The Mystery of Lady Sienna

I traveled on through the fierce storm. The winds ripped through the trees, felling many branches and the rain came down in sheets. I could barely see a foot in front of the car. The wise choice would have been to pull over, but I was late for an important meeting and could not risk missing it all together. Finally I came to the turn for Big Cedar Mountain, the road that led to the Johnson Research Center and hopefully the rewarding of a large research grant that would keep me employed for years to come. The road was dark and curvy. I slowed the car but still was barely negotiating the curves as I climbed Big Cedar. Suddenly a mule deer jumped in my path. I swerved, doing my best to avoid the huge buck. However it was too late and I hit the magnificent creature a glancing blow and found myself careening over the edge of the roadway. I have no idea what became of the deer. Fortunately, my car managed to avoid the larger trees and the heavy brush brought my now useless vehicle to a gentle enough halt. How I had managed to avoid major injury I could not understand.

I spent the next several hours in my car deep in a virgin forest waiting for the storm to let up. I knew there was no way anyone would find me, so I would be forced to get myself out of the ravine that would be the final resting place of my car. As the hours passed and the storm raged around me I had to fight off a growing since of panic and dread. I had begun to fear that my life would end in that dark foreboding forest. To get my mind off my dire situation and the dark thoughts that were threatening to immobilize me with fear a played an old game I had played with my siblings on long car trips as a child. Admittedly, playing geography by my self was a bit ridiculous, but it did help pass the time and kept some of the dark thoughts at bay.

By the time the storm let up it was late afternoon and the shadows from the mountain and the trees made it seem the sun had already set. I decided to take my flashlight and attempt to walk back to some civilization. I soon discovered that climbing back up to the road was impossible. So I set off in what I figured was the general direction of the highway that had brought me to this remote forest. Having always relied on maps and road signs to navigate my way around, I was ill equipped to find a way out of this situation. As it turned out I had indeed made a wrong turn.

I walked for several hours. I grew hungry and tired as the afternoon gave way to evening. I was now completely in darkness. Thick cloud cover obscured the stars. Even the full moon barely cast light through the menacing sky. I began to fear the storm would start anew and I would be lost forever in the foreboding wilderness. I was quickly beginning to lose all hope of being rescued, and was almost at the point of resigning myself to the harsh wilderness surrounding me, when I saw a flickering light coming from a distance through the trees. It clearly was not a natural light. I moved as rapidly as I could toward the source assuming it was the town I had passed by just before taking the turn for the mountain road. After about a half an hour I stepped into a clearing that turned out to be the leading edge of a vast lawn. At the far end of the lawn was the source of the light I had seen.

Rising in the midst of the forest was a huge Victorian style structure. I was not sure if it was a very large house or a small hotel. It certainly was not a town. However, it had begun to rain again; I was soaked and cared little whether the building was a hotel or house. All I knew was it offered shelter and hopefully rescue from this nightmare. I ran to the building and rapped loudly on what I assumed to be the front door. To my horror there was no answer. After a long time of pounding on the heavy oak door I sank to my knees and crumbled up in the archway. Exhaustion, fear and frustration overcame me. For the first time since I was a boy I cried myself to sleep.

I awoke the next morning in a comfortable beautifully decorated room. The bed was luxurious. The thick cushioned mattress was covered with fine silk sheets and a fluffy down comforter covered in exquisite Egyptian cotton fabric. The room was large and furnished with heavy oak antiques. A fire burned in the huge fireplace across from the bed. The damask drapery was opened slightly revealing it was daylight, a beautiful bright sunny day from what I could see through the small opening.

I tossed back the comforter planning to find my host and discovered that was completely naked. I looked around hoping to spy my clothing, but they were not anywhere visible. I got up and began to look through the various drawers and closets in the large room. Not only did I not find my clothes, I did not find anything at all to cover my nakedness. I decided if necessary I would take the sheet from the bed to cover myself and go find whomever it was that has saved me from the cold, wet night. However, I figured caution was in order. After all, I was naked and in a strange place far from civilization as far as I knew.

