The Golden Talisman

by J. Stefan Jackson

  “‘What the fuck is going on here?’ I wondered in horror to myself. ‘What in God’s name have I just...DONE??’ I looked down at my nakedness and hurried to pull up my underwear and shorts. I could feel the blood rush to my face again along with the heat and cool sweat of the most extreme embarrassment I’ve ever experienced. I was humiliated—completely humiliated, and as I ran the hazy play by play of the experience through my mind, I teetered on the edge of a much more dangerous feeling of despair.

  “‘Oh, come now, Jack!’ Genovene playfully chastised me as she walked over to a large armoire located near the head of the enormous bed. She opened it and pulled out a lavender cape and gown, setting them both upon the bed. She seemed at ease in her nakedness, addressing me as one would a familiar lover or spouse. The strange euphoria might be leaving, I thought, but her telepathic powers seemed to be right on top of my growing unease.

  “‘You’ve got that right, Jackie boy!’ she teased. ‘You were very enjoyable. You’ve got a great young body, a beautiful face and a nice, big cock for your age! What more could a girl want?’ She laughed, but the insensitivity and arrogance in her voice were unmistakable. The sweetness and compassion from earlier were absent. I was definitely ready to go back home immediately!

  “Genovene stifled her laughter. Suddenly, she dropped what she was doing with her gown and cape and studied me. A wounded and worried look soon replaced her giddy pompousness. ‘Jack, forgive me, please! I was just trying to have a little fun with you! Besides, I did only what you’ve been wanting all day... My desire is to make you happy!’ she concluded with a pout.

  “In an amazing turnabout, the sweetness returned to her demeanor. I was truly confused now, not knowing which side of her was real and which was a facade hiding the other. I hoped this was the ‘real’ Genovene, but I wasn’t at all sure about that and didn’t think I ever could be.

  “She moved back toward me, her naked beauty stirring my manhood again, although 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 before accepting her apology. But I relented and accepted, mostly because I had wanted her. But I didn’t have her...she had me. Regardless of the fact she appeared sincere, I intended to keep my guard up around her from then on.

  “I hated what’d happened, but decided to stick around for the Celebration Feast in order to be polite to Genovene’s family, and ensure she really kept her promise to lead me safely back home. I also vowed silently to flee immediately if anything else happened.

  “‘Very well, then,’ she said. ‘You can go home whenever you like. I only pray you won’t hold my moment of indiscretion against me forever.’ She seemed truly penitent as she turned away from me again, walking back toward the outfit she’d placed on the bed. She raised her hands above her head and clapped them together loudly. An instant later, 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 then motioned for the three of us to be on our way, seemingly unashamed in her nakedness before us all. ‘Make sure you’re ready for when the feast starts at three o’clock, Jack!’ she called after me.

  “‘Three o’clock??’ I responded, greatly alarmed. I pulled my watch from my shorts pocket. Under the torchlight’s glow just outside her doorway I saw that my watch read 2:32. ‘Genovene, I need to be on my way home now!’ I told her. ‘I can’t afford to be late getting home today—Grandpa’d kill me for sure!’

  “‘Jack, please trust me!’ said Genovene. ‘You won’t be late getting home, but the celebration feast for the Festival Of Life starts promptly at three—not a minute before or after. It’s always been this way since 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 back 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. In fact, I used it yesterday when I first delivered the talisman to you. I guarantee that 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...please promise you’ll join me at the grand celebration table outside. 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 overpowered my concern of getting home on time. 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?’

  “‘Fair enough,’ 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 instructed, moving over to pick up her gown. She then 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 told her I’d do that, and then she motioned for me to join Urei and Quan. Doing so, I glanced one 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’ at this point—closed the door and then motioned for me to lead the way into the darkness, while he and the other hulking servant of Genovene followed close behind me. 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 of Native American descent. They were much larger than any people I’d ever seen before, including the other villagers. I figured if they were as strong and fierce as they looked, they’d certainly make a whole lot of money playing any professional sport they chose.

  “Without the comfort of Genovene’s warm presence next to me, the deep thick blackness we moved in seemed so much worse than it had when she and I walked through this area. I focused my attention on getting through it unharmed and bravely moved forward. Before long, I glimpsed a faint light in the distance that steadily grew stronger. A moment later, I realized the light was actually from the chalube’at. Seeing something I recognized gave me a little comfort and a direction to move toward.

