The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Chapter 1

The mall was covered in twinkling lights and absolutely jam-packed with people. In fact, most of the mall was shoulder to shoulder with crowds forcing people to move in directions they hadn’t intended. In the center of this mass stood Olivia and Harper, doing their best to make their way through the mass of people.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Olivia groaned as a child accidentally elbowed her in the hip.

“Yeah, yeah,” mumbled Harper, “I left gift buying a little late.”

“When have you not?” retorted Olivia. “Anyhow, how much more do you need?”

“Just a few nieces and nephews. Maybe a few great-aunts,” replied Harper, raising her voice to be heard over the noisy crowd.

“Right,” sighed Olivia as she pointed to a less full corridor. “Can we duck down there? I need a break from this crowd.”

“Sure,” agreed Harper as she and Olivia started to push through the crowd. It took the pair a few moments but they eventually found their way into the side corridor. For the first time in several minutes, they could move their limbs.

“Thank god,” sighed Olivia. She stretched, feeling a sense of relief. “My arms can move again. Before we head back in there, do you have any idea what else you’re going to get?” she asked, looking towards Harper.

“Hell if I know,” shrugged Harper, “Just playing it by ear.”

“You picked the worst time to do that,” grumbled Olivia as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“You worry too much,” Harper chuckled. “It’s just a crowd, no need to get your panties in a knot.” She started to move through the corridor. “But hey, there are some toy stores this way, perfect for my nephews.”

“Do you know what toys they like?” asked Olivia as she quickly moved to catch up.

“Not a fucking clue. But, I’m sure we can work it out,” replied Harper. “How hard can it be? It’s just toys.”

Olivia rolled her eyes, keen to get this over with as soon as possible.

The pair continued to snake through the corridor, past the various decorated storefronts and signs advertising other stores that could be found in the sprawling mall. After a few turns, they arrived in a brightly light plaza.

Olivia winced a little as her eyes strained to adapt to the bright lights. While she had been in this plaza before, she had never seen it lit up like this. The usually empty part of the mall had been turned into a Christmas wonderland packed full of trees, fairy lights, and fake snow dunes.

“Well holy fuck,” gasped Harper as she looked around, her eyes slowly adapting to the light. While this mall usually went all out for the holidays, this year’s display was new to everyone. However, as Harper looked around, she quickly spotted the reason for this display. At the far end of the plaza was a series of small cardboard houses sat around a large velvet-covered seat on a small raised platform. Based on the signs around the houses, this was meant to be a Santa’s village setup complete with elf workshops and reindeer barns.

“Hey!” Hissed Olivia, “no swearing, there are kids around!” She added as the girls continued to look. They realized that several short girls in elf costumes were milling around the area, the bells on their clothing letting out a soft jingle with every step.

“Cute,” Olivia said and smiled as a woman clad in a Santa Claus suit walked out from behind the cardboard houses and sat on the chair. Harper moved forward and read a sign sitting in front of the village.

“Oh fuck!” called Harper as she waved Olivia over pointing at the sign with a grin, “Let’s go!”

“Sweetie, it’s for kids, ones without potty mouths” started Olivia. But she quickly noticed that she was wrong. The sign said that pictures with Ms. Claus were open to adults as well, as it was part of a mall charity drive.

“Come on, it will be hella cute!” continued Harper.

“Nah, I’m okay thanks.” replied Olivia, shaking her head as she did. She had already had enough of people today, and she didn’t want to deal with any others.

Harper folded her arms. “Oh come on. Like you don’t see it.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow, unsure. “See what?”

“Lady Santa is smoking hot. In a Mom way.”

“Yeah, I’m not into girls. But if that’s what you’re into, more power to you.”

Harper shrugged, unmoved. “So?”

“I’m not going to have an awkward selfie just so you can get off,” sighed Olivia. “And if you’re that keen on her, you don’t want me in the picture.”

“Okay,” mumbled Harper. “I’ll do it on my own then.” She quickly turned and made her way to the empty queue line. As she did, Olivia continued to look around the area only to notice that one of the elves kept glancing at her, almost like she was waiting for something.

Harper made her way through the line and ended up in front of the chair. Once she got there, Ms. Claus looked at her and smiled. “Ho! Ho! Ho!” she shouted, her voice echoing around the plaza. “Come up and see me, young lady!” She smiled as Harper stepped up onto the platform.

Ms. Claus patted a stool next to her chair and Harper quickly sat down. The blush in her cheeks was becoming even more obvious as she continued to look at the woman.

“So,” began Ms. Claus. “Have you been a Good Girl this year?”

Harper let out a soft giggle as she looked around. “No, I’ve been very naughty.” Olivia cringed at the sound, unable to believe that Harper had said that. She looked around, mentally debating if she should leave just so she wouldn’t be associated with Harper.

Ms. Claus’ eyes went wide as a look of shock came over her face. “Could you repeat that?” she muttered. “I might have misheard.”

“I’ve been very naughty,” replied Harper, nodding her head as she did. Olivia felt like she was going to pull a muscle, she was cringing so hard. However, as Olivia turned to leave, she realized that all of the elves had stopped moving and they were all staring at the chair.

“Are you sure?” asked Ms. Claus, her voice becoming firmer as her eyes widened.

“Reeeeally fucking naughty, yes,” nodded Harper, seemingly oblivious to how uncomfortable Ms. Claus was.

“I see,” muttered Ms. Claus as her one hand slowly reached across the arm of her chair. “I see,” she said again before pressing on the underside of the arm.

Suddenly an alarm blared as the fairy lights changed to red and started to flash. “What is going on?” gasped Olivia as she looked around, trying to work out what the emergency was. As she looked, she saw several large metal walls burst out from the cardboard props, surrounding Harper and Ms. Claus.

Olivia wanted to repeat her question but before she could open her mouth, the elves started to produce guns from inside their costumes. “Code Tinsel! Code Tinsel!” shouted one as they produced a rifle and ran towards the chair, aiming at Harper as she did.

“We’ve got a live one!” screamed another as she swept left and right with the gun, her voice almost drowned out by the constantly blaring alarm. Olivia was frozen to the spot, unable to work out what was going on.

