Immaculate Fetish

by Jamie Antonia Symonanis

  “Henri, you are just too nice,” Greta smiled, “thank you.”

  It was a bit of a walk to the sculptures Valia had in mind for the shoot, so they decided to make their way there at a leisurely pace. Everything Henri would need for the shoot had been loaded into an electric powered vehicle resembling a golf cart they had brought along. The twins were wearing long v-neck tee shirt dresses in white. They welcomed the hot coffee, as it was quite chilly out before the sun came up. Henri was impressed with everything he saw around him, and promised himself he would come back to the event for the entire week the following year and thoroughly document it.

  When they saw the massive masterful work of art, officially titled ‘Crude Awakening’, Greta could see why Valia had chosen this piece of work as a backdrop. The entire piece consisted of nine figurative sculptures that must have weighed tons, in various poses of worship and adoration to an oil derrick. Henri was speechless as they walked under and past the massive thirty-foot sculptures just as the sun was coming up.

  “Valia, your artistic sensibilities are as intense as your physical beauty,” Henri said. “What a marvelous suggestion to use this as a backdrop.”

  The twins had already JTIKED Henri’s equipment and the site itself with an even more powerful message one would get each time they viewed the images.

  Henri’s team went to work swiftly setting up any equipment he might need, but he could not wait and asked the twins if they could begin at once. “I want to work in this rapidly changing light,” he said. “Let’s begin just the way you are with what you are wearing.”

  He began shooting with the sun behind the twins. The increasing light shined right through their white cotton dresses making their bodies underneath semi visible. It was not long before they removed the dresses and sandals they were wearing striking poses in and out of each other’s arms with masterful precision. They wanted each shot to be so perfect Henri would feel compelled to eventually use them all. They continued the shoot for hours, pausing to refresh themselves with cold water and cool soaked towels. They posed alongside each figure. When they got to the oil derrick, their poses began with adoration similar to the sculptures, then moved to obvious distaste and rage as they settled into what could be described as nothing short of a lovemaking session right there in the sand between the derrick and the standing sculpture closest to it.

  By now a small crowd had gathered, not so much to view the artwork as to watch Greta and Valia as they gracefully and masterfully moved through the shoot. Because of their height, many people had to look up to them, so their presence among these giant sculptures seemed like a human bridge between them and the spectators.

  When Henri finally called shooting at this site a wrap, a round of applause could be heard from many of the burner spectators. The twins JTIKED all the video cameras that had been trained on them to deliver the same message as Henri’s images, no matter what site they wound up on. They were handed cold bottles of Fiji water and stood naked drinking it, briefly discussing possibilities for fun shots elsewhere in the desert city.

  “Clarissa, come here,” Greta shouted, noticing her and Robyn standing with a few of their Gypsy Nomad hosts.

  “Ladies, you were magnificent, I mean what more could be said, that was fantastic,” Clarissa said giving each of them a big hug.

  Greta introduced Clarissa to Henri, the two of them hitting it off immediately, so much so that she decided to do a shoot with him immediately at a sculpture called the Bone Tree, which was a tree made up on hundreds of animal skulls and bones. The twins stood watching the shoot with Robyn, who seemed to be falling even more in love with Clarissa as she watched her move through the poses of her shoot like a natural, totally uninhibited and strikingly beautiful. Needless to say, Clarissa’s images received a similar JTIK as theirs.

  When Clarissa’s shoot was finally considered a wrap, Henri invited them back to his vehicles where a meal would be waiting for them. He did not head back with them, but rather took a few assistants with him on a quick tour of the site on the motorized cart full of equipment.

  “Clarissa, you are a natural beauty,” Greta said as they walked back to the camp. Clarissa and Robyn were walking hand in hand like two schoolgirls in love. When they got back to the camp, it was obvious that Henri had arranged to feed the entire camp. There were tables full of food and drink, including fresh fruit chilled on ice.

