“Oh no, never. You can rest assured that you’ll never hear any noise outside of the participation zones. Both indoors and outdoors, everything in the mansion and on the grounds is completely soundproofed.”
“Wow, so there really is something to tempt every taste.”
“It’s like I tried to tell you before, that’s the name of the game.”
“This place really bowls me over,” I said. “You know what’s funny, though, is that out of all these temptations, I honestly think that the one thing that I like the most is feeling so darn good; I can’t imagine ever feeling this healthy before.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. Without the essence and the water, I don’t think it’s even possible. Never forget, either, that the longer you stay here, the more your health will improve until it reaches the point of absolute perfection. Everything that you’re experiencing now is just the tip of the iceberg. At this stage of the game, you can’t even realize yet just how wonderful you’ll eventually come to feel.”
“I like the sound of that. So, Ben, when do you need my answer?”
“I don’t want to rush you too much, Ashley, but now that you’ve been officially approved by Arrosha, the sooner the better.”
“Okay. Well, first of all,” I told him, “I want to tell you that I’m incredibly flattered to be asked to join your group and I should have an answer for you pretty quickly. I know you’d think that being offered to be a included in all of this wealth and luxury would be a no-brainer, but there’s a part of me that’s still holding out. I don’t even know why. I hope that being alone tomorrow with my thoughts will help me figure that out. I honestly think that the only thing that could change my mind now is if my memories come back with a darn good reason for me to have to leave.”
“I understand.”
“So, Ben, I’m not making a commitment yet, but I am really leaning toward staying. I think I could be very happy here.”
“That would be a wise choice, because this really is a very special place,” he said, looking out over the grounds with both affection and pride. “I can’t emphasize it enough. You’ll never find another spot on the face of the earth that can match the amenities this estate has to offer. You should consider being here an honor. It’s one that Arrosha extends only to a very select few.”
“About Arrosha,” I said, curious to learn more about this woman, this professed deity that had, for some obscure reason, chosen a non-believer like myself to join her elite, exclusive club. “Can you tell me more about her? Exactly what is she like?”
“Oh, our Goddess is wonderful,” he beamed. “Not only is she incredibly powerful, but she’s also warm, kind and generous to a fault. I can’t wait for you to meet her. Once you do, I’m sure that, like the rest of us, you’ll fall in love with her and most definitely decide to stay.”
“So when do you think that’ll be?”
“Within the next few days. Could be even as early as tomorrow, but I doubt it. I think she wants you to get settled in a little more first. I honestly don’t know why she’s handled your arrival so differently, because the rest of us all met her before she ever brought us to the mansion.”
“Do I have to decide to stay or leave before I meet her?”
“Yes, she’s told me as much. That’s why it was so important for you to see as much of the mansion and the grounds as soon as possible. You needed to know what you would be saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to. Her arrival will signal the beginning of your transformation ceremony.”
“What kind of a ceremony is it?”
“It’s just a ceremony that enables Arrosha to tie her into your energies and yours into hers. She says it’s got something to do with higher physics or metaphysics, something that’s far beyond our current scientific comprehension. All you need to know is that it serves only to form a bond between the two of you so she can transform you.”
“Do I want to be transformed? You’ve been promising to explain that to me.”
“Yes, I have, and now that we have all of the other stuff out of the way, it’s the perfect time. Tell me, Ashley, do you like the changes that you’ve seen in yourself so far?”
“I love them.”
“Fabulous. Then you’ll like being transformed even better. It’ll make you tall, graceful and beautiful.”
“So what all do I have to do?”
“From your perspective, not much. Arrosha does all the work and the ceremony is very short. Arrosha stands on one end of the reflecting pool by the sphinx while you stand at the far end opposite her. I act as liaison between the two of you because ordinarily, she never allows any neophyte to be near her from the time she brings them to the mansion until after the ceremony is completed. You hand me a personal object of yours, which I then turn over to Arrosha. She says a special blessing over the object and she’ll transformed you into a vision of loveliness that will never age from that point on.”
“What does it feel like?” I asked.
“Wonderful. You’ll experience a pleasant tingling and then everything that’s wrong with you will disappear. You will actually be able to feel the shift in your energies as the link takes you to a spiritual plane higher than you ever believed possible. You’ll be more beautiful in all ways than you ever were before. After that, the object used becomes very special to you, forever then the symbol of your special link with the Goddess.
“That’s all there is to it and afterward we have a little celebration in the city at our private club, The Crypt, to honor your full inclusion into our little circle, where we indulge in the special drinks that Arrosha provides us.”
“So what kind of object do I have to use?”
“It’s usually something of sentimental value. For example, I used a set of cufflinks that meant a lot to me that Geoffrey had given me in my previous life. Illea used her mother’s music box, the one that’s on the dresser in your bedroom. Robert used an object from an outing that was particularly meaningful to him, a plastic ring from a vending machine at a seaside resort. Everyone has some kind of special memento with which to work.”
“I don’t. All I have are the clothes that I was wearing when I got here,” I said. “I don’t even have anything with me that’s even as personal as a driver’s license.”