“What the fuck?!” Screamed Harper as she looked up at Ms. Claus with terror in her eyes.

“Beginning capture protocol!” called another elf as it emerged from behind the houses. More and more elves continued to pop out of various places, each of them carrying a gun. They speedily surrounded the chair and aimed their guns at Harper.

Olivia grabbed an elf as it ran past her. “Excuse me? What’s going on?” she shouted, trying to be heard over the droning alarm. The elf quickly turned and glared at Olivia.

“We’ve got a non-combatant,” shouted the elf before it ran forward.

“Non-combatant?” Olivia blinked with confusion. However, before she could say anything else, another elf ran up to her.

“Neutralizing target!” shouted the elf as she reached into her pants and produced a small spray bottle. Olivia opened her mouth to say something but before she could, the elf sprayed the bottle directly at Olivia’s face.

The smell of pumpkin spice filled Olivia’s nostrils as the world started to spin. “What the hell?” groaned Olivia. It felt as if the mall had turned into a fairground ride. Olivia’s eyes blurred as the elf’s bright outfit turned into a strange smear. Her knees started to wobble. “What’s going on?” She groaned as she clawed towards the blurred shape, trying to hold herself up. However, no matter how wide Olivia swung her arms, she didn’t grab hold of anything.

Olivia’s brain felt heavy. It was like her mind was dissolving into mist. She tried to speak but she couldn’t focus on words and her jaw just felt so weak. She sloppily tried still to claw at the shape, hoping to find some salvation, but quickly darkness fell on her mind and she felt herself falling and fading to nothing.

As Olivia crumpled to the floor, Harper let out a scream. “What did you do to her?! What’s going on?” she cried as she looked between Ms. Claus and the elves pointing guns at her.

“I can’t believe it,” sighed Ms. Claus. “I had such high hopes.”

“What do you mean?” asked Harper as she started to rise from the stool. However, before she could fully stand, the elves started to scream.

“Get down! Down!” demanded the elves. “On the chair!” Not wanting to make matters worse, Harper sat back down.

“I’m confused,” mumbled Harper as she looked at the guns. But, just as she tried to make sense of the situation, she felt a sharp prick on her neck. Harper yelped and turned around, only to see that Ms. Claus was holding a needle. Harper wanted to say something, but a wave of cold ran across her body as her eyes rolled up into her head. Her vision started to blur as she tried to scream, but only a soft gurgle came out. The world fell away from her until there was only a dark void.

Chapter 2

Harper’s head throbbed and her ears filled with a loud ringing. She let out a groan as she forced her eyes open and took a deep breath. Her tongue felt numb and her jaw ached, like she had been hit by a truck. As her eyes came into focus, she realized she was in a strange wood-paneled room.

It took her brain a few moments to catch up and realize that she had no idea where she was. Suddenly she remembered what had happened to her. Her body tried reflexively to jump up, but she immediately realized that she was tied to whatever chair she was in.

“What’s going on?” she managed to groan, her eyes darting about furiously. However, the more Harper looked, the more confused she became. It looked like she was in some strange cottage. She was tied in front of an oak dinner table, and at the other side of the room was a crackling fireplace covered in tinsel.

“She’s awake,” said a voice from the far side of the room. Harper turned and noticed that two elves were standing at the side of the room, lurking in the shadows. Both were carrying rifles, but unlike the cold metal of the ones at the mall, both of these guns were painted bright shades of red and green and they had baubles hanging off the stock.

“About time,” mumbled the other elf.

“Where the fuck am I?” whined Harper as she tried to free her arms.

“You’re,” started the one elf, only for the second to raise her hand.

“Don’t. We don’t want to get in trouble again,” she said before turning to Harper. “Stay quiet.”

“I will not stay fucking quiet!” shouted Harper as she looked down and realized that she was both tied and strapped into an ornately carved wooden chair.

“Great, now you’ve got her started.” mumbled the one elf as the other shrugged. “I don’t want to be on guard duty forever, you know.”

“It will be fine,” replied the other elf. “Not like she’s going anywhere.”

Harper continued to struggle in the chair, desperate to undo the bonds, but she quickly realized that the elf was right. Whoever bound her had done an amazing job. She could hardly wiggle, let alone break free.

After what felt like an eternity, a door at the side of the room swung open and a head poked through. It took Harper’s brain a few seconds to process what she was seeing. The first thing she noticed was the woman’s beauty; she had curly red hair and deep green eyes and the look of a supermodel. But the other thing was that this woman was ducking down. And, as the woman came through the door, Harper realized that was at least seven feet tall, likely more. She easily dwarfed the elves.

“Miss Stripytights!” gasped the one elf as she quickly saluted the woman, the elf other copying the action.

“Oh please,” chuckled the woman, “Call me Jingle, no need to be formal.” The elves nodded and dropped the salute as Jingle adjusted her clothes, the bells on her shoes softly ringing as she moved.

“The prisoner woke up a few minutes ago,” reported the other elf as they motioned to Harper. Harper was utterly frozen with shock, unable to believe what she was seeing. Not only was the woman beautiful and imposing, but her height had made Harper realize that everything in this room was elf-sized, it was like being trapped in a dollhouse.

“Wonderful,” noted Jingle, “Makes it easier for me then.”

“How did you even get her here so quickly?” asked one of the elves.

“We were able to use some supersonic transport,” answered Jingle.

“But, wouldn’t people notice?” gasped the elf.

“Oh don’t worry,” Jingle chuckled, “A few words in the right ears and the bloc takes the blame.”

“Hey!” shouted Harper. “Let me out!”

Jingle looked at Harper for a few moments, sizing her up like a predator judging its prey. She then looked down at the two elves. “Go get yourself some hot chocolate. I’ll take it from here.”

“Are you sure?” asked one elf.

“I’m sure,” replieded Jingle, “I’ve never had a prisoner escape me yet. We have panic alarms and I’m carrying peppermint spray. It will be a-okay.”

“Yes Jingle,” said the elves in unison as they holstered their weapons and walked out of the room. Once they were gone, Jingle shut the door and slowly made her way over to Harper. She looked the girl up and down before climbing up onto the table.

