stop her from putting a stop to the perversions that had become so prevalent.