Hello again, Jane. It almost seems like I’ve lived a lifetime since I wrote the first letter in this notebook. It feels like something has changed since last night, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it might be. Nothing has changed about how I feel about you, though. I still love you, very much, and I still think I’ll try, one last time, when I get home…try one last time to lure you away from that bastard and back into my arms.
But maybe…maybe we weren’t as perfect of a fit as I thought, at least sexually. Something to work on, I suppose, if I can ever get you back with me and back into bed with me once more. I don’t know…it’s been amazing, absolutely amazing! With Anandra, I mean. All this BDSM that she and I have been doing has shown me why I couldn’t even come close to getting entirely into it with you, no matter how hard I tried. It must be why I get off so much faster with her, cutting my time to orgasm in half, and then some! I don’t think you’re to blame, because Anandra can’t be all that much older than you. Although maybe beings, people or whatnot, age differently in this world and…
Iris paused. She couldn’t let her therapist see that part, no way. She’d think Iris was crazy. So she scratched out those words and wrote a new sentence in their place.
Who knows, though? She may be more experienced than you, or she may just be able to read me better. Maybe I’ll even be better in bed by the time I return home. Maybe I’ll be able to teach you a few moves.
Iris wanted to cross that part out, too, but instead she just laid down the pen and then put it and the notebook back in her bag. She got into bed again and let the sound of the crackling fire and its warmth help her finally drift off.
It couldn’t have been that much later when Iris woke with a start. It was only then that she remembered her bad dream from the first night. But maybe it hadn’t been a dream. Because right now, her chest ached slightly, and she knew you couldn’t feel things in dreams, and because the tightness in her limbs and throat as she noticed the same dark figure from two nights ago was all too real.
Then the figure began to glow, its darkness turning to light as it approached the bed. “It” became “she” then, because it was clearly a woman. Iris watched as the woman became more and more defined, until with a sharp gasp she realized it was Sallie, her grandmother, who now stood mere feet from her, glowing white and wearing the same clothing she’d worn in the market.
“Hello, pumpkin. Oh, how I’ve missed you!” Sallie looked like she meant her words completely, or possibly even somewhat more.
“Well, knock me over with a feather!” Iris exclaimed, feeling a little dizzy at this sudden turn of events. Oh, no, was she going to faint again?
“You look almost as pale as I do, Iris. Do you need some water?” A look of concern passed over Sallie’s face, the face more like mist than skin. Iris feared she wouldn’t be able to get the hug she desperately wanted from this woman whom she hadn’t seen in far too many years.
“No, no, I think I’ll be okay,” she told her grandmother, taking a deep breath through her nose and slowly blowing it out through her lips. She shut her eyes for a moment, half-afraid Sallie would be gone when she reopened them.
She was still there, though. For a few more seconds, at least, but then Iris heard sounds coming from her left, and she turned to see Anandra jolting into an upright position. “What is it? Is someone there, Iris?”
There had been, or at least there’d been somewhat of a “someone,” but now as Iris looked, her grandmother was gone. “I will try again, I promise. I will try to come back,” she heard in a warm, kind voice, a promise she hoped her grandmother would be able to keep.
“No,” she lied, keeping her head facing away from Anandra. “No one’s there. I think it was some wild animals making some noise outside that woke us up.”
“I’ll go and check, then. You can never be too careful. That’s what my father taught me when he began training me.” Anandra quickly put her clothes back on and went outside the tent, slipping almost soundlessly through its front flaps.
She returned just as Iris was starting to fall asleep. “Just a few fish and a pair of mating Rainbow Nightbirds. You may go back to sleep, all is well.” She surprised Iris by pecking her on the cheek, and this time Iris was the first to sleep, Anandra’s warmth beside her chasing away any worries about her grandmother’s strange reappearance. It would all get worked out in time, she told herself, forgetting in her drowsy haze that Sallie had been the one who had first given her those particular words of advice.