I went to the window and looked over an amazing garden. I assumed my room faced the back of the house, as I had not seen a garden when I arrived the previous night. The owner of the house was clearly a person of great means. The garden seemed to stretch on forever. There were all manner of trees, shrubs and flowers. There were fishponds and fountains and even a hedge maze. Several gardeners were out in the warm sun working. There must have been miles of flagstone walkways and all around there were benches for enjoying the beautiful setting. But it seemed no one was there to enjoy the scene. All there was amongst the beauty were workers and stone statues.

Forgetting my nakedness I stepped onto the small balcony that was accessible through the large window. Looking down over the stone railing I saw that the room was at least three stories above the ground. The walls of the house were smooth, offering no means to climb down. One of the gardeners seemed to turn and look up at the house, but quickly looked away when he made eye contact with me. I again was aware of my nakedness and retreated into the room.

I walked to the heavy oak door that blocked me off from whatever lay in the rest of the house. I pressed my ear to the door hoping to hear if there was any activity on the other side. I heard nothing but could not be sure if that was because the hall I presumed was on the other side was empty or because the door was too thick to allow sound to pass through. I attempted to turn the doorknob so that I could open the door slightly to peer out and made a disturbing discovery. The door was locked. I wondered if it was locked to keep me in or to keep others out. Was I prisoner? In any event the door could not be unlocked from the inside.

I returned to the bed and sat down. It was clear I could not get out through the door. It was equally clear I could not climb down the outer wall of the house. I doubted I would survive jumping from the balcony and even if I did I was sure I would break most of the bones in my body trying. There was no phone or other device with which to communicate with the outside world in the room. Of course my cell phone was gone along with my clothes. Not that I imagined it would work in the remote area anyway. It certainly hadn't worked the previous evening when I so desperately needed help. I determined the only thing to do was to try to get help from one of the gardeners.

I pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around my self as best I could before returning to the little balcony. Only two of the workers remained in sight. I shouted a friendly greeting, but received no response. Neither of the workers even turned their head. I shouted louder in a voice I was sure could be heard a half a mile away. And still got not response. I continued to shout, making my throat sore, to no avail. After 15 minutes of so of my shouting the workers stopped what they were doing and simply left without ever looking my way. Fear was rapidly beginning to take over.

I knew I could not give into fear or I would truly be in a hopeless situation. I returned to the room and sat in a large, plush, leather armchair. I needed to gather my thoughts and figure out just what my next move should be. At that moment I could not see that I had many options. I must have been more tired than I thought. I soon fell into a deep sleep in the comfortable chair.

When I awoke the there was a table set with elegant china, crystal and fine silver. Having no options and being very hungry I moved to the table and tentatively tasted the food left for me. The food was still warm and delicious. I decided that if I was to be a prisoner there were far worse conditions I could be held in. Once I finished the meal I began to look around the room hoping to discover something about where I was and who was holding me.

There were no clues to either in the large room. Those drawers and closets I could open were completely empty. Really the only items in the room were the books that filled the shelves on one side of the room. I took a book down and returned to the comfy armchair I had napped in earlier. I briefly contemplated the possibility of life as a prisoner in that room. There were enough books to keep me busy for many years and if the food continued as the first, at least I would be comfortable. But still I knew I would soon go mad, like a caged tiger at the zoo. The horror of becoming a beast that only has pacing his cage to look forward to was too much to contemplate. I opened the expensive leather-bound book and began to read. Somehow, I managed to become lost in Dumas's vivid tale of the daring deeds of heroic Musketeers.