  “I simply have to thank Henri for this feast,” Julie said. “It is just what I needed for this post burn hangover,” she laughed.

  After eating, the girls grabbed their water bottle carriers full of ice water thanks to Henri, and set out to find him and see as much of what they had not seen. They had all agreed to leave before the mass exodus, giving Clarissa and Robyn time to get back to Southern Illinois without missing much of the start of the new school year. Valia did not want to witness the burning of the Temple of Forgiveness that she admired so much.

  Before the sun began to set, the girls said their goodbyes to their gracious hosts and Henri and his crew. “You must make it to Europe to pose one day,” he said, giving each of them a hug before parting.

  “Only if we can bring these two along,” Greta said pointing to Clarissa and Robyn.

  “You have an advance deal, have fun in Hollywoodland,” Henri laughed.

  “Oh I’m sure we will,” the twins replied.

  Greta started out driving for the eight-hour trip back to Las Vegas, and was replaced at the wheel by Valia. Clarissa and Robyn were asleep in each other’s arms in the back seat. They arrived back at the Mirage at about five in the morning, giving them ample time to pack themselves up and arrange for the pickup of the Jeep.

  After a few hours rest, Valia was once again already up and watching the news when Greta awoke. “We must thank our Navajo sisters when next we meet,” Valia said.

  “I am sure you have a very good reason for saying that my dear, and you can tell me all about it once we hit the road and are once again behind the wheel of our Pontiac,” Greta giggled. “For now, just come here and kiss me you fool.”

  Before their morning ritual shower, the twins took a final soar high above the city for one final JTIK, then immediately found themselves in each others arms in the shower.

  They all met for the final time in the lobby. Clarissa had tears in her eyes as she thanked the twins for everything and said goodbye. “I hope we get to see each other often, I love the two of you like a sister.”

  “You’re always in our hearts and minds,” Valia replied kissing Clarissa on the cheek.

  “I am going to miss you baby, study hard,” Greta giggled.

  “Me too, smooches and huggywugz,” Clarissa replied.

  “Hey, that’s my line.” Greta laughed.

  They finally parted, each Pontiac heading in a different direction.

  “Have you seen enough desert for one weekend?” Valia asked.

  “On with the show my lovely sister,” Greta smiled as they cruised west down Highway 15 just outside of town.

  “On with the show indeed,” Valia replied as the Pontiac disappeared from view and reappeared at the Golden Gate Bridge.

  Chapter 27

  San Francisco

  Valia sat at the desk in their Grace Slick Hotel Suite at the Hotel Monaco composing an email to Krystyna. She sent her a gift certificate from Macy’s so she could shop for something nice for her trip at the end of October.

  “We can just call her if you like,” Greta grinned walking into the brightly lit room Valia was in. “Which plant do you miss the most?”

  “All of them,” Valia replied sniffing as if she were about to cry.

  “You know, that would truly be something new, I just realized I have never seen you shed a tear.”

  “Would you like to see it now and get it behind us?” Valia asked.

  “Nope.”

  “I wish I could tell someone, anyone, about the awesome thing you did yesterday for this city, this country, indeed for this planet,”
Greta whispered gazing at Valia lovingly.

  “That my dear is simply not an option, come here.”

  “Yes?” Greta asked.

  “Let’s go visit the home of Starbucks, my treat,” Valia giggled pointing to an image of the original Starbucks in Seattle.

  “You really know how to treat a girl,” Greta laughed. “We can go anywhere you like, whenever you like.”

  While still in Las Vegas, a female broad tailed hummingbird informed Valia that a fellow Allen hummingbird in San Francisco discovered a group of men who had just moved into her neighborhood that were nearing completion of a plan to explode a small nuclear device while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Once they arrived in San Francisco, the twins had to wait a few days until its arrival. Rather than simply turn them in to authorities, Valia and Greta paid a visit to them the day their device arrived. They JTIKED the group to return to their countries of origin, turning each of them into a living JTIK transmitter. When they delivered their message of change and an end to the senseless violence they and fellow terrorists were guilty of, each member who heard them speak was in turn JTIKED by them just as they had been by the twins, creating a domino effect the twins hoped would ripple through the entire radical and terrorist network, putting an end to it once and for all. They informed local authorities about the whereabouts of the nuclear device anonymously and that was the end of that.

