by Smith, Skye
She looked down at poor long-suffering Vasini and made her decision. She put her hands together in prayer and raised her aura. If they tried to do this to her, she was going to push her aura into their necks and stop them forever. To hell with the consequences.
One man's hand grabbed the inside of her thigh. The other put a hand around her neck. She was ready. She would pretend to be nice to them, and then one at a time put her opening lotus against their throats.
Something was wrong. There was no blackness to their touch. There was no charred smell. They were in close to her now, exploring her with their hands. No black, no charred, ohmigod they were not psychos, they were just normal men. Normal, very horny men, and ready for more sex. Damn those boner pills. Damn the corporations that sold them.
She started to struggle, trying to get away from them. It was no use. Each were at least double her weight, and though flabby, they were very strong. She struggled some more but they just held her tighter. She was wasting her strength. She stopped struggling.
In Vancouver she had taken self defense lessons from an old Chinese woman. She tried to remember the lessons. First lesson was 'don't struggle'. Lull them so they ease their hold. She went very still and they smiled at her. Now that she wasn't struggling they thought they had won. They released their tight hold on her so they could pull her sundress off.
Second lesson was 'always scream like a child in trouble'. She put her head back and began to scream, that high pitched scream that you hear in playgrounds around the world. A little girl being chased. It ended abruptly with a fat hand clamped across her mouth.
"Stop screaming, you silly girl! We are not going to hurt you. We just want to get our money's worth." The two men jabbered to each other in some strange language. "Okay, we made a mistake with Vasini. We are sorry for that. We should have used condoms and lubricant. See, he is getting them. We will be following the rules with you."
She nodded her head and he let her mouth go. Whenever she struggled and wriggled, it just seemed to make them hornier. Now he was lifting her off her feet while the other man was pulling her panties off. She was staying calm looking for an opening for the third lesson. The third lesson was 'hurt them'. Badly hurt them. Box their ears, push their noses into their foreheads, strike at the glands in their neck with her thumbs. She knew many ways of badly hurting them. She just needed the opening.
Something disgusting was happening. With her panties out of the way, the other man was using his fingers to lubricate her. She forgot her training and started to struggle again. Anything to get those piggy fingers away from her. She screamed again, long and hard.
The door slammed open and Marique stepped inside and yelled something obscene at the men in French. Then she switched to English obscenities and finally told them to let her go.
"Run!" Maya yelled. "Now, quick, run for help!" She watched in amazement as instead of running, Marique began to rummage in her side bag. "Marique, run for it before they trap you too! Run!"
A jumble of things were spilling out of the side bag, notepads, pens, a flashlight, a candle, and all the time the second man was circling behind her to close the door and trap Marique as well. He jabbered at his friend and they both cheered in satisfaction. "Now we have the first class women, both of them. Acha, my dreams comes true."
Marique finally found what she was looking for. A tiny pink perfume spray. She pointed it at the eyes of the man closing the door and gave him a blast. The effect was immediate. His fat hands went to protect his eyes and he howled in pain.
The other man dropped Maya hard on the floor and dove for Marique. He got a blast in the eyes too. He rolled on the ground just short of her, covering his eyes. Marique hopped over him and came to Maya. "Are you okay?"
"So far, but Vasini is hurt. We need to get her out of here." Maya said as she gained her feet and looked around for her sun dress. "So you just sprayed perfume in their eyes. Yes I suppose the alcohol would sting."
"It is my special scent. Eau de Capsicum." They both looked at the walruses wallowing on the floor. They were not only hurting, they were angry. The floor seemed alive with fat naked angry horny guys. The boner pills were amazing. Despite the pain in their eyes, they were still horny.
Ajay had to push hard on the door to get in because a carpet had been pushed up against it. "Ajay, Vasini needs medical help. Carry her to the office, now," ordered Marique. He jumped lightly over one of the fat bodies and reaching the bed, took Vasini up into his arms and tried to get back to the door.
One of the angry men had the sense to be blocking the door. Marique darted forward with her little spray and gave the head of his shishn a light coating. "Get out of the way or else you get more," she said. The man was howling with the burning pain of the pepper spray in such a sensitive area, and rolled away from the door. Ajay, carrying Vasini in his arms, slammed the door open to rush outside and away.
Maya and Marique backed towards the doorway. Maya was leading the backwards walk so that Marique could keep the men covered. The other man heard them move a chair out of the way and leaped for them.
Maya ran outside screaming but Marique just sidestepped him and then let him have it with her spray, all over his shishn. He went down rolling in agony. Still Marique did not follow Maya out the door. Instead she took her sandals to him, kicking the blinded man again and again. Whacking him hurtfully, and aiming where her foot would do the most damage, and all the while yelling obscenities in French. Maya had to physically drag her away and outside.
Outside, standing on the path were the other salesmen from the other bungalows, wrapped in sarongs and standing behind their companions. They had been attracted by the noise and wanted to know what was happening. Maya used her sundress to cover her front and told them. "They broke the rules, so they were punished."
