The Journey Pt 3 - David Lorefield

The Journey

Pt 3 – Clouded Reflections

Sunlight dances on the grass as the warm, gentle breeze stirs the branches above me. Butterflies cavort across the meadow, bumble bees gather in their harvest and songbirds carouse in their lofty nests. I kneel naked on my blanket with my eyes closed thinking of my Mistress and awaiting Her return so that I may continue my training.

My Mistress is always busy. She is a Woman of high status here at the Dominion and often has to deal with important affairs. Of course, I understand this. After these months of service, (- how many now? Five? Ten? -) I know that I can’t expect to have Her attention all the time. I am just grateful to have it when She grants it to me. As the shadow of a cloud veils the sun, the sudden coolness brings a though to my mind.

“Months? Has it been months or just weeks? Or maybe only days…”. The sun reappears but the shadow remains in my head, an anomaly like blue fire and black glass. Slowly, the feeling subsides as the warmth of the sun seeps into my skin once more.

I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see my Mistress walking purposefully towards me. I turn to face Her approaching form and bow my head to the ground in greeting, my bare bottom raised in supplication. My eyes turned down, I see only Her feet in front of me. I stretch forward to kiss them gently and catch the scent of Her perfume, the musk of desire, the promise of forbidden fruit. I shiver as She leans down and places one hand softly on the back of my head.

“Kneel up, my boy.” She commands in a firm but assuring tone. “I have an errand for you to perform.”

I rise to an upright kneeling position with my hands behind my back, as I have been taught, and see that my Mistress is holding a small book, beautifully bound in red leather with a gold and silver filigree symbol inlaid on the cover. A circle with three inter-twining teardrops contained within it, each with a smaller circle of black onyx like a hole. As I stared at the symbol, it seemed to shift and swirl as if the circle was spinning and the shapes within it were re-forming themselves. Unnerved, I lifted my eyes and looked up at my Mistress.

“You must take this book to Eva. She requires it for a new Lady who has just arrived at the Dominion. As the weather is good, you may walk the path through the wood and over the bridge. Eva will be expecting you.”

I nod politely and offer my hand to take the book. “Yes, my Mistress.” I reply, wondering if the book would squirm in my hand as much as it appeared to do in my eyes. My Mistress spoke again.

“Be warned. On no account must you open this book or attempt to read it. The power binding this book will consume you, if you disobey. The wards protecting it will scatter you to the four winds.” Gently, She added, “I would hate to see that happen to you, my precious boy”.

I smiled to myself, revelling in this moment when I knew how much my Mistress cared for me. She gave me permission to rise and dress myself. I jumped up and after pulling on my clothes I set off. The walk from home to Miss Eva’s castle would take me an hour. Not a long journey but knew that I should hurry. I crossed the meadow and came to the wood on the other side. I followed a well trodden path so I knew I’d not get lost. It was just after midday so the heat was becoming uncomfortable. I was glad to reach the shade of the trees and focused on the sound of the leaves rustling and the birds calling out their warnings. I continued along the path until the trees began to thin and I saw the bridge. The river ran through the woods, encircling my Mistress’s domain. In truth, it was more like a Iake, a moat forming the boundary between Miss Eva’s land and that of my Mistress. The waters were deep, dark and were said to contain dangerous beasts. I approached the bridge with caution, as always. My Mistress and I often used the path to walk to Miss Eva’s and had crossed the bridges many times. She’d warned me of the low sides and how easy it was to fall into those treacherous waters. I strode out onto the bridge and got to halfway when my curiosity took hold of me. I felt the urge to look over the side and despite my common sense calling out “Stop!” I knelt down at the low parapet and looked over.

The waters churned wildly as if some great force was stirring up a maelstrom in the depths. Then, the water seemed to calm and the surface flattened. In the stillness, i saw a face appear on the surface of the water -my reflection, but different. Instead of the clean lines of my face, the clarity of my own features, I could see the face of a man with blemished skin, unkempt, thinning hair and wearing spectacles. As I moved my head, he moved his to mirror my movement. I poked out my tongue and he returned the gesture. The face was familiar to me. Memories pushed hard against the doors in my mind, begging for freedom. “I know you” I said to myself. “You’re like me.” A twig snapped loudly behind me in the wood as some wild animal ran for cover. The sound brought me back to myself and I quickly rose and hurried off in the direction of Miss Eva’s castle. The rest of the journey was uneventful but I couldn’t shrug off the dark clouds that were rolling over the me, threatening as a thunderstorm.

To be continued…..