The Props Master 1 Ritual RealityChapter 21 Summons
- 2 years ago
- 26
- 0
The dreams on the plane made it difficult for Wayne to sleep during the time he wasn’t staring out the plane at the clouds and taking pictures of them. Beside him Judith laughed and pointed out the window.
“Oh look! A cloud. We’re on top of it. Quick. Take a picture.” Wayne had his camera pressed to the window before he realized she was teasing him.
“Hey, I’m not a world traveler like you,” he complained. “I’ve never seen this before.”
“You are now, babycakes,” she said. “Just wait till later.”
But later, Wayne was thrashing in his seat with nightmares.
Fifty naked bodies dancing around the fire, hurtling through the spheres. He held his goddess queen tightly in his arms as their own fire leapt higher than the flames in and around the cauldron. From the cauldron’s depths rose a spirit, eyes glimmering as it took shape, beckoning them toward it. Calling them to their doom. Wayne raised his wards, but the demon slashed at them, reaching through to grasp him. Them. He had to protect her.
“Wake up! Wake up!” Judith was whisper-shouting in his ear. He had to protect her and extended his wards to enclose her. No sooner was she within than she reached to touch the pentacles on his chest and he awoke.
“Swordmaster,” he began.
“Shh. Not here. Come with me.”
They stood from their seat and made their way to the back of the plane. Most of their cast was asleep. A couple of them were playing cards and glanced at them, smiling. When they reached the back of the plane Judith pushed Wayne into the head and locked the door behind them.
“What’s going on?”
“Anybody who saw us thinks we’re joining the mile-high club,” Judith answered quietly. “But in our current state that might be dangerous. We could blow a hole in the airplane with the energy you were generating. Just let me hold you, Unbound. Come down and tell me what was going on in your dream.”
“It was the demon-man,” Wayne whispered. Details were already fuzzing, but he knew he had to protect them from the demon-man.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what’s drawn him to us.”
“I fought him last night,” Wayne said.
“In your dream?”
“Maybe. It seemed so real. I had power and pushed him away. He wanted the crate. I slept on it last night.”
“Poor baby. It was all a dream,” Judith said, touching the pentacles. Wayne reeled slightly and caught himself on the edge of the sink. Judith sat on the stool in front of him.
“What are we doing in here?” he asked.
“There’s too much pressure in the airplane,” Judith laughed as she unzipped his pants. “We’re going to relieve a little of it.” She pulled his cock out of his pants and sucked it into her mouth.
“Oh god, baby! You found the release valve.”
“Come for me, darling. I’ve never tasted you yet.”
It wasn’t a command, but before he let that sink in, he was obeying.
“There’s good news and there’s bad news,” Jim said. Forty pairs of eyes stared at him from the crowded little bus. They had been crammed into the vehicle with all their luggage in Mansfield. For the last twenty hours, nothing seemed to go right. There was an unexpected six-hour layover at JFK Airport in New York resulting in a missed connection and another four hours at Heathrow. They’d been crammed virtually on top of each other into this bus. Now there was more bad news.
“There are no more buses available,” Jim continued. “That’s the first news. The other two casts are much smaller than ours and were supposed to share a bus. They cleared customs and took a bus each before we even got here. So, it’s going to be cozy for the next couple of hours. Get as comfortable as you can. We should open every other window about an inch to keep fresh air circulating. I can already detect unpleasant odors.”
A general movement among the cast marked the effort. Windows were slid back. No one could find a more comfortable position, though Wayne wasn’t complaining about Judith sitting on his lap. They finally gave up and returned their attention to Jim.
“Second, customs still won’t release our costumes and props. They say there are too many weapons in the box.” Wayne grimaced but tried not to telegraph his disapproval to Judith. Her fingernails dug into his arm anyway. “Mr. Brown, the tour director, has promised they will make it in time for the show tomorrow, but who believes The Great God Brown at this point.” Jim’s skepticism was shared by all the cast by now. “We’ll rehearse without costumes and props. I want everyone to check your luggage tonight for possible substitute costumes if we have to go on without.”
“No!” moaned Carol Nygard. “It’s one thing to play a boy’s role in boy’s clothes. I can’t play Guildenstern in a dress.”
“Dress?” answered Glenn. “This is our opportunity to make an artistic statement. Hamlet in the nude.”
“At least we won’t need the rapiers then,” laughed Chuck.
