Friday, June 8, 2012

The Pickett Family Summer, Part 01


Stephanie returned to her bedroom wrapped in a towel, fresh out of a steaming hot shower. It was good to be home. She closed her bedroom door and dropped the towel on the floor. Her eyes twinkled with mischief looking at the crumpled blue cotton laying on the carpet. Mother would never know. Stephanie left it there and opened her closet door to peruse her summer choices. The bright sun and clear blue skies outside her window shouted hot.
A soft knock rapped on her bedroom door. Stephanie darted for the towel. Her bedroom door swung open just as her fingers grasped hold of the towel’s edge. Stephanie stared at the door a red blush rising onto her cheeks as a silent curse at her own stupidity banged against the insides of her skull.
Amanda slipped into the room and closed the door behind herself. She giggled. “Ooh, I’m going to tell Mom.”
Stephanie breathed easier and a smile rose to her lips. “I’m shaking in my boots.”
Amanda’s gaze dropped to Stephanie bare feet. “You aren’t wearing any.”
Stephanie tossed the towel on her bed and returned to her closet. “So what’s new? You still with that boy, Jason?”
Amanda shrugged and plopped herself down on Stephanie’s unmade bed. “He’s away for a summer vacation, so I guess I’m free for the summer.”
Stephanie laughed. “You should at least charge a guy dinner and a movie before giving him sex.”
“Food and flicks are so overrated. I’ll just take his charge card and go shopping.” Amanda laughed.
Stephanie thumbed through her hanging clothes. Her fingers stopped on a purple tee and she pulled it off the hanger and threw it onto the bed. She turned to her left and pulled open a middle drawer in her dresser. A pair of white shorts sailed through the air, joining the purple top.
Amanda shook her head. “No, this won’t do at all.”
Stephanie looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her younger sister. “It’s hot, they’re cool. What’s the problem?”
Amanda smiled. “It’s hot, I’m hot, and you need to be hot so we can go to the lake.”
Stephanie turned more fully toward her sister. Amanda’s short summer dress would barely reach the middle of her thighs if she were standing. Her blue bikini top was easily visible through the thin fabric of her dress and the white strappy sandals on her feet definitely screamed for a day at the lake. But it was Stephanie’s first day home and she had things to do that their mother was unlikely to let slide. “I can’t go to the lake today.”
Amanda’s lower lip protruded in a pout. “Why not?”
Stephanie shook her head. “I just got home.” She gestured at her as yet unpacked suitcase sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed. “I have to unpack and do laundry. You know Mom won’t hesitate to have my butt blistered if I make the slightest misstep over the next few days. She’s still upset with me from the holidays.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. Their mother definitely knew how to beat dead horse back to life, but Stephanie was almost as bad, holding onto guilty feelings long after all had been forgiven. “You can still do whatever needs to be done this afternoon when we get back,” Amanda said. “Come on it’s your first day back, have a little fun. You deserve it.”
Stephanie shook her head. “Mom will never allow it.”
“Do you want to go?” Amanda asked.
Stephanie shrugged. “Sure, but that’s not going to change Mom’s mind.”
Amanda stood up off the bed. “Let me deal with Mom. Just wear something cute and don’t forget your bikini,” she said. “Well, unless you want to go skinny dipping, that is.”
Stephanie watched her little sister go out the door and close it quietly in her wake. She shook her head. Amanda always did seem to get their parents to do whatever she wanted. She looked back in her closet and grabbed a lightweight summer dress. Unpacking could definitely wait.
The aroma of frying bacon and fried eggs filled the downstairs. Stephanie entered the kitchen where her sister and parents were sitting at the breakfast table just getting started with the morning meal. She grabbed a mug from the shelf next to the fridge and filled it to the brim with fresh black coffee. Her plate already sat in front of her usual place at the table and her mother went to work filling it as soon as Stephanie stepped through the doorway into the kitchen.
Amanda continued working her magic on their parents. “Everybody is going to be there.”
Mrs. Pickett slopped eggs onto Stephanie’s plate. “We’re not going to be there.”
Amanda didn’t even blink. She kept smiling in their father’s direction. “Stephanie is just home from school and I wanted to spend some time with her. It’ll be fun and it’s so hot anyway, it’s not like we’ll be doing anything useful around here.”
Mr. Pickett crunched on his toast.
Mrs. Pickett sat back in her seat. “Stephanie needs to unpack and she’s undoubtedly got loads of laundry to do,” she said, watching as Stephanie took her seat at the table and then turning her focus on Amanda, “not to mention, your room is in serious need of cleaning.”
Amanda swallowed a mouthful of eggs. “We can do all that this afternoon when we get back. It’s not like we’ll be gone all day.”
Mrs. Pickett looked across the table at her husband. “Don’t you have something to say?” she asked.
Mr. Pickett looked up from his plate and glanced from side to side at his daughters. “I don’t see any harm as long as they finish their chores before dinner.”
Amanda smiled wide. “You’re the best, Dad.”
He nodded and continued enjoying his breakfast.
Mrs. Pickett frowned, but simply picked up her fork and resumed eating her own breakfast without another word on the subject.
The lake was at the edge of a canyon buried in the forest on the outskirts of town. Its shoreline could only be reached via a narrow dirt road that wound its way down the side of the canyon. The trek was a dizzying five miles that had Stephanie holding a deathgrip on the dashboard of Amanda’s jeep. Despite Stephanie’s worst fears, they arrived safely at the bottom and early enough to have their pick of the sandy real estate adjacent to the cold blue water. Stephanie opted for swimming, shedding her summer dress on a towel and wading into the water in her favorite red bikini. Amanda stayed on the beach sunbathing and carefully watching the new arrivals in hopes of finding some real summer fun.
Stephanie encountered old friends from her high school days and swam with them for a while as they caught up on each other’s lives over the past year. The morning turned into afternoon and Stephanie decided it was time to go home even though she would much rather stay in the cool water than go home and do her chores in the sweltering heat. But, there was plenty more summer ahead and the lake was going nowhere. She swam to shore and walked out of the water.
Amanda was chatting away with two guys. The guys wore long swim trunks, floppy sandals, and tan bare chests with rippling muscles. They were both blondes and the shorter of the two was clearly into Amanda. His companion, kept his eyes on Stephanie as she approached.
Stephanie smiled and picked up her towel from the sand. “Sorry to bring the rain,” she said, looking at her sister, “but it’s time for us to head home.”
Amanda stretched and looked at the watch she’d tossed onto her towel earlier. “Nope, not even close,” she said. Her hand gestured toward the two guys, the taller first and then the shorter. “Have you met Dylan and Chandler?”
Dylan was still staring at Stephanie. He extended his hand. “You must be Stephanie.”
