by Aiden James
“‘We don’t have time to fuck right now,’ she whispered, her voice trembling. ‘Perhaps we could shake things up around here if I had you on the celebration table before dinner. Sound like fun?’
“I pictured the space in the middle of the table where the main course would be set once dinner was ready. A cold shudder ran through me, though at the moment I had no idea why. She, on the other hand, cocked her head to one side as she studied my eyes and reaction, a hint of concern in her own.
“What would her family think of that? Still hazy, I felt somewhat horrified by the implications and images brought to my mind by her words.
“Before I could ponder the matter further, she pulled me out of her, and was on her knees again, working me fervently. Her smile especially mischievous, she glanced up at my surprised face. Then she went down on me again, this time taking me all the way in to the back of her throat. The pleasure much more intense, this time I felt like I left my body, followed by the distinct sensation of rising upward toward a blinding light. Suddenly, the light faded and I was sucked down into a void of utter darkness. I floated, aimless in this deep sea of blackness, feeling empty and alone and yet at the same time warm and comfortable.
“From somewhere nearby, she moaned. The sound of her lilting voice grew steadily louder until it surrounded me. It so encompassed my being that it seemed to fill me, saturating every cell or molecule I could claim as my own.
“‘Give in to me, Jack, for now is the time,’ her voice told me, the moan softening to a mere whisper. ‘Things must work out as they should. Darkness is drawing near and the bright light of day will soon fade forever into evening…. It’s best the nature of things in our world continue as it always has. For the sweetest and most meaningful moment of a day is the sunset, marking the inevitable surrender of daylight to the night’s ominous power.’
“All at once, I stood before her, the final thrusts of my amazing orgasm finished. She moaned again as she collected the last drop of my seed. Then, she removed me from her mouth and pulled up my underwear and shorts, but only just above my knees.
“She stood up and looked directly into my eyes, taunting me with a smug, satisfied grin on her face. She licked her lips, finishing this process with a light smack.
“‘Oh, the sweetness of youth!’ she enthused. ‘The younger the sweeter, that’s for sure!’
“She turned around and moved toward the bed, leaving me standing in my semi-nakedness near the door. Genovene purposely swung her hips back and forth to torment me further. Her arrogant swagger was all I needed to realize I’d been nothing more than her latest sexual conquest. The only salvageable thing was my awareness of this fact. The fudge cookie’s strange hold had ended.
“‘What the hell’s going on here?’ I thought to myself. ‘What in God’s name have I just...DONE??’
“I hurried to pull up my underwear and shorts. I felt the blood rush to my face again along with the heat and cool sweat from the most extreme embarrassment I’ve ever experienced. I was humiliated—completely mortified, and as I ran the hazy play-by-play of the experience through my mind, I teetered on the edge of terrible despair.
“‘Oh, come now, Jack!’ she chastised teasingly, walking over to a large armoire next to the enormous bed. She opened it and pulled out a lavender cape and gown, setting them both on the bed. ‘You were very enjoyable. You’ve got a great young body, a beautiful face and a nice, big cock for your age, Jackie Boy! What more could a girl want?’
“She laughed, but the insensitivity in her voice was clear. The sweetness from earlier now absent, I couldn’t wait to go home.
“Genovene stifled her laughter. She studied me intently. A wounded, worried look soon replaced her giddy pompousness.
“‘Oh, Jack, please! I was just having a little fun! I did only what you’ve been wanting all day.... My desire has always been to make you happy!’
“Thoroughly confused by her abrupt about-face, I honestly couldn’t decide which side of her was real. One had to be a facade hiding the other. Despite my sincere hope this was the ‘real’ Genovene, I wasn’t at all sure.
“She moved back toward me, her naked beauty stirring my manhood again, though the wanton thoughts from earlier were long gone.
“‘Look, Jack…. I’m truly sorry for teasing you a moment ago. I really am,’ she told me. ‘But I’m not sorry for bringing you into my bedchamber, nor am I apologizing for wanting to touch you either. I still want for us to be friends. More than friends, if that’s possible. Okay?’
