Three customers' sex lives are affected by the things they bought from the shop called Needful Things. Apologies to Stephen King
Part One – The artefact
Diiinggg! The shop bell gave a resounding ring as Mrs Pennington pushed open the door of the dingy old shop.
Amelia Pennington was the haughty national delegate of the Association of Towns Women’s Clubs and as such, she travelled around the country to various meetings. As a keen collector of antiques and objet d’art, whenever she saw an antique shop she just had to have a browse around.
On entering the shop that rejoiced in the name of ‘NEEDFUL THINGS’ she immediately regretted it. Never had she seen such an untidy, dirty shop. Everything seemed to be covered in a layer of dust that had been undisturbed for years. As there was no sign of anyone serving, Amelia resolved to do a quick about turn and leave the shop. The door had shut behind her and it seemed to be stuck. She wrestled with it, but failed to move it. As she pushed and pulled, she saw a sign on the door that read ‘YOU ARE WELCOME TO LOOK BUT YOU MUST BUY.’ We’ll see about that, she thought. No way was she going to buy anything from this grotty old shop.
‘Hello, hello. This door is stuck. Is anyone there?’ she called in an angry tone. There was no response. Oh well she thought, I may as well have a look round while am waiting for the idiot who owns this dump to come and let me out. Amelia glanced disdainfully round the shop. Never had she seen such a motley collection of old junk.
Amelia’s face was set in a scornful frown as she looked around, avoiding contact with any of the dusty surfaces. She shuddered as she walked into a cobweb dangling from the ceiling. She wiped the clinging web from her face with a tissue, vowing never to set foot in such a dreadful place ever again. Then suddenly her gaze fell on a bright silver box. Oddly there was no dust on it at all. It looked bright and cared for, unlike everything else in the shop. Amelia carefully lifted the lid and gasped as she saw the contents. It was a strangely carved piece of ivory in the form of a phallus with little nude figure scrambling over it. Amelia picked it up, blushing as she realized what she was holding.
“Delightful little thing, is it not?” a croaking voice inquired.
Amelia jumped out of her skin. She had not noticed the wizened old man who had suddenly appeared at the rear of the shop. Flustered at being found holding such an object, Amelia quickly replaced it in its box.
“Um, I was er, just um er, browsing,” stuttered the embarrassed Mrs Pennington.
‘It’s very reasonably priced, dear lady and very rare. It is an ancient oriental love charm.’
‘I assure you my good man I am not interested.’
‘Are you sure, dear lady? It could be a good investment?’
Amelia began to think. Although repulsed by the shop, the object and the wizened old man, her knowledge of old ivory antiques told her the item could be valuable to a collector. She wondered how much the man would want for it. As if reading her mind the man said ‘I will give you a very good price for cash. I am rather old fashioned. I do not like credit cards. Amelia though fast. She knew she had less than fifty pounds in her purse.
‘Oh that settles it, ‘she said. ‘I can’t afford it. ‘I have little cash on me.’
‘Can you afford £38.46?’
A strange price Amelia thought. She took out her purse and counted the cash. ‘Thirty-five, six, seven plus 2 fifty pence pieces makes £38 and... 46p’ Amelia gasped in surprise. She had the exact amount asked for. In a daze she handed over the cash and before she knew what was happening she was on her way out of the old shop with the mysterious box in her bag.
She just heard the shopkeeper’s parting words ‘Everyone gets what they need at Needful Things.
When Amelia arrived back at her hotel room, she immediately examined her strange purchase. As she handled the object she found it was amazingly tactile – polished as if it had been handled thousands of times. She ran her fingers along it and she was aware of a feeling in her loins that she had not felt for years. Her sex life had long finished. Her aged husband no longer had the inclination. She closed her eyes as she handled the object. Strangely she found that the object began to feel like hard flesh as if she were caressing a stiff penis. Amelia was conscious of a stirring inside her panties. She realized that her vagina was beginning to moisten just as it did when she was a nubile teenager.
‘Oooh’ she groaned as she moved her fingers up her stocking encased thighs seeking out the crotch of her knickers, wanting to satiate the feeling that was increasing every moment. She needed to masturbate something she had not done for years. Amelia breathed heavily as she hitched her skirt up so that she could better reach her damp crotch.
In a moment her fingers were tracing the cleft in the crotch of her panties as she sought to put out the fire that raging there.
Amelia lowered her pretty knickers enjoying the lewdness of her private passion.
Amelia fingered the pouting lips of her hot, wet pussy.
Then she knew what she had to do. She reached for the strange phallic object and thrust it into her waiting hole.