Stephanie eyed her sister while she shook his hand. “I don’t really have to be, but it’s a pain to change one’s name.”
He laughed in a manner that suggested he was genuinely amused. “I like you already.”
Stephanie smiled at him. “Then you really have to help me convince my little sister that it’s time to go home.”
“Stephanie!” Amanda said with her eyes nearly popping out. She despised being called little, especially in anything resembling a social situation.
Dylan glanced up at the sky. “I’m pretty sure there’s a law that says girls in bikinis aren’t allowed to go home until the sun goes down.”
Stephanie looked down at her sundress on the sand. “I guess I’ll just have to put my dress back on then.”
She leaned down to pick it up, but Dylan beat her to it. He held it just out of her reach.
Her head cocked to the side and her lips formed a half frown, half smile as she looked into his eyes. “Give it,” she said and jumped, swatting her hand through the air in a fruitless attempt to grab the wadded up garment.
He laughed. “I’ll trade you for your bikini.”
“In your dreams.” She grabbed for it again and again missed.
Still chuckling, he said, “I tell you what, we’ll race for it. If you can beat me to the first platform and back to shore, I’ll give you your dress back.”
Stephanie looked behind her out on the lake. There were a series of six floating platforms, each numbered in large white numbers on old yellow signs made of rusting metal. Sunbathers occupied all of them, but the real purpose was to give swimmers a break and provide spots for lifeguards to watch over the crowds that typically overwhelmed the lake during the hottest days of summer. The first one looked to be about 100 feet from the shore.
She looked back at Dylan. “And what if I lose?”
He smiled wide. “I get your bikini and keep your dress too.”
She blushed. “That hardly seems fair.”
He shrugged. There was confident casualness to him and his tone expressed and affectionate teasing in his words. “Yeah, but I’ve already got your dress and if you don’t race me you won’t get it back.”
She shook her head, still smiling. Most guys would have gotten a solid slap across the face for the things he was doing and saying, but there was something about the glimmer in his eyes, the smile on his face, that made it acceptable. She liked him, wanted to get to know him better, to find out what gave him that sparkle, that confidence. Stephanie already knew she was going to kiss him. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”
Dylan tossed the dress to Chandler and ran toward the shoreline, shedding his sandals on the way. “You better hurry up, I’m a like a fish in the water.”
Stephanie dropped her towel and took off after him. She could hear Amanda laughing behind her.
Amanda spoke to Chandler. “We’re staying.”
Early afternoon became late afternoon and late afternoon became early evening. Stephanie kissed Dylan goodbye on the beach and a few feet away, Amanda did the same with Chandler. Amanda drove them home at high speed, but they both knew they were late and likely in for it. Though neither mentioned it, the smiles on their faces said that the consequences, at least in the moment, were worth the fun they had during the day.
The sun had completely set by the time Amanda turned into the driveway. They dragged their feet on the way to the front door and were surprised not to find their parents waiting on the other side with folded arms and cross expression of disapproval beaming from their faces. Instead, their mother, in the process of setting the dinner table, merely turned her head toward them as Stephanie closed and locked the door.
Mrs. Pickett said, “You’re just in time for dinner. Go wash up.”
Stephanie and Amanda looked at each other. Their mother’s tone hadn’t even sounded annoyed. They quickly went upstairs and washed up in the bathroom before returning to the dinner table.
Dinner was served soon after. Their parents conversed about their respective days and asked about the girls’ time at the lake. Stephanie and Amanda shared everything except for the boys they’d met. After dinner, they helped their mother clean up and then watched a couple hours television before going off to bed. Stephanie knew if Amanda hadn’t been with her, she’d have come home to nothing but trouble. It was nice to get away with being lazy for a day. She fell asleep smiling, thinking about Dylan and the lake.
Amanda entered Stephanie’s room the next morning as Stephanie was finishing getting dressed. She plopped herself down on her sister’s bed and shook her head at the white shorts and purple tee outfit Stephanie had donned.
“Dylan’s going to be disappointed with that outfit,” Amanda said.
Stephanie leaned her back against the dresser and blinked at her sister. “After yesterday, I’m pretty certain every outfit I own will disappoint him,” she said. Her face pinkened a touch at the memory of the previous day’s events. “Besides, I’m not pushing my luck with Mom and Dad. I’ve got a bag to unpack and laundry to do.”
Amanda said, “Well, I certainly can’t show up without you.”
Stephanie laughed. “Then maybe you should clean your room and then we can meet up with Dylan and Chandler later on this afternoon.”
“Did you see them?” Amanda asked, leaning forward in Stephanie’s direction on the bed. She slapped the rumpled comforter. “They aren’t going to hold out for us if we don’t show.”
Stephanie shook her head, smiling. “The faster we get our chores done, the sooner we can go and see.”
Amanda leaned back against the headboard. “You sound more like Nicole every time you come back from school.”
Stephanie nodded. “And I behave more like you the longer I’m at home.”
Amanda laughed. “I don’t know, I wouldn’t have taken my bikini off whether I lost that race or not.”
Stephanie blushed outright. “A bet’s a bet. You have to honor your commitments even when they aren’t exactly what you’d prefer.”
Amanda tossed a pillow at Stephanie and giggled. “You loved every minute of him staring at you and we both know it.”
Stephanie tossed the pillow back onto her bed. “Come on, don’t want to be late for breakfast.”
They went downstairs together. The typical morning breakfast aromas tickled their noses as they made their way into the kitchen. Their mother stood at the sink, cleaning dishes. The table had already been cleared and the coffee pot was no longer steaming. Stephanie and Amanda looked at each other. Maybe they hadn’t gotten away with not doing their chores.
Mrs. Pickett turned toward the girls without shutting off the water or stopping her cleaning. “Your father’s waiting for you out in the shed.”
Stephanie stared at the back of her mother’s head. Her mother’s casual tone could have just as easily been conversing about the weather. Stephanie knew her own tone of voice would carry significantly more emotion if she were to open her mouth and say anything at all. Everything had seemed fine at dinner and even afterward. There had been no hint of trouble at all from either of her parents. A trip to her father’s shed was definitely trouble.
Amanda said, “We’ll get our stuff done this morning, before lunch time. You’ll see.”
Mrs. Pickett turned from the sink again. A taunting smile spread across her face. “I’m very much aware of exactly what you girls will be doing this morning and when you get back from the shed I’ll be seeing two very hard working girls, unless of course you want to take another trip out to the shed.”
Amanda’s mouth gaped open.
Stephanie knew better than to argue. She took hold of her sister’s arm and led her out the back door. They walked across the grass toward the familiar red and white shed without saying a word to each other. The door was open and they could hear their father inside, undoubtedly rearranging tools while he waited. A glance to the left, right and straight ahead, revealed the neighbor’s yards to be devoid of people.