“And you the judges ware a beary eye,” misquoted Steve.
“Damn you all,” cried Carol. Chuck put an arm around her to comfort her.
“We’re not going to stay in Kendall as we were told. We’re headed to Keswick. It’s about thirty miles farther north, but is supposed to be a delightfully charming little town. That means, though, that we won’t be getting in until about nine tonight. For those of you who haven’t set your watches yet, it’s now six-o-five local.” Several people reset their watches according to the announcement.
“One more thing...”
“He’s really full of this stuff, isn’t he?” Glenn whispered over the seat to Wayne.
“The group is too big for any single hotel in Keswick. We will be split up in three different locations. We’ll work out the room assignments on the way up,” Jim finished. “Now the good news.”
“Thank god,” Wayne said. “I thought he was going to say that was the good news.”
“Dr. Allen has been on the phone,” Jim said. “One of the innkeepers has agreed to make us a late dinner. There’ll be a good meal waiting for us when we get there.”
“Hooray,” chorused a half-dozen weary voices.
“And by the way,” finished Jim, “we are in England. That ought to be worth something.” And, in fact it did spark a bit more enthusiasm as the bus lurched to a start.
“I don’t care about a meal,” Wayne said. “As long as there’s a good bed in my room.”
“Always looking for a place to sleep, aren’t you?” said Judith. “Thought all you needed was a blanket, a pillow, and the stars.”
“Hey, it held great potential. I didn’t exactly go out and hire a clansman to throw darts at us.”
“Well, maybe we can pony up to go halvsies on a room. That would ease the shortage.”
“Save water, shower with my girlfriend.”
“Am I your girlfriend?”
“I hope so.”
“Lover?”
“One and only.”
“Wayne,” Jim said, fighting his way over the luggage in the aisles. “I need to talk to you a minute.”
“Trouble,” Judith said under her breath.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Do you have a copy of the declarations slip?”
“Yeah. Right here in my camera bag.”
“Along with twenty-eight color glossy photos of clouds on the way to England,” Gail laughed from in front.
“ ... with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back,” Glenn chimed in.
“You can get anything you want,” they sang in unison until Gail shut him up the easy way.
“Is there a musical accompaniment to everything? I’m going to have to send you back to London,” Jim said. For a moment Wayne thought he was referring to Glenn and Gail, then realized Jim had returned to talking to him. “Apparently, we need a representative at customs in the morning. You packed the box, you know what’s in it, you’re the technical director, you’re it.”
“Tag,” Wayne said.
“Shit,” Judith responded.
“How am I getting to London and why am I going three hours in the wrong direction first?” Wayne grumbled.
“We’ll get settled in Keswick first, then head back to London so you can be there at eight o’clock when the office opens,” Jim answered.
“Maybe I should go, too, since I’m English,” Judith volunteered.
“Dr. Allen has agreed to go with him so he doesn’t get lost or have legal problems. She represents the school.” Wayne felt Judith stiffen and then slump against him. “We’ll change drivers in Keswick and send you back by bus so you’ve got a place to put the crate.”
“Terrific. One more night sleeping sitting up for that damned crate.”
“I’m depending on you, Wayne. I know it’s rough, but we’ve got to get the goods.”
“Yeah. I’ll bring it back, dead or alive.”
Jim moved back toward the front of the bus. Wayne looked up at Judith. She glared back.
“So,” she said acidly, “spend your first night in England with Rebecca. See what I care.”
“I didn’t choose this,” he complained.
“You certainly didn’t object.”
“What was I supposed to do? Sorry, Jim, I’ve got other plans for tonight?”
“At least make a show of being disappointed. It doesn’t take a medical examiner to see your eyes go out of focus every time you get the chance to spend time with her.”
“If my eyes went out of focus, it’s because I went to sleep.”
“Then stop poking me in the ass with that thing. You’ve had yours.”
The silence turned stony as Wayne closed his eyes to attempt to sleep the remainder of the way to Keswick. Eventually, Judith relaxed on his lap and cuddled as they tried to get sleep that didn’t come. Wayne held her close and they kissed, holding their lips close to each other all the way to Keswick.
Disappointed not to spend the night with Judith? Yes. Disappointed in the prospect of traveling back to London with Rebecca? Maybe not.