Chapter Six
In the morning, Anandra announced that Iris was required to give her an orgasm before they took off, and who was Iris to say otherwise? So she ate Anandra out with almost as much pleasure as it was clear she was giving her in return. Anandra got a second orgasm for free, although she still insisted she pay Iris back later. “Maybe we’ll find somewhere we can stop today for lunch that will be convenient and secluded enough for me to bring you an orgasm in thanks. I am grateful, of course, for your own generosity.”
“There’s a saying in my world: it’s always better to give than to receive.”
“And you seem to have taken it to heart!” Anandra gifted her with a happy look, then leapt out of bed and proceeded to get dressed, although first, she gave today’s panties to Iris, this time a pair of pink satin boy-shorts with cutouts on each side and a low-cut waist. “Thank you, bag,” she said to her satchel, then placed her hand over her heart and bowed to it. “You are a most generous accessory, worth every coin to see her in those sexy under-things.” She gave Iris a not-so-subtle look, and Iris wished then that they had enough time to get her off, too. But only for a moment, because Anandra rushed her into her clothes and out of the tent, barely stopping long enough to let her eat some toast and drink some cheefen.
“I know you’ll be no fun to be around if you don’t drink it,” she told Iris, and Iris wasn’t about to complain. She’d made it a habit to never look a gift latte in the mouth, and she was rather grateful that Anandra seemed to understand her intense need for caffeine in the morning. Especially when the sun had barely crested the nearby hills.
Iris almost didn’t want to leave the fancy tent and the bed behind, though, even with the lift of the caffeinated cheefen. Or maybe it was magic, and not caffeine? That would make more sense. But it wasn’t just the comfy bed and the early hour that made her want to stay, and it wasn’t just Anandra’s luscious lips, either. Anandra had warned her that she’d heard tell of vicious monsters living nearby, maybe a few hours from where they now were, and upon hearing that, Iris wanted nothing more than to stay behind, in bed, and have sex for the rest of the day. And to avoid those scary-sounding monsters while she was at it.
She had stopped herself from speaking up, though, because she had no other option. It wasn’t as if she could travel back to Rivest and move in with some kindly shopkeeper, living out the rest of her days selling magical objects and avoiding the restaurant they’d eaten at the previous afternoon. That wasn’t an option, and so, feeling scared but resolute, she grabbed her bag and followed Anandra out of the tent.
“We’re just going to leave it there?” she asked, getting concerned when Anandra had started walking away from the tent.
“Yes, we are. It only expands, it doesn’t contract. I got the cheaper model. We’ll just have to find some other kind of lodging tonight.”
“Tonight” was a long way off, though. They were getting off to their usual early start; too early for Iris, but she was almost getting used to it, and the sky on this particular morning was awash with reds, purples, and the lightest of pinks. It was beautiful, very much so, but Iris found her eyes traveling from the sky and back to the face of the woman who walked beside her. She was beautiful, too, also a sight to behold. Iris still hadn’t gotten used to how striking her eyes were, her pale, long lashes accentuating their elegant, slight uptilt, and their rich, glowing jade green only one of the many parts of her face that would draw anyone’s eye. She wouldn’t have fit i
n were she to travel to Iris’s world, to Earth, and that was just as well. Anandra belonged here, and Iris didn’t. Besides, no matter what Anandra thought, she couldn’t hold a candle to Anandra’s exotic and awe-inspiring looks. She was more like a half-used birthday candle in comparison to Anandra’s gold, crystal-draped chandelier.
“What might you be looking at, pretty lady?” Apparently Anandra had noticed her staring. Great, just great.
“Nothing, just thinking about last night.” She felt a flush rising to her cheeks and hoped Anandra would think it came from her memories and not from what was really causing her to blush.
“And this morning, too, I hope?”
“Yep, that, too!” And now she was thinking about both of those times, and Anandra’s naked body, and now the heat from her face traveled to other, lower parts of her body. Good. Her arousal might help to distract her from what lay in their path: the monsters Anandra had told her about.