  The room they were staying in came complete with a phonograph style record player from the sixties. Greta put on one of the albums in the room and giggled when she got the needle directly in the groove before the song starts for a change. She stood up and danced her way over to Valia singing along to the song playing. “It’s no secret, how strong my love is for you, It’s not secret, when I tell you what I’m gonna do, ‘Cause I love you, yeah I love you.” She continued to dance seductively around her throughout the entire song as Valia watched intently. “It’s no secret, when you got me jumping up and down, It’s not secret, cause my heart is chained and bound, I love you, yes I love you.”

  “Well, now that I undoubtedly have your juices flowing,” she said kneeling on the floor next to Valia holding her arm, “what would you like to do today?”

  “I want to ride on a cable car.” Valia replied.

  “That’s it, just a ride on a cable car?”

  “Yes.”

  Greta moved to the window as Valia returned to whatever it was she had been doing on her Macbook before Greta’s performance. It was a splendid view from their window, and being the people watcher that she was, Greta just moved to the music still playing, taking it all in. When Somebody to Love began playing, Greta went into an erotic frenzy dancing around the entire suite. “When the truth is found to be lies, And all the joy within you dies, Don’t you want somebody to love, Don’t you need somebody to love, Wouldn’t you love somebody to love, you better find somebody to love.” The performance culminated with Greta kneeling on the bed as Valia stood up to watch, “Tears are running ah running down your breast, And your friends baby they treat you like a guest, don’t you want somebody to love, don’t you need somebody to love, wouldn’t you love to somebody to love, you better find somebody to love.” When she opened her eyes after the final note Valia was standing in front of her.

  “In answer to your song, yes,” Valia replied before joining Greta on the bed to make love.

  “It was a short walk to the first of three cable rides. Greta insisted they ride them all. The first they took was the Powell Mason Line, followed by the Powell Hyde Line, ending on the California Line that would eventually take them back to the neighborhood the hotel was in.

  “Standing is good for the legs, and the buttocks,” Greta smiled. The cable cars were not very large at all and always filled to standing room only, clearly designed when humans were smaller and the population of San Francisco was far less that it was presently. It was a glorious experience anyway; as the cars traveled through the steep hilly streets they were originally designed for. At times Greta would remove the flannel shirt she and Valia had tied around their waists and put it on. “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” she giggled as she put it on. “You know I am not sure who said that, but obviously they have never experienced a Chicago winter, but I get the point, the wind, the cold,” she laughed.

  As they were being pulled along, Greta thought she had heard a voice, or was it a song, she could not be sure. But when they boarded the California Line car, a few blocks into the ride she clearly heard a voice in her head say “Haight Ashbury.” She turned to Valia who confirmed hearing the same voice that was accompanied by the sound of a perky sounding electric guitar. “It’s a historic place,” Greta said, “shall we mosey over when this ride is through?”

  “Somehow I get the impression that we will be glad we did.” Valia replied.

  The final ride slowly made its way up and down the hilly streets, and found the twins exiting the car at the eastern end of it’s journey. They strolled in the general direction of Haight Ashbury holding hands. At the right moment, they disappeared from California Street and reappeared on the edge of Buena Vista Park, resuming their hand in hand walk. Greta had brought along a digital camera she was carrying in her bag and would snap random shots of Valia and herself if front of one colorful site after another. The neighborhood itself was magnificent to be in after all Greta had heard about it growing up. “Our mommy was just a teen during the Summer of Love,” Greta grinned.

  “Really, I thought this was the summer of love?” Valia replied.

