Suddenly she shouted, “Oh! Did you hear that? What was that at the window? I thought that I saw something! Look!” and she pointed at the windows behind me and everyone turned to look.
Raven said more quietly, “It’s gone. I could have sworn that I saw a white face. Or maybe it was an animal. I can’t remember what it looked like now. I saw it and I am sure that I knew what it was, but now that I try to remember, I can’t.”
Brenda said gravely, “There was nothing on the sensors but a strange shadow. As if something moved so fast that it was undetectable. Or perhaps it shifted shape and I couldn’t see it because it was never what it was for even an instant.”
Raven said, “No one go outside right now, but unless I’m mistaken, we will find a feather from a white owl by the window in the morning.”
Wendy said, “Raven, you-re a good story-time lady. I have bumps…on my boobs!”
Raven said, “But there’s more. You see, when she moves about the villages of men, she wears a tunic and hood and disguises herself as one of the little sisters. She will appear behind the curtain at an event held by the Merchant of Women and no one has seen her arrive. If an offer is made, she walks away with the man who pays the fee, but she appears again in another place. She moves on the wind. If she travels with the merchant, she may be quiet or laughing. She may not say a word for days, or she may tell stories and jokes. You never know what form she takes beneath the tunic.”
Then, again very quietly, Raven said, “One night, when only she and I were in the merchants caravan, she spoke to me. We were sitting at a campfire where we stopped for the night, and the Merchant was asleep already. She said to me, ‘Sister, do you find me strange?’ I didn’t want to offend her, and not knowing what form she took, or if it was a bear beneath her tunic, I told her that I thought that she was very lovely and not at all strange. She laughed and said that I was a liar, but that she liked me. She stood up and said to me, ‘Someday we won’t wear these’ and she dropped her tunic to the ground and then did the same with her hood. She stood there me naked and said, ‘Sister, will you let me see you? Are you very different than I am?’ Well, I couldn’t refuse her, and I disrobed and let her examine me with her eyes. She said, ‘We are not very different. And we are more beautiful I think that other women. Do you know our story? It will be soon. Sooner than you think. Your tunic will be lost and you will be naked and unashamed. Thank you for showing me that I am not too different.’ Then she pulled her tunic back on and we sat down again. When we lay down to sleep, she pulled me on top her breast for a pillow and whispered, ‘You will not see me again until the day comes for us to be together’ and I fell asleep.”
Raven paused as if she had just had a revelation and said, “Oh, that part was real. Um, I was telling stories, but I realize that the last part happened to me not very long ago. I fell asleep that night, but in the morning she was gone and neither the merchant nor I took much notice of it. Later, when there were several of us on a circuit, she was beside the road and when the wagon approached, she climbed up with us. When I had the chance, I said to her that she had told me that I wouldn’t see her again and that I had been worried for her, but she laughed and said that she probably did but didn’t explain what she meant.”
Lark said, “Ah, there’s the answer. There are two of them and we thought that they were the same one. She is distinct and we saw her one at a time, but because she is distinct, we assumed that she was one person, not two. If there are two, it will be very interesting. Oh, this is very interesting. Joshua, your plan is a good one. We must all meet her, I mean them…no, I mean her, when we’re all together. Yes, we will meet her as a family. It will be a very, very interesting morning.”
I asked, “Lark, is this one of those things that you just know, like when you said that I was going to have a hard afternoon when I found out about Clark and Irene?”
She said, “Maybe. I don’t know. I just know that it will be interesting.”
Viola leaned into my ear and said, “Master, the big one is tall. That’s all. You will like her.”
I thought to myself about what we knew. I was glad that we had waited for more information before trying to take action. I liked surprises; unless the surprise had to do with my mother murdering my father, forcing an amazing creature like Brenda into a soulless robotic existence, enslaving my exceptional relatives, or stabbing me with intent to kill. But on the whole, most surprises were pretty cool. Now, meeting the new Nogud would be less of a surprise than it could have been, but the girls wouldn’t, or in many cases couldn’t, tell me everything.
Here’s what I thought that I knew: There were two women, even though Antonio and all of my girls had thought that there was just one. They were traveling together and obviously knew each other. They were tall. One or both of them was strange, but no one knew them well enough to describe them in detail. They were independently-minded and came and went as they pleased, even as Nogud. There was something about them that made others pay little attention to them. The girls were sure that I would like them in some special way. And, finally, they would be here in the morning. In retrospect, I guess I didn’t know much of anything and there were plenty of surprises possible. We would have to wait until tomorrow and see.
I said, “Brenda, it’s getting late. Where is our snow ghost owl bear otter spirit princess at the moment?”
Brenda said, “She…I mean they, are crossing the west bridge at this moment.”
I said, “Keep an eye on them. Let me know if anything happens. They’re really close now, so wake me up with any news if you need to.”
Mandy said, “I’m sleepy. Do you want me to be a ninja?”
Wendy said, “If you’re sleepy, I could be the ninja.”
Clarice said, “No, you guys go ahead and sleep. We will put you to bed when everybody is ready. If we need a ninja, Brenda or I will do it.”