“That’s very true. But you never know, maybe that shirt you had on had some special meaning?”
“What kind of special meaning could a shirt possibly have?”
“What kind of meaning can a plastic ring have? You can’t go simply by the value that the outside world sets upon an object. Who knows, maybe someone you really love gave it to you but you just can’t remember that right now. Don’t worry about it, Arrosha will tell you what you need for the ceremony. It’s always her decision in the end. She’ll find something of yours to use, I have no doubt about that.”
“I don’t know, Ben. This feels kind of funny to me.” Something in the back of my mind whispered that this might just be the catch in the deal that I was dreading. “This changes things. I was right at the verge of wanting to join, but something about this ceremony just doesn’t feel right to me. I wish I knew what it was, but I can’t put my finger on it. Do I really have to go through with it in order to stay here?”
“Absolutely. It’s the one condition that’s not open to debate.”
“Oh, dear. I really don’t know what to say. What happens if this a deal breaker and I decide that I don’t want to stay after all?”
“Arrosha will most probably make you forget this mansion because only those within the group can share the knowledge that this place exists. Other than that, nothing. We’ll miss you, that’s all. You’ll just go back to your old life. Arrosha or one of us will take you back to New Orleans. We’ll find a place for you to stay until you remember where you’re from and then we’ll arrange to get you home. All you need to do is to decide before the ceremony, the timing of which is completely at Arrosha’s discretion. All she asks of you, however, is that you be wholehearted about whatever
decision you make.”
“If I decide to stay, Ben, will I never be allowed to leave?”
“Actually, quite the opposite is true. If you decide to leave, you’ll never be allowed to come back. But if you decide to stay, it’s like I told you yesterday, Ashley, not one of us is a prisoner here. We’re here only because we want to be. You asked me what Arrosha is like, so let me tell you more to help you decide. She is obviously very generous to us, but more than that, she’s very protective of us. She’s loving and kind, sometimes even sentimental. She calls us her own children and treats us as such. Really, Ashley, I wish you would seriously consider staying with our group. You’ve seen that the lifestyle here is fabulous, that staying with us can offer you more than anything else can, but it goes beyond that. We’re a real family here. I know that Illea and most of the rest feel you would be a wonderful addition and I don’t have to tell you that Robert wants desperately for you to join us. As for me, I think you’d be a fabulous friend and I would be so sad to see you go. Frankly, I think our little group has been too small for too long, at least for my taste. It would be wonderful to add a new member and so far, you’re fitting in very well with us.”
“I’m sure Geoffrey wouldn’t agree with you,”
“Forget Geoffrey. Once you’re transformed, he can’t help but accept you because the transformed you will be an ever-present reminder that Arrosha has accepted you, given you her ‘seal of approval’, so to speak. He’s not even a part of the equation, so don’t let him have any role in your decision. I’ll tend to Geoffrey and make sure he makes good on his promise to be nice to you until then. I really think it’s just a matter of my making up my recent absences to him so he won’t have any excuse to be jealous any longer. Once I convince him that your friendship is no threat to our relationship, he’ll come to like you as much as I do.”
“I hope you’re right, Ben, because I don’t like to be anywhere that I’m not wanted.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about him another minute. I haven’t mentioned any of the negative changes in him to Arrosha yet, because I didn’t want to get him into trouble, especially not if I could correct his behavior myself. But if he doesn’t come around, if he doesn’t change his attitude toward you, I will have no choice but to take it up with her. She’ll set him right with no ‘if’s’, ‘and’s’, or ‘but’s’ about it. Arrosha is a kind, indulgent Goddess, but rest assured, she will not stand for Geoffrey getting in the way of what she wants. If it comes to that, I’d certainly hate to be in his shoes when it happens. Does that help you in any way make up your mind?”
“Thanks, Ben, it does. Is there anything else I need to keep in mind while I’m making my decision to stay or to leave?”
“No. Not really, except that the sooner you make your decision, the better. I know that Arrosha is hoping you’ll stay with us. When I spoke with her this morning, she asked me how I thought you’d done with the essence and the water and whether you liked it here and felt at home. She really wants to do everything she can to make sure that you feel comfortable with us, so she’s asked me to give her status updates about how you feel about staying, about what your concerns and doubts are, that sort of thing. I know she doesn’t want to wait too long for you to make up your mind. My advice to you is to make up your mind by tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow morning?”
“It would be helpful.”
“That doesn’t give me much time to decide, does it?”
“It’s why I took you around the grounds today, to show you what we have to offer you.”
“I’ll have to think hard about this later, when I’m alone. Ben, I like it here. A lot. But do I want stay here to live? That I don’t know yet. The bottom line is that it’s hard to make any kind of a decision without my memories.
“I told you already that I don’t know if I have a boyfriend waiting for me back home, but that’s just one scenario I’m worried about. What if I have children or elderly parents that are counting on me to come home? What if I have any pets that would be left homeless if I don’t return? If I knew that I had no ties, then sure, I’d love to stay here. I’d be a fool to pass up this lifestyle, but Ben, I don’t want to leave anybody or anything in the lurch. I don’t want to cause any person or creature suffering or hardship just because I’m up here having a grand old time and living the life of Riley.”