  “I picked up my pace, but once I did this, the slithering presence from earlier began to stir just ahead of us. Whatever it was, the unseen thing seemed to move very quickly from the front and then on over to the back of us, growling loudly at various points as it circled us while we crept along in the darkness. The menace suddenly came closer to us, and from the sounds and depth of its movements, I could tell the thing was quite large. Its steady advance and near proximity greatly unnerved me, fear forcing me to stop walking altogether.

  “As if mimicking my abrupt stop and mocking my fear, the thing ceased its aggressive movements. It seemed to wait for my next move. A sickening, almost metallic smell, like old rust on a tin can, soon filled the air around us. I tried to identify the acrid smell, but struggled to do so. While I thought about what to do next, I realized
what the odor could be.

  “Blood. It was fucking blood, man! It was that and some rotting carcass of a dead animal, or animals. But how in the hell did the awful smell suddenly appear one minute when it wasn’t there the minute before? It certainly wasn’t present when Genovene and I came through the area earlier.

  “A hot stinky breeze blew toward us from our right. To my horror, the source of both the stench and the wind draft was none other than a large mouth—a very, very large mouth. To think this massive orifice was hidden in the darkness just a few feet away, hungry and opened wide, was more than I could bear. I turned to run back to Genovene’s chamber. Before I could do so, Urei and Quan grabbed and spun me back around to face our original destination toward the tower’s main entrance. They prodded me toward the chalube’at, which was now just a couple hundred feet in front of us.

  “‘Don’t be afraid,’ one of them advised, their deep voice resonating deeply throughout the area. ‘Keep moving, Jack. You’ll reach your destination shortly and safely.’

  “‘Well, at least they speak English,’ I thought to myself, not sure if I should really take comfort from that fact or not. ‘What’s out there, anyway?’ I asked them.

  “‘The personal pets of Talusha,’ the same guard replied. ‘They are merely curious at this point.’

  “‘Could they hurt somebody?’ I inquired further, knowing the answer was obvious, yet needing to hear a firm ‘no’.

  “‘Only if you were in this place by yourself,’ the guard responded, chuckling in amusement. His rumbling voice caused my gooseflesh to rise again.

  “I summoned up my courage and headed for the light, moving swiftly while my companions kept pace with me. At first, the immense circling, menacing, and invisible brood continued to threaten our progress. But as we ignored them, they eventually became disinterested, drawing back deeper into the shadows once we reached the light.

  “I was greatly relieved. A few trickles of cool sweat streamed down my back and sides, confirming just how tense things had been until a moment ago. Bathed in the bright glow from above, I craned my neck backward as far as I could, but still was unable to see the top of the magnificent tower. I looked over at my companions standing a few feet away.

  “‘Are you ready to continue, Jack?’ the other guard asked me.

  “Now that I got a good look at both of them, I was even more amazed at their massive size. Their physiques were quite imposing, with huge muscles that would make most body builders extremely envious. Being as handsome as they were, I wondered if either had ever experienced an intimate encounter with Genovene. It was hard not to picture them crushing her slender frame while in the throes of physical passion.

  “‘Jack,’ the guard repeated, his voice rumbling as deeply as his companion’s had earlier. ‘We need to move on now.’

  “I’m ready,’ I said, and the guards moved to either side of me. We made our way past the chalube’at gleaming in the center of the room, and headed for the main entrance. When we reached the building’s foyer, I noticed a small group of servants hurrying back and forth from the tower to the courtyard. The temple guards held the crystal doors open for these servants as they carried more trays loaded with bread and fruit for the celebration feast. Some of the servants carried golden utensils, goblets, and large wine carafes.

  “One servant in particular caught my eye, as she carried a hat-sized, square white box that was decorated with elaborate gold designs and trim. As this servant approached us, the box suddenly slipped from her grasp and tumbled onto the floor. A small door-like opening on the side of the box swung open and a stream of voices seeped out. At first, these voices sounded like murmuring. But after dropping the box again when attempting to pick it up, the crying voices became a roar that echoed loudly throughout the tower’s base.