Marique dragged her away towards their own bungalow. The men from the office were hurrying towards them and she wanted Maya safe inside before they arrived. "Go," she said as she pushed her up the steps onto the veranda. "Get yourself covered up, and wash that goop off yourself."
Ajay now appeared pulling a woman with a medical bag across the compound. Marique yelled at everyone. "I sprayed them with pepper spray. Don't use water, that activates the pepper. You will need cold rice to sponge the pepper off them, and yoghurt or lassi to cleanse and sooth their burns." She repeated it to the woman with the medical bag as she ran by. The woman, in turn, yelled at one of the office men to fetch rice and lassi from the kitchen.
Ajay stepped onto the veranda and took Marique into his arms and stroked her neck and hair. "Calm down. You did good. Now relax. It is over." He saw Maya peeking out of the screen door, and he invited her to his arms too. They had a long and comforting three-way hug, but their eyes were all pointed to the goings on at the other bungalow.
No one seemed interested in them, so Ajay suggested that they go to breakfast. "The buffet should be set up by now. All of the women were back in the kitchen when I took Vasini there."
* * * * *
Vasini was sitting at a small table in the back with two other young women. You could tell they were companions because they were fair of face and hair, and they wore clothing that was more revealing than the ochre cotton smocks of the normal members.
"Are you okay?" asked Marique. She didn't wait to be invited to sit, and claimed the chair across the table from the girl. Maya sat beside her. Ajay was already in line for eggs and chapattis.
"I hurt down there," Vasini said through slow tears. She squirmed in her seat a little, and continued, "I will hurt for a while. I have already been treated with anti biotic and anti viral creams, and I have swallowed a 'day after' pill. Time will heal. Time will tell. More than anything, I am mad at myself. I should have never gone in. Not after yesterday."
"Bastards," said Marique, throwing in some more flowery curses in Flemish. One of the other companions laughed and covered her ears.
"Was that perfume you sprayed on them?" asked Vasini quietly.
/>
Marique rummaged in her side bag and pulled out the pretty pink and gold container. It was tiny. The gold colored metal was a belt clip. "It is pepper spray. You know, like for dogs. Ay yi yi" she exclaimed as she shook it. "I used too much. It is 'alf empty. I bet I cannot buy another 'ere in India. They are against the law in most places because the men do not want to fear the wrath of women."
"Maybe you can refill it from the hot sauce in the kitchen. It is brutal," offered one of the women.
"You sprayed most of it on that one guy's crotch," giggled Maya. "I bet he doesn't do his wife when he gets home."
"It seemed, 'ow you say, appropriate," Marique giggled back. They even got a giggle out of Vasini. They all started to giggle, not from fun, but from mutual relief. It was over and done. Let the office deal with them.
Ajay put his tray on the table and unloaded three plates of scrambled eggs and another stacked with thin chapattis. "There is a shortage of yoghurt right now, but they have sent to the market for more."
That set Marique off laughing, and after she explained the shortage to the companions, the five delicious blondes at the table all began to laugh. It became infectious. When they all calmed down Marique asked Vasini to tell her how it happened.
"Oh, we were short of companions this morning because some snuck away to watch the sunrise."
"Sorry," Maya broke in suddenly feeling guilty and was surprised when the other two companions also said 'sorry'. Only then did she remember that their angelic faces had been at the morning's meditation.
"It's okay. You rescued me," Vasini said quietly. "Anyway, I was sent ahead to the last bungalow to tell them that there was a delay. They decided to fool around with me while they waited. It got out of hand. I blame those effing boner pills. Men should need a note from their wives, not their doctors, before they can buy them."
"I blame the front office," said one of the other companions. "We had trouble with those two yesterday. The office should have done something about them then. This ashram should be run by the women." Her friend nodded in agreement. Maya smiled.
* * * * *
Once the VIP guests were escorted to their mini van, the atmosphere of the ashram completely changed. Everyone seemed to become lighter and happier. It turned into a very hot day. For the first time since they arrived, the pool was filled with people swimming, bobbing, splashing and generally staying cool.
Sunday afternoon seemed to be a changeover day. The guests from Mumbai were on their way home. Those who came by tour bus were on their way somewhere else, and the next tour bus was not expected until Tuesday. All of the members were enjoying the time off.
Once the sun got too fierce for her skin, Maya slipped away back to the bungalow veranda to read more about Gandhi. This world sorely needed another Gandhi. The trouble was that these days all the leaders were in it for the money.
Later that afternoon, while she was half dozing as she watched the hummingbirds feeding in the blossoms through her tiny monocular, there was a knock on the post and the old gardener's voice called, "Namaste".
He joined her on the veranda. "Your friends are singing and dancing and playing music with the others at the yoga pavilion. I have just come from Lakshima. She was more accepting of me today."
"I could do with some singing and dancing," replied Maya, putting her book on the table and her monocular into her pocket. "I just have to lock up."
"First we need to talk," he said. He sat next to her. Having just come from the Swedish woman he was neatly dressed and clean. He had even brushed his white and gray hair. "I have come to admit to you that I don't know what auras are. All I know is what they are not. I suppose that is the nature of most things worth knowing. Your Belgian friend has told me that you wish to go to Dharamsala in search of answers. I wanted to tell you that I think that is a good plan, but that I hope you will return here afterwards and tell me what you found out."