“I hesitated, but then accepted her apology, mostly because I had wanted her. But I didn’t have her...she had me. All the more reason to keep my guard up from then on.
“I hated what’d happened, but decided to stick around for the Celebration Feast to be polite to her family, and ensure she kept her promise to get me back home…safe. Even so, I intended to get my ass out of there immediately if anything else happened.
“‘Very well’ she said, picking up on my thoughts again. ‘You can go home whenever you like. I only pray you won’t hold my indiscretion against me forever.’
“She seemed truly penitent, and then walked back toward the outfit she’d laid on the bed. She raised her hands above her head and clapped them together loudly. In an instant, the pair of muscular guards who protected the main access to her sanctuary opened the door and stepped into the room.
“‘Urei and Quan, please escort our friend here back to the temple entrance,’ she instructed them over her shoulder. She then addressed me as well.
“‘I’ll be along shortly, Jack. Wait for me at the celebration table in the temple courtyard.’ She motioned for the three of us to be on our way, unashamed in her nakedness. ‘Make sure you’re ready for when the feast starts at three o’clock, Jack!’ she called after me.
“‘Three o’clock??’
“I pulled my watch from my shorts pocket. Under the torchlight’s glow just outside her doorway I saw it was already past two-thirty that afternoon.
“‘Genovene, I need to be on my way home now!’ I told her. ‘I can’t afford to be late getting home today—Grandpa will kill me for sure!’
“‘Jack, please trust me!’ she said. ‘You won’t be late getting home. But this feast must start promptly at three—not a minute before or after. It’s always been this way for as long as I can remember. You and I won’t stay long, but we need to make an appearance since you’re the grand guest of honor!’
“‘That’s not going to leave me enough time to get home!’ I countered, unable to control the stress in my voice. ‘It took at least an hour to get here from my house, and I’ve got to be home by four—.’
“‘Jack!’ she snapped, interrupting me. ‘Look, I know a shortcut to your Grandpa’s place. I used it yesterday when I first delivered the talisman to you. I guarantee I’ll have you home well before four o’clock this afternoon. Please, trust me on this—if for no other reason than the amazing things you’ve witnessed here, thanks to me! Please, Jack!’
“I wondered briefly about her reference to the talisman’s delivery to me. But, her incredible charm and the commanding urgency in her voice were impossible to resist. Besides, it was plausible she knew a shortcut.
“‘All right, I’ll stay for the beginning of the feast,’ I agreed. ‘Just remember I’ve got to be home by four. Okay?’
“‘I promise,’ she said, and turned her attention to her two guardians standing behind me. ‘Urei and Quan, as soon as you’ve led Jack to the courtyard, please return here promptly. I’ll be ready for you to escort me to my place next to him at the celebration table.’
“She picked up her gown and addressed me one last time.
“‘Why don’t you wait for me by the temple steps, Jack? Better yet, if you’d like to look around the courtyard, feel free to do so. Just don’t wander too far from the celebration table as we will get started right at three o’clock.’
“I agreed to do that, and joined Urei and Quan. I glanced o
ne last time at this gorgeous woman standing in the middle of her bedroom with her naked backside facing me. One of the guards—I had no idea which one was ‘Urei’ or ‘Quan’—closed the door and motioned for me to lead the way into the darkness. He and the other hulking servant followed close behind. I peered up into their emotionless faces before I lost the benefit of the torchlight’s’ glow, noting their dark eyes and strong features. Their thick black hair and reddish-brown skin made me wonder if they were Native Americans. They were much larger than anybody I’d ever seen before, including the other villagers. If as strong and fierce as they looked, I figured they could make some serious money playing any professional sport they chose.
“Without the comfort of Genovene’s warm presence next to me, the thick blackness we moved in seemed much worse. Determined to get through it as quickly as possible, a faint light in the distance steadily grew brighter. It came from the chalube’at, which gave me a little comfort and a direction to move toward.