  “‘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 the little gold 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. I was deeply afraid and stood motionless next to Urei and Quan, as if nailed to the spot where I stood. The servant looked up, smiling nervously as she listened to my escorts. One of them scolded her in the language of the villagers. The servant’s smile was quickly replaced by a look of fear and worry. She bowed low, and without looking back at any of us, 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 who had scolded the careless servant. He was still upset, and his voice betrayed an underlying tension. ‘The, um...house servants know better than to leave our village amusements unprotected. The one you saw a moment ago belongs in the arcade. It should’ve never been here in the first place.’

  “Although plausible, I didn’t think what he said accounted for the chilling desperation I heard in the distraught voices, nor did it account for why Genovene’s name was called out so emphatically by some little girl’s voice. I looked up into his face, wondering if it was Urei or Quan that had spoken to me. I was about to ask a question about the box, but the other guard spoke up just as I opened my mouth.

  “‘Jack, it’s time for Quan and I to go back for Genovene,’ Urei said. ‘I hope you’ve brought your appetite, for the celebration table is now ready.’

  “At least I finally knew ‘who was who’ between the two giants. Perhaps Urei would’ve been pleased to know I’d certainly brought my appetite, as I was starving. Since I knew the time was steadily marching toward three o’clock, I walked over to the temple’s entrance, being careful to avoid colliding with the growing number of busy servants along the way. Upon reaching the entrance, the guards who were stationed there bowed politely to me, and then pulled open the crystal doors so I could exit the tower.

  “‘Remember, Jack, Genovene will be here shortly,’ advised Urei, calling after me. ‘The servants will show you where your place of honor is. I believe it is now fifteen minutes until three o’clock, and if you’d like to take a quick look around the courtyard, please feel free to do so. Just remember to be seated at the table at three o’clock sharp, Jack. Don’t be late!’

  “‘I won’t be!’ I called back to him over my shoulder, waving to both of them as their hulking figures moved back toward the shadowy darkness. I then walked out of the temple and down the steps to the courtyard. I pulled my watch from my pocket and confirmed the time was 2:46. Not a bad guess by Urei. But I wondered again how I’d ever make it back home by four o’clock. I just hoped and prayed Genovene arrived in the courtyard on time and that our participation in this feast would be brief.

  “The sun had already begun its descent toward the western edge of the clear blue sky. The majestic pyramid was now to my right, and the nearly overloaded table was to my left. Scores of servants hurried about in their final preparations for the feast. Many of the people from the plaza further below had come up to the courtyard as well.

  “As I moved through the crowd, I noticed several men and women dressed in beautiful hooded robes. I was fairly certain they were all related to Genovene, probably the brothers and sisters she told me about earlier. Each of them had the same beautiful long white hair and luminous blue eyes. All of their robes were satin and adorned with gold embroidered designs and small jewels. Each robe was a different color: royal blue, crimson, emerald green, and midnight black.

  “The four of them 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 then walked back to the table with Malacai.

  “It really made me wonder 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 it was supposedly an arcade game.

  “I looked at my watch once more, noting I still had over ten minutes left until the Celebration Feast began. Since Genovene wasn’t there yet, I decided to go ahead and look around on the other side of 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. When I reached the trees, their pine scent was quite powerful—strong enough to provide an odd contrast with the smells from the nearby table. For some reason I suddenly felt nauseated, and the intense hunger I felt just a moment ago was gone.

  “I decided to see what was on the other side of the trees, hoping to at least find relief from the nausea growing worse by the second. I stepped through the row and soon had a great view of the rest of the village. The terrain dropped off steeply beyond the tower, and I could see hundreds of golden rooftops from the multitude of buildings that filled the area. I figured this must be where the people of this village resided. Beautiful gardens, streams, and a large pond dotted the graceful landscape. Beyond all of this, a mile or two away from the tower and plaza, stood the enormous crystal wall encircling the entire village.

  “I remember thinking how amazing the place really was. Despite my awkward sexual experience with Genovene and the few times I’d been truly frightened, I still felt privileged to be there. Since she would be arriving in the courtyard at any moment, I turned around to go back. It was then that I noticed a small stone shack sitting near the edge of the tower’s steps, just beyond the juniper trees and less than fifty feet away from me. I stopped and stared at it, thinking how odd it was for such a thing to be there amid the lavish grandeur that surrounded me. All at once it hit me, and another chill raced along my spine. It was my grandfather’s tool shed.”