The Cinder Box

The soldier thought about the lessons of the three dogs in the hall beneath the hollow tree and replied:-

"For as long as it is his Mistress' pleasure."

The great sphinx was surprised.

The great sphinx again looked at the handsome soldier, blinked its huge eyes twice, and then said:-

"So, you know the first secret of the sphinx? Well then, tell me, oh handsome soldier, How long should a slaves mind be made to wait for the attention of his Mistress?"

Again the soldier thought about the lessons of the three dogs in the hall beneath the hollow tree and replied:-

"For as long as it is his Mistress' pleasure."

Again the great sphinx looked surprised.

The great sphinx again looked at the handsome soldier, blinked its huge eyes three times, and then said:-

"So, you know the second secret of the sphinx? Well then, Tell me, oh handsome soldier, How long should a slaves spirit be made to wait for the attention of his Mistress?"

Once more, the soldier thought about the lessons of the three dogs in the hall beneath the hollow tree and replied:-

"For as long as it is his Mistress' pleasure."

And once again the great sphinx looked surprised. And then said:-

"You have shown that you know the three secrets of the sphinx. Open the cinder box and your destiny will be revealed to you:-

When the soldier opened the cinder box there was again a great cloud of dust and the soldier felt very strange indeed. What came out of the box didn't smell like cinders and didn't look like cinders, but then, nothing at all seemed quite the same as it had just a few moments before:- The sphinx's eyes grew wider and wider and began to spin a-round and a-round and, as in a dream, he saw a vision:- a beautiful woman and her eyes were the colour of emeralds and hair was the colour of night.

The beautiful woman took the soldiers hand and he was helpless to resist as she led him past the sphinx and into her castle. Once inside, she led him down and down into the bottom-most basement of her domain and, as in a dream, he saw a familiar couch, and there a familiar whipping bar, and there, already open and waiting for his arrival -- the terrible oubliette.

And in his dream, he saw that there was not just one small prison in the ground -- there were hundreds -- thousands!, like the cells in a honeycomb - and each and every one contained an eternal prisoner of lust.

So now, as ever was and ever will be, The Queen tends her honeycomb of horror. In her own little corner of hell, her prisoners strain and moan to see their souls' desire. She gives them little gifts -- a smile -- a stocking -- just to keep them burning for her. And as she dances her cruel dance, she feels their straining eyes like little breezes up her skirt and all their dreams and wishes are tiny hands that thrill her most secret places.

And whenever she passes the spot where a certain handsome soldier has been waiting -- for perhaps for a hundred years -- she lifts her beautiful yellow dress to reveal her beautiful panties -- as green as the Coral Sea and made of a material so fine, so liquid smooth that all that the handsome soldier can think is that he would like to drown in them.