At least we won’t have an audience, Stephanie thought as they walked up the ramp and into the foreboding shadows of the shed.
Mr. Pickett looked at his two daughters as they stopped just inside the shed. “You promised to finish your chores before dinner yesterday and you broke that promise,” he said.
Stephanie looked down at her feet and mumbled, “Sorry.”
Amanda said, “We’ll take care of it now and it won’t happen again for the rest of the summer. I promise.”
Mr. Pickett shook his head. “You’ve already proven your promises don’t mean a thing, but when we’re finished out here, I think you’ll both be a little better motivated to keep your promises in the future.”
Amanda nodded. “I’m better motivated now, can I go do my chores?”
Mr. Pickett swallowed any laughter that might have escaped his throat and did his best to look stern and unhappy. “No,” he said. “What you can do, both of you can do, is strip down to your birthday suits, fold your clothes neatly into the two baskets behind me and wait outside with your hands on your heads and noses planted against the house-side shed wall.”
Stephanie and Amanda bit on their lower lips and exchanged a look of pure misery.
Mr. Pickett stepped into the doorway and paused, looking at his daughters. “I’ll be back in five minutes and I better see two naked girls out here or I just might find some extra outdoor chores for you to be doing in your birthday suits.”
Stephanie lifted her purple tee off over her head and walked toward the workbench with the baskets sitting on top. She folded the tee along the way and set it inside the basket on her arrival. Her hands reached up behind her and worked on unfastening the clips holding her bra in place. She glanced in Amanda’s direction.
Amanda stared into the empty door space where their father had last stood before leaving them alone.
Stephanie said, “You better hurry. I don’t think he’s in a mood to be challenged.”
Amanda blinked and turned her head in Stephanie direction. “Did he say ‘extra outdoor chores’?”
Stephanie nodded. She laid her folded bra on top of her shirt and knelt down to untie her shoes. “Yeah.”
“As in,” Amanda said, “we’re going to be doing outdoor chores anyway, but he could add more?”
Stephanie pulled off her shoes and socks. “At least it’s not the fourth of July. Remember that year Nicole was passing out sodas and picking up trash during the block party.”
Amanda’s eyes grew wider. Nicole had been stubbornly refusing to help their mother in preparations because she wanted to spend the morning with Todd. They’d just been dating then. It might have been the first time Todd had seen Nicole without clothes. Then again, it might not have been, but it was definitely the first time he’d seen her bottom the color of  a ripe tomato cause he hadn’t been able to stop staring at it the whole night.
Stephanie stood up and and unbuttoned her shorts. She pushed them down her legs with her panties and stepped out of them as soon as they touched the floor. Her hands went to work folding. She looked at Amanda, still standing fully dressed next to the shed’s entrance. “We’re in this together you know. Hurry up or do you want me to rip that dress off you?”
Amanda rolled her eyes. She reached up behind her hair and untied the straps of her halter dress. It fell to her waist and she pushed it to the floor from there. She stepped out of the garment and picked it up, folding it sloppily as she crossed the shed floor to the bench. Her hands laid the dress to rest in the empty basket sitting next to the one filled with Stephanie’s clothes. She quickly untied the top and bottom of her bikini and laid it on top, followed a moment later by the flip flop sandals taken off her feet.
Looking at Stephanie, she said, “Happy?”
Stephanie shook her head. “Not even close. Next time you try to convince me to ignore my chores in favor of a good time I’m going to say no.”
Amanda walked toward the shed’s door. “You always say no.”
Stephanie followed her sister outside and joined her, hands on head, nose to the red painted wall of the shed. “Next time, I’ll mean it.”
Mr. Pickett returned after a few minutes of them standing against the shed wall. It felt like he’d been gone at least half an hour, although Stephanie knew it probably hadn’t been any longer than the five minutes he’d promised. He left them standing and went inside the shed where they could hear him maneuvering the sawhorse into position near the shed’s entrance.
When he came back out, he grabbed Stephanie by the elbow and led her away from the wall, toward the entrance. “If you can’t set a good example for your sister any other way, you’ll do it here by showing her what happens, even to 22 year olds, when they don’t behave.”
Stephanie had the good sense to stay quiet and follow her father without resistance. She bent over the sawhorse, grabbing the front legs and spreading her own legs to the outer edges of the back legs. The position was humiliating, but it wasn’t meant to be enjoyed. She heard her father take the strap down from its hook on the shed wall behind her. She felt its cool smoothness tickle her buttocks as he took aim.
The strap cut through the air in silence. It impacted with a loud snap enhanced by her father’s experienced skill at making his disappointment not only heard, but felt.
She blinked and breathed through the initial sting. It was only going to get worse.
He raised the strap high in the air and brought it down with an even louder snap on impact.
Stephanie yelped. Two strokes and her butt was already on fire. She’d gone soft while away at school.
He brought the strap down three times in such quick succession all Stephanie could do was hold onto the sawhorse and breathe. Her legs kicked up slightly and the sawhorse slid forward, squeaking on the floor. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled into mini puddles on the wood planks below her. Her hair bounced up and down from the floor as she sniffled.
The strap lashed down again. Its snap echoed in the tiny shed as the ripples of its force cascaded their way through her body. The burning sensation emanating from her buttocks grew in the seconds of silent aftermath. She felt the warm breeze from outside flutter over her tender flesh and squeezed her eyes closed. Every reflex demanded she jump to her feet and cradle her buttocks in her hands.
Her father swung the strap six times fast. She cried out on the second, third, fourth and fifth. On the sixth, she howled. Each touch of the leather connected with the tender flesh joining her thighs and buttocks. The fiery sting had a water works of tears pouring from her eyes. Her hands tightened their grip on the sawhorse legs. She breathed ragged, fighting for control over her most basic instincts.
The strap sliced through the hot air thrice more.
Stephanie’s legs kicked up in the air. The sawhorse pivoted forward, its rear legs briefly lifting into the air before slamming back down onto the floor with a loud thud. Her breathing increased in its raggedness, punctuated by barely suppressed sobs. The mini-puddles of tears beneath her turned into mini-lakes. Dylan wasn’t worth it. No boy was worth it.
Mr. Pickett held the strap beside his leg and stepped back from the sawhorse, giving him a better view of Stephanie’s face. “It never fails,” he said, “within hours of you coming home from school you’ve earned yourself a spanking. I’m starting to think I should send you off to school with a blistered butt and give you another one as soon as you get off the plane. How would you like that?”
Stephanie let go of the sawhorse long enough to wipe the falling tears from her eyes. The clearer upside down view of her father’s face did nothing to make his question easier to answer. She spoke in a soft, squeaky voice. “I wouldn’t.”