“Of course there’s no way for me to know what your circumstances back home are, Ashley,” Ben countered, “but I can tell you that I doubt seriously that any of those scenarios would be the case.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because Arrosha is not in the habit of choosing people with outside ties. She’s never put any of us into such a bind and I can’t see her putting you into one, either,” he reassured me. “Ever. Not one of us here had anybody or any living thing to leave behind at the time that she rescued us, so why would you be different? Some of us did have financial obligations, but she made sure those were taken care of. In the very outside chance that you would have anyone, she would more than provide for them. In the case of children, she would allow you to bring them here. In the case of pets, she would find loving homes for them and she would arrange for you to visit them on your trips to the outside world. The same goes for parents or siblings. However, when I speak to her tonight, I’ll be certain to pass on your concerns and make sure they are addressed and, if need be, taken care of in a way that will make you happy.”
“Really? That’s very good to know.”
“Sure. Don’t fret so much, okay?” he said. “Ashley, for your sake, I really do wish that your memory would return. I know there’s nothing that I could say that would ever reassure you the way that would. So while we’re on the subject again, tell me, has anything else at all come back since the reflecting pool?”
“Not really. Why do you keep asking?”
“Arrosha told me to keep an eye on your progress. Your memory is of greatest concern to her.”
“Why?”
“She’s concerned about you. We all are.”
“Sad to say, my memories are about as much out of commission as they were the last time you asked. Aside from that annoying nagging feeling I told you about, it’s just more trivia and generalities, none of which are helping at all. Other than that, zilch.”
“Well now, don’t get too discouraged,” he offered. “You have to take into account that you were terribly sick when you showed up here. You’d been awfully traumatized, almost to the point of death. I’m sure that’s got to have something to do with the memory loss. I know we joked about it earlier, but it is possible that your amnesia could very well be a product of your mind blocking out whatever trauma put you into such a bad state in the first place. Look on the bright side, you’re on the mend now. Once you’re mind is completely healed, I’ll bet you’ll even start remembering things you blocked out years ago.”
“Oh boy, lucky me.”
“There now, that’s the spirit,” he chuckled. “All you have to do is relax and give it time.”
“What if I don’t have time, Ben?”
“What do you mean by that, Ashley?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I get sometimes.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“I feel pressured, like there’s something that I need to be doing that I’m not. Something important.”
“Well no wonder you’re finding it so hard to make a decision. Does it help you to talk about it?”
“No. Actually, it’s making it worse.”
“Well, let’s stop talking about it then. Would you like to be alone? Maybe that would help.”
“Not right now. I’d like it if you could get my mind on something else.”
“Okay, then, why don’t I take this time to tell you the tale of our little group? I’m sure you must be curious about who we are, when we came to live here, and who we used to be. Maybe it’ll help you decide to stay with us if you know more about who we used
to be.”
“I’d love that. You can make it my bedtime story. I’ve been waiting to hear about it since you promised me yesterday.”
“Very well, my dear,” he said. “Prepare to be regaled.”
“I’m all ears,” I told him, although in truth I really wasn’t. As I settled back in the swing, putting my feet up to get more comfortable, I still couldn’t get my mind off of the “transformation ceremony” to which I would be bound should I decide to stay. It bothered me tremendously that I would have to trust this woman with something that I owned and that I had no choice as to what the object in question would be.
“Arrosha will tell you what you need for the ceremony,” Ben’s words rang in an endless loop in the back of my consciousness. “It’s always her decision in the end. She’ll find something of yours to use, I have no doubt about that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Alright, Ashley,” Ben began. “I suppose it’s time now for you to learn a thing or two about our little group. I know I’ve been throwing a lot at you these last two days, but I think it’s important for you to learn more about the people you’ll be living with for the rest of your life, should you stay, or the people you’ll be leaving behind forever, should you decide to leave. Normally, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at all, because normally, you would be a part of our group already and there’d be plenty of time for everybody to tell you their own story in a natural progression. But since your situation isn’t a normal one and since you don’t have much time to make up your mind, I guess we have no option but to give you the crash course. I hope it’ll help in your decision.”
“Great. I can’t wait to hear it,” I told him.
“Okay then, let’s see, where should I even start? I suppose as good a way as any would be to begin with something simple, so I’ll just tell you the order in which we arrived and then take it from there.
“As you know, I was the original member of our group. And for quite a while, I was its sole member. So that I wouldn’t be too lonely, Arrosha often kept me company whenever I was here at the mansion, and I’m sure that’s the reason that out of everybody in the group, I’m the closest to her. When she wasn’t around, I spent most of my time at her townhouse in New Orleans, where I very soon had quite a long list of casual acquaintances that kept me from getting too lonesome. It wasn’t hard gathering such a large group of acquaintances, because I found out almost immediately that when you’re rich and handsome, people want to meet you. Since those relationships were forbidden to deepen, though, it wasn’t long, less than a year, before I realized such shallowness wasn’t enough for me and I began to succumb to great loneliness. Arrosha hated to see me so sad, so she brought in Geoffrey.
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