“I picked up my pace, but a slithering presence stirred just ahead of us. Invisible, it encircled us very quickly, its growl menacing while we crept along. From its movements, it sounded quite large. I stopped walking.
“Mimicking me, the thing ceased its aggressive approach. A sickening, almost metallic smell…like old rust on a tin can, filled the air around us. I tried to identify the acrid odor. While worrying what to do next, it hit me.
“Blood. Fucking blood, man! That and some rotting carcass of a dead animal. But how in the hell did the awful smell suddenly appear when it wasn’t there the moment before?
“A hot stinky breeze blew toward us from our right. The source of both the stench and the wind draft turned out to be the thing’s mouth—a very, very large mouth. And to think this massive orifice lay hidden just a few feet away, hungry and opened wide. I turned to run back to Genovene’s chamber, but Urei and Quan stopped me. They prodded me toward the chalube’at, now just a couple hundred feet in front of us.
“‘Don’t be afraid,’ one of them advised, his deep voice resonating throughout the area. ‘Keep moving, Jack. You’ll reach your destination safely.’
“‘Well, at least they speak English,’ I remember thinking to myself. ‘What’s out there, following us?’
“‘The personal pets of Talusha,’ the same guard replied. ‘Merely curious at this point.’
“‘Could they hurt somebody?’ I inquired further, the answer obvious, yet hoping to hear a firm ‘no’.
“‘Only if you’re in this place by yourself,’ the guard responded, chuckling. His rumbling voice caused my gooseflesh to rise.
“I summoned my courage and headed for the light, while my companions kept pace with me. The invisible menace continued to threaten our progress, until I finally ignored it. Disinterested, it finally drew back into deeper shadows.
“When we reached the edge of the bright glow, a few trickles of cool sweat streamed down my back and sides. But relieved, I craned my neck back as far as I could. Still couldn’t see the top of the magnificent tower. My companions waited nearby.
“‘Are you ready to continue, Jack?’ asked the other guard.
“I’m ready.’
“They moved to either side of me again, and we continued to the foyer. A small group of servants hurried back and forth from the tower to the courtyard. The other temple guards held the crystal doors open as these servants carried more trays loaded with bread and fruit for the celebration feast. Soon more servants arrived, carrying gold utensils, goblets, and large wine carafes.
“One servant girl in particular caught my eye, carrying a hat-sized, square white box with decorative gold trim. As she approached us, the box slipped from her grasp and tumbled onto the floor. A small door on the side of the box swung open and a stream of voices seeped out. A mere murmur at first, after she dropped the box again when attempting to pick it up, the crying voices became a roar.
“‘Help me!! Get me out of heeerre!!!’ shrieked a young woman’s voice. ‘Save us, someone!!’ an old man’s voice cried out. ‘Release us from here!! Pleeease!!!’
“The servant dove for the box, reaching for its little door in a desperate effort to close it.
“‘Where are you, Genovene?? I want my mommy and my da—.’
The terrified voice of a small child was cut off as the servant shut the door. Terrified, I stood motionless next to Urei and Quan, as if nailed to that very spot. The servant looked up, smiling nervously as my escorts scolded her in the villagers’ language. Her smile fell, replaced by a deeply worried look. Bowing low, she whirled around and ran to the tower’s entrance, where she disappeared into the sunlit courtyard with the box securely tucked under her arm.
“‘Please excuse this unpleasantness, Jack,’ said the one on my right. His voice betrayed an underlying tension. ‘The house servants know better than to leave our ‘amusements’ unprotected. They all belong in the arcade, and it should’ve never been here in the first place.’
“I didn’t think his explanation accounted for the terrible angst I heard in the distraught voices, nor did it tell me why Genovene’s name was called out so emphatically by some little girl. I wanted to ask questions about the box, but the other guard spoke just as I opened my mouth.
“‘We must leave you now and return for Genovene,’ he said. ‘I hope you’ve brought your appetite, Jack, for the celebration table is now ready.’