He nodded. “Your behavior over the rest of the summer is going to make the decision and right now I’m leaning toward your traveling day starting right here in the shed.”
There didn’t seem to be a question to answer but he seemed to be waiting for something from her. “I’m sorry,” she said, hoping an apology was what he wanted.
“I thought you were old enough to be given a little latitude in how you go about meeting your responsibilities. You wanted to go to the lake and do your chores later in the day. I didn’t stop you, but apparently I should have made you do your chores because you simply took advantage of the leeway and didn’t do them at all.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He shook his head. “You’re only sorry because your butt is on fire. You didn’t even mention your chores last night or whether or not you planned on doing them today since you didn’t do what you’d promised yesterday. Your mother figures you two planned on another outing today and I think she was right.”
Stephanie sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I was going to do them today, I swear. I didn’t have any other plans.”
Her father nodded his head. “Of course you were. Why would I doubt you? You only lied to me yesterday morning.”
“I really was,” Stephanie said. Her voice squeaked like a mouse.
“If it’s true,” he said, “the good news is I won’t be disrupting your plans because you are going to do your chores today. I’m just going to make sure you aren’t tempted to sit around and be lazy.”
He stepped forward and laid the strap gently against her buttocks. “You’ve got fifteen more coming,” he said, “and if you kick up one more time, you’ll have thirty more before you go to bed tonight. Understood?”
Stephanie swallowed her tears. “Yes, sir.”
The strap lifted off her buttocks. She squeezed her feet against the outer legs of the sawhorse and gripped hold of the front legs with all her might. Her butt quivered in anticipation of the next touch of the leather. She closed her eyes. It was all Amanda’s fault.
Her father slapped the strap down against her tender cheeks. Tears flowed from behind her closed eyes. The strap came down again and again. Her weight bucked against the sawhorse causing its wooden legs to scrape forward on the wood floor. The strap struck again. She yelped in response to the lightning sting shooting outward through her body. Ripples of the impact jiggled her flesh and accentuated the sensation of the warm breeze tickling her naked skin. The strap connected again, striping across the center of her burning buttocks. She yelped and cried.
The leather licked across the sensitive flesh between her buttocks and thighs. She tossed her head as far back as she could. Her mouth and eyes shot open. The strap struck twice more in the same place. She howled. Tears poured from her eyes, running down her cheeks and dropping in puddles on the floor below. The strap kissed the sensitive flesh again and again. She howled and sobbed.
He brought the strap down across the center of her buttocks. She cried. The strap impacted the lower curvature of her butt. She yelped and bucked against the sawhorse. He striped the leather across the center of her butt again. Her tears splashed onto the floor and her chest heaved in and out with the ragged breathing of her distress. Her father swung the strap at the lower curvature of her buttocks and connected the leather against her flesh in a flurry of three fast strokes.
Stephanie laid heavily against the support of the sawhorse. Tears poured from her eyes. Her butt burned and stung. She knew it was over, but she dared not rise up and grab hold of her bottom before her father allowed it. The discomfort would dissipate over the length of the day, but it would remain tender well into the evening hours. She loosened her grip on the legs of the sawhorse in anticipation of the order to stand.
Her father hung the strap back on its hook. “I hope this is the last spanking I have to give you this summer.”
Stephanie sniffled. She agreed with the sentiment, but dared not say it aloud.
“Stand up,” he said. “Go join your sister outside and don’t even think about rubbing. I want the memory of this spanking to last you all summer long.”
Stephanie pushed herself up off the sawhorse and immediately raised her hands to rest on her head. It was less tempting to rub at her buttocks that way. She walked outside without meeting her father’s gaze even for an instant. Amanda remained exactly as she had been before. Stephanie resumed her place next to her, pressing the tip of her nose against the red painted wood. Her skin prickled in the warm breeze and she suppressed a shudder while sniffling back tears. The horrible thought of a neighbor staring out a window at her crossed through her mind and no matter how much she tried to steer her thoughts away from it she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched.
Mr. Pickett stepped outside the shed. “Amanda,” he said and she turned her head to look in his direction, “inside and over the sawhorse.”
Amanda left her position beside Stephanie and disappeared inside the shed. Their father followed. Stephanie stared at the red wood in front of her nose. The breeze rustled the grass. Birds chirped in the nearby trees, obviously having a better day than Stephanie or her sister. She wondered what was taking so long for things to begin and then she heard it, the unmistakable clap of leather snapping against flesh. Amanda yelped right from the start.
Stephanie focused on the repetitive noise and its reliable rhythm. It distracted her from the feeling of being watched and the burning sting emanating from her naked buttocks. She counted ten strokes before her father paused to give his lecture. Her ears burned with the effort to hear, but it was hopeless. All she could make out was the murmur of her father’s voice and the squeaky tones of her sister’s replies. She doubted any of it was much different than what had transpired between herself and her father only minutes before.
The strapping resumed. Stephanie counted fifteen strokes before it stopped again. Long minutes drug by until Amanda emerged from the shed. She was naked, of course, her butt practically glowed even in the sunlight, and her face was streaked with still falling tears. Like Stephanie, Amanda walked with her hands planted on the top of her head. She parked herself back in the same spot and pressed her nose to the shed wall.
Mr. Pickett emerged from the shed after putting the sawhorse back into its storage spot. He closed the shed door and snapped the padlock closed leaving the girls without any doubt that they weren’t going to be dressing anytime soon.
“Stephanie,” he said and she turned her head to look at him, “you’re going to go inside, unpack your suitcase, put it away in the garage, do your laundry, and give your bedroom a thorough cleaning. Understood?”
Stephanie nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He turned his gaze on Amanda. “Amanda,” he said and she turned to look at him, “you’re going to go inside and give your room a thorough cleaning and then you’re going to clean the bathroom you share with your sister. Is that understood?”
Amanda nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He nodded and widened his gaze to include both of them. “When you’re done with your chores, you’re going to come right back out here and stand just like you have been until your mother calls you in for dinner. Depending on how quickly and completely you do your chores, I’ll decide whether you get your clothes back after dinner or we do this whole thing all over again tomorrow morning. Understood?”
Stephanie and Amanda nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He nodded his head toward the house. “Get going and don’t let me catch you dawdling.”
They dropped their hands from the heads and ran toward the house.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Jade Runner, Part 28


After three days of waiting inside a windowless underground cell, Kit and Tara were finally escorted to the audience chambers of the magistrate with jurisdiction over their fate. The room felt cold and formal. Magistrate Hanson Norwood, as indicated by the marble name plaque in front of him, sat behind a tall bench requiring anyone under nine feet in height to look up at him. Only the top of the bench appeared to be constructed of wood, the rest was made from a jigsaw puzzle collection of natural stones, cut and smoothed into seemingly random sized pieces.