  “Behave,” Greta purred.

  As they walked to the famous corner of Haight and Ashbury, they noticed a brilliantly painted Volkswagen bus rocking. Greta giggled, remembering that old saying, “If this van’s a rockin’, don’t come a knockin’.”

  A few voices from within the van shouted, “710 Ashbury,” that was easy to make out, but sounded muffled. The twins stopped to try and peek inside, but all they could see was their own beautiful reflections in the glass.

  “Were you talking to us?” Greta said.

  “710 Ashbury,” they shouted again as the van resumed rocking.

  “Make sure you wear a condom,” Greta laughed and pulled Valia in the direction of that address.

  “You know, the more I see of your world, the more I believe you are here purely for entertainment for the rest of the known universe,” Valia laughed. “I guess that just makes you more worth saving.”

  “Well thanks for the compliment sister,” Greta laughed.

  “Shopping,” Valia said as they began passing brightly colored specialty shops and boutiques.

  “You know, this place reminds me of a small, cleaner Greenwich Village where you can see an occasional palm tree,” Greta said. “It’s just that here, and perhaps it is because of the slightly warmer weather, and let me emphasize that word slightly, more of the original scene and their offspring decided to stay.”

  Valia looked at Greta with that now all too familiar turned up eyebrow that meant she just had a fab idea. Greta knew it very well since it was the same eyebrow she would turn up when she had an idea. Although she really did not need to, Greta asked people passing by about the neighborhood, and for directions to 710 Ashbury just to strike up a conversation and see what they were like. There was a very laid back approach to life that both appealed to her and annoyed her at times.

  “Do beings on your world take drugs for recreation?” Greta asked.

  “Not for many moons,” Valia grinned.

  “I know, it’s the bright colors all around us yes, and it is this neighborhood that has you feeling so light and comical hmmm?”

  “That and your remarkable presence.” Valia replied.

  When they finally arrived at 710 Haight, the block was remarkably quiet with very few people walking by. “It’s not the Summer of Love, but I’m not complaining, I rather like the quiet,” a woman spoke. She was sitting on the front porch, long thick wavy cocoa colored hair blowing gently in the
breeze. She wore a leather necklace complimented with long strings of pearl like beads, a vest over a tank, beautifully embroidered jeans and bare feet that had henna tattoos on them.

  “Quiet can be very nice, do you live here?” Greta asked.

  “My dear Greta, I live everywhere and nowhere,” she laughed. “I find it very refreshing that you do not know who I am, so here, let me give you a hint,” the woman said as she broke into a song, “You’re out on the streets looking good, and baby, Deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain’t right, Never never never never never never never hear me when I cry at night, Baby, I cry all the time.”

  Greta opened the gate and she and Valia sat on either side of her so they would not appear to be talking to the porch. “You have always been one of my favorite performers, that sounded so fucking awesome,” Greta said.

  “John got word to me that you were in town, happy you took the invite.” Janis said.

  “You know, I was expecting to see Jerry Garcia here after being invited, since they lived here right?” Greta replied. “I am so happy I was wrong, no offense Jerry if you are around anywhere.”

  “Nope, Jerry is long gone,” Janis replied. “You know Valia, there is no telling what may have come of the sixties if you had arrived then, damn a revolution already underway, it would have been awesome.”

  “A new, quiet revolution has already begun,” Valia replied. “Greta and I have been hard at work, on tour if you will.”

  “Haaa, well put my dear.” “Can I make a suggestion to you?”

  “But of course,” Valia replied.

  “Make this neighborhood happen again, make this state happen again, make this fucking country happen again,” Janis shouted.

  “We have already started,” Valia replied. They sat there for a while before explaining a small part of what they had already set in motion, and what they were capable of. They discussed the awesome possibilities in the music industry. They took her by the hand and disappeared from the porch, reappearing in Buena Vista Park overlooking the city in the direction of the Bay.