After dinner, Wayne lay down on the bed in his room. It would be midnight before they left again and he was determined to get as much sleep as possible before they left. In keeping with school policy, the women had been assigned to the Skiddaw Hotel and the men to the Walpole. Except Rebecca. Because she was working with Wayne to go back to London, she’d been assigned to the Walpole as well. Judith glared at Wayne when she left for her hotel and he couldn’t catch up with her to give her a goodnight kiss. Glenn was just a room down from Wayne on one side and Rebecca on the other. He dozed on top of the covers. He didn’t hear the knock on the door. He came up out of sleep when Rebecca shook him gently by the shoulder.
Friday, 6 June 1969“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she said. “We’ve got a bus to catch.”
“Oh, gees. Is it midnight already?” he yawned.
“No. It’s a quarter after one. We had trouble getting another driver.”
“Must be jet lag,” he quipped. “Here I thought it was the middle of the night.”
“Very clever. Need anything?”
“No. Just a pillow.”
“John and Joyce already put pillows and blankets on board for us. Make sure you’ve got your declaration.”
“Got it.”
“And passport.”
“Oh. Yeah. Anything else?”
“Let’s go.” They went out the front of the inn and Jim met them at the bus.
“It looks like you’re set. Here’s the itinerary of where we’re playing so you can direct the bus right to the theatre on the way back.”
“This is the whole week’s itinerary,” Wayne said glancing at it. “Is that in case it’s Wednesday before we catch up with you?”
“Get back in time for tonight’s performance, okay?” Jim laughed. “You’ve got the first line.”
“Who’s there?”
“Long live the king.” Jim shot back and pushed Wayne back into the bus.
“Gees, it’s cold in here,” Wayne said as he boarded the bus.
“It still gets pretty chilly at night,” Rebecca said.
“Waste of fuel to heat the whole bus,” the driver added. Wayne noted that he had a heater by his seat.
“Go on and find a comfortable place. Here’s a thermos of hot tea and there are the pillows. I’m going to talk to our driver a few minutes.”
Wayne picked up a pillow and blanket and settled into a seat about halfway back as the bus jumped forward and ground its way out of town. If the trip in had been cramped and uncomfortable, the trip to London in the empty bus would be rough and bouncy. A few minutes out of town, Rebecca came back and sat beside Wayne.
“Okay,” Jim said as the cast stood to leave after Friday night notes. “We’ve got it pulled back together. Good rehearsal.” The cast cheered. “Don’t forget the reception Sunday afternoon. Dr. Crowell has gone to a lot of work to get us funding for the tour. It’s only right that we show our best side to the patrons on Sunday. Be there at 12:30 for lunch in the Lilly Room. Anything else?” “Party tomorrow!” yelled Steve. “Spring tour of Brown County. Meet in Nashville at the town pump at two...
The cheers died and the priestesses gathered beside Rebecca and Wayne. “We should take care of our criminal priest,” Judith said to Rebecca. “His presence in the circle is disharmonizing at best.” Rebecca turned her attention back to The Barber behind the altar stone where he was still held. “And what shall we do with him?” she asked as he was brought forward. “Geld him and send him ball-less into the night like Saturn sent Uranus and was himself deposed,” said the Priestess of...
There was nothing wrong with her doing this, Judith told herself. I love him. Well, I think I do. Even if I didn’t, finals are over and I’d do it anyway. Probably. She wasn’t completely convinced, but he certainly wasn’t going to argue about it. And she knew The Huntress wasn’t above using sex to raise power. Their climax together on Oester was evidence of that. And frankly she’d enjoyed it. That was refreshing. She applied her lipstick and looked at herself critically. Frosty pink lips....
The third arrow struck the target. It was wide of the center, but definitely in the target. Wayne turned to Glenn and smiled. “It works!” “Yeah. Congratulations. But why?” “Because I made it right.” “I know why it works. Why did you want it to work? It’s just a prop,” Glenn said shaking his head. He could be so dense. “Nothing is just a prop,” Wayne explained to his friend. “How many of us are guards on the battlements?” “Two.” “And how many bows did we have?” “One.” “So how can we...
Wayne remembered the kiss. But to his credit, he didn’t dwell on it when he saw Judith Friday morning, much as he wanted to simply crush her to him and passionately devour her. She came down at her usual time, though, and the two walked together to the cafeteria. “Are you feeling better?” Wayne asked. “Do you mean am I hung over?” Judith laughed. “Not too bad. Some American coffee should help. I’m not ready for steak and eggs.” “I’m glad to hear that. I suppose we shouldn’t make a habit...
