Working as an insurance assessor, I get to see some weird and wonderful claims, and some of those I have to investigate further with a visit to the claimants' premises. Others in my office seem to refer the stranger, more bizarre claims to me, and I seem to have developed a reputation for dealing with them.
This one particular claim came across my desk that I just had to find out more about; it included some "rubber items," and I wondered just what they were; there were no details other than the wording the claimant had used. Thinking that it may be some sort of sporting outfit, like a diving suit, I just had to have some more information before I could approve the claim.
Arriving at the house, the homeowner greeted me, he seemed like a respectable man in his late 50's, grey hair, with a heavy build, and he didn't seem to be the type of person that would be scuba diving. But the home appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, and it made me wonder again what the "rubber items" in question were.
He introduced himself and invited me inside, the lounge area was very neat, but there didn't seem to be anything made from latex, not that I could see, but I thought that the items would be stored away maybe in the garage, and after the brief introductions I asked him to show me the damaged "rubber items" that he had claimed for.
He seemed to be embarrassed at my asking to see the items that he had claimed for, and I assured him that I had seen many things in my years as an insurance assessor and that I wouldn't be shocked or that I would be disapproving of whatever the items were, I was just there to view them and approve the claim.
He asked me to follow him into a bedroom; he said that the item was kept in this room, so I walked behind him, a bit apprehensive but still curious as to what the item was. He walked over to a walk-in closet in the bedroom and pulled out the item that he told me that he had claimed for.
Standing before me was what he referred to as a "real doll," it was dressed in a full black & white maid's uniform made from rubber, the shine reflecting the lights in the room. Gazing at the doll, the uniform looked to cover every inch of her body, with what appeared to be latex stockings on her legs; these seemed to go up and under the frilly skirt of the maid's outfit. The arms were covered in long gloves that ran up to the ruffled frills at the upper part of the arms
It was tightly strapped to the stand that it was displayed on, the straps holding the doll tightly to the pole behind it, the pole appeared to be attached to a base on wheels. One of the arms of the doll seemed to be damaged and hanging off.
The sight of which initially stunned me, as she looked so real, and I thought that I should get myself out of the house and report him for keeping a woman captive.
"I assure you that she is not real," he said to me, after seeing my face, "please touch her, and you'll see for yourself."
After deciding to trust him, I moved closer and touched the doll, finding out that it was cold to the touch. I felt my tension easing, and thoughts ran through my mind as to what this was used for? And why did he keep it this way? But I reminded myself that I wasn't here to judge but to assess his claim.
He said to me that he was a bit embarrassed to put it in full on the claims list, after all, who would want to admit to the whole world that they kept a rubber-clad doll bound in their closet. If people were to find out that, he would find himself outcast and maybe even lose his job.
Now that I had overcome my initial shock and then found out for myself that it was indeed a doll, even one clad in some strange rubber outfit, I assured him that I will replace it for him, and that the claim would be approved in full.
He was very relieved at this point, and he thanked me for my understanding of his situation, and he offered me a coffee, which I didn't want to refuse. So while finishing off my report, he made some coffee and brought it out to me. I drank it, and that was the last thing I remembered.
I eventually wake up to find myself back inside the bedroom, dressed now in the rubber maids' uniform. I could see in the mirror opposite that he had dressed me like his doll, and that he had tightly strapped me to the stand, with him pushing me back into the doll's closet, all the while thanking me for offering to replace the doll.
"Noo ggh", I tried to speak, but the gag in my mouth prevented me from making any coherent speech. "I didn't mean this", I tried to say, but it seemed to be ignored by him.
"Thank you for replacing my rubber maid; I'm sure that we will have many hours of fun playing in the future. Welcome to your new home," he said to me as he closes the door on his new Rubbermaid.