“So,” she smiled as she looked down at Harper, “This is the Code Tinsel I’ve been hearing so much about.”

“What the fuck going on?” moaned Harper, her head throbbing. “Where am I?”

“You’re in a secure facility,” replied Jingle, “Where you will remain until changes are made.”

“Changes?” stuttered Harper, “I don’t know what’s going on! One minute I was in the mall, the next I was here.”

“Well,” Jingle grinned, a sinister glint twinkling in her eye. “If you promise to work with me, I’ll fill you in.”

“Work with you?” mumbled Harper.

“Exactly,” Jingle laughed, kicking her legs as she did, causing a soft ringing to fill the air. “We can do this good elf or bad elf. And I would prefer to be a good elf.”

“I mean,” replied Harper. “I guess good elf?”

“Good girl,” smirked Jingle as she continued to kick her tight-clad legs. “If you help me, I can help you.”

“I just don’t know,” started Harper, only to get cut off by Jingle.

“It’s okay. Just work with me and everything will be a-okay.” She smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out two candy canes before offering one to Harper.

Hesitantly, Harper as she took the candy. She didn’t trust this woman, but she was too confused to do anything but politely comply and open her mouth. Jingle slipped the candy cane into her mouth and Harper bit down on it. But as she did a dark, almost moss-like taste filled her mouth. Harper reflexively spat the candy cane out, causing it to hit the table with a thud. “God, what the hell is that?!” she shouted as the putrid taste filled her mouth.

“You’re not meant to bite it!” laughed Jingle. “Gosh, you really are silly.”

“What was that?” Harper continued to gag. She watched Jingle put a cane in her mouth before lighting it with a lighter.

“You smoke them,” sighed Jingly. “Really, you Naughty Listers are something,” she continued as she sucked in before pulling the cane from her lips and blowing out a small cloud of smoke.

“That was disgusting,” groaned Harper as Jingle continued to puff on the candy cane. “I want to help you,” she said, doing her best to block out the taste in her mouth. “I just don’t know what’s going on.”

“What is the last thing you remember?” asked Jingle as she took another puff of her candy cane.

“I talked to a mall Santa and then a load of elves pulled guns on me,” Harper recalled as she recalled the scene at the mall.

Jingle smirked. “Yes. And do you know why that happened?”

“I don’t know,” mumbled Harper as she looked down at the table, her head spinning with confusion and anxiety.

“You told the esteemed Ms. Claus #54 that you had been a Naughty Girl this year,” chuckled Jingle as she used a finger to gently lift Harper’s chin, forcing her to look Jingle in the eyes.

“Oh, right,” Harper nodded as she remembered the events. “But, I was joking. I didn’t know everyone had guns.”

“Oh, it’s always a joke. That’s how it starts,” said Jingle, her tone slowly growing more serious. “They say they’re naughty, think they’re being cute. But really, the true rotten heart of naughtiness beats in their chest, spreading corruption through them and into their community.”

“What are you talking about?” whimpered Harper, not daring to move her chin from Jingle’s grip.

“Well. Darling,” whispered Jingle, “We have a problem. In fact, the world has a problem. Naughtiness is on the increase. Every year, The Naughty List gets longer and longer. It used to be a single page in the ledger, but now it’s in its own ledger.”

“Uh, right,” muttered Harper.

“And, the big red man isn’t happy about it. Not a single bit…” Jingle looked down, a heavy air looming over her words, only for Harper to start laughing uproariously. The sheer strangeness of the situation washed over her and the awkwardness was too much for her to take.

“What’s so funny?” Asked Jingle.

“Red guy? Santa?” asked Harper between laughs.

“Yes?”

“You expect me to believe you work for Santa Claus. Not just that, you expect me to believe that Santa is real. Fucking really?” continued Harper, coughing slightly due to laughing too hard.

“Well, where do you think your presents come from?” huffed Jingle.

“If I don’t buy presents, none turn up,” chuckled Harper. “They don’t just appear on the floor Christmas morning.”

Jingle’s eyes went wide as a look of shame washed across her face. Her grip loosened as she looked down, her legs hanging off the table limply. Harper pulled away from Jingle’s hand, slightly confused by the girl’s extreme reaction to what she thought was a simple fact.

Jingle continued to look at her feet for a few moments, silence thick in the air. Harper was unsure if she should do something or even if she could call for help. However, before she could overcome her mental paralysis, Jingle spoke up.

“I’m so sorry.” she said softly. “We failed you.”

“Failed me?” replied Harper.

“If you were not getting presents, that means you were placed on The Naughty List years ago. That means we should have acted,” said Jingle with a bitter tinge in her voice.

“Acted?” Harper blinked, her confusion once against bouncing around inside her brain. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone on The Nice List gets presents. The big red man has never missed a single one. But Naughty Listers never get one. If you didn’t get presents, then you’re on The Naughty List,” explained Jingle as she looked Harper in the eye.

“So,” replied Harper. “How does that link to this? The whole, you know, kidnapping me at gunpoint thing?”

“Because we’re trying to save poor people like you,” Jingle said through a gentle smile, her excited body language returning as she rubbed Harper’s cheek. “Seeing how big The Naughty List had gotten, the man in red asked for suggestions. So, I came up with a program. A system that purges the naughtiness from someone and turns them Good. A program I call SC Ultra.”

Harper whimpered. “Purge the naughtiness? What are you planning on doing to me?”

“Don’t worry. SC Ultra is a simple process. It is fun!” offered Jingle, her smile growing wider as she did. Harper squirmed in her seat, her confusion turning to dread. This all felt unreal still, but at the same time, it felt like she was in danger.

“It doesn’t sound fun,” mumbled Harper.

“Well, that’s not your choice to make,” replied Jingle firmly. “How can a Naughty Lister understand the joys of being a Good Girl?”

“I don’t,” stated Harper, only for Jingle to cut her off.

“You do!” she giggled, “Now, if you promise to be good, I’ll untie you and we can get you moving. Sounds good?”