On the left and right sides of the chamber, stepped pews permitted the attendance of witnesses and invited guests. In the center of the room, a small pedestal in the shape of semi-circle rose up about a foot and half off the floor. The front three quarters of the pedestal were encased with iron railing topped by a wood handrail. White marble with gray veins made up the floor and steps of the pedestal, contrasting from the black marble floor of the remainder of the chamber.
Kit and Tara were led to the steps of the pedestal and prodded up them. The chamber doors closed with a solid clunk that sounded a bit like finality.
The magistrate looked down on them. He said, “State your names for the record.”
“Kit Wilde.”
“Tara Finch.”
Magistrate Norwood nodded approval. “Upon your arrival on Rasa you were accused and convicted of theft by Count Wudwerth. This hearing shall determine if that charge and conviction was righteous and if there is cause to bring any other charges against your persons. Do you understand?”
Kit and Tara nodded up at the magistrate.
He exhaled impatience. “The record requires verbal responses.”
Kit glanced at Tara and said, “Yes, we understand.”
“Tara Finch,” Magistrate Norwood said, “I have documentation here that indicates you were caught and convicted of theft from LX Pharmaceuticals while living in Centora City on Lavox. Do you dispute this?”
Tara swallowed and looked up at the magistrate. “No, sir.”
Magistrate Norwood nodded. “Count Wudwerth charged you with theft of LX Pharmaceutical supplies your ship’s Captain had pledged to deliver to his province. The record shows you acknowledged personal responsibility in preventing that pledge from being fulfilled. Do you dispute this?”
Tara continued looking up. “No, sir.”
“On the surface,” Magistrate Norwood said, “it would appear the charge of theft and conviction of that charge is a righteous one. However, the circumstances would seem to require more careful examination. Wouldn’t you agree, Ms. Finch?”
Tara nodded. “Yes, sir. Those supplies were illegal narcotics which could have caused significant harm to the people here on Rasa.”
Magistrate Norwood nodded. “This court would agree that you and your Captain had a moral obligation, having learned of the illegal and dangerous nature of your cargo, not to deliver that cargo to Count Wudwerth.”
Tara said, “As a doctor I swore an oath to do no harm.”
Magistrate Norwood flipped a page on his desk. “Yes, you were a practicing physician on Lavox prior to your conviction there and subsequent revocation of your medical credentials.”
Tara nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I understand,” Magistrate Norwood said, “that you were instrumental in the identifying the cause of sickness in Wudwerth’s citizens and helped devise a treatment for those capable of recovery. Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir,” Tara said.
He nodded. “Back to the undelivered supplies, Wudwerth’s records show, and this is confirmed by RCG Air Control records, that those supplies were dumped into the ocean here on Rasa. Wudwerth’s record further shows you, Tara Finch, claimed full responsibility for that act. Is this correct?”
Tara nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” Magistrate Norwood said. “Unfortunately, this action of yours invites a new charge of illegal dumping of hazardous waste into the ocean.”
Tara said, “Zumena, the illegal narcotic we’re speaking of, is rendered inert by salt water. Its impact on the ocean ecology should be minimal.”
“Fortunately,” Magistrate Norwood said, “our experts agree. However, the dumping is still an illegal act. You would have been better served to have reported your cargo to RCG Air Control and followed their instructions for the proper containment of the cargo.”
Tara nodded. “In retrospect, it does seem my decision was rather rash, but given that Count Wudwerth was a representative of the local government I would think you could understand my concern in contacting the local government for assistance.”
Magistrate Norwood said, “Indeed. However, as this is your first trip to Rasa you also had no way of knowing whether or not this government had legalized the use and distribution of Zumena. Under the circumstances, contacting the government authorities and following their instructions, regardless of your personal beliefs, was the only acceptable course of action.”
“I stand by my actions,” Tara said.
Magistrate Norwood nodded. “Kit Wilde, you were charged by Count Wudwerth with two counts of theft and convicted of both. The first, the theft of pledged supplies has been covered in discussions with your companion, Tara Finch. The second,” he held up the necklace Jade had given Kit, “is in regards to this necklace.”
Kit said, “It was given to my sister by our father and she gave it to me.”
“Count Wudwerth had the necklace and stones examined,” Magistrate Norwood said, “as did I. The cut and age of the stones is consistent with artifacts found here and on other planets dating back to the days of the Jade Empire. However, Count Wudwerth’s assumption that these were part of the last Queen’s jewels has been disproved by both his own expert and the experts I have employed. If it was stolen from an archaeological site, this court has found no record of the theft and therefore no reason to uphold the charge of theft.”
Kit allowed herself a smile. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Records indicate at the time Tara Finch dumped the Griffinscape’s cargo of illegal narcotics into Rasa’s ocean, you were the owner and captain of the vessel. Is this correct?”
Kit inhaled sharply. The phrasing of the statement sounded too much like trouble. “Yes, sir.”
“Under interstellar and Rasa law,” Magistrate Norwood said, “a vessel’s captain is responsible for the actions of the vessel’s crew, known or unknown. According to Count Wudwerth’s records you have previously acknowledged this fact. Is this correct?”
“Yes, sir,” Kit said.
Magistrate Norwood nodded. “Very well. In the matter of theft of pledged goods, I find the circumstances to exonerate your, Kit Wilde and Tara Finch, actions. The convictions and sentences declared by Count Wudwerth are therefore overturned and all properties confiscated from you and still in existence shall be returned into your possession.”
Kit and Tara smiled at each other. The nightmare was finally coming to a close. Soon they would be dressed again and back aboard the Griffinscape leaving Rasa and all their recent troubles behind. Neither of them expected an honest review of the facts would keep them in custody, but equally neither of them had felt certain they would receive an honest review.
“However,” Magistrate Norwood said, “there is now a new charge of illegal dumping of hazardous waste into the ocean which must be considered.”
The smiles faded from their faces.
Magistrate Norwood said, “Given the records at hand and neither of you disputes the act of dumping occurred, nor your responsibilities in committing the act, I have no recourse but to find you both guilty of the illegal dumping of hazardous waste.”
Kit bit on her lip. Jade’s voice echoed in her head. Consequences aren’t just for other people.
“Ordinarily,” Magistrate Norwood said, “such an action would require no less than a twenty year sentence of servitude to the people of Rasa.”
Tara inhaled sharply. Kit blinked. The room felt smaller, constricting to the point of making the air hard to breathe.
Magistrate Norwood said, “There are extenuating circumstances in this case. Tara Finch’s medical training permitted her advanced knowledge that the specific hazardous waste, narcotic pharmaceutical Zumena, would pose a minimum risk to ecology of the ocean. Kit Wilde was aware that the cargo she was carrying was illegal and posed a health risk to the citizens of Rasa. Further, both Tara Finch and Kit Wilde assisted in the investigation which led to arrest of Count Wudwerth in the illegal smuggling and distribution of Zumena.”