“By what authority did you call the assembly of the separate circles?” demanded the elderly woman who stood in front of the High Priest. The great circle celebrants were robed in full ceremonial robes for the summer solstice celebration, but having arrived at the ancient stone circle a dispute immediately broke out over The Barber’s authority to call the circles together. They had come expecting that either the High Priestess or The Huntress had called the circle. Now the test had come. The...
Joe Hamel was happy to drive Wayne down to Indy after the holiday. It gave him an opportunity to relax with his son and not be interfered with by the women. He loved his wife and daughter, but they could really dominate a conversation. He’d finished the valve job on the ‘56 Golden Hawk over Christmas and they felt the Packard 352 engine rumble as they sailed down US 31. They rode nearly fifty miles before either of them said anything. “You never said how the young woman liked her Christmas...
They had scarcely spoken offstage since Thursday night. Judith wasn’t avoiding him and kissed him warmly when she saw him, but each time he suggested they get together, she gave him a gentle shove and suggested that “Rebecca needed him.” He couldn’t figure it out. Judith had been ... well, a little jealous of his relationship with Rebecca, but now she was pushing him toward her. It didn’t make sense. Rebecca rejoined the cast for their last performance at Ambleside on Sunday night, which...
Wayne found it difficult to concentrate on his trip until he crossed the state line into West Virginia. He moped during the entire twenty-four-hour train trip from Indiana to Huntington, West Virginia including the nine-hour layover in Chicago. It seemed stupid to have to go west before he could go east, but he wandered around The Loop looking at the animated Christmas displays in the windows of Marshall Field’s. He was lovesick. His hand was always touching the necklace Judith had placed...
“What a pit,” Wayne moaned as he looked around at what would pass for a theatre for the next four nights. The cast had moved to Ambleside on Thursday after a second and third performance in Keswick played to nine people—total. They’d had a day off, during which Wayne slept, and then a day-trip to Gretna Green and Hadrian’s Wall. That had inspired an entire first scene re-enactment on the remnants of the great wall. While Judith was friendly with Wayne, something had changed. She seemed almost...
As soon as Wayne dropped the pouch, his ghostly companion nearly dove off the cliff trying to catch it. She looked at him strangely, then back at Rebecca kneeling on the ground below. Wayne pushed himself out of his resting place and scrambled upward. He felt a nudge as if impatient hands were pushing him upward and then he rolled away from the cliff. The Lady rolled beside him and glancing back at him in disbelief, she turned and dove off the cliff. “So that was it. You weren’t interested...
Judith tucked her hair up under the short black wig until no blonde strands could be seen. She positioned the black broad-brimmed hat on her head and fastened the cape neatly around her black bodystocking, its red silk lining adding the only color accent to her costume. The cape also served to cover the black shoulder bag that was slung behind her. Finally, she fastened her rapier to the belt. This was her third date with Wayne in two weeks—a kind of dating speed record in her experience....
Rebecca Hart Allen, PhD, Professor of Sociology. The name was on the door in bold black letters. Wayne could no longer delay the dreaded meeting. He had not been Dr. Allen’s favorite student last term and he found that genuinely regrettable. His grade point average showed as much. At least he didn’t have to base his chances for graduate school on that single pass/fail class. He was generally a good student and enjoyed school, which was unusual for people in theatre. But it hadn’t shown in Dr....
At three o’clock Thursday morning Wayne lay in bed wide awake staring at the ceiling again. Production was running smoothly and everyone was catching up on classes. As much as they wanted to get together—and each made a point of telling the other that they did want to get together—Judith was unavailable this week as she finished a paper that was giving her more than her share of problems. His schedule was light this term and he had no classes that required lengthy research papers. Instead,...
When Wayne awoke seconds later, Judith already cradled him against her breasts, her hand stroking his hair. A bird chirped somewhere in the distance, the only sound breaking the silence, and Wayne’s first clue that the night was far advanced and dawn would soon break. He looked up, searching for Judith’s eyes, but found that they were focused on a spot beyond him. He followed her gaze to the broken cauldron and the fountain of steam that was still rising from it. It rose only some six feet...
Wayne and Rebecca arrived at the theatre an hour before curtain. Theatre, if you could call it that. It was the general assembly room of a school—a large empty room with a linoleum floor and carts of folding chairs waiting to be set up. The stage was slightly elevated at one end of the room with no curtains. Nor were there curtains on the twelve-foot tall windows that lined both sides of the room. Wayne surveyed the setting and stage as the rest of the cast and crew unloaded and unpacked the...