“I don’t want to go,” protested Harper, only for Jingle to reach to kick her legs up and spin around on her butt.

“Well,” began Jingle, “That can be changed.” She wiggled her shoe back and forth on the table. Harper hadn’t noticed it before, but Jingle’s little leather boots had small golden bells on the toes.

“You’re not going to,” said Harper, only for Jingle to cut her off by wiggling her foot, causing the bell to jingle.

“As I said,” Jingle continued softly, “You’re going to go and become a Good Girl.” She started to rock her boot back and forth on the table, causing it to jingle with every little movement.

“I’m not going to,” huffed Harper as she watched the foot on the table, unsure if Jingle was going to attempt to kick her or if this was another of her weird outbursts.

“Yes you are,” giggled Jingle as the bell on her shoe continued to jingle. “I’m an expert, and elf experts are always better than Naughty Listers.” She rocked her foot again, causing light to reflect off the bell.

“But,” mumbled Harper, as her eyes reflexively blinked to block out the light. “I don’t think,”

“You shouldn’t think,” Jingle cut her off as her bell let out another ring, the light once again hitting Harper in the eyes. “Not thinking is a Good Girl trait.”

Jingle continued to move her boot in a steady rhythm. Each time she did, the light caught the bell, causing it to glint into Harper’s eyes as the soft ringing of the bell filled the room, interrupting Harper’s thoughts.

“Just look at the bell,” cooed Jingle as Harper realized that, despite the light hurting her eyes, she was still following the foot back and forth. “Just let it ring, no point trying to talk. It’s just going to interrupt you anyway, so why not stay quiet and look?”

Harper nodded without thinking. Jingle’s statement made sense. It didn’t matter what she said; Jingle would interrupt her with her silly ringing bell. It was pointless to try and argue.

“Yes, look,” Jingle whispered. “Watch the bell as it sways. Shiny, pretty, happy bell.” Her voice became more sing-song as she spoke. “And, shiny bells have a special effect on people like you. All the light in their eyes and the happy jingling makes them feel super, super sleepy. Makes their little eyes flutter and roll with every little ring.”

Harper felt her head droop a little, like someone had tied weights to her neck. Every few moments her head would twitch as her subconscious remembered that it needed to keep her head up so she could look at the bell. Something about the bell was utterly mesmerizing and, despite the weird situation, Harper couldn’t help but stare at it.

“That’s it, watch the shiny bell,” teased Jingle. “Jingle’s bells, Jingle’s bells, Make your eyes go droop,” She sang as she continued to sway her foot. And as the word’s left Jingle’s mouth, Harper felt her eyelids drop. She felt so warm and fuzzy. Something about the bell was oddly soothing.

“I,” gurgled Harper, only for the bell to once again ring. Instantly, Harper’s eyes fluttered as her head flopped forward, her thoughts grinding to a halt as warm fuzziness slowly encroached on her brain.

“That’s it,” Jingle cooed softly, “Just let it happen. Just let your eyes close. No point fighting.” She smirked, watching Harper’s body and mind surrender to her routine. “Jingle’s bells, Jingle’s bells, put you in a trance. Oh what fun it is to,” she started, only to stop and ponder for a few moments. Not that Harper noticed; her whole body had started to sway in a vain attempt at holding her head up. It was a losing battle. She could feel herself slipping into sleep. She could feel her brain and thoughts slowly sliding away from herself.

Harper tried to pull herself away but it was far too late. She couldn’t hold herself back. She felt herself slowly giving in. The world was spinning again and a black void was filling her mind, eating away her thoughts before they could form.

“Obey!” chuckled Jingle as Harper let out a moan and slumped forward, her eyes slamming shut. “Nothing scans with obey,” sighed Jingle as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Very hard to fit it into songs, unless you leave it as a hanging statement,” she continued until she looked down and spotted the slumped-over Harper. “Oh, of course the Naughty Lister would go under mid-sentence. How rude,” she grumbled before swinging her legs off the table.

As Harper floated in the void, Jingle adjusted her clothes and chuckled. Once she had made herself presentable, she picked up one of Harper’s limp arms and wiggled it a little bit. Harper didn’t react to the movement, her mind was too wrapped up in fuzziness to even make a noise.

“Okay,” Jingle sighed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small toy soldier and key out of her pocket. She placed the toy in front of Harper’s head. Jingle then gently gripped Harper’s chin and raised her head. “Open those eyes,” she cooed.

Instantly Harper’s eyes fluttered open, her eyes locking onto the toy. Her mind was a mess of fuzziness and static. She couldn’t form her own thoughts anymore. All she could do was let Jingle guide her.

“Now look at this,” giggled Jingle as she used her free hand to slip the key into the toy’s back. “This is you. A happy little wind-up toy,” explained Jingle. “And, when Jingle puts your key in,” she said as she slowly twisted the key, causing the toy to walk across the table, “You walk for Jingle. You walk where Jingle tells you to go.”

“Walk for Jingle,” moaned Harper, a puddle of drool forming on the table as she watched the toy walk forward. While the old Harper would consider this whole thing ludicrous, right now, Jingle calling her a toy made perfect sense.

Suddenly, Harper felt cold metal poke into the back of her neck. She didn’t need to think about what it was. It was her key. She was a wind-up toy, just like the little soldier on the desk. With every twist on the cold metal, Harper felt her limbs stiffen as strange energy filled her. Every twist made it more and more intense. Harper felt her stiff legs touch the floor as she rose from the chair, her arms going to her sides, perfectly recreating the pose of the toy soldier.

It was such a strange sensation. She could feel her feet moving, she could see herself going around the table and towards the door, but it didn’t feel like her. Her whole body felt stiff and robotic like she could feel the little cogs moving inside her, driving her forward.

“See?” chuckled Jingle as she skipped ahead of Harper, “Isn’t this better? If you just do as I say, we’ll be good friends!” she continued as she opened the door and motioned to the outside.

Harper wanted to speak but her mouth wouldn’t open. The only muscles that functioned were her legs, slowly and robotically moving her forward. Her arms were stiff by her side and everything else refused to move even an inch.