Kit and Tara held their breath, waiting for the magistrate’s final judgment.
He said, “While illegal dumping is not something this court will ever view favorably, I am encouraged toward leniency in knowing that Tara Finch pursued this act having considered the consequences and knowing that the Zumena posed less danger to the ocean of Rasa than the people of Rasa. In this light, I am exercising my authority as magistrate to reduce the customary sentence by half to ten years.”
Tears welled in Tara’s eyes. Kit stared up at the magistrate as though caught in a dream.
“Additionally,” Magistrate Norwood said, “the people of Rasa are appreciative of Kit Wilde and Tara Finch’s assistance in bringing about justice in the illegal actions surrounding Count Wudwerth. I am therefore further reducing the sentence by half again to five years.”
Kit’s grip tightened on the railing. Thoughts spun in her head making the room spin as well. Fair or unfair? Justice or injustice? Five years of servitude felt like life being stolen from her veins, but even she could not confidently say it was wrong. She had been reckless and Jade had warned her against it. If only she had listened.
Tears spilled from Tara’s eyes onto her cheeks.
Magistrate Norwood said, “Tara Finch, due to your training and skills as a physician and Rasa’s limited supply of medical doctors, I am able to offer you an alternative sentence to the typical menial labor assigned to convicted criminals. If you agree to work your time as a physician in the service of the Rasa Central Government, this court is authorized to temporarily reinstate your medical credentials and will make that reinstatement permanent upon the completion of your five year sentence provided there are no mitigating circumstances which call into further question your abilities as a medical practitioner.”
Tara wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked up at the magistrate with hope.
“Is this arrangement acceptable to you, Tara Finch?”
Tara nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He turned his gaze to Kit. “Kit Wilde, I am unable to offer you a similar deal as you have no skills or training of which Rasa is in special need. You will serve your time as a waitress in the laborer’s commissary of a nearby province.”
Kit nodded. There was no point in arguing.
Magistrate Norwood said, “Neither of you will be entitled to any personal possessions for the duration of your sentence however your possessions will be returned to you when you are released. Additionally, your servitude will include a public spanking with the results publicly displayed for no less than four hours and no more than 12 hours on the tenth day of each month of your sentence.”
Kit and Tara looked at each other. It was going to be a very long five years. No clothing, no freedom, publicly spanked on a monthly basis and no escape. And Magistrate Norwood was being lenient.
He looked to the guards. “Take them to the central court yard for their first spankings and leave them on display for the next twelve hours.”
The guards grabbed them each by an arm and led them from the room. They walked down a short hallway and through a door into an outdoor courtyard. A crowd surrounded the courtyard, clearly anticipating their arrival. There was applause as the guards fastened them to a pair of spanking benches set up in the center of the courtyard. Each guard retrieved a paddle and took a moment to place it in front of their eyes so that they knew exactly what would be spanking their bottoms.  The paddle’s were of Zeller’s special design with a constantly wet surface.
A moment later, the guards began swinging the paddles in a perfect one, two offset. Kit and Tara were soon struggling against their restraints to no avail and only a few swats later, they began to cry and vocalize their discomfort through yelps and groans. The crowd enjoyed the show, cheering and applauding as the guards efforts extracted louder and louder reactions from the two. It was only when Kit and Tara were too busy sobbing to yelp anymore that the spankings ended.
Given no respite, they were quickly raised from the benches and taken a few feet away where their wrists were shackled high above their heads, forcing them to stand on tiptoes. Nothing blocked the crowds view of any aspect of their naked bodies or their sorrowful, tear soaked faces. The guards kept the crowds from touching them but did nothing to prevent leering, laughing, or taunting.
Kit closed her eyes and searched for inner strength. Five years, sixty months, sixty spankings just like this one, she thought. I’ll survive. I’ll be alright. I have a future waiting for me. Who knows, maybe I am Wudwerth’s Jade Runner and if that’s the case, maybe this is happening for a reason. Maybe I have something to learn here.
She opened her eyes and found Tara looking at her.
“I’m sorry,” Tara said.
Kit said, “It’s not your fault.”
Tara lips turned up in a weak smile. “The good news is by the time they let us down from here, that irresistible desire to rub our butts should have faded along with the fire blazing back there.”
Kit laughed as best she could. “Now that is good news.”

THE END.

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Jade Runner, Part 27


The roar of the Griffinscape’s engines rumbled through the forest. Kit felt it in deep within her bones like a wave of power awakening her from a deep sleep. The time for action neared and Jade’s usual pearls of wisdom ceased echoing in her thoughts. She stared at the reflections in tinted window of the control room.
Count Wudwerth leaned against the rear wall, his arms folded across his chest. The stoic glint in his eyes and the firm set of his jaw revealed the tension and concern pulsing beneath his calm exterior. Kit knew he doubted her story of betrayal in his ranks, but the possibility of truth tugged at the secret fears shared by almost all men of power. That he left Zeller to guard the entrance and not accompany him inside, told Kit she had played the right cards.
Tara stood directly behind her. Like Kit, she remained unclothed and whatever affect the state had on her, she kept it hidden. They had not had time to discuss the current situation in privacy. Matters were unlikely to go as smoothly as the RCG agent suggested. Kit felt certain Tara would do whatever she believed necessary if things spiralled out of control, but Tara lacked training. It could get her killed or both of them because Kit could not shrug off the responsibility she felt for Tara’s safety.
The Griffinscape’s engines cut off and the landing bay turned silent. The exit ramp lowered and Quinn stepped out followed closely by Rex. Kit noticed the pistol held in Rex’s hand, not directly pointed at Quinn, but close enough for danger if things turned nasty. Rex looked toward the control room and a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes when their eyes met. Kit kept her lips flat, preferring to keep Rex guessing as long as she could.
Wudwerth straightened away from the wall and uncrossed his arms. He said, “The moment of truth has arrived.”
Kit turned her back toward the window and Rex. “The proof will be on the command deck.”
Wudwerth gestured toward the door leading into the main hangar. “Lead the way,” he said, “unless you’d like to admit your deception now.”
Kit met his gaze with confidence. The exchange lasted a mere fraction of a second, but it convinced Wudwerth to push aside his doubts. Kit opened the door and stepped out, ignoring the cold cement against her bare feet. Tara and Wudwerth followed her until they met Quinn and Rex only a few feet from the Griffinscape’s passenger ramp.
Rex let his eyes linger over examining the curves of Kit and Tara before fixing his gaze on Wudwerth. “I can’t say I expected you to meet me personally or to bring these two along.”