PROFANE RITUALS - THE RITUAL The big, black, stretch limousine in which we travelledseemed to glide over the shiny black surface of the wet street as it wendedits way through the city, towards the waterfront. All the luxury vehicle'swindows, with the obvious exception of the windscreen, were opaque black, denyingpassers by any opportunity to see into the interior of the cabin, and the privilegedfew who travelled in there. This was just as well, considering those who wereactually occupying that...
Hello everyone. My name is James and let me narrate to you a story which happened to me last year. I had come home for my summer break and was enjoying my vacations at home, when one day one of our relatives called up my dad and asked for me to visit his place for some ritual. This relative of mine lived in a village nearby and had the couple themselves and 4 daughters in their family. Out of the 4, 3 were already married and I had heard that they have fixed the last one’s marriage being due...
“I appeal to thee, oh goddess, please grant me my wish. Let my desire be fulfilled! Grant me the power to cast my will on those who have wronged me.”The words rang in the small room of the apartment, bouncing off the walls repeatedly. There was nothing else in the room to absorb the noise anyhow. This was Charley’s spare bedroom in her apartment, and like many young 22-year-olds trying to pay for school, she hadn’t filled it with anything. In fact, the only thing within the small room, besides...
SupernaturalJoan Mertz lay back in the king-sized bed in the cottage she had her husband had rented for their two week Mexican vacation. She was wearing only her white cotton panties and they barely fit her anymore. She rubbed her large belly, six month swollen with their child, then she reached below her stomach and felt her labia, wet with desire. Steve had already left for the airport and had left her lying in bed; wet, horny and angry. He refused to make love to her saying that the baby would be in...
There were not enough tears that could be shed for the pain that laced Rebecca’s palm and right arm. Mrs. Weed still held her head in gentle hands, but Rebecca was oblivious to the sterile surroundings of the hospital. At least the salve the nurse applied had begun to numb the pain. “And how did you manage a burn like this?” asked the nurse. “I grabbed a hot ... pan from the stove,” answered Rebecca at last. “Now what do you suppose they make potholders for?” chided the nurse. “I imagine...
I squeezed Rillnam, and then released her. I climbed to my feet, and offered her my hand. "On your feet everyone; we've got a ritual to perform. Follow me." I led the four of us to the door we'd entered by, and turned to Tonrath. Males seemed as slightly favored as leaders among the Craxill as they were among modern Earth, so I was appointing him my deputy. But I was in charge; it would be my ass if this didn't work. "Open it," I told him. Blinking, he said nothing, but touched the...
Hello everyone I’m like you all a sex lover who like sex stories and spend most of his time in this site. I’m average guy with average looks, and respectable 7 inches Indian penis and nothing which makes me the king of my sexual destiny. I started my college previous year and was virgin, this thought totally filled me with despise for myself but very soon all of these going to change for ever in college. Kartik is one of my best friends; he was different from all of us in sexual behavior. He...
IncestThe next morning, things were deceptively normal, other than a last-minute discussion of timing over breakfast. Priya, and most of the Craxill in Clan Phoenix would be in attendance at the ceremony; Jessica, Nadiya, and Nilwint would be riding herd on the children, assisted by those of Linda's friends whose school schedules permitted. Kirnwan would be present, but not part of the 'procession.' Instead, he would be part of the 'audience, ' which would give him the chance to sample the...
The Airport My wife is an amazingly beautiful woman, particularly if your taste runs towards the teens. Susan is barely 5 foot tall, an athletic 99 pounds, A-cup breasts with what seem to be perpetually hard nipples. Her red, wavy hair extends just beyond her shoulders. She has the creamy white complexion that only a natural red-head can have, with light freckling over her entire body. Despite nearing 30, with the right outfit she could blend in with a group of 14 year olds easily. She’s...
Before we get into the story, I would like to thank everyone who took their time to provide feedback and comments on my story. I am expecting the same kind of response from you guys after you finish reading this part. Now back to the story the first sex ritual. Ramanan and Radhika did not speak to each other about the test conducted on them by the Sage. But the pleasure they experienced still lingered on their body. Ramanan had his cock rising whenever he thought about the things that Meena did...