The feeling was amazing. The object seemed to take on a life of its own. It moved - writhing within her without help from Amelia. It pushed and withdrew then plunged in again, penetrating the depth of her vagina. Her mature slit responded, juicing up to lubricate the pulsating cock. For it was indeed a real cock. No longer an inanimate piece of ivory but a real, living penis. Amelia enjoyed her first orgasm in years, but still the ivory prick pistoned in and out. Amelia was being fucked. Suddenly she felt the presence of a young, virile man. He was there with her, fucking her as she had never been fucked before. His penis felt wonderful. It was large enough to just stretch her vaginal walls, but not so big as to be uncomfortable. The young man was sensitive to her needs as if he was just there to pleasure her.
Amelia was lost in a world of passion. The young man fucked her into orgasm after orgasm. When she was spent, she fell into a deep, contented sleep.
Everyone gets what they need from Needful Things.
Part Two - After-shave
Fourteen-year-old Danny Simpson gazed in the window of the old shop. He was not planning to buy anything. He was short of cash. On a crazy impulse, he had invited Amanda Devonshire to see a movie. His friend, Del Clarke had warned him against it.
‘You’re wasting your fucking time, Danny. She is such a stuck up bitch. She won’t go and even if she does, you won’t get anything. She’s fucking frigid.’
One boy had gone even further. He had once tried to get his hand up her skirt and been very firmly rebuffed by an indignant and angry Amanda.
‘She’s a fucking lesbian, ‘he had confidently informed Danny.
Never the less, despite the warnings of his friends Danny had asked Amanda, the poshest and prettiest girl in the class, to go with him to see the film at The Curzon. All he needed now was the financial means to pay for the tickets. He had been convinced that his mum would stump up but unfortunately on this occasion mum refused, reminding Danny that he had reneged on a promise he had made to weed her flower borders after the last time she had helped him out.
Now as he looked in the window of ‘Needful Things, ‘ he was wondering if the old man bought things as well as selling them. After all, he reasoned, he must get his stock from somewhere. In his pocket, he had an old fountain pen. It was a good make, but unfortunately, the nib was broken. It still looked quite nice though. Danny could see a row of similar pens in the window. Maybe, just maybe the old man would give him enough for the pen to pay for the cinema tickets. Danny breathed in deeply and entered the shop.
The old man appeared through a door at the rear of the shop and looked at Danny with a penetrating gaze.
‘Do you buy stuff, mister?’
‘Sometimes I do, sonny. What have you got to sell?’
Danny proffered the pen and the old man examined it carefully.
‘Mmm. It is quite a good make, but unfortunately it is broken.’ He stared again at Danny.
‘I think I might be able to give you ten pounds for it. Will that do?’
Danny did a quick calculation. The cinema tickets would be three pounds each. Seven pounds. The extra three pounds would pay for popcorn and a drink. It was better than he could have hoped. He quickly agreed the offer. The old man took the pen and took a ten pound note from the till and handed it to Danny. Danny turned to leave the shop when the old man called him back.
‘Wait a moment.’
Danny gulped. He hoped the old man hadn’t changed his mind.
‘Here take this, ‘ he said offering Danny a small bottle.
‘What is it?’ asked Danny.
‘It’s a rather nice quality after shave lotion. Just a sample really. You’ll like it.’
Danny was about to inform the man that he didn’t shave yet but then thought it might impress Amanda if he turned up at the cinema wearing an exotic after-shave.
‘Thanks mister, ‘ said Danny, taking the bottle and making to leave the shop.
‘You’re very welcome sonny. Enjoy the film.’
It was only after the door slammed shut behind him that Danny wondered how the old man knew he was going to the cinema. He didn’t remember saying anything about his plans.
Danny applied copious amounts of the after-shave before setting off to the cinema where he hoped to meet Amanda in the foyer. Oddly enough Danny thought that there was very little aroma in the after-shave. Perhaps it was past its sell by date. Ah well, never mind. It was a free-bee and he had got the cash for the cinema.
Amanda was there in the foyer waiting for him. Danny was relieved because he had not been at all sure she would turn up.
‘Mmmm, Danny, that nice. You smell gorgeous, ‘ she enthused.
‘Oh just some after-shave, I have, ‘ shrugged Danny, surprised that Amanda had noticed it. Maybe something is wrong with my olfactory system, he reasoned.
They took their seats near to the back of the cinema. Danny hardly believed his good fortune, sitting next to the prettiest girl in the class. He slid his arm as casually as he could over the back of her seat trying to pluck up the courage to place a protective arm around her shoulder. He wanted to give her a little squeeze but was afraid if he was too forward he might put her off. As he pondered the situation he felt Amanda’s hand on his lap. Had she put it there by accident he wondered. There was no doubt about her intention as he felt her pulling down the zip of his jeans.