Ellie said, “It is really sleepy. Can I sleep with Viola? Tell Joshy about the moon minions. Goodnight.”
Lark said, “I will put them to bed,” and she stood up and started to gather the sleeping Wendy into her arms.
Brenda said, “I’ll help you. Joshua, thank you for a wonderful day. I’m going to sleep with Raven tonight, but I’ll wake you up if anything comes up with our travelers. Goodnight, Sweetie.”
Brenda grabbed Ellie, and then Mandy, one under each arm, and carried them off like groceries to a bedroom.
That left me, Viola, Raven, Clarice, and Aspen together in the living room together.
Raven crawled onto my lap and kissed me and said, “I’ll go sleep in my room with Brenda and whichever nymph she has with us tonight. I love you big cutie. You can come in my room anytime; free license.”
I said, “And you know that you can come to me too. I love you, Raven.”
As Raven got up, I felt Viola reach into my lap and fondle me for a moment as she said goodnight, explaining that she would sleep with Ellie and leave me to Clarice and Aspen for the rest of the evening. When Viola was gone, I sat with the two that remained.
Aspen said, “Master, it’s so good to see you again. I missed you. Can we all go to my room tonight? I have that big thing that we haven’t tried out yet. Could we take our blankets and all try it?”
I didn’t know what the thing that she wanted to try out was, but in a way, I hoped that it didn’t involve vigorous sexual activity. It turned out that what Aspen was referring to was a big round piece of furniture, like a giant pillow, in the center of her bedroom. The three of us climbed in naked and pulled the blankets over us and fell asleep in each other’s arms. I think that Aspen might have been interested in making love, but I think that Clarice sensed my tiredness and used her sleep music to put us out for the night.
Chapter 13 - Early Surprises
I heard Brenda in my ear-piece say, “Joshua, it’s early, but it has been light for a few minutes. Our spirit woman, I mean women, are on the move. They have started down the winding path from the south end of the bri
dge into Goldenwood and are definitely headed our way. They are moving more quickly than they have over the past few days. They are just a little more than three miles from the cove and moving at about three and a quarter miles an hour. They will reach the bottom of the path and then may make even better time. I think that you have forty-five minutes or so before they get there. It will take us about eight minutes to reach the cove if we all ride in the carts.”
I said, “I want to be there at least ten minutes ahead of them. More if possible. We have to be on our way in twenty minutes.”
Clarice sat up and said, “Nymphs, we need a quick breakfast packed for a picnic. Everybody wake up. Joshua, I’m giving everybody a quick shot of audio caffeine to get them going. Nymphs, be ready in ten minutes with that picnic basket.”
Brenda said, “Two garden carts are on the way to the front door to pick us up. Joshua, what’s the dress code for the morning?”
I said, “Do we have bathrobes?”
Clarice said, “We do. Anything else?”
I said, “No. Bathrobes only. Bring two extra. Naked underneath.”
Brenda said, “I’ll get them. I’ll meet you at the front door. Girls, did everyone hear that? No clothes this morning. It’s warm outside already and I’m bringing robes.”
Aspen said, “What are bathrobes?”
I said, “Everyone brush your teeth quick and meet in the guest house.”
Aspen, Clarice, and I rushed to Aspen’s bathroom to get ready. Clarice, and all of the nymphs and Brenda, brushed their teeth even though they didn’t eat. Actually, what they did was rinse their mouth forcefully with the sweet tasting ‘coconut milk’ in a way that cleaned their teeth and tissues very thoroughly.
In just under twenty minutes, everyone was assembled at the front door to the guest house. We all put on the bathrobes that Brenda had brought and we took the basket of bread and fruit that the nymphs had prepared for us. I climbed in a garden cart with Brenda, Aspen, and Raven; Clarice, Lark, and Viola climbed into the second cart, and we started off on the one and a half mile trip to the cove at Newsprings Breast. As we rode, I explained the plan.
I said, “OK everyone, when we get to the cove, everybody out of the carts. Clarice, send the carts off to where they won’t be seen. Spread a blanket on the grass and set out breakfast. But we’ll wait for our guests before we eat. It’s warming up already, but the water will be cold at first. We’ll get used to it soon enough, so everybody hop in the water and take a bath. We’ll play it by ear after that and I’ll give you directions when we see what happens.
We pulled up to the cove a few minutes later. The breakfast was arranged and we dumped our robes in a pile nearby. Running down to the water, we all jumped in, except Aspen who took a bit more time easing herself in bit by bit. The water was cool, but we adjusted quickly and we were all comfortable within a few minutes.
We stood in chest deep water and washed ourselves and each other, hugging and kissing as we got the chance. Brenda said silently in my ear, “They are almost here. Fifty yards.”
I winked in her direction and smiled, giving a signal that we should keep doing what we were doing already; enjoying ourselves in the water of the cove early in the morning.
I was excited. In fact, this was probably the most excited that I had been about meeting any of the girls. Every previous occasion had been somewhat tense in one way or another. I’d been unsure of the outcomes and had felt like I was navigating a tricky situation. This morning, I had the impression that nothing could possibly go wrong. I asked Clarice and Brenda if my feelings had been their doing somehow, but they assured me that it was my own confidence and nothing more.