Earth Mother - The Ritual My name is Perl, and I belong to a community of Pagan’s. Even at my tender age of nearly sixteen and a half I have come into contact with other communities that do not follow our ways or join in with our rituals. We are a small community that live on the western isles of our mainland. We are true to our Pagan beliefs and celebrate them with vigour. Mabon is the Pagan ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the Earth and is a recognition of our need to share them. It...
SupernaturalIt wasn’t often that Rebecca could free herself early enough in the day to surprise Wesley with dinner. Lately, though, with Wesley spending his afternoons in the library, she had found time to indulge her culinary whims before he got home. This afternoon, the first time this week, she had stopped at the city market and purchased a rack of ribs, smiling at her own extravagance. When Wesley got home he would be greeted by the smell of barbecue sauce. They would still have a good bit of the...
“Professor Allen! Professor Allen! What happened here?” He had never heard Miss Miller’s voice so loud. They were in the library, after all. Didn’t she know? But the hands that touched him were larger than frail Miss Miller’s. And the voice that spoke next had the deep resonance of a campus security guard. “Professor. Wake up. Take it easy. Stay still. Where are you hurt?” Wesley groaned. Hurt? Suddenly, everything hurt. Head, arm, face, back. He wagged his head left and right and...
The Adolfus Rituals Ian walked around the house. Jessica had left him a month ago, but he still found her things in the place. There was a knock at the door. Ian went down the hall to the front door. Out side there was a guy with a package. “Ryan Trembull?” the man asked. “No, Ian Trembull,” Ian announced himself. “Is Ryan Trembull here?” the man asked. “No,” Ian took a deep breath, “He died a few years ago.” “Are you his heir?” the man asked. “Yeah,” Ian said, “Uncle Ryan didn’t have any kids....
GayI woke with a dull rhythmic pounding in my skull. My head wasn't sore though. It was the drums. Lifting myself up on my elbows, I looked around, stunned by the very different viewpoint I had of the cave. The ritual was always held here, and I'd been involved a few times before, but then I'd been one of the naked children, cavorting on the outskirts of the main event, buzzing on the aromatic smoke, and grabbing at the boys around me. Tonight, I was lying near the centre of the huge space,...
The girl in the dressing gown opened the door. She went in. The room was quite small, it was warm and well lit. There was nothing special about it. Just a room in a house. Could have been someone’s living room. If there had been living room furniture. But what had she expected? A secret society? A temple? Or a dungeon? Bizarre artifacts, burning candles? Sinister gowns and ceremonial masks? An ancient book on an altar? Spells and chants? Chains and dildos? None of that was here. Why did they...
First TimeMarie gazed up at the red coloured moon glowing in the star-lit night sky. “All hail the blood-moon, portent of change and transformation.” She whispered. A gentle breeze softly caressed her skin and played gently with strands of her dark hair. She took a deep breath of the fresh air from the open window and closed her eyes. Everything was just perfect; so beautiful and peaceful. Just as things should be. Just as things would be for ever more. Marie opened her eyes and looked at the the moon...
The next morning, I was just finishing breakfast when Jessica wandered in, looking radiant. She kissed Priya on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, then glanced at me significantly. I raised an eyebrow, but she didn't speak. Suspecting what she wanted, I pushed back from the table, and offered her my lap with a glance. Jessica settled down in my lap, and I put my arms around her. "It's too early for a pregnancy test," she told me, "But the ovulation test was positive this morning, so...
This is the story about a peculiar male – me, a sex pig - who is now an extreme shit pervert. I am this male sex-subject, but consider me more of an "it," rather than a full-fledged normal man. And, continually keep in mind that it enjoys it’s extreme perversions especially when it can display them openly before other men – it’s primary sexual object of lust – the cock, and in particular, the male anus while defecating shit – is superseded above all else by my swallowing shit.It was born,...
Despite the late hours, I woke early the next morning, well before my normal time. I considered waking Priya for a little marital playtime, but rejected the idea. She was still running a bit behind on sleep, even with Jessica and Nadiya and the rest of the staff to help keep track of the babies, and she needed her rest. Besides, I'd just remembered that I needed to read the notes that Ambassador Monrill had given me. I got up and went downstairs to my office, where I retrieved my datapouch...