Wudwerth indicated Kit with a jut of his chin. “This one has made some accusations against you.”
Rex chuckled. “And you believed her?”
Wudwerth said, “She’s rather convincing.”
Rex cocked his head to the side and stared into Kit’s eyes. “I know,” he said, “I’ve played poker with her.”
“Good,” Wudwerth said. “Holster your pistol and let’s just take a quick trip up to the command deck.”
Rex shook his head. “Whatever game she’s got in mind, I’m not playing. Your cargo is in the hold,” he said. “You want it, get your boys in here to unload it. If not, I’m sure I can find another buyer.”
Wudwerth grabbed Tara by her hair and pulled her against his chest. He pointed his own pistol past her side, aimed at Rex. “I’m afraid I have to insist. If she’s lying, you can decide her punishment, but I’m going to need proof.”
The casual smile faded from Rex’s lips. He holstered his pistol and glared into Kit’s eyes. “You’re going to regret the day you met me, little girl.”
Kit stepped forward, holding his gaze and brushing her hand against Quinn’s arm in a gesture she hoped told her companion to trust in her plans. “I already do.”
On the command deck, Kit led the way to the communication console. Rex and Quinn followed on her heels with Tara and Wudwerth following a little farther back. In the communication’s room Kit reached out for the console. Wudwerth held Tara close, blocking the doorway.
Rex grabbed Kit’s hand before she could touch anything. “Hands off,” he said, “It’s my ship now.”
Kit pulled her hand back and looked past Rex at Wudwerth. “Do you really want to give him a chance to delete the data?”
Wudwerth waived his pistol from right to left. “Move away, Rex. If there’s nothing to find, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Rex stepped back from the console, but kept his eyes on Kit. “She’s playing you Count.”
Kit reached out to the console and directed the display to be projected on the wall for everyone to see. She punched the buttons for the consoles logs and it listed them on the display, grouping them by dates. Of course, the logs for the day of the Griffinscape’s last landing on Rasa failed to show any communication activity beyond the contacts between Kit and Rasa’s airspace control.
Rex gestured toward the display. “I trust you can see there is nothing sinister here.”
Kit glared at Rex. “He must have deleted the record.”
Rex’s smile returned. “Check the logs continuity.”
Kit looked to Wudwerth and after he nodded his permission, she pressed the necessary buttons to display the communication log’s continuity. As Rex clearly expected, it showed no signs of disruption. Nothing had been deleted.
Rex stepped closer to her. “Looks like you’ve been caught bluffing,” he said and chuckled, “and in the buff no less.”
Wudwerth released Tara and shoved her toward Kit. Looking in Rex’s direction, he said, “My apologies for the inconvenience, but as I promised, you can name any punishment you like.”
Rex shrugged. “I’ll have to think about it. In the meantime, let’s get this deal done and unload your cargo.”
Wudwerth nodded. He pressed a button on his wrist and spoke to Zeller. “Captain Rex and I have settled our business. You may bring the men inside and unload the cargo.”
Zeller’s voice crackled over the speaker on Wudwerth’s wrist communicator. “On our way.”
Wudwerth turned his gaze on Kit. “I had hoped you’d be smarter than to lie to me.”
A red light on Wudwerth’s wrist began flashing and a computerized voice emitted from speaker. “Surveillance device detected. Frequency identified: Rasa Central Government.”
Kit smiled at Wudwerth. “I told you.”
Rex’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Kit. His hand sped toward the pistol on his hip and whipped it out of its holster. He spun on his heels and grabbed Quinn with his free hand, throwing him in front of Wudwerth. “I don’t know how she did this, but I swear it’s her not me.”
Wudwerth drew his own pistol and pushed Quinn to the ground giving him a clear aim at Rex. His finger tightened on the trigger.
Rex charged at Wudwerth. The two men collided. Wudwerth’s pistol shot a wild bolt of energy into the wall across the room. They hit the ground and rolled out into the corridor. The pistols clattered on the floor, no longer controlled by either man. Wudwerth kicked Rex in the gut. Rex rolled away swinging his fist wildly and catching Wudwerth in the jaw.
Kit leapt over Quinn and snatched the nearest pistol off the floor. She took aim at Rex. He kicked the door panel and the door slid closed between them, taking away her opportunity to end things quickly. Kit moved closer to the door and punched at the panel on the wall trying to get it re-opened.
Tara helped Quinn back to his feet. “Are you alright?” she asked.
He nodded and looked to the door and Kit. “I see you’ve been busy.”
Kit glanced over her shoulder. “Help me get this door open. If Rex gets us in the air things are going to get real messy.”
Quinn moved to the door panel and pried the cover off with his finger. Two twists of wires and a spark later, the door slid open.
Wudwerth moaned on the floor. The glazed look in his eyes suggested he probably didn’t even know where he was or what had happened. Kit might have paused to enjoy the moment, but a bolt of energy sizzled against the door frame, forcing her to duck back inside the room.
She crouched against the wall holding the pistol pointed at the open doorway. “So Rex,” she asked, “is everything working out like you planned?”
He responded by shooting the doorway again.
She laughed. “I’ll take that as a no.”
Quinn said, “Is it safe to presume there are actual authorities on their way to assist us?”
Tara nodded. “Any minute now, I’m sure.”
The swish of the lift door at the other end of the deck confirmed her assertion. A dozen shots were exchanged beyond their view and then the deck fell silent. The guard who recruited their assistance stepped into view and asked, “Everyone alright in here?”
Kit nodded.
The guard held out his hand. “I’m afraid I can’t let you hold on to that.”
Kit released the pistol to him and pushed herself up onto her feet. She watched as uniformed authorities of the Central Government picked Wudwerth up off the deck and bound his wrists behind his back. Satisfaction crept into her smile. The authorities led Wudwerth away.
She said, “Now that you have what you wanted, when do we get our things back?”
The RCG agent looked at her. “Well technically, Count Wudwerth convicted both of you of theft and sentenced you to life without possessions in the service of the government.”
Tara stepped forward. “You promised to set us free.”
He said, “I promised to set you free of Wudwerth and I’ve done that. The rest is out of my hands.”
Quinn asked, “So what happens to them now?”
The RCG agent said, “I’ve asked to have their case reviewed by my superior. If he upholds their conviction, they’ll have to remain here and serve out their sentences. If not, the Griffinscape will likely be returned to Ms. Wilde’s possessions and they’ll be free to go wherever they please.”

Friday, April 20, 2012

The Jade Runner, Part 26


Kit began her day the same way she ended the night before; feeding the guards and then the slaves. She presumed it would take a week or so of not eating before the slave’s gruel would begin to appear edible and probably a week beyond that before she would dare shovel any of it into her mouth. With luck, she would be long gone from the dungeon of Count Wudwerth before then.
