Jenny could make out the groups of nude women walking all around the village, moving from building to building, strolling and walking together, some hand-in-hand, others tended the small fields around the village, totally unconcerned by their nudity. Women of all ages, all of them looking athletic and toned, their skin tanned from their total exposure to the sun. She couldn’t quite believe her eyes.
As they rode closer, women started looking up at them, nodding politely or waving with a smile as the past. Holli acknowledged them all politely with a wave and a nod, Jenny could only blush and smile awkwardly at the totally nude women looking up at her. Jenny's sense of touch felt like it was switched up to 11, she could feel every breeze, every movement of the horse, the tickling of her hair on her shoulders, the air between her bare toes, the sun on her bare back and shoulders, the thin sheen of sweat where her skin and Holli's was pressed tightly together. She'd never felt so naked, so exposed.
“Afternoon Holliana” One woman called as they rode past her on the road, nodding towards Jenny she smiled suggestively, “Who’s your friend?”
Jenny blushed and tried to hide behind Holli, “Jenny, she’s from Nimbleton” Holli lied, not stopping her ride.
“See you later … Jenny…” the woman called, prompting giggles from some of the other women gathered nearby. Jenny pressed her cheek into Holli’s back and tried her best to disappear.
The village itself looked like a complete mess of different buildings of every discernible style and size, with thatched roofs and low, squat buildings next to larger, red brick buildings with tiles roofs. There were what looked like oil street lamps lining the paved streets, more horses and carts were moving around the streets and Jenny was sure wherever she was, they didn’t have electricity or engines here.
As they moved into town she looked to see any sign of anyone that wasn’t either naked or a female, but wherever she looked it was the same, nude, barefoot women, working and walking, bustling about like it was all so routine. Other women rode past Holli and Jenny on their own horses, or in carriages, moving through the smooth stones streets. Jenny reasoned with no one having shoes the smooth stones were a deliberate choice. Carts piled high with farm produce, pulled by horses with naked riders, rolled past them, along with a nude woman shepherding a pair of pigs along the street.
Jenny was fascinated with how everyone seemed to know each other, and the strange looks and staring eyes that followed her through the streets as nude woman after nude woman noticed the new girl riding behind Holli.
“Don’t worry, we’re almost home” Holli reassured Jenny as a small crowd of curious women started to gossip and whisper, following their horse as it slowly thronged through the streets.
“They’re following us…” Jenny whispered gingerly, looking over her shoulder at the staring, gossiping group.
“Who’s that Holliana?” A voice from the crowd called, Holli kept them on track and didn’t turn around, ignoring the question. Jenny could hear more and more voices,
“…She’s new…” “… never seen her before…” “… kinda cute…” “…total stranger?” “…pale skin, never seen sun…” “… cute…” “… Nimbleton?... not seen her there either…”
She closed her eyes, trying to block out the attention, before she felt Holli turning their horse to the right and into a cooler patch of shade off the street. Opening one eye Jenny looked up to see Holli riding straight into the open doors of a large stable, annexed to one of the houses on the street. In a funny way it reminded Jenny of the garages of houses like she was used to. Holli tugged on a rope above their heads and the door that they’d entered through slowly swung shut, pulled by a counterweight until it was closed to the street and the crowd beyond, leaving Jenny and Holli alone in the cool shade of the stable. Jenny could still hear the gossiping and whispering outside, but was relieved to be off the street.
“Here we are” Holli said with a smile, turning back to look at Jenny, “not so bad in the end”