But she was still unable to resist asking a question. “Are you sure those stones will work?”
“Ladies first,” Anandra said, as they had just reached a narrow bridge that crossed part of the lake. “And yes, I was told that the stones could fell any creature they touched. We’ll just have to hope my aim is as true as it usually is. Now, Iris, you will need to be careful as we cross this water. I have been warned about it as well. If you don’t—Iris!”
It was too late for a warning. Iris had looked down into the water as she started along the bridge, to see if she could spot one of the beautiful fish she’d seen the previous night. And as she looked down, she began to see cracks in the water, like it was solid and about to shatter. And as she stared at the cracks, Anandra became farther and farther away from her with each passing second.
Anandra ran for her, reaching for her hand, while the cracks spread from the water to the bridge, and then even to the sky. Then there was a shattering sound, like a million glasses breaking all at once, and everything disappeared.
*
“This hotel room is beautiful, Anandra.”
“I’m happy you like it.”
Anandra was standing by the window, lit up in a very attractive way. The stars on her skin were dimmer than they’d been when Iris had first met the beautiful street performer in the middle of the city. She’d been juggling bowling pins in a short, loose T-shirt and tight jeans, and Iris had checked her out as she walked by. Later, she’d seen the woman again, ordering coffee in a café near where Iris was staying, and Anandra had invited her to join her.
That had been a week ago. They’d quickly fallen into bed together, and Anandra had told her that, actually, she came from a very rich family, and would Iris like to stay at a room in one of their hotels instead of her own room? Iris had hesitated, but Anandra’s lovemaking and her kindness had tempted her until she’d given in, and now they were in the penthouse suite of what had to be one of the nicest hotels in the city. It was also the fanciest hotel room Iris had ever been in, with a separate sitting area, a giant king-sized bed, and a Jacuzzi tub right next to the large floor-to-ceiling windows.
“You know, I’ve never had sex against those windows before. I think it would be a rush.” Anandra ran the back of her hand down Iris’s cheek and then grabbed her and held her tight against her own, suddenly naked body.
“What the…weren’t you just wearing clothes? I could have sworn you were…” It was either the sudden nudity or the idea of having sex against the window that had given Iris a head rush, one so intense her knees shook a little when it flashed across her scalp.
“You aren’t afraid of heights, are you?” Anandra pulled back from her, looking a little concerned.
“Well, yeah, I am, but…I’m up for it, I think.”
“You are?” Anandra began to suck on Iris’s ear while she waited for an answer.
That made the answer come swift and easy. “Yes, I am—very much.”
Anandra spun her around, now facing toward the window, and walked her over to it. “Spread your legs and lean against it. I want my view to be as jaw-dropping as yours.”
“Thanks,” Iris said, but it came out high-pitched, the shock from her view shaking her resolve and taking away just a touch of her arousal. That touch of arousal came rushing back as Anandra fell to her knees, nipping at Iris’s body here and there as she sank to the floor. She shoved Iris’s legs a little farther away from the window, making her even more unsteady on her feet.
But all of her fear disappeared in the instant it took for Anandra’s mouth to find her pussy. Iris shut her eyes, her back arching slightly as Anandra reached an especially sensitive spot.
For some reason, though, she couldn’t get completely lost in the sex. She was mostly lost in it, because Anandra was more than competent at getting her off, always going at just the right pace with her fingers or tongue. But she still couldn’t get lost in it entirely, not like usual. Not at all like usual. Because now something was dawning on her, a strange thought that told her she wasn’t supposed to be here. No, not here, even though she wanted to stay.
Anandra was doing such a good job, getting her so close, and the way her mouth felt on Iris’s clit gave her sensations that were practically out of this world. But she wasn’t supposed to be here, she knew this, and she believed it more and more as she also came to believe she was going to come, and soon.
