|
MARGARET - LOST FROM HER MIND [ part 14 ] “You move so easily after your punishment, how can you do that?” Margaret asked the two girls. “Well it does hurt, but we’ve found its better if we don’t think about the pain, somehow it seems to fade, we don’t know how this is, but ever since we came here something seems to take our pain away!” The girls said Margaret was running with the two girls, she was managing to keep up with them now after her period in the medical section, also being outside in the open without clothing wasn’t bothering her now, even when they passed groups of girls, fully dressed, who were walking sedately to their classes, some of them smiled at the trio as they ran pass. Margaret started to giggle as she ran, somehow she felt free, well relatively free for a slave in her position. The girls ran down a lane defined by trees to a large house. As they approached the front door it opened for them. A dark man was behind it, he smiled at the girls and gestured them inside. “Well if it isn’t the terrible two’s, and who is this young one?” He asked. “This is Margaret, isn’t she pretty, mistress wants to see her.” The two said to him. “Well, Sister E’s busy at the moment, but she’s asked me to send you to the west wing and wait for her there, you know the way!” The butler stood to one side as the three girls ran down the hallway indicated, going deeper into the house. “Who’s he?” Margaret said as they ran – she did wonder why she didn’t have an urge to bow before the man. “He’s called Jonas, he’s the mistress’s butler, he’s always been with her it seems!” the girls replied They arrived in an austere room, there were pyramids and sarcophaguses and statues, along with frescos with hieroglyphics on them. Margaret just stared at the display, moving from one statue to another. Before stopping before one, it was of a man holding a staff in his left hand and wearing a bird’s head mask there was a large disk on his head. Margaret went down on her knees and lowered her head to this statue. The two girls looked at each other. Sinister went to call out to Margaret but Dexter stopped her and shook her head. Sinister nodded and just watched. Margaret found herself speaking, but she didn’t understand the words, it was as if someone else was using her mouth. ‘You are the sun, the bringer of life, may you continue to reign supreme throughout the day, may Nut allow you to arise anew. Hear me great Ra. I, Mahut your handmaiden call to you! Ra! Ra! Ra!’ “No time for cheerleading!” Dexter muttered softly “She calls to her God, Dexter. Now be quiet and let her pray!” Dexter looked to Sister E who was standing in the entrance way. Both girls went to their knees. “Our apologies mistress, we didn’t hear you enter.” The girls said. Sister E smiled at them. “I forgive you at the moment, now return to the library and research the religions of ancient Egypt.” She said and pointed out of the room. The two girls got to their feet, bowed and quickly left the room. Sister E went up to the kneeling girl, who was oblivious to her approach, and knelt down behind the girl. ‘He who rises at the dawn, we greet you. He who shines on our crops, we greet you. Oh great Ra, we greet you!’ Sister E said quietly. Mahut turned to look at the woman behind her, a shaft of light from a window shone down onto the woman, bathing her in its bright light creating a halo of sunshine around her. Mahut moved around to face Sister E and bowed deep, her head touching the ground as she did so. ‘Mistress I prostrate myself before you, forgive your humble hand maiden!’ Sister E bowed her head and then rose to her feet. ‘Come Mahut, I would have words with you.” Mahut gracefully got to her feet, the priestess had spoken to her, she was honoured by her presence. She followed the priestess out of the room and into the temple. ---- Sister E entered her office and sat behind her desk, she arched her fingers resting her chin on the digits. She looked at the girl in front of her. Mahut was on her knees again. As she had expected by allowing the girls to wait in the Egypt room it brought out the aspect of Mahut. Sister E thought about the past, to remember . . . something . . . she moved her mind back .. . back. She had travelled the known and unknown world, at the request of her master. At Philae she took the guise of a priestess of Isis, this allowed her to visit the other temples of Egypt, Abu Simbel, Beit el-Wali and Kom Ombo. She was able to watch the other priests and took notes of their ceremonies that they undertook. She spoke to the dream interpreters and the other women who worked in the temple. The ones who satisfied the natural urges of the visitors to the temple, it was in a way a form of worship adding their seed to the offering of the temple, although in later years it would be seen as a form of prostition, but not at these time. Sister E spent a few years in these temples, she had heard a rumour that a high-priest of Ra had been killed for practises beyond the calling of his god, thinking about it, it had been the temple at Kom Ombo that this had happened. She searched her mind for details . . . Several handmaidens had vanished over the years, their bodies were never found, although several sealed panoptic vases were found in his chambers, there was talk that hundreds more were hidden away beforehand. Sister E had dismissed it as just a story concocted to explain a simple murder to gain status and she had almost forgotten about it, but Andrea’s report had brought it back to her. Sister E smiled when she remembered first meeting Andrea, she had been at the temple at Philae and was a young priestess to whom Sister E had taken a fancy to. That night she had enticed the young woman to her bed and slowly began to seduce her from Isis and to her own master. She was finally given, thanks to Sister E’s own power, the same longevity that she enjoyed. The two had slipped away one night and left Egypt over the desert, searching for more recruits for their master. But moving back to the present and regarding the girl in front of her she went over Andrea’s report, this could be one of the missing handmaidens, but how could she have survived until this time? She spoke to the girl ‘Mahut, were you happy as a handmaiden to Ra? How did you become a temple servant?’ Mahut nodded and then looked down to the ground. ‘Yes high priestess, I was taken into the temple by my parents, they were poor and it was their only way of ensuring that I would live.’ Sister E nodded, times were hard for the people of the lands, every year the desert would reclaim more of the land. There was less food every year, the only way for families to ensure their children to survive would be to send them into the temple. ‘You were accepted as a handmaiden?’ she asked. ‘Yes Priestess, I was lucky in that the priestess there wanted a servant and she took me, I was at her side at all times, she taught me everything. For the first few night I would cry as I missed my parents. Marissa would take me into her bed and comfort me.’ Mahut smiled at the thought that went through her mind. ‘And I’m sure you were well comforted by her each night.’ Sister E said smiling, remembering the stories of the activities of the priestess at night when the services were over, many of them had their choice of the prettiest handmaidens, the priests however didn’t have the same latitude, although the temple girls were known to visit herm at times. ‘and after some time you progressed to handmaiden to the god.’ Sister E prompted. ‘Oh yes Priestess, Marissa passed onto another when I was trained and she had accepted a new girl’ Mahut said softly ‘Did that make you unhappy? Losing your lover like that?’ Sister E asked. ‘Not at all priestess, I knew that my god was doing this for a reason, the priestess had to be happy and it was my duty to ensure that they were, that was my calling!’ - And it was how the priestess managed to keep their loves secret - Sister E thought to herself but aloud said ‘I’m sure you were a blessing to your god, Mahut. But how did you come to be here in this form? What are your last memories of Kom Ombo?’ Sister E asked her gently. Mahut answered quietly as if struggling to remember. ‘The . . .the high priest called for me . . . he said there was a ceremony to be performed while Nut had Ra deep in her stomach . . . I’d never heard of it . . . but I was told that it was a secret . . . and it was a part of my duties . . . as a handmaiden to the God . . . When I entered the temple . . . there was darkness . . . I felt hands grip me . . . and then . . . then . . . I’m sorry Priestess but I do not know for when I could see again it was a scene from Seth’s world I thought that Osiris had claimed me and given me to his brother. There were children, both girls and boys, in machines of strange design. Priestess it was strange but all I cold think was that the boys’ heads were not shaved as they should have been. I was accepting this as normal.’ She started to cry as she remembered the sights she had seen ‘There were cries from those who’s mouths were not invaded by the phalluses on the machines, several of the girls were being violated in all orifices. And in my mind . . .’ here she touched her head, ‘I could hear the cry of a child, as if newly born, and of a girl screaming, then there was a merging of the crying babe and the screaming girl until there was just one voice. I understood that I was to watch over the crying one and to guide her. My name was to be slave, she had no-name at first, later she was called slave or 435 by my master.’ Mahut finished. Sister E was puzzled, ‘But when you arrived here, you spoke to the priestess Andrea in the language of the slaves, and you gave us your name, how was this possible?’ She asked – still speaking Hebrew. Mahut shook her head, ‘I do not know priestess. It is only recently that I have become aware of my identity. I know that I still had my charge to look after and that other girl to keep under control’. Sister E looked sharply at the girl kneeling before her ‘This other girl, I believe her name is Margaret, is she not the original being of that body?’ Mahut slowly nodded her head. ‘Yes priestess, but I have been charged with keeping his body and I think I should remain in charge! I am older than the child here and have more responsibility over a child.’ Sister E shook her head ‘NO HANDMAIDEN! You have been forced on the child in whose body you now inhabit; she has her life before her . . .’ ‘. . . Whilst mine is behind me! Is that what you are saying?’ Mahut was climbing to her feet, her eyes flashing angrily. Sister E also stood up. ‘So age gives you the right to kill another, as that is what you are trying to do! We respect life! We do not take it unnecessarily. So why are you, handmaiden of Ra, doing this?’ She demanded. Mahut opened her mouth to reply, but hesitated she looked around and then realising her position knelt down again, ‘Your pardon priestess. I don not understand where that idea came from. You are correct, all life is sacred. I should be helping this lost one, not trying to kill her. Oh please help me Priestess,’ Mahut began to cry, Sister E walked around the desk and took the girl in her arms allowing her to cry she then spoke in English. “Margaret Wilkingson, I would like to talk to you!” The girl stiffened and then stood back. “Who are you?” Margaret asked. Sister E smiled at the tone of the girl and sang a melodic phrase. Margaret stiffened and sang back another phrase, both had complimented each other, Margaret looked into Sister E’s eyes, “But that was part of the song? A missing Part!” “Which you were able to answer Margaret! How much did you father teach you about the song?” Sister E asked. “I don’t know, Daddy said that then I heard the full song my memory would be restored, but it was just a game, only if something happened to me, because he joked to mummy that Hell itself would have frozen by then and he laughed!” Margaret said wondering. “Was he being facetious do you think?” Sister E asked. “Oh no, he didn’t think that anything would happen to me. It was just a part of a fairy story; a girl is kidnapped by a wicked witch.” She paused and giggled, “Oops sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that.” She apologised. Sister E smiled, “That’s alright Margaret, I haven’t been wicked for, Oh about 2 hours now!” She said and chucked Margaret under her chin making the girl giggle. “How did you get taken?” She then asked the girl. Margaret thought for a moment and then started her story. |