I do not know how long I read before being startled by a sound at the door. The knob turned and the large hinges creaked slightly as the heavy door opened slowly. I was so surprised by the unannounced visitor I made no move. I did not even attempt to cover my nakedness. I was further surprised when my visitor turned out to be a beautiful woman. She was a tall, shapely woman with an aristocratic air. Her jet-black hair fell in soft curls over her round exposed shoulders. Her head was held high upon her long sensual neck. He long, black, silk dress was embroidered with what appeared to be real jewels. She wore a jewel encrusted leather band on her left wrist. The light glistened off the large gold amulet she wore on a chain around her neck. The toes and heels of her leather boots were just visible under the Victorian hemline of her gown. The object in her right hand appeared to me an old fashioned riding crop. The bustier she wore under her dress pushed her ample, voluptuous breasts up and together making them jut out and forming an inviting cleavage.

"Good, I see you have rested and been fed. I trust you are comfortable?" she said in an almost commanding tone as if I could be ordered to be comfortable.

At the moment she spoke I again realized I was naked, even though she did not seem to notice. I grabbed the sheet and pulled it around me.

"I would be more comfortable if I had my clothing and knew where I was. As it is I feel like I am a prisoner. Who are you?"

"I am Lady Sienna, the mistress of this house. You are of course our guest. That should be obvious by the way you have been cared for. However, you are here uninvited and that does present us a problem. As for your clothing, I am afraid a night in the woods left them soiled and in need of repair. We are trying to find something suitable for you."

I did not know if she was speaking in the plural because she had illusions she was royalty or because there were others in the house. Perhaps she had a husband. I decided I needed to be very careful. Clearly, I could not be sure how much danger I was in without more information.

"Well dear lady, I am most grateful for you generosity. However, I do need to be getting on to my destination. I am sure people are quite worried. Is there perhaps a phone I could use to arrange transportation out of here?"

"A phone? I do not know what that is or how it would help you get to your intended destination. In any event the idea of your leaving here is quite out of the question at the moment. This is a very private sanctuary. Once here no one leaves."

A chill ran down my spine as her words caused a line from the Eagles' Hotel California to play in my head. "There's plenty of room at The Hotel California, you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave!....

"What the fuck is going on here? I have no intention of spending the rest of my days in this room!" I hollered angrily as I jumped up and lunged at my hostess.

To my surprise she deftly ducked away and moved aside. Before I could recover and make another attack, a large uniformed man stepped into the room and grabbed me. He tossed me onto the bed like I was a rag doll.

"I warn you aggressive behavior will not be tolerated! If you wish to continue being treated as a guest and to remain in comfort that will not happen again!" Lady Sienna said in a tone that clearly indicated she was in charge. "I assure you there are far less hospital accommodations in the house. Now who are you and what are you doing on our property?"

The uniformed man stood at attention glaring at me. He looked as if it would give him great pleasure to kill me in a most painful way with his bare hands. Lady Sienna had raised the riding crop and laid it over her open palm. She was either playing with me or threatening to use the tool to help elicit answers from me. As I had nothing to hide, she did not need the threat. Besides even if I had not wanted to be forthcoming, the presence of her beefy servant and his obvious desire to hurt me would be enough to convince me to tell all.

I told her who I was and where I had been going. I told her about the accident and my car being destroyed. I was completely honest with her and she listened intently to the story of the last couple days of my life. However, it was clear she either did not believe me or did not understand what I was talking about.

"Damn, another stranger with fantastic tales of amazing machines and places I know do not exist! Mr. Miller it would be far better for you if you simply admitted the truth. You are no doubt another interloper who came here to poach our game and became lost when our fierce weather surprised you. Now the question is what shall we do with you? Most landowners would have simply left you out for the wolves you know?"

There hadn't been wolves in this part of the country for decades. I began to fear I had happened upon the private asylum of a very wealthy woman whose mind was long gone and was now to be her plaything. But why would her servant allow such things? I was dizzy with confusion.

"Dear Lady. Please. I am no poacher. I told you the truth! I am due at a very important meeting at the research center on Big Cedar Mountain. You have no cause to hold me prisoner!"

I was getting desperate and grasping at straws. I hoped being forceful would shock my captor into enough sanity to convince her to release me.

"I demand you release me immediately! People will be searching for me and when they find you have held me illegally, it is you who will be jailed!"