No, she wasn’t supposed to be here. She was supposed to be somewhere else, somewhere else where she actually belonged.
She hadn’t become distracted enough to stop herself from coming, though, and as she shook against the window, and as her knees grew even weaker, she felt Anandra’s nails sink slightly into the backs of her thighs, the pain only strengthening the power of her orgasm. Inevitably, the pleasure began to fade, and as it did, she remembered again: this wasn’t where she was supposed to be, and this wasn’t Anandra’s world. She wasn’t here; she couldn’t be, not really, not when she belonged—
*
The hotel room was gone, and Iris was staring at a river that was frozen in place, something stopping it from flowing as it should. All around it were wildflowers, and she could hear the buzz of bees and sweetness of birdsong coming from nearby.
“Where…where am I now?” Iris couldn’t stop herself from speaking the words aloud, but someone was in front of her, so at least she wasn’t talking to herself like a crazy person or anything.
But the sight in front of her was something a crazy person would imagine, or hallucinate, perhaps. In front of her was a woman with a strangely familiar face, with hair a brown close to Iris’s own and a face Iris couldn’t help trying to place. The woman sat in the middle of a giant lotus, floating at the edge of a river, her legs crossed and her hands resting gently in her lap.
When she answered Iris, she spoke in a voice that seemed familiar somehow, too, but Iris couldn’t place it either. “You are in a second world you don’t belong in, and it is time for you to return to the one you left.”
“Which one?” Iris asked the woman. “Mine? Or Anandra’s? And what’s happening to me, anyway?”
“I wish you could stay,” the woman said, which wasn’t really an answer to her question. She looked at Iris with kind eyes and a sweet smile, then shut her eyes, rubbing at them with her hands as though something was irritating them. “You may not be able to trust everyone you come across in her world. I have a feeling you won’t be able to. I don’t know how long I can keep this portal open, though, so just know that I hope you succeed, and that you receive everything you’ve ever wished for, too. Not that you necessarily will, but I still hope for it.”
“Who am I not supposed to trust, though? And who are you? Have we met somewhere before?”
“Yes,” the woman answered, and now Iris could see that she was crying. “Yes, we have, Iris.”
*
Iris came to with lips on her mouth, and she knew instantly that this was not a kiss of passion, but a kiss of life. In the moment it took her to realize that the lips were Anand
ra’s, she felt the sudden urge to cough, and she weakly shoved Anandra away, leaning to the left and coughing up some water. She wiped at her mouth with her hand, then slowly turned her face back to a very concerned-looking Anandra.
“What…what happened? I wasn’t here, and you were there, and then you weren’t and—”
Anandra placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Don’t talk. Just try to get your breath back. You fell into the lake and began to sink, and I managed to loop my bag’s handle around your wrist just in time. I must insist now that you disregard anything and everything you might have seen while you were lost to this world. The lake’s water, I have heard, is enchanted, and everything you see and hear as you sink is only meant to keep you under its surface until it is too late. I thought it was too late for you, actually.” Anandra got up off the ground and offered Iris a hand. “Did you see anything? I haven’t heard of anyone ever surviving this lake’s powers, and I do find myself wondering what the people who fall into it see. It must be appealing, whatever it is.”
“The beginning of my vision was,” Iris told her, and mustered up the strength to wink at her.
“Ah, I see, I see. You naughty girl. Was it me that distracted you so well that you forgot you were drowning?”
“Maybe.” Iris took the offered hand and pushed up from the grass. She would have liked to lie there awhile longer, but she’d remembered what they’d soon be coming up against, and she wanted to get it over with. Almost drowning might have weakened her a bit, but the threat of monsters in their future, ones that Anandra had actually sounded afraid of, only added to the weakness she felt throughout her body. She began to wonder about the exact contents of the enchanted lake water. Could she get some sort of sickness from swallowing so much of it? Hopefully she wouldn’t catch anything from it besides a few chills.
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