As she moved out into the corridor, Riley realized that she wasn’t in a quaint cottage like she had believed. The wood-paneled corridor seems to stretch out for miles, with doors every few feet. Riley started to wonder if there were other people in those rooms but before she could generate a full thought Jingle skipped past her, the ringing of the woman’s bells making her thoughts stop dead in their tracks.

“Come on, you can do it!” teased Jingle as she continued to skip down the hall, obviously looking for a specific door. But Harper didn’t mind. It really didn’t matter what she wanted; her body wasn’t listening to her. All she could do was keep moving. All she could do was obey Jingle.

Eventually, Jingle reached a larger door that stood a little way down the corridor. She pulled open the wooden door only to reveal that there was a larger, metal door behind it. “About turn!” commanded Jingle as she pushed on the metal door, causing it to loudly creak open.

Chapter 3

Harper felt her body turn to face the open door as her legs continued to move, propelling her forward. The inside of the room was strange. Loads of Christmas trees lined the walls along with loads of various Christmas decorations stuffed between them. In the center was a small toy train that sat on a circular track. Harper would have felt more confused if her brain was working, but at that moment all she could do was march deeper into the room.

Jingle ran her hand along the train and giggled to herself. “Freshly waxed, aren’t you a lucky girl!” giggled Jingle before slapping a seat attached to the first carriage. “Get your butt down here!” She demanded as Harper marched forward before stiffly dropping down onto the seat. However, even in her seated position, Harper’s legs continued to softly kick as the key in her back continued to drive her muscles, forcing her to move even if she didn’t want to.

However, as she kicked, Harper felt Jingle wrap tight straps around her waist and arms, pinning her into the seat. Jingle then moved around to the front of Harper, a heavy leather strap hanging over her shoulder. She looked down at Harper’s kicking feet before giggling. “Whoopsie,” she giggled, “Let’s fix that.” She leaned over Harper, reaching behind her. Harper felt another poke in her back. Instantly, the fog cleared from her brain as her legs slowly stopped kicking and went limp.

As Harper’s fog cleared, she looked around, taking stock of what was going on for the first time in several minutes. “What is this place?” asked Harper as Jingle bound her legs.

“This,” began Jingle, “Is SC Ultra! In this room of dreams, Naughty Listers become Good!”

“But,” protested Harper as she squirmed in her binds. “What does it do?”

“You’ll see,” Jingle smirked.

“I don’t want to see,” whimpered Harper as she continued to squirm. She wanted to escape the bonds and run, but she knew it was futile. This place seemed to be massive, and even if she could get away it was only a matter of time before she would be caught again.

“Don’t worry,” cooed Jingle as her chiming bells once again interrupted thoughts. “It is fun! I made sure of it! Being a Nice Lister is the best feeling in the world!”

“But,” started Harper, only to stop mid-sentence. She wasn’t sure if it was fear, the bells, or the key. But it felt pointless arguing. She felt weirdly placid, like some part of her had accepted her fate.

“We’ll have fun!” giggled Jingle as she skipped toward a control panel that sat at the far end of the room. Once she did, she fiddled with switches for a minute before looking up at Harper. “Okay, are we ready!” she called.

Harper nodded her head gently, the feeling of defeat radiating through her. Jingle giggled and reached out towards the button. However, just as she made contact with the button, she let out a loud gasp.

“Oh wait!” shouted Jingle, causing Harper’s eyes to go wide. Her heart started to pound as she thought she might be about to be let go. Maybe Jingle had realized that this was wrong or some massive misunderstanding. Jingle reached down under the control panel and rooted around for a few minutes before standing back up and putting a train conductor’s hat on her head.

Harper’s heart dropped. The sight was silly, but she understood what it meant. It meant she wasn’t getting away. This, whatever this was, was going to happen, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Okay! All aboard the Good Girl Express! Next stop, The Nice List! Choo Choo!” called Jingle as she pressed a button on the control panel. Suddenly, the room lights dimmed as the train started to move along the track. Harper looked around trying to work out what was going to happen, hoping she could at least comfort herself.

The train slowly picked up speed as it continued to follow around the track. As it moved, a faint sound hit Harper’s ears. At first, she thought it was the bells on Jingle’s shoes, but she quickly realized it was something else. She continued to listen as the movement got faster and faster. As the sound got louder, Harper realized what it was. It was sleigh bells. Jingling, jangling, sleigh bells.

However, before Harper could celebrate her revelation, the song suddenly jumped in volume as the lights on all the decorations and trees started to blink and flash. Harper let out a confused yelp as the Christmas song bounced around her head. She looked left and right trying to make sense of all the lights, but it was hard to keep track of where she was due to the train’s constant movement.

The lights continued to flash and blick, the random show falling into a pattern as the song continued to swell, the room filling with the echoed sound of the sleigh bells. Harper started to feel dizzy, but it wasn’t the dizziness she was used to. It was like her brain was spinning around in her skull like the entire world was twisting and warping around her like she was on a rollercoaster that defied every law of physics.

Each flash of the lights seemed to knock Harper’s brain for a loop. She couldn’t seem to string together thoughts. It was like she was delirious, like she had finally lost her connection with reality. However, before she could even try to fight it, someone started to sing.

“It’s the happiest season of the year,” sang the voice as the lights flashed in time with the melody. “Full of snow, joy, and flying deer. And everyone is well behaved. As if you’re not, you get enslaved.”

The voice echoed in Harper’s brain as the movement of the train turned the lights in flashing blurs of color that seemed to fill Harper’s perception of reality. She couldn’t see the room anymore, just the pretty colors as they flashed and changed.

“So we’re spreading some Christmas cheer, to make sure you’re Good all year,” sang the voice, every word burrowing into the spiraling void that was Harper’s mind. Everything seemed distant yet vivid. It was like she was seeing reality through a slightly foggy kaleidoscope. She couldn’t place the feeling and she couldn’t fight it. It was wrapping around her, entombing her within it.

“Be a Good Girl, all happy and cute, wrapped up in a pretty snowsuit,” added the song, the words bouncing around the inside of Harper’s skull. She could feel a strange sensation washing over her body, like the twinkling of the lights was running through her body, like a weirdly euphoric form of pins and needles.