‘Do you mind, Danny?’ she whispered.
‘No, I don’t mind, ‘ he managed to croak.
Amanda scooped his penis from his pants and her gentle but firm strokes soon brought to its full 4½-inch erection. As she stroked his cock her eyes looked at the screen, apparently fully absorbed in the film. She made no protest as Danny tentatively slid his hand up her skirt. As Danny moved his hand up her thighs Amanda opened her legs to make it easier for him. All the while she gently stroked his penis. When Danny’s hand reached her pantie-covered crotch Amanda pulled the leg of her pants to one side with her free hand, allowing Danny unimpeded access. His inquisitive fingers explored the tight crevice between her legs and the delicate down of her pubic hair.
‘That feel nice Danny, ‘ she whispered. ‘Can I suck your cock?’
Danny managed to gasp his consent. As Amanda’s soft lips closed around his shaft Danny found that the position of her body meant he could no longer feel her vagina. He moved his hands and contented himself by feeling her small but beautifully formed breasts through her blouse.
Danny had never had his cock sucked before. This was ecstasy beyond his wildest dreams. The excitement was just too much for the inexperienced Danny.
‘Oooh, I’m going to cum.’ Danny thought it was the gentlemanly thing to do. To warn his young companion that he was about to erupt his sperm into her pretty mouth. He fully expected her to pull away to allow his sperm to splash over his lap. But no, Amanda closed her lips around his shaft and eagerly accepted the jets of spunk into her mouth. She held her face there until he had completed his ejaculation and then swallowed it all down.
Amanda gently eased his now shrinking penis back into his jeans, dabbed her lips with a tissue and straightened her clothes.
As they left the cinema nothing was said about the incident. Danny walked her to the end of the street where she lived. She allowed Danny a kiss, but as his lips approached hers she turned a little so his kiss landed on her cheek.
‘Thank you for taking me to the pictures, ‘ she said softly.’
‘Shall we do it again?’ asked Danny.
‘We’ll see, ‘ replied Amanda.
Danny wandered thoughtfully, hands in pockets, in the direction of his home. His fingers alighted on the small bottle of after-shave he had been given by the old man in the antique shop. He took the bottle from his pocket and peered at the label which read ‘Seduction’ then underneath in smaller lettering it said ‘Effective for up to two hours.’
Everyone gets what they need from Needful Things.
Part Three – The Cane
Anne Dawkins taught at a good school in a respectable area. Her students were well behaved and attentive. They all wanted to do well and applied themselves to their lessons. Miss Dawkins, at 24, was one of the youngest teachers but well respected by students and staff. She enjoyed her job very much except for one recent problem she had encountered. In a new government initiative good, high achieving schools had to use some of their resources to bring failing schools in the area up to a better standard. As part of the initiative Anne was assigned to take one art lesson each week at an under achieving school at the other side of town. At first Anne relished the opportunity to help the students but there was a problem. The class was very disruptive. Anne thought she could get the class under control if she could tame the ring-leader – a girl called Bethany Mason. Bethany was a big tough girl from a sink estate and delighted in winding up all the other kids. Tame Bethany and get control reasoned Anne.
Anne did not favour corporal punishment and ignored the advice of the other teachers who suggested giving Bethany a good old-fashioned thrashing and humble her before the other students. On the third occasion she had to teach the class, Anne was at her wits end. She summoned Bethany to the front of the class and told her to hold out her hands to receive a smack on each palm from a wooden ruler. Anne had no idea how hard she whack the girl. This was a new experience for her and she certainly had no wish to cause injury to the girl.
As Bethany held out her hands with a defiant smirk on her face, Anne noted with distaste the tattoos L.O.V.E and H.A.T.E on her knuckles.
‘Turn your hands palm up, Bethany. I have no wish to look at your tattoos thank you very much. In any case a rap over the knuckles would be much worse than a smack on the palm. With a dismissive shrug Bethany turned her hands palm up.
Slap! Slap!
Anne brought the ruler down on each of Bethany’s palms. Bethany immediately feigned agony – blowing on her palms and waving her hands around and shrieking out. For a moment Anne was horrified. Had she used too much force and injured the girl? Then Bethany started to laugh, setting off all the other students. She sauntered back to her seat with a smirk on her face.
Instead of humbling Bethany it was Anne who felt humiliated. She would not control the class that way.