I heard Brenda say, “They are here. Coming around the bend into view…, …now.”
I glanced up at the path and caught a glimpse of two hooded figures just before they ducked back behind a tree. I kept watch out of the corner of my eye as I continued washing Raven’s shoulders and back from behind her. I smiled and pointed over her shoulder, showing her where to watch, but I didn’t say anything. I wanted the women to know that I had seen them and that I knew where they were hiding. A second later, the two walked boldly toward us.
Raven and I stood and watched and smiled as they approached. One by one, the others turned and faced the newcomers and as they came to stand about ten feet from the edge of the water. The seven of us were standing together, welcoming them with our happy faces.
I stepped forward a few steps, but kept my lower half below the water for now and said, “Hello. I am Joshua. We have been expecting you and you are welcome here with us. We have some breakfast and you are welcome to it as well.”
The two women took a step forward and one said, “We have not eaten for three days.”
I gasped and said, “Oh my dears, I’m so sorry! We’ll eat right away!”
The other girl held up her hand as a signal that I should stay where I was.
The first said, “Master, we will eat after. We have not eaten, but we are not anxious. We know that you will feed us if we want it.”
The silent one reached up and pulled her hood from her face and looked at me. Her eyes never left me and after a moment, she undid the ties at her shoulders and let her tunic fall to the ground. The other, the spokesman said, “Master, we have seen that you are The Sleeper. We belong to you as we were ever meant to.”
The silent one nodded at the other and the speaker pulled back her hood and then dropped her tunic as well.
And there was my first surprise! They were twins! Absolutely identical in every respect. They were both more toned and muscular than any of the others. Not overly so, but definitely more defined muscularly than any of the rest. And that included their breasts. They were large, but looked incredibly firm and stood out, possibly even more than Brenda or Clarice.
The silent one bent down and picked up her tunic and hood from where it had landed on the ground and held it out toward me…and then the other did the same.
I said, “If you stay with us, you won’t need those.”
The one who spoke said, “We belong to you.”
The silent one touched the first on the shoulder and she corrected herself, saying, “We belong with you. We also will be yours if you will have us. We must stay with you either way. We do what you say, because you are The Sleeper.”
The other touched her again and she added, “And because we love you. We have waited for you because we love you. You are what we knew you would be. Our mother showed us a picture that she had copied from a picture that was copied from a picture. We knew that we would love you.”
Again, the touch on the shoulder and she said, “And we know that you love us…but we do not know to what extent.”
I said, “So, you are willing to live with me here in Goldenwood, at my home with my women who are with me already?”
The silent one nodded.
I said, “I’m very happy about that. I do love you, though you have never met me. And so do these women with me. We have waited for you just as you have waited for us.”
The speaker said, “We are yours. Tell us what to do. We have no questions now.”
Lark was at my shoulder whispering, “Master, tell them what to do. They have been alone and they want a husband and family. Don’t hesitate so much.”
I smiled and said, “Then, it’s done!” and I walked out of the water and approached them…and I had my second surprise! As I got close, I saw that they were indeed big. They were both taller than I was. I was six feet tall, and they were both at least six foot two!
I said, “We will be more comfortable very soon. You must understand something. When I say do this or do that, it’s an opportunity. You may do as I say at that moment, but you are not compelled to do it. If you do what I tell you, it’s because you choose to. If you don’t, it’s only the opportunity that is missed. I will not treat you badly.”
The speaker said, “We belong to you. We are your own body. No man treats his own body badly. Tell us wh
at to do and we will choose to do it.”
I smiled and said, “Well, first, I would have you come with me and we will throw those awful tunics away and send them to the sea.”
I started walking toward the point of the cove downriver. The women followed me without hesitation. As we stood on the point, the silent one handed me her tunic and gave me a small smile.
I took the garment and said, “We don’t need these. They will go to the sea and feed fishes. You are beautiful and when you wear a dress, it will be much nicer than this.”
I wadded up the cloth and threw it into the river. The second girl handed me her bundled and I did the same with it.
Then I turned to them, and standing close, I said, “Now, it’s my habit to bathe you and bond with you. It’s a ritual that ties us together.”
The two stood side by side, not moving or giving me much of a hint about what they were feeling. It was odd. We weren’t connecting. They were here, but not with me. It was a bit like when Brenda first woke up and had no will or personality. These two had their own will and certainly their own personalities, but I couldn’t see it yet.
I said cheerfully, “But first, let’s have breakfast.”
I felt that we needed more time and more relationship before we tried to move on. I couldn’t just take away their clothes and then start rubbing them all over intimately and expect that we were eternally in love. This was going to need some patience on my part. I walked back to the grass where our picnic was laid out and where the girls now stood watching and waiting for us to do whatever was next.
I said quietly in my ear-piece as I approached, “Raven, bring me two robes.”
Raven quickly ran to get the two extra robes that we had brought with us and when we stood together, I took one and said to the girl who didn’t speak, “Here, I don’t want you to be cold. Can I put this on you?”
The Watchman Page 12