Harper let out a gurgle as she felt her head flop forward. The twinkling washed over her neck and brain. The world had vanished totally, leaving just the song and lights. She couldn’t escape them. It was like a festive black hole with a gravitational pull was too much for her. All she could do was float helplessly within it.

“Just listen closely and it will be great,” came the voice again, its cheery tune now having an air of almost godly authority echoing through it, “Soon you’ll have a lovely happy trait.” Harper’s body spun faster and faster and the lights flashed brighter and more intensely until they were basically a strobe, pushing bands of blindingly bright color directly into Harper’s eyes. The light was so bright it was painting her neurons, dying her brain cells in bright shades of red and green.

Harper felt her muscles becoming limper as she continued to feel lights pulse through her brain.Her neurons were twisting and being rebuilt. Another wave of light washed over Harper and as it did, she felt her grip on herself give in. She slumped forward, a trickle of drool escaping her mouth as the light washed over her and took her wherever it wanted to go.

As she let out another soft groan, the song faded until only the sleigh bells remained. Then the lights slowly came up, allowing Harper to see that Jingle was now standing at the front of the room.

“See?” she giggled. “I said it was fun!” The little train continued to take Harper around and around the short track.

“Fun,” groaned Harper as she remained slumped over, the trickle of drool becoming more intense. Harper could still feel the lights pulsing through her brain. In fact, at that moment, her brain was more fairy light than thought.

“Great!” laughed Jingle, “So, why don’t you listen closely while Jingle gives you her lessons of Goodness!”

“Goodness,” echoed Harper mindlessly, her blank eyes staring forward as Jingle went behind the controls once more and pulled out a flipchart, bells jingling in time with the sleigh bells that continued to fill the room.

Jingle smiled as she flipped open the first page of the flipchart. She looked at Harper and snapped her fingers a few times before shaking her head when Harper didn’t react. “Too far gone. Gosh, I’m just too good at my job,” sighed Jingle as she went over to one of the trees and pulled the light off the top before sticking it on top of the flipchart. “Hey look! Look! Shiny pretty!” called Jingle patronizingly as she pointed to the light.

However, Harper was unable to be insulted. That required thought, and she and her illuminated brain were currently incapable of that. However, Harper’s eyes obediently locked onto the light, keen to let it wash over her more and more. Jingle started to speak, but Harper felt herself slipping away into the lights, letting the words wash over her.

“Okay!” cheered Jingle as Harper heavily blinked. Her brain slowly restarted as the world came into focus.

“What?” groaned Harper as she stretched. “What is going on?” She looked around the room and realized that she was still on the moving train.

“We’re done!” answered Jingle, her bells softly jingling as she walked beside the train. “You’re a Nice Lister now!”

“I’m,” started Harper, only to realize that she had been untied. She quickly jumped up from the train and looked Jingle in the eye. She felt something bubbling up inside her, all of her confusion had turned into rage, she couldn’t believe the indignity Jingle had put her through.

“What is it?” asked Jingle.

Harper took a deep breath as she clenched her fists. She could feel the pressure in her chest building. She was going to give this crazed woman a piece of her mind. “Golly gosh!” huffed Harper at a normal volume. “You, Miss Jingle, are a Little Miss Rudepanties!” She stamped her foot. The second her foot hit the floor, her face dropped and her eyes went wide, Harper realized what she had just said. “Golly gosh!” she said again, her voice seemingly refusing to go beyond a normal volume.

“See?” chuckled Jingle. “Isn’t it nice?”

“Gee willikers, what did you do to me?” demanded Harper, still trying to force her voice to shout.

“I made you into a Good Girl! Just think of all the gifts you’ll get now! No need to thank me!” replied Jingle as she skipped towards the door.

“Fiddlesticks!” harrumphed Harper. “I don’t want to be a Good Girl. Why can’t I swear?! Why can’t I shout?” Harper asked, trying to force her thoughts to come out of her mouth in the way she wanted them to.

“You’ll learn to love it,” giggled Jingle as she opened the door. “Being a Good Girl is a lifestyle, after all!” She waved at Harper. “Come on, let’s get you settled for observation.”

Harper sighed and followed Jingle. Though she was seething about her situation, she didn’t want to be in this train room any longer than she needed to be. As she exited into the corridor, another elf ran towards them.

“Hey!” Shouted the elf, causing Harper to tense up. Jingle looked up before letting out a little gasp and slamming the door shut and quickly sliding the lock back into position.

“Oh hi,” chuckled Jingle as she leaned against the door. “Everything good?”

“Yes Miss Jingle,” nodded the elf before motioning towards Harper. “Is she done?”

“Yep! She’s a Good Girl now!” assured Jingle, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

“I’m no fudgenuggetting good girl!” argued Harper as she once again could neither yell nor swear.

“Aww, shucks,” mumbled the elf, “I was hoping to see what you do. We’re all super curious about what you do there! It must be super cool!”

“Oh, you don’t want to know!” chuckled Jingle as she waved her hand dismissively. “It is all very grim and industrial. Very serious and boring. But, I do what I have to. For the good of the world, you know.”

“Well, if you ever want to show us,” started the elf.

“Oh, you wouldn’t like it. Very grim and scary,” Jingle cut the elf off awkwardly. Harper rolled her eyes a little bit, utterly done with Jingle’s weirdness. However, as she considered saying something, she realized that this was her moment.

Harper started to run in the direction the elf had come from. She didn’t know where she was going, but all she knew was that the further away she was from Jingle, the better.

The elf turned quickly on their heel. “Hey! Stop!” they shouted as they pulled something from their pocket. However, before they could do anything, Jingle grabbed the object and aimed it at the floor.

“Let them go,” commanded Jingle firmly.

“But,” mumbled the elf, “They’ll escape.”

“Forget it, Pudding,” responded Jingle, “It’s the North Pole.”

Chapter 4

Harper continued to sprint through the corridor, passing door after door. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do; all she knew was that she had to find an exit. There had to be some way to escape this facility. Part of her considered opening one of the doors in the hope of finding someone who could help her, but it felt too risky to bother.