"You are a most foolish man! First you trespass and poach on our lands and now you threaten me? How dare you, you common lowlife. There is no Big Cedar Mountain in this country! There are certainly no buildings or research centers, whatever that is supposed to mean on any of our hills. Our estate stretches for many miles in every direction from this house. No one accidentally finds himself on our property! I will leave you now to give you a chance to decide to tell me the truth before I decide your fate!"

She brought the riding crop down across my exposed hip as she turned and stormed out the door. The guard continued to stand at attention glaring at me. Somehow the big man staring at me naked as my hip stung from his Mistress's crop made me feel more naked and exposed than I had ever felt before. I had no idea what he might do to me. After a couple of minutes that felt like an eternity of his staring at me, he spoke for the first time. His voice was deep and gruff and his words had none of the polish of Lady Sienna's speech.

"You are a fucking idiot. My Lady has been more than generous with you and you repay her kindness with stupid stories of things that do not exist in this world. I wanted to have your throat slit and your bones thrown to the wolves. But my Lady is a kind and compassionate woman and would not allow you to be harmed. I warn you her compassion has limits and I would enjoy it if you continue your insolent ways. You should know there are worse things than dying too!"

I trembled as he stepped toward the bed. I had no way to defend myself against this beast of a man. The only thing that kept the fear from becoming madness was my belief that he would not dare harm me without his mistress's permission. He grabbed my throat and pulled me to a sitting position. Then he reached out and took hold of my right nipple. His fingernail dug into me as her twisted my sensitive flesh. Tears streamed down my face as the pain overwhelmed my senses.

"When She returns, you better tell her the truth, you worthless slime! I doubt she will tolerate many more of your fairy tales before she turns you over to me. I know I will find the truth before you beg me to kill you!"

He dropped my body to the bed and stomped out of the room. The heavy door closed with a loud bang and I heard the lock engage. I sobbed in desperation. I was trapped with no way out. I would tell her any truth she wanted to hear but I had no idea what her truth was. When finally I regained my senses I began to think of a plan.

If she wanted a trespassing poacher, that is what I would be. I began searching the room for more clues as to what she might expect me to be. I had already figured I would need to be completely contrite. I also thought perhaps I needed to seduce her if I was to live. Clearly both her and the man who was playing her servant were completely insane. Somehow I had to find out what they believed was the truth. As I looked through the room, I realized there was not a single object that had been made in the last two centuries save the books that lined the far wall. Even the books were old, however. I scanned the titles and soon discovered most had been written long ago and none were penned in the last hundred years. Obviously, whatever story I came up with would have to be of a time long past.

At that point I began to question my own sanity. Was I indeed what the lady said I was? Had I lost my mind in the forest and invented a tale of fanciful things? I screamed in shear frustration and threw myself upon the bed. Despite the pain of my damaged nipple I soon fell into another deep sleep.

When I awoke the lamps in the room were lit. The flickering flames cast weird dancing shadows on the walls. Laid on the leather chair were a velvet robe and a note. I slipped the robe on and then unfolded the fancy piece of stationary. The note was hand written in an old-fashioned type script. The handwriting was perfect as if learned from long hours spent practicing. It said that if I was ready to speak the truth, I should knock twice on the door and join Lady Sienna for dinner.

I quickly figured a story to tell her and knocked sharply on the door twice. I stood back when I heard the lock being opened. The door swung open and I met another large uniformed man. My heart skipped a beat when I realized she had more than one powerful manservant. Could they all be mad? Now I feared more than ever it was I that was mad. The man did not speak, but managed to make it clear I was to follow him. He led me through a long wide hall and down a staircase that reminded me of an old Errol Flynn movie. The staircase was an extra wide, stone curved structure. The wall seemed to be blocks of granite and soared much higher than the wall of any home I had ever been in before. Along the walls various antique armaments were displayed. The swords and armor gleamed as if it had been freshly polished for my visit. Interspersed with the weaponry were portraits of what I assumed were Lady Sienna's ancestors.