The days passed so quickly to the next lesson at Bethany’s class. Anne had been tempted to throw a sickie but her sense of duty and determination drove her on. She actually did feel sick and despondent but she walked slowly in the direction of the sink school. Her route took her through the town’s shopping area. Anne’s eyes were drawn to a shop window display (if the haphazard arrangement could be dignified with the term ‘display’). Leaning against a nonde*********** old vase in the window of ‘Needful Things’ was a crook-handled cane. The patina indicated that the cane was quite old and had been much used. On an impulse she went into the shop and leaning over into the window space she picked up the cane. As she held it a strange feeling came over her. She gave an experimental swish and cane seemed to sing as it hissed through the air. The cane was remarkably flexible. She could imagine herself at the front of her class striking an imposing figure as she slapped the cane against her thigh. It was worth a try. A little later she was walking out of the shop with the cane wrapped in a piece of crumpled brown paper that the ancient shop keeper had taken from a shelf under the counter.
‘Keep the noise down, ‘ she called out as she started her art lesson. Once again Bethany was at the forefront of the disruption. Anne decided to nip the problem in the bud. The cane she picked up from her desk imbued her with a new confidence.
‘I’m not going to put up with this any longer. The next person to disrupt the lesson will get a caning.’
‘Oh Miss, you’re scaring me.’ quipped Bethany creating more merriment.
‘Right Bethany you have been warned. Come out here.’
Bethany sauntered out to the front of the class winking at some of the other students as she did so.
She held out her hand for the ruler or the cane with a look of feigned boredom.
‘No Bethany. Today you are going to get it on your bottom. Bend over my desk.’
Bethany hesitated. Anne held the cane in the air. Suddenly it hissed through the air, taking Anne’s hand along with it. To the class it appeared that Miss Dawkins had swung the cane. To Anne it felt as if the old piece of bamboo had taken on a life of its own. The class fell silent and Bethany bent over the desk as instructed. Anne lifted her skirt to expose her bottom scarcely covered by the miniscule panties that almost disappeared into the crack between her buttocks.
‘You are going to regret not wearing proper school knickers Bethany. Those silly things are going to provide no protection at all.’
‘They’re clean and paid for Miss, ‘ retorted Bethany.
‘‘They’re not Miss, ‘ shouted Jimmy Burkinshaw. ‘She nicked ‘em from Marks and Sparks!’
Shrieks of laughter rang round the classroom.
Unbidden, the cane hissed through the air. Once again the students thought it was Miss Dawkins taking a practise swing. It was as much a shock to Anne as it was the students. There was something other worldly about noise as the cane cut through the air.
‘The next person to cause disruption will come out here and join Bethany.’ Anne surprised herself by the stern tone in her voice. She just didn’t do stern.
The class fell into a respectful silence. Even Bethany was subdued.
‘Prepare yourself Bethany.’ Miss Dawkins lay the cane onto Bethany’s exposed bottom. She noted that the girl had a small dragon tattooed on her right buttock. Anne had no idea just how hard the stroke should be to teach Bethany a hard lesson without actual injury. She need not have been concerned. The cane raised itself to a height that took it just above Anne’s shoulder, paused for a second before singing down to strike Bethany across her bottom, using the little dragon as an aiming point. Bethany buckled at the knees a let out a gasp between her clenched teeth.
The class looked on transfixed at the sight of the red line that was appearing across the girl’s bottom.
Hhhhhhisss – Thwack. A second stroke made its mark an half inch under the first.
Bethany let out a muffled sob. She so much wanted to appear unmoved by the experience.
The cane had other ideas. It raised itself a little higher, hissed down a little harder making a mark perfectly parallel to the previous two.
Bethany shrieked out loud and tears rolled down her face. ‘I’m sorry Miss. Please stop.’ she sobbed. ‘I can’t take any more.’
The class sat silently as Bethany rubbed her bottom. Miss Dawkins was not a cruel person and was content to stop at that point, convinced that Bethany had learned her lesson.
Anne kept the cane, although she never needed to use it again. Bethany settled down to do some work for the first time. The other students followed Bethany’s lead and began to apply themselves to their work. Over the following few weeks Miss Dawkins discovered that Bethany had a talent for art. With Miss Dawkin’s encouragement, she entered two pictures into a competition at the Town Hall. She won the second prize with one of her entries.
After the town mayor had presented her with a certificate and a cheque for fifty pounds Bethany ran straight to Miss Dawkins and gave her a hug.
‘Thank you Miss Dawkins. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’ll get first prize next year’
‘I have every confidence in you Bethany. There is no need to thank me. It was all your own work.’
With perhaps just a little help from Needful things.