Harper’s feet stung as she continued to move through the labyrinth of corridors. She continued furiously to look left and right, desperate for an exit. However, as she turned a corner, her heart suddenly jumped. At the far end of this corridor was another door, but this one has a tinsel-covered “EXIT” sign above it.

Without thinking, Harper dashed forward. But, as she moved, she quickly spotted a sign out of the corner of her eye. The bright white sign featured red-blocked text reading, “No Running.”

Harper’s pace slowed instantly as she read the sign. “What?” she gasped as she tried to run again, only to find that she couldn’t. Much like with her attempts to shout, it was like the thought was getting twisted somewhere between her brain and her legs.

No matter what Harper did, she couldn’t increase her pace. She pushed through the door, doing her best to keep moving despite her disobedient legs.

Past the door was a large lobby, but at the far end, Harper saw her salvation. A glass door that seemed to lead to the snow-covered outside, and while Harper didn’t recognize the place, she knew the outside was safer than inside this place.

She tried to move towards the door as fast as she could, fighting with her legs every step of the way. Despite her worries, none of the elves seemed to pay attention to her and she arrived at the door without incident.

As she walked out into the cold winter air, Harper let out a gasp. While she had expected this place to be cold, she hadn’t expected it to be this cold. In fact, this place was far too cold to be her city. She must have been moved quite far while she was unconscious.

Despite her body starting to shiver, Harper continued to move, keen to find a road or some sign of human civilization. Despite the cold, Harper’s legs refused to move at a speed above a gentle stroll.

“Gosh darn my life,” thought Harper, only to cringe when she realized that she was now thinking in Jingle’s silly censored terms. She shook her head and tried to motivate herself to keep going. Harper walked for several miles, trying to ignore the cold. The only thing that let her know that she had been traveling was her view of the buildings getting smaller and smaller on the horizon.

Just as Harper’s resolve reached its limit, she saw a light in the snow. She moved forward, silently praying it was a sign or a bus stop or anything that might help her. However, as she got closer, she realized that the light was coming from a sign.

The sign was made of rough wood and featured a neon sign of a kicking reindeer. Harper’s brain rang with confusion as she moved closer. However, when she was within a few feet of the sign, she realized what it said.

“Warning,” declared the sign. “No Good Children past this point. Please ring the bell and wait for collection.”

“What?” mumbled Harper as she stumbled a little bit. She looked over the sign, only to realize that there was a small bell attached to the bottom corner of the sign. However, just as she saw the bell, she started to laugh. The idea of this sign was preposterous. Like anyone was going to listen to a silly sign.

Harper tried to move her legs, but they refused to move an inch. All Harper could do was sway on the spot. “Why can’t I move?” Harper wondered desperately as she gritted her teeth and tried to get her body to respond to her thoughts.

Harper grunted as she struggled against herself but as she did, her eyes locked back onto the sign. “No Good Children past this point,” she mumbled. “I’m a good child,” she added without thinking before shaking her head.

“No, I’m not,” grunted Harper as her body trembled. “Not a Good Girl. I’m a bad girl. A fudgeberrying, snickerdoodling, dagnabbitting, golly goshdarned bad girl,” She added as she felt a strange tension in her muscles.

“I’m a Good Girl,” whispered Harper’s mind reflexively, “I’ll wait here for collection.”

Harper grunted, trying to block the thought out. It was like another person was in her head, thinking in her brain. “No,” groaned Harper as she tried to force her muscles to comply with her. “Not good. Golly gosh not good,” she moaned as she continued to shake and tremble. She tried to look away from the sign, and as she did her eyes locked onto the neon reindeer. Something about the light was odd; it seemed brighter than most neon. The animation seemed weirdly smooth.

“I’m a Good Girl,” groaned Harper aloud this time as her eyes fluttered. “No,” she added as she continued to watch the sign, “Not a good girl. Cheese and crackers, Jiminy Crickets, I’m not a good girl,” she said softly as the tension grew in her body and her eyelids started to flutter more.

The tension in Harper’s muscles continued to grow as her brain started to chant the words on the sign. Harper continued to fight, trying with every bit of herself to get herself to move. It was futile. Nothing was listening to her. She was trapped, a passenger in her own body.

But, just as the tension increased once more, a wave of realization washed over Harper. She suddenly realized what the sensation reminded her of. It was like the key was in her back again. It was like she was a wind-up puppet, matching to Jingle’s tune. Harper wanted to panic, but before it could fully set in, she heard a soft ring.

Harper looked down and realized that while she had been having her revelation, her hand had rung the bell. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run, but it was futile. Her body wasn’t functioning. And, before Harper could think another thought, her eyes locked onto the sign and she got absorbed in the colors once more. Her mind fully accepted her fate.

In fact, Harper was so absorbed by the lights that she didn’t even notice the cold anymore. She simply let the world around her fade away until everything was just streaks of light once more.

The next few hours were spent in a delirious haze of color, broken by short flashes of lucidity, but even those flashes felt strange and distant. She remembered Jingle taking her back to the facility. She felt her clothes being removed as the song from the room looped over and over.

It didn’t matter if she was lucid or not. Harper couldn’t do anything but let it happen. She could just let the light wash over her and let it all happen.

Chapter 5

Olivia pushed her way through the crowd, desperate to get where she was going. She mentally kicked herself as she ducked into one of the mall’s side routes; she should have guessed that the mall would be this crowded. Still, she had promised herself a fancy smoothie and the only smoothie place near her office was in this mall.

As she looped around the corner, Olivia muttered to herself, questioning why people would still be Christmas shopping this close to Christmas. Eventually, she exited the corridor, arriving at a quieter part of the mall that sat just behind the food court. This place was quiet for a change, and the whole area had been turned into a cheap-looking Santa’s village.

A shudder ran down Olivia’s spine. Something about this place made her uncomfortable, but she wasn’t exactly sure why. The attraction was full of people in elf costumes milling around, obviously waiting for someone, anyone, to come and partake in their festivities.