With her morning duties completed, two guards came for her and escorted her up the stairs and into her first view of the new day’s sun. The upper levels of the castle exuded wealth and elegance. The floors were covered in marble slab, green and black in color. It felt smooth and cold against her bare feet as she walked across it with her guards close behind. The cold shivered its way up her spine and reminded her, as if she could forget, that she remained naked.
The guards stepped in front of her and opened a double door motioning her through and closing the doors behind her. The echoing clap of the doors assured her there was no escape. Alone, she faced the room’s occupant with trepidation pounding in her chest. On her left, large open windows overlooked the fields where she could see the loincloth men working. Beyond the fields, a pair of tall, pointed mountains framed a “V” shaped view of blue-green ocean and a shimmering horizon above.
Wudwerth rose from his chair at the far end of the room and walked toward her. His footsteps echoed off the marble and the curved ceiling high above their heads. “Breathtaking, isn’t it?”
Kit turned her gaze to him. “I’ve seen better.”
Wudwerth smiled. “Perhaps you prefer the stone and iron of the dungeon.”
Kit forced a smile on her own lips and held his gaze with her own. “No, I was thinking of the stars and the wide open spaces between them.”
He nodded. “I should have known as much.”
“Why am I here?” Kit asked.
“Zeller informed me you’ve been most proficient in your duties,” he said. “I had to know for myself if you’d truly been tamed so easily.”
Kit glared into his eyes. “Wild animals are tamed, people cannot be.”
Wudwerth laughed. “I thought as much, but Zeller was so proud.”
Kit said, “I imagine he’s probably Rex’s inside contact.”
Wudwerth raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think that?”
She laughed. “You trust him and that puts him in a position where he knows all the things Rex wants to know.”
“Rex,” he said, “is nothing more than a pirate.”
She nodded. “On that we agree. Unfortunately for you, he was caught smuggling and the authorities only allowed him to stay out of jail so long as he turned on his clients and helped them be brought to justice.”
“You’re lying,” Wudwerth said.
“Am I?” Kit looked out at the ocean. “How else do you think Rex could come up with the money to replace the shipment my friend dumped?”
He said, “I’m sure the man has funds set aside.”
Kit laughed again. “He’s a gambler and a scoundrel. His only asset is a lack of loyalty to anything but himself.”
Wudwerth’s brow crinkled. “What makes you think he’s in contact with someone here?”
She said, “I overheard him talking to whoever it was on the way down. My friend threw their plans into some disarray it seemed.”
“Plans?” he said.
Kit shrugged. “I gathered once you were out of the way, this other person would be taking over around here.”
“Zeller wouldn’t dare,” Wudwerth said.
Kit shrugged, “Well I don’t know for sure it’s him but I do know the signal could be traced back to the source from the Griffinscape’s communication unit. If you want to know who it is, you just have to get in there and run the trace, of course if you don’t do it yourself, you’ll never know if you got the right person or if the someone changed the name to protect themselves or a colleague.”
Wudwerth nodded. “You know how to run this trace?”
Kit said, “Yep, of course.”
He said, “Then you’ll accompany me to the landing and if you’re lying about this contact, I’ll enjoy letting Rex and Zeller teach you a lesson in  deception.”
She shrugged. “I’m not worried.”
Wudwerth nodded. “In the meantime, I have something you may find interesting.”
His hand grabbed her arm and he turned, pulling her with him deeper into the room. They stopped in front of a long, rectangular table covered by a green velvet cloth. Stone tablets with pictographs carved into them were evenly spaced along the length of the table and in the middle, in front of where they stood, the necklace he had taken from her rested above a tablet. On the tablet below it, her eyes fixed on one of the pictographs. The depiction of a female appeared clear and obvious as did the shape of the jewels on her necklace. They matched her sister’s necklace.
Wudwerth let go his hold on her arm. “I see you recognize them.”
Kit kept staring at the tablet. The female depiction was posed as if running and next to her a male figure stood with the image of a shield etched into his abdomen. “What is this?”
“History,” Wudwerth said.
She reached out, brushing her fingertips over the two figures.
“The runner,” he said, “and her guardian.”
She pulled her fingers away from the stone and turned toward Wudwerth. “Who?”
“It’s a story,” he said. “Some call it a prophecy.”
Kit looked back at the tablet. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”
“Long ago,” Wudwerth said, “the civilized parts of our galaxy were ruled by the Jade Queen. Civilization advanced, all the worlds were at peace and the throne passed from heir to heir until one Queen violated tradition and gave birth to two daughters.”
Curiosity held Kit in its grip. “Go on,” she said.
Wudwerth nodded. “All was well until the Queen’s death. The circumstances suggested murder and the sisters came to suspect each other in the death of their mother. Each laid claim to the throne and the galaxy fell into civil war. The younger sister had a reputation for ruthlessness even before the war and it should come as no surprise that in the end, she won the war and the throne.”
Kit said, “You believe evil is more powerful than good.”
He shook his head. “Ruthlessness need not be evil, but in this case your assumption is mostly correct. The younger sister ruled without compassion and it was not long until the galaxy revolted. So came the end of the Jade Empire and the rise of our modern civilization.”
“What happened to the older sister?” Kit asked.
Wudwerth smiled as if he’d been hoping she’d ask the very question. “She was executed by her sister, but,” he said and nodded toward the tablet, “it is said she gave birth to a daughter and sent her into hiding with the protection of her loyal guardians.”
“The runner?” Kit asked.
He shook his head. “The runner is the last descendant of the true heir to the Jade Empire’s throne.”
Kit said, “The true heir being the older sister?”
Wudwerth said, “Yes.”
“So what is this runner’s story,” Kit asked. “Does she bring back the Jade Empire?”
Wudwerth chuckled. “One cannot resurrect the past in hopes of saving the future. It is told that the runner, the last of her line, will pair with the last of the guardians and together bring about a revolution from beneath a blanket of corruption. When the time comes to form a new government she will turn her back on the prospect of becoming queen and run.”
Kit nodded. “An interesting story,” she said. “I imagine the jeweler who crafted my necklace must have thought so as well.”
Wudwerth’s smile grew larger. “You are one of less than a dozen people who have seen these tablets in the last thousand years.”
She looked at the necklace. “What are you saying?”
“I thought you were a thief,” he said, “when I first saw your necklace. The stones are unique and clearly date back to the Empire, but they are not part of the last Queen’s set as I first thought. They belong to the runner.”
Kit blinked at him.
He asked, “Where did you get it?”
Kit said, “It was given to my sister by our father and she passed it to me before she died.”
Wudwerth said, “You are the last of your line.”
Kit stared at him.
He laughed. “The Jade Runner is my slave.”