“Famished, I could hardly wait. ‘Just show me the grub,’ I thought. I walked over to the temple’s crystal doors, careful to avoid any collisions with the busy servants along the way. The guards stationed on either side pulled the doors open and I exited the tower.
“‘Genovene will be here shortly!’ advised the first guard, calling after me. ‘The servants will show you to the place of honor. Be seated at the table by three o’clock sharp, Jack!’
“‘I won’t be late!’ I called back to him over my shoulder, watching both hulky figures move back into the shadowy darkness. I walked out of the temple and down the steps to the courtyard, pulling out my watch to confirm the time. Roughly fifteen minutes to look around. Worried again how I’d ever make it back home by four o’clock, I prayed Genovene kept her promise and that our participation in this feast wouldn’t last long.”
***
“So that wraps up your time spent inside the tower, I take it?”
Peter stood up and moved over to the coffee machine, pouring himself another round, the steam immediately rising from a new cup while he discarded the previous one. He rubbed his eyes, revealing tiredness Jack hadn’t noticed before. A wry grin belied his weary look as he returned to the table after Jack waved off a fresh Coke.
“I appreciate your straightforward description of what happened to you,” he said once he sat down, his tone earnest. “That had to be a very confusing experience for you at that tender age…. I assure you of this: the personal details you shared will be held in strictest confidence—I’ll make certain of it. In regard to the other information you shared about the tower itself, we’ll revisit that before we’re done tonight.”
“You can’t just tell me now?” asked Jack, irritated by any need for secrecy—especially after the personal exploit he’d just shared with the agent. “Seems to me that I’d be a better help to you if I knew specifically what you’re looking for.”
“I can understand why you might think that,” agreed Peter, his expression sheepish. “Let’s just say I have my reasons to be evasive. Just trust me.”
“Well okay,” said Jack, disappointment evident in his tone. He shrugged his shoulders when Peter motioned for him to resume his story. “The sun had already begun its descent toward the western edge of the clear blue sky. To my right sat the majestic pyramid, and the overloaded table was on my left. Scores of servants hurried about in their final preparations for the feast.
“As I moved through a crowd of villagers that had come up from the plaza below, I noticed several men and women dressed in beautiful hooded robes. Similar i
n appearance to Genovene, and not as tall as the others, I assumed these were the brothers and sisters she told me about. All of them had the same beautiful long white hair and luminous blue eyes. Their robes were satin, adorned with gold embroidered designs and small jewels. Each one was a different color: royal blue, crimson, emerald green, and black.
“The four walked back and forth through the crowd from the table to the pyramid. I watched the one in the blue robe with particular fascination, since I recognized him as Genovene’s brother Malacai. He carried a long knife in a jeweled sheath over to the foot of the pyramid’s steps where he laid it down. The person in the emerald robe, a female, followed him. She carried a box that closely resembled the one I’d just seen inside the temple. She set it down next to the knife and returned to the table with Malacai.
“It made me wonder even more what kind of event this was. I mean, what purpose did the fancy knife serve? Did the box sitting next to the knife contain strange voices, too? I shuddered at the thought of hearing more voices plead for mercy, even if just an arcade amusement.
“I looked at my watch again, noting I had ten minutes until the Celebration Feast began. Since Genovene wasn’t there yet, I decided to have a look around the courtyard. I put my watch back in my pocket and walked past the table, toward the row of juniper trees. The aroma from the array of fresh baked bread, side-entrees, pies, and pastries made my stomach growl. Until I reached the trees. The pine scent provided an odd contrast that nauseated me. The intense hunger from just a moment ago, gone.
“Hoping for some relief from the nausea growing worse by the second, I stepped through the row. The terrain dropped off steeply behind the tower, revealing hundreds of golden rooftops stretching a mile or two away, until they reached the enormous crystal wall that encircled the entire village. I figured this must be where the people of this village resided. Beautiful gardens, streams, and a large pond dotted the graceful landscape.
