For Science (Part 4) - Depression

It’s been a few weeks now, you tried your best to keep your hopes up - but it was getting too hard.

Jill hasn't spoken to you, it was in and out of the jar only to eat whatever you could from her feet, she hasn’t shared any details of the experiment with you, it didn’t make any sense.

You had no idea what’s the point of it and what exactly is she trying to get out of it, you were just a slave.

Maybe not even a slave, more like a tool she can use whenever she pleases.

You got nothing in return for your hard work except dirt and foot sweat.

You stopped trying to communicate with her, you just kept your head down and did whatever she said, day in and day out.

“Hey, how are you doing?” She asked one day out of nowhere, your head was shoved between her toes, you quickly pulled it up and looked at her, you gulped an ounce of toe jam, “h-how am I doing?” You asked in shock.

“Yea, you haven’t said much lately, is everything ok?” She asked.

You couldn’t hold back, you started crying, she made a worried look.

“I.. I’m devastated Jill, it’s so hard, living like that, I.. I really just want to go home, I want actual f-food I want to drink real wat-“

“That’s so sad, but you know I can’t do that unless you say the safe word, right?”

You stopped talking and nodded in tears.

“B-But maybe… maybe put me less in that jar? You won’t hear me complain, I promise Jill”, you begged.

“Hmm, you don’t like the jar?”

You fell to your knees, “y-yes, I don’t know how critical it is to your experiment, and b-by no means I’m suggesting that you’re being cruel or something Jill, I know that this is s-science, or something, and you are doing a good job, really-“

“Get to the point, you’re making me tired”, she yawned in your face.

“If you can, please let me stay somewhere with more space”, you begged, your face covered in tears.

“Well you’re asking so nicely, I like that”, she said and caressed your cheek with her finger, wiping off some tears, then suck it and close her eyes, like she’s enjoying the taste.

You looked at her with big puppy eyes, praying that she would hear you out.

“Ok, we can try”, she finally said after tormenting seconds of consideration.

You released a relieved sob, then immediately bowed down with your entire body, “thank you! Thank you so much Jill! I promise to work harder to make your experiment successful and-“

Her hand closed on you in the middle of the sentence, she approached a desk in her living room, then bent down and placed you on its footrest.

An empty piece of wood, just high enough from the floor so you couldn’t get down, you looked at her confused.

“So no more jar, this is your new home now”, she said with a smile, you looked around and hesitated for a moment, but then quickly nodded, seemed better than the jar on her nightstand for sure.

“But that’s it, no more being outside, even for an hour a day, no more talking with me, no more even seeing my face from now on”.

“What do you mean?” You asked in a choked voice.

She opened a drawer and took some kind of a camera out, then placed it at the edge of the footrest, it was plugged to electricity and turned on.

“Jill?” You asked, worried.

“What’s not clear? That’s the only place you will be at from now on, and when I place my feet here I hope you’ll eat whatever you can because those will be the only chances for you to get something in”

You were so shocked you couldn’t talk, you just nodded silently.

She turned on the camera, “so I guess this is it then, it might be the last time you see anything that’s not my feet”, she smiled at you.

“W-Wait Jill, for how long?” You asked in fear.

“See this camera? If at any time you say the safe word correctly - the experiment will be over and you will be set free”

You opened your eyes wide in fear, “and if not?!” You quickly asked.

She giggled and shrugged, “forever then”, she replied casually, your face turned pale.

“Well, I hope everything is clear”, she said happily and looked at her watch, “I’m in a bit of a hurry, but if I won’t see you again - you have my gratitude for taking a part in this experiment, it’s been very insightful”

“W-Wait Jill”

“Sacrificing your freedom like that for science? That’s truly so heroic and inspiring”

“P-Please hold on”

“I mean, who knows how long is it going to take, you might be here for decades, like, literally the rest of your life, waiting for me to rest my feet here every day just so you can have your share of gunk…. Eww, I don’t think I could do that, for any sum of money”, she said in a disgusted voice.

“J-Jill, no”, you begged, crawling towards her on the wooden surface, your voice choking on tears, you didn’t know what to do anymore.

“But I’m so glad that there are people like you - willing to give up everything just so others could learn”

“Jill”

“Well, bye now”, she finally got up and all you could see were her feet as she walked away, leaving you there in front of the camera, you remained on all fours and cried your guts out, all hope is gone, it’s clear now - you will never be free again, you will never even see anything else but this footrest and her feet.

—————-

3 years have passed, day in and day out, she placed her feet next to you while working.

With an unexplained instinct to survive - you always submissively looked for anything edible on her feet as she placed them on the footrest.

Licking dirt, foot sweat, grinding your teeth against her dead skin, every day.

You forgot how she looks, you actually forgot your name as well, and some days you even forgot how you’ve got to this point. It was an idle simple life.

In time, there were days you didn’t understand why you were so depressed, and one day you didn't think about being sad at all.

Many months ago you found a big crumb that was stuck to her sole, you named him Jimmy, you spent days talking with him about all sorts of things.

You made bets when she’s going to place her feet back again, talked about maybe you can find Jimmy more friends between her toes if she decides to place her feet flattened again, and that was your life.

Freedom was long forgotten, if we’re being honest - you weren’t sure there’s even something worthwhile out there anyway.