Olivia looked around the room looking for an opening that she could slip through and avoid most of the hustle and bustle. She fumbled around the random cardboard buildings and through the clusters of elves as she tried to reach the food court. However, just as she got close to a large chair on a platform, Olivia spotted something that made her freeze in her tracks.

A woman in Ms. Claus’ red, fur-trimmed dress and hat had walked out from behind one of the cardboard buildings. Olivia recognized her. In fact, she would recognize that face anywhere.

“Harper!” yelled Olivia in astonishment as she waved. The Santa woman turned before letting out a little gasp. She whispered something to one of the elves and then skipped her way over to Olivia.

“Why hello, young lady!” Harper practically sang at her friend.

Olivia gasped. “What happened to you? I’ve been worried sick! You walked off when we were shopping! I’ve been calling and emailing non-stop and you didn’t even reply!”

“Gosh!” giggled Harper girlishly, “I guess I got distracted. I’m a silly head!”

Olivia shook her head, staring in disbelief. “A ‘silly head’? Are you kidding me? Harper, do you have any idea how close I was to filing a missing person’s report?” she asked sternly. “Look, whatever, I’m glad you’re safe. But, why are you working as a mall Santa?” Olivia looked around uncomfortably at the hokey display of Santa’s village. “I didn’t know this was your sort of thing. Did you quit your job to do this?”

“Golly,” began Harper again, covering her mouth as she did. Perhaps, deep down, the old Harper was still in there, knowing that something, anything else would have come out of her mouth in front of Olivia like this. Still, she couldn’t seem to stop herself as she continued on with her chipper, girlish giggling. “Golly gosh, I found my calling! Spreading happiness and joy to all the good little boys and girls!” She posed ridiculously with her hand on her hip. “I’m spreading jolly cheer, Bringing the Christmas spirit to the world!”

“Right,” sighed Olivia, cringing from the very first ‘golly gosh’ as she did. It was like the Harper she knew had been replaced with an extra from some 1950s sitcom. However, while it did seem weird, it wasn’t the oddest thing Harper had ever done, so Olivia opted to just ignore it. “Well. Maybe in the future at least respond to my calls? I nearly called the police.”

“Whoopsie!” laughed Harper, “I’ll be a better friend! Pinkie promise! I’ll buy you a sugar cookie!” Her voice suddenly jumped in volume for the last phrase. In fact, Olivia had never heard Harper sound so happy.

“Sure, we’ll get coffee,” agreed Olivia.

Harper opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, the sound of sleigh bells echoed through the area. Harper stiffened for a moment before her eyes lidded. Her body language changed, her overly excited and preppy bouncy faded as she put her hand on her hip.

“Well that would be lovely,” purred Harper, her voice lower and more sultry. Olivia jolted a little bit; something about how Harper was looking at her made her feel very uncomfortable. “But first, I have to make sure all the good little boys and girls get what they want this year.”

“I see,” mumbled Olivia as she looked away from Harper’s gaze, not wanting to make this conversation even more awkward than it already was.

“So you be nice and well-behaved,” purred Harper, “and I’ll buy you a treat. Okay, dear?”

“I,” mumbled Olivia, totally unsure how to react to this sudden change. “Sure. If you want. I’ve got time,” she mumbled, stumbling over her words. While Harper had jokingly flirted with her in the past, this felt more than that. In fact, this seemed nothing like Harper at all.

“Good Girl,” smiled Harper, sounding somehow imperative as she turned to walk toward the crowd of elves, her hand remaining glued to her hip as she swung her hips outrageously. Once she arrived at the large chair, she gently sat down before theatrically crossing her legs.

Olivia shook her head, trying to clear up her thoughts. She wasn’t sure what had come over Harper, but she couldn’t walk off now she had agreed to wait. Resigning herself to patience, she simply moved to a corner and hoped to stay out of the way of the elves.

A few minutes later, a woman walked into the area. She did a double-take as she looked around the display, obviously surprised by the Christmas village setup. However, when the woman made eye contact with Harper, her cheeks flushed bright red.

Olivia giggled to herself. It wasn’t the first time she had seen a girl instantly fall in love with Harper. She was an attractive woman. Or, at least, she was until you got to know her. Harper made eye contact with the woman and seductively motioned for the girl to come over with a slowly-curling finger before patting at her thigh. The blushing woman hurriedly made her way through the empty line and sat on Harper’s lap, giggling shyly as she did.

While they talked Olivia zoned out, debating if she should get herself a smoothie and then come back, or if it was quicker to just wait for Harper. Suddenly, a loud alarm pulled Olivia from her daydreaming. She jumped and looked around, only to see that the elves were pulling guns out of their costumes and several large metal walls were rising out of the cardboard buildings.

“What is going on?!” screamed Olivia as she looked around, a wave of déjà vu washed over her. She watched as the elves surrounded the chair, screaming at the girl as they pointed guns at her.

“Code Tinsel! Code Tinsel!” the elves screeched as the girl in Harper’s lap looked at them, her body trembling with terror. Olivia wasn’t sure what to do. She looked around, hoping that someone would explain what was going on, but all of the elves were running too quickly for her to ask.

“Beginning capture protocol!” shouted one of the elves as an evil smirk crept across Harper’s face. Harper reached into the white fluffy ruffle on her jacket and pulled a needle from it. Olivia wanted to shout and warn the girl, but just as she opened her mouth, someone shouted at her.

“Hey! I recognize you!” called a voice as Olivia turned, only to see that an elf was standing next to her. Olivia’s brain locked up for a moment. She did recognize the elf, but she wasn’t sure where from.

Before she could think about it for more than a few seconds, the elf produced a spray bottle and spritzed mist into Olivia’s face. The smell of pumpkin spice hit Olivia as the world started to spin, and a wave of sleepiness washed over her.

Olivia’s brain felt heavy. It was like her mind was dissolving into mist. She tried to speak, but she couldn’t focus on words, and her jaw just felt so weak. She sloppily stumbled a few steps before a warm, nutmeggy darkness enveloped her brain, and she crumpled to the floor.

The elf looked at Olivia’s body and then glanced at the label on the spray can. “Second time, huh. I sure hope the state of California is wrong about this stuff,” she said before shrugging and running towards the seat.