Nick was surprised to find the door was heavier duty than he recalled
entering. He adjusts his collar as he's starting to sweat.
"Man it's hot in here," Nick comments fanning away the white clouds of
steam. "What the hey?"
From the pale light streaming through the tiny glass window of the
locked door, notices a sign posted on the tile wall near the door,
"Steam Room Etiquette".
"I'm in a steam room? No wonder it's so hot!" he shouts as he pounds
on the door, "Hey, guys, get me out of here."
The shadow figure is concealed by the dense steam. It closes the
grating, and sits on the high tiled bench in the corner to watch the
show.
It doesn't take Nick long to realize no one's coming right away, so
he'd best cool off as best he can. He removes his jacket, sweater and
shirt. Then as he fusses with his belt, he doesn't notice his stack of
clothes on the bench slowly sliding away into the steam. His hair is
plastered to his face and forehead, as he sets his shoes, socks and
jeans on the bench. It's only after he sits down, and peels off his
undershirt to wipe the sweat from his face that he notices his jeans
and shoes are gone, and so are his jacket, sweater and shirt.
"Hey, is there somebody in here with me?" he asks into the dense
steam. It seems to be getting even hotter.
There's a noise in the corner. He wads up his t-shirt and hurls it
into the steam. Then he works his way toward that corner. Nothing but
empty tile is what he finds. Even his t-shirt is gone. He frowns. A
noise from another corner. He pauses then races to the opposite
corner, he slides on the tile floor, but catches himself on the bench
to avoid falling.
"Aw, I'd thought you'd throw your boxers!" says a mocking voice
echoing within the steam room.
Nick can't tell where it's coming from.
"Well, sooner or later those undies will come off - sooner if you want
to leave here, Nicky."
The voice laughs ominously as it gets softer as though the speaker was
exiting, but there was no way out or was there?
Nick spent the next 30 minutes hunting for a way out. His body was
drenched and he was exhausted. Finally, he peeled off his boxers and
shouted.
"Okay, you want them come and get them!" Nick shouted waving the
boxers over his head, and under his breath he whispered, "Danny, I bet
you're responsible for this, you're going to pay-"
He felt the boxers pulled out of his hand from behind.
"Not Danny. Boo!" said the shadow receding into the heavy steam with
Nick's boxers.
"I've got you!" Nick leapt and ended up grabbing wet tile. He didn't
see the figure disappear through the trapdoor just 2 feet to his
right.
He did hear the door to the steam room swing open from the outside
about a minute later. He dashed for the exit.
"Wait, this isn't right. I came in off a carpeted hallway with wood
paneled walls. This hallway is all tiled floor and walls. There was
only one way to go, and soon Nick was naked in a large illuminated
shower room. Signs on the walls proclaimed: "Cleanliness is next to
godliness." "A clean mind and body - use soap." "Statue Models Wanted-
Apply At Desk".
Giant glass liquid soap dispensers are in the middle of the room. One
dispenser is labeled "CLASSICAL", another "FRENCH BRONZER", another
"INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH." He selected the French Bronzer, and pulled the cord on the giant dispenser of amber colored liquid.
"If I'm going to be naked, I might as well get a tan!" Nick laughed trying to make the best of his weird situation.
The oily liquid drenched him with about 5 gallons of amber goo. He closed his eyes and the goo clung to every inch of his body. He stretched his hands out in front of him feeling for the wall and shower faucets.
The shadowy figure stood in the doorway with metal push cart in tow. The hooded figure remarked loudly, "Good choice, bronzes are popular in homes, businesses and parks.
"Huh? Yuck!" gasped Nick as he opened his mouth and took in the amber ooze. His hand struck metal, and he turned the faucet. Cold water blasted his face. He tried to wash the oily soap from his eyes, but he felt hard smooth surfaces. His arms were getting stiff.
"Now we need to pose you before you completely set," said the stranger grabbing Nick from behind with rubber gloved hands and rotating him under the shower head. "The water activates the bronzer, need to get you wet all over to make sure that you become a true bronze statue.
Nick made a wheezing sound.
"Oh, don't try to speak, but you can try to open your eyes. You should be able to see out from through the thin layer of bronze coveing your eyes. I imagine everything will look a bit jaundiced to you, but that's to be expected. Ah, Danny, get in here and help me load Nicky on the cart. We'll pose him in the exhibit room. Maybe a Rodin-esque Thinker? Or a dancer? Or clown? Should I add patina? Oh, so many choices."
"What the heck did you do to Nick?" Danny asked gaping as Nick managed to squint out through the amber and saw his buddy Dan. He was responsible.
"I told you to bring me guys for my hall of statues, what did you expect?"
"I thought you'd use him as a model, not turn him into a statue. You mean all those other guys are statues too?"
"Not all...but first help me lift him on to the cart."
"Uh, is he going to be okay?"
"Of course, he's going to be better than okay, he's going to be an immortal work of art. He'll never grow old, he'll never die. Of course, he'll never move or speak again, but that's the price of immortality."