The Fern Tender (11 page)

      Lillian caught her breath for a moment as the two men retreated and Veronica slowed her rhythm. The experience left them all breathless, it was like they hadn’t even breathed in the last 10 minutes, it left them all gasping for air. They were spent.

      Within seconds though, the next wave of fresh men took their positions, the next witch took Veronica’s place as the rider.  Again the grinding cunt on her back and throttling of the cocks moved in her, over her. The same pattern of a free for all, everyone having her in their own way, yet all deeply connected. Their beautiful slip into synchronicity. The deep sensation of the four of them pushing and pulling each other, all hooking themselves into Lillian and multiplying their energy was true ecstasy. It was a feeling that could never be achieved with just husband and wife. That energy was now being spent in Hell but feeling like Heaven. The magic feeling locked onto the group of joined bodies and they began to climax over and over together as one unit.

     It was an experience Lillian had never had, and it left her screaming at Veronica for more. Veronica couldn’t stand it either and ordered several more rounds, it felt that good. They were both equal, using each other to achieve the overwhelming sensation of synchronicity.

      Finally, the magic abated. It had finally been worn down, and they were tired physically. Veronica began barking orders to everyone. “Get her out of that thing. She’s a mess.”

     Lillian was covered in a sheen of spent oragasms. The younger witch led her to their bathroom, where Lillian took her time recovering and taking a shower in the standup bathtub.

     When she returned to the room, the men were gone and the witches were all lying in a pile on Veronica’s bed. Wanting their space back, Veronica wasted no time in sending Lillian back to the kitchen. This time there was no flying just a thud as she fell feet first onto the kitchen tile.

     Ellen peered down at her over her glasses and remarked, “You made it back my dear. We thought we might have lost you. You were gone for ages. Are you OK?”

     Exhausted, Lillian answered, “Yes, thanks for asking. It was intense. May I have a beer please? I think I’m done for the day. I’ll save the other room for next time.”

     Surprised at the request, Lillian wasn’t a drinker, both Miranda and Ellen looked at each other. “Of course, about time, we’ve been drinking bloody Mary’s since noon! Stay around this evening and we’ll fix you something good for dinner and we can have a Scotch together.”

     Lillian responded to the invite, “I have to get back soon. Let me have a few sips of this and then I’ve got to run.” They could sense the stress returning to Lillian already.

     “OK, as you wish.” Ellen replied.

     After drinking half her beer, Ellen showed Lillian out.

     Getting in her car and turning the key felt right. She felt good, revived, alive, and back in control. As she turned out of the small parking lot onto the avenue, her mind immediately flashed to the wheel. She would take its reading again within 24 hrs.

Chapter 5

The Jaguar

     In the ferns near to the Spring with dawn still an hour away, Lillian could hear the breath of the jaguar. She dared not move. It was directly behind her, twenty yards at the most. The creeping had stopped. Now all she could hear were the rhythmic breaths of the large female. Slowing her own breath, Lillian aligned her exhales with the cadence of the jaguar, being careful not to give herself away. She knew the predator was steadying herself for the attack. The cat was waiting for any mistake by her prey, a sound, a movement, anything so she could fit the final piece of her stalk into place.

     The jaguar had the better eye sight, the physical advantage, and better hearing, but still in the pitch black mist before dawn she needed one last noise to triangulate herself to the jugular vein of her meal. The waiting game had gone on for at least ten minutes, but it felt like years. All of this for a split second of death. Lillian, a predator herself who specialized in tracking down beautiful men in the Capital, knew the secrets of these big females. She knew how to store the adrenalin for the right time, how to enable her whole body and mind to synchronize with her environment to get what she wanted. Now though, this was no sexual conquest, this was life and death.

     There was nothing she could do now but sit quietly. Lillian closed her eyes and waited for the animal to take her victim.

     “Snap,” right on cue a small twig broke free from its branch. She heard the roar and felt the earth shake as the jaguar lunged its fangs into the monkey it stalked for the last thirty minutes.

     “Killer, awesome”, Lillian let out a relieved mumble. She had heard the monkeys in the ferns earlier that night tearing through their meals, munching relentlessly on the ferns all evening. Lillian had done everything she was allowed to do by the Colony, throwing rocks, yelling, nothing worked. She kept up the pace knowing that eventually, just like a shark, the more noise and commotion she made, the better she had of attracting a jaguar.

     The monkeys did their best to avoid the monster, but they were no match for the ice cold nerves of the queen of this forest. The large male monkey was the victim. The rest of the group, scampered away knowing there was nothing they could do to save their leader. They were safe away in the tree tops by the time the jaguar took his first few bites, and Lillian had retreated back to her perch above the wheel leaving the beast to her breakfast.

     She’d witnessed these swift violent deaths many times before and although it amazed her every time  this time felt different. Glancing back into the water, she noted the wheel had

slowed again. She silently acknowledged to herself that given the status of the wheel, she may not ever see such an efficient natural execution like this again. Anything could happen to the Colony in a reset. There was no guarantee the Colony would be spared. Not wanting to sit and stare at the lonely wheel chugging so softly and slowly now, she hiked across the ferns and stopped at the small cabin near the entrance of the ferns. The planked house with the moss roof had housed generations of fern tenders on their watch.

     Frustrated she kicked the door open and cursed, “Fuck this shit!”.

     “That was lame” she spout out immediately. She managed a quick chuckle knowing she had a repertoire of much more saltier language she could apply to the situation. Talking to herself again she flippantly exclaimed “Why me? For thousands of years, no Fern Tenders ever had to witness the wheel like this.”