When Wesley awoke in the predawn light, he found the air as clear as on those days when they did not go to the city. He felt incredibly refreshed and invigorated. He helped make breakfast and drank of his freshly steeped coffee. He had become accustomed to the Greek method of simply putting the finely ground coffee in the little briki and heating it until the foam formed on top, just before the liquid boiled. He would then pour this into his small cup and sip at it until they were ready to...
During the following days, the story haunted Wesley. He questioned Pol more in depth about the story, the promised deliverer, the origins. He wrote songs and poems about the goddess, some of which he included in his weekly letters to Rebecca. She became his own goddess. The crew continued to meet each day at the central rostrum to strategize their work. A profusion of writing decorated the rostrum and this, Wesley was assigned to copy and begin translating. There was also writing on the base...
In the before-dawn blush of the next day, Doc sat on the ground with the family. They formed a loosely drawn circle around the well in the center of the courtyard. He had agreed to participate in the ritual without further thought after Andrew explained it. It was not unlike those Doc had participated in over the years in countless cultures, including at the stone circle in Northern England. Silently, they watched the old man in the center as he moved about the circle inscribing it with his...
A soft step on the gravel near Rebecca began to rouse her out of her sleep. She leaned back against the strong hand that lifted her hair to caress her neck. “Ah, Wes, you’re back,” she sighed. His lips irresistibly pressed against hers and she was locked in the embrace before she was fully awake. She opened her lips to accept the invitation of his tongue and their kiss rose in passion. How odd for Wesley to make such an open demonstration in the courtyard. He took her so much by surprise...
Rebecca awoke alert and refreshed. She’d had uncommonly restful nights for the past two weeks, possibly related to the exhaustion she experienced, first through her research and second through the instruction she had been receiving from Mrs. Weed. The sun cracked through the fog that seemed present every morning in this part of Edinburgh, and streamed through her window. The amount of energy she felt this morning crackled up and down her spine. The gift she had received from the woman...
Do I have the courage? “What must I do?” she whispered. Old Mrs. Weed patted her hand gently. “There are no observers,” she said. “If you would watch, you must join. If you would join, you must come as the goddess entered through the gates of death.” Rebecca caught her breath, torn between her own religious morality and the desire to know. To participate in a surviving witch cult, however, might be more than she wanted to know. She took a deep breath and tried to let it relax her. “You...
Rebecca! The voice echoed around her from every direction, but the darkness would not release her as she followed. This was insane. The camp should be right here. It wasn’t here. She was lost. She should sit down right where she was and wait for rescue. Every child knew that. But someone kept calling her name just over there. If she could only call out in answer, help would come. But her throat was too dry, her lungs ached, and her heart pounded. She could not answer. So she kept...
The staff in his hand was still alive, though it had never again burst into flames. Doc felt it vibrate with each step through the canyons of the Metéora, the fire of the Mediterranean sun beating on his back. He’d been back every summer since the war. Though the staff had never again called fire, Doc had found other uses for it and felt it resonate with the land around him. The goat track that locals called a road was as dusty as the foothills had been. A preternatural awareness of his...
Wesley watched from his hiding place as the argument came to an end with Pol leading a reluctant Doc and Margaret away from the rostrum into the West where they seemed to disappear into the sun. Had they realized he was missing earlier, he would never have been able to remain hidden in this small world. But Pol’s plea to Doc and Margaret was so insistent, and their memory of the warning against the night so clear, that they disappeared along the Aquarius Avenue with a pang of...
Even with the shock and daring of The Blade, Rebecca considered her first gathering with the full circle on Lughnasad to have been a high point of her life. There were more celebrations, dancing, and even couples slipping into the shadows of the huge stones to make love. After the circle had dispersed, Rebecca and Mrs. Weed made their way back to the Bed and Breakfast in Keswick. Breakfast Sunday morning was a typical English affair with boiled sausages, beans, soft boiled eggs, and dry...
Doc and Margaret ran up the avenue toward the rostrum. Pol moved more cautiously forward at a distance. Rebecca stood to meet them and began pulling her clothes on. Wesley blushed and scrambled into his own tattered clothing. “Rebecca!” said Margaret. “How did you ever... ?” “Wesley, are you all right?” Doc overlapped in the excitement. “Did you see them?” Wesley ignored the questions, he was so caught up in the experience. “The pillars arrived just before the sunrise. Did you see them...