"I will try."
"Good. So, now we must plan your aura demonstration for tomorrow. I must warn you that none of the three partners will be impressed by your aura. I do not think they have the ability to feel them. I believe that is why my aura suffers from their touch."
"I have met such people before," she said. "Their touch sweeps a darkness through you, and sometimes you smell charred chapattis."
"Yes, of course," he was thoughtful. "Yes, I think you are right about the charred chapattis. That acrid smell. You may be right. In any case, you have been causing trouble with the women. Manfred wants you gone. It would please him if your aura demonstration was a failure. He has been around auras enough to know the effect that his touch has on auras. He will try to touch you tomorrow."
"What do you suggest?" she asked, not really caring. She wanted to be gone. By his own admission just now, he knew little more that would be of use to her. Time to go.
"I told you before that this ashram needs a new beacon, to attract followers. That is not enough. First it needs new leadership. This land is in my American cousin's name, and the ashram is a religious organization where the members actually have the right to choose their leaders. Unfortunately the signing authority is in the hands of the three partners, so the funding all flows to and from them. Everyone is afraid of them because they control the purse."
"What is this to me? I can do nothing. It is the banks that register signatures. It is the love of money that rules this ashram."
"I just mention it," he said softly looking around nervously, "so that you realize that whether the demo goes badly or well, you must leave. Especially if it goes well, for then you will be a threat to the three."
"And you want it to go well?"
"I do. If it goes well, and if you continue with your message from this morning, then there is a chance of a coup, an overthrow of the three."
"So that you can take over again?" she said staring into his unreadably dark eyes. At least they weren't shifty, but rather very still and calm. Of course, with decades of training, his eyes would give nothing away.
"Bah, I am too old. I would be happy to stay as gardener ogling titties and occasionally get laid by good women like the Swede." His face lit up as he spoke. His smile became wide.
"So again, like what do you suggest?"
"It will not be just the dozen leaders tomorrow. There are few guests left. I will ensure the entire membership attends. It will therefore have to be held at the yoga pavilion. It is our biggest space. Manfred asked me to take the best dozen crystals from the gift shop and give them to you. I suggest that we hang them all from a line over one of the roof beams so they can be raised and lowered.
First you charge them and then I will lift them high so that all can see them. You know, sparkly things to stare up at to tire their eyes. Then before you demonstrate to the dozen, you walk between the ranks, allowing them to feel your aura. Reinforce the same message as this morning.
The demo that you give to the dozen need be little more than just putting a crystal around each of their necks. Half will be male, and half female. Focus your aura to the chests of the women, but to the crotch of the men."
"But that will cause them to come." She sat up, listening more closely.
"Exactly. The men are naturally skeptical and will filter and refuse your aura, but they cannot stop the sexual effect. Just as the women will moan from the delight of your aura on their chakras, so will the men be moaning. No one in the congregation will know that with the men the moaning is just sexual. The men will not be able to convince the rest that your aura is an empty promise."
"And then what?" she asked, intrigued by the intrigue.
"Have your bags already packed. You may have to run for it. I will lock myself in the office to stop the men from retreating to it. It is the only stronghold in the compound because of the safe and the computers. We must allow the members to do the rest."
"And what can go wrong?" she asked, suddenly worried by his words.
"I have already told you. Manfred knows that if he touches you h
e can weaken or take away your aura."
She was silent for a long while. She did not need to get involved. She could even leave now and not give the demo. "I will do as you say. May I go and sing and dance now? Are you coming?"
"I must go and talk with the Swede. She is the one instructor that I know I can sway to our side, for she feels that she has nothing left to lose, here, now. There is nothing more dangerous to a ruling elite than people with nothing left to lose."
Maya locked up quickly so that she could walk with him, but he did not want to be seen with her. He limped off taking a different path. At the yoga pavilion the same folks that had been keeping cool in the pool were now relaxing in the shade and taking turns singing and playing music so that the others could dance.
She was the newcomer and the call went up for her to sing next. She sang the first song that came to mind and began by singing it acapella. Before the end of the second line, the tambourines and drums had joined in, and the older voices in the crowd had joined in the words. It was an old song from one of her mom's Janis Joplin albums. Everyone joined in the chorus of "Freedom's just another word, for nothing left to loose."
Afterwards she was pulled into the dance floor by some of the morning women. None of them were frugging or break dancing or even belly dancing. They were swirling and twirling each other while trying to learn a few of Marique's ancient Belgian folk dances.
* * * * *
* * * * *
MAYA'S AURA - the Ashram by Skye Smith
Chapter 17 - Ashram in Pune, India
I reject any religious doctrine that does not appeal to reason and is in conflict with morality. - Mahatma Gandhi.
There was no sunrise meditation the next morning. Maya kept to her bungalow, even ate breakfast there, and then waited for the general assembly to call her for the demonstration of her aura . She had hardly slept all night because her mind was flipping coins trying to fathom what she should do. Finally she was called for.