     Lillian made a cup of tea as she focused on calming down. She had to find a way to repair her frayed nerves. She often wondered if Ellen had witnessed the slowing of the wheel as well before she left the Colony. How wonderful it would be to talk with someone at her level about the her despair about the wheel, instead she was stuck with the stiff bewildered president. Part of the Fern Tender’s oath was to never discuss the current status or even the existence of the wheel with anyone except the president. To insure secrecy, the Fern Tender’s oath carried deep black magic. There was a  well designed consequence to everyone she knew should she ever violate her oath. There was no alternative but to keep  the secret to herself even under the crushing burden of loneliness it brought.

     Thinking again about Ellen, Lillian began twirling her hair with her left hand in a nervous gesture wondering why Ellen had decided on the path of Black magic. Was the allure of power that big of a draw or did Ellen’s time as the Fern Tender push her to leave? Maybe she saw the wheel begin to slow on her watch as well and decided to just fuck it and move on to live out her life exactly how she wanted. Maybe she chose to ignore  the fate of the world. Or, maybe Ellen had larger plans? Maybe her magic gave her an insight into how to escape the pending collapse of the Capitol? It was clear that Ellen had no regrets about leaving, maybe that was why.

     Stopping herself from the rabbit hole that was Ellen, she began to shift her thoughts to herself. She whispered aloud, “I’m just not cut out like that, I still have hope. I have my vices and lapses in judgement, but I am loyal to my duty and my people.”  Wisely deciding against ruminating about her own puzzle, her own rabbit hole, she moved her thoughts along.

     Her mind went to the part of herself that was a true solution to loneliness, Andrew. The BBQ place the other day had sealed her thoughts that he was her equal. He was someone special and she wanted much more of him. They had never even spoken, never touched, but she knew he must be exceptionally intelligent. How else could a person master both the conscious and subconscious of two people at once? Although the things they did together had a magical element but it still felt natural. It felt ancient, like something that was lost then they found again. She and Andrew had found a better more interesting and efficient way to communicate, just climb inside the other person making two people one. She had no idea how he accomplished this with her, and it made her want him more every time she thought of his beauty and his mysterious mind.

     Although the sex they had together without even touching was unique and perfect, what Lillian craved now were the conversations they could have together. She could share her disgust of the Capitol, and her worries about life and marriage. She even imagined light conversations. What’s your favorite color, or the weather. It didn’t matter. She wanted more of him, all of him. It began to dawn on her that she’d fallen in love with a stranger, someone she knew nothing about.

     Lillian spent the rest of the day in ferns taking notes and running her calculations. The balance between the jaguars, monkeys, and ferns had never been better. The magic and nature that cloaked and protected Beverly Spring was in perfect harmony. Despite all of Lillian’’s work tending the ferns, the wheel was not speeding up for any of it. The periphery in great shape, the tertiary struggling.

     In the morning, she washed and hiked back to the village. She had enough time to hug her Aelana and kiss David on the cheek. Then she left for the Capitol. Another meeting with the President was scheduled for the evening. The drive allowed Lillian time to collect her thoughts so she could clearly explain what he needed to know.

     Once she felt good about her plan for the President, Lillian let her mind wander back to Andrew. With the Capitol’s suburbs coming into view, she thought there might be enough time after the meeting to find him. Maybe this time she would force a conversation,  even just a short casual one. She was desperate for a personal interaction. Giving herself to the ferns and the wheel lately had made her even more inward, lonely.

     The President’s office felt cold and sterile. He was late again. “Disrespectful asshole, the world is coming to an end and he’s late for it,” she thought. 

     Lillian sat staring at the secret service man while she waited. He was an exceptionally good looking. She’d seen him before and admired his strong physique and rugged jawline. She felt like fucking. Fucking Andrew would be great, but she was bursting with stress and her sexual energy needed to be spent on someone. This one would be a major challenge. She thought silently about how she might make it happen and where they might be able to go. Without a clear plan, she decided to let the possibility simmer in her subconscious.

     The President made his way into his office and her good looking secret service man left them alone and went into the hall.

     “Lillian, good to see you. Have they set you up with your own office here yet? You’re back again you know, you might make a good VP.” The President said half joking and half exasperated with her presence.

     Lillian straightened her skirt with the palms of her hands and looked him in the eye, “Look I know you don’t take this as seriously as I’d like you to and, you think I’m telling you the sky is falling. Well it is. The wheel has slowed more, it will stop soon, and the world as we know it now will come to an end. There, I’ve done my duty. You have the latest update. I can leave now if you like or I can share more of my knowledge with you. Your choice.”

     He propped his feet up on his desk and began to lecture, “You’ll have to forgive me Lillian, I am just a little skeptical of all this stuff. Ever since my inauguration and the debriefing with the ex-Presidents and you, I’ve just had a very hard time thinking through this hocus pocus stuff. I’m a man who was brought up with the ideals that you work hard, you study hard, and you build your own success. I’ve done that, and I’ve been elected to enable that for others. And you’re telling me that now that I’m not the most powerful man in the world, our fate is tied to a wheel in a Spring in some ferns and the apocalypse is near? My poll numbers are the best they’ve ever been, unemployment is at a 30 year low, we’re winning all our wars, but it’s all just bs because we’re doomed?”

     “Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.” She snapped. “You may not want to believe it but the world is out of balance. The Earth is sick and doesn’t care about your man made measures of success like the stock market or unemployment. Men have let greed guide them for too long, the Spring is not happy with what your society is doing and your way of life. And it will all be one big do over. Look, it is likely that the Colony will survive like it has before. My people will probably continue watch over the wheel long after the next variation of your society takes hold. It is your society that should heed my warnings. You’re facing an end to your way of life.”