At daybreak on Monday, Marcos, Pol, and the three Americans gathered at the common well to receive instructions from the old man. Besides the six of them, the family remained asleep and the courtyard lifeless. Wesley surprised himself when he realized he no longer considered them heathens. The old man was leader of a tribal sect, he thought. After all, a priest had been in the gathering the night before and had invited him to attend services at the monastery when they returned to the...
Dearest Husband Wesley, I hope you can read this. I’m on a bus. Such beautiful country here in the north. So unlike London. But then, we really didn’t see much of London since we stayed in our hotel room. I’m sorry the time of the month was such that I was likely not fertile on our honeymoon. I doubt there is a child yet in my womb. But, oh, my dear, I long to have you in me again. I want to bear your child. My adjustment to life in Edinburgh has been chaotic. I was thrust immediately into...
Rebecca Hart Allen, world traveler. She stepped off the plane to the glare of the afternoon sun, much warmer here than in Edinburgh. She shifted beneath the woolen sweater she wore over her plaid pleated skirt. Mrs. Weed had taken her shopping for tartans, a favorite souvenir of Americans who imagined they had some Scottish blood in their veins. Perhaps Rebecca did have Scottish ancestors. They had found a Hart tartan, though it was classified as Clan Urquhart. Nonetheless, Mrs. Weed sewed...
“I am happy that you chose to join me on this little jaunt, Brother John,” said Brother El. “I go by Wesley. No one has called me John in many years.” “Precisely why I chose to name you Brother John. Should anyone hear your name spoken, they will not relate it to the American explorers in the village. Are you doing all right?” Wesley glanced down at the sheer cliff beside him and the narrow stairs cut into it. For a moment, he considered that he might have been better being hauled up the...
The desert sun beat down as Doc climbs one dune after another—dunes that were in different places hours ago. That was before the sandstorm buried him and his fellow archaeologists in the Sinai. He has to get help. Any relief from the burning heat. More miles of desert to cross. In his Greenwich home, Doc snapped back to reality, staring at a carved wood panel in his library that replayed the event. Each of the eleven panels in the room showed a different expedition. His eye wandered back to...
Not everything went as smoothly as anticipated. Indiana required a blood test before a license would be issued and there was a three-day waiting period after they had a license. Rebecca broke out in tears when the county clerk refused to issue a license. “We leave on our cruise on Saturday!” she protested. “Have the ship’s captain marry you then,” the sympathetic clerk said. “You really should have thought about this before you decided to honeymoon.” A visit to the travel agent Rebecca had...
Pol met Rebecca and Wesley at the gate when they returned from their walk late in the afternoon. Even after the exertions of their open air lovemaking, they had continued on up between the two highest of Metéora’s monasteries and then followed the road back past yet another. Tourists had begun to arrive for the weekend in Kalambaka to tour the open monasteries on Saturday or attend Divine Liturgy on Sunday. “Have you been waiting for us, Pol?” Wesley asked. The boy nodded and...
Doc and Margaret boarded a train to Chicago with Milton’s notes safely tucked between them. The Chicago tickets, purchased by William the day before their departure, would postpone anyone following them at least a day. If they were lucky, it would send someone ahead of them to Chicago. When they arrived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, they got off the train. Wesley Allen was waiting to pick them up. The meeting was warm and cordial. The three-hour trip from Fort Wayne to Wesley’s home in...
Rebecca recognized all the players as she emerged from the fog. She screamed for Wesley as he dove into the river but her words were ripped away by the wind. Rebecca ran hard for the tree with Marcos slipping on the rocks behind her as the rain increased. They vaulted the near-side stream onto what was now an island in the midst of which the old olive stood unmoving. At the river bank, they could see nothing but rushing water; then, far downstream, Pol’s head and hand emerged. Rebecca ran...
Dreams. There were always dreams. He had just awakened to find Rebecca draped across him, having not stirred from where they ended their lovemaking the night before. His dream had been so real and so familiar in the afterglow. He was married. His wife and, in her womb, their daughter were the world to him and he would guard and protect them for eternity. But the dream had revealed something. Eternity might be a very long time. He looks out at his dream world through watery eyes. An empty...
Getting out of Scotland and to the Metéora proved more complicated than anticipated. Rebecca spent most of Thursday at the embassy retrieving her updated passport with her new name. She ran to the university and explained to Dr. Reston that she would be pursuing a lead in Central Greece where a form of goddess worship was still practiced at the very foot of the Orthodox monasteries. And that while based in the Greek pantheon, it appeared that a single goddess was the object of reverence. This...