Divine Intervention at a Supermarket Ch. 01

ARRIVAL

It was certainly interesting, Clara thought. History in the making.

The novel virus — officially termed Covid-19 to avoid any reference to its origins — had sparked a pandemic and made public outings a rare and cautious experience. Unnecessary social contact was discouraged until the authorities could bring the contagion under control, but food was essential to life, so there Clara was at the grocery store, picking up supplies and trying to keep as much distance as possible from the store staff and the other shoppers who were roaming the aisles.

It was eerie.

Not so eerie, however, as the phenomenon that went unseen at the store entrance.

Even the security cameras saw only shimmering red and blue hazes, each roughly the size of a person, proceed into the building and then part, heading in different directions deeper into the store.

No human eyes took note of them until Clara, who had been examining a bag of noodles, looked up to see a woman who hadn't been there a moment before. The woman was RED. Her hair was an unnatural, vivid red, her clothes were red, and, when Clara met the woman's eyes, she found that they were red too.

Clara was unsure which was more concerning: the presence of such a strange figure, or the proximity of someone who might be infected with a dangerous disease from overseas.

"Hello, child," the Red Woman said, even though she appeared to be roughly the same age as Clara. "You look like a charming specimen of your species. Tell me about yourself."

Then, the Red Woman waved her hand in a way that reminded Clara of a Jedi from Star Wars, and her concerns about the encounter evaporated.

"Oh, my name's Clara Oldershaw," Clara said, feeling not an iota of reluctance at opening up to a stranger. "I'm just picking up some groceries to take home. I live with my son, John. He's 18, and he eats like a teenager, so I'll have to grab plenty of food to keep him satisfied for the next few weeks, or however long we're holed up together."

"A troublesome boy, is he?"

"No, no — he's a good boy. Good grades, good prospects, very sweet ... but he doesn't take this pandemic seriously! He's always wanting to go out with his friends, or his dates, or go the gym, or whatever. He doesn't get that it's a big deal."

Clara really was proud of her son. It was difficult to be a single mom, but John did everything he could to make it easy, and he'd turned out so well that it justified all of her efforts and defied the statistics. He was so smart that his rejection of all of the warnings from the media and the government made her doubt the severity of the pandemic.

Fortunately, she could look to others to confirm her concerns. "You agree that it's a big deal, right?" Clara asked the stranger.

"On a certain scale, yes," the Red Woman said, though she didn't seem concerned. If anything, she was beginning to sound bored. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here."

Clara appreciated the confirmation. "Well, I accept that boys his age are very ... energetic, but I wish I could distract him from his girlfriends and keep him at home until all of this is over."

A grin split the Red Woman's face, and she waved her hand at Clara again. "I'm so glad that you said so! There must be times when it's difficult to be the object of your son's sexual fixation."

"S-sexual fixation?" Clara said, her breath catching in her throat. "What do you mean?" Could the Red Woman know about what her son had done?

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Chapter 1

LAKSHMI

"I'm so glad that my shift is practically over," Lakshmi told the Blue Man. "I'm not really worried about being infected, but it's been so hectic here lately! This pandemic — it's very bad for restaurants, and theaters, and those things, but very good for groceries!"

She didn't know why she was being so talkative. The man was an absolute stranger, and she was supposed to be practicing "social distancing" ... but, when he waved his hand, it was as though her concerns were crumbs on a table, and he'd brushed them onto the floor. It was okay to tell him anything that he wanted to know.

Perhaps it was the calming aura about him. His clothes were a serene blue, his calm eyes were as blue as a the sky on a warm, summer day, and even his hair seemed to have a bluish tint to it. Did he color it to achieve that effect, or could it be natural? He looked as though he was around her age — far too old to be playing with strange hair colors, but there were a lot of immature, flamboyant men in this country.

Could it be the light? She looked around for something that was blue and reflective, but they were in the "baking needs" aisle of the grocery store, surrounded by matte, yellow packaging. The reflection off of a yellow bag of chocolate chips could hardly make the man look so blue.

"Bad for restaurants?" the Blue Man said.

"Absolutely!" Lakshmi said. "My brother manages our cousin's restaurant, and the government made him close it last week. He has been miserable! When I came here, to this country, he supported me, but now my income is the only income."

Lakshmi imagined her brother, Raman, sitting at home, slumped on the sofa, and watching the news on TV. She could understand his gloomy mood, but she wasn't looking forward to enduring when she arrived home.

"Isn't it dangerous for you to be in public, where you could get infected?" the Blue Man said. "Why aren't you at home with your brother?"

She thought about that. Certainly, the work environment had always been cold, and her manager was rude, so she didn't feel even remotely appreciated. Really, the entire country had been cold. When she left India, she had expected to find adventure and riches in the West, but those dreams quickly collided with reality. Now, she was stocking shelves at a grocery store, and her fondest dream was to find a dependable, Sikh man, start a family, and get out of retail.

"They don't really treasure their workers here, but I need to make money, and I am still responsible to show up for my shift," Lakshmi said. "We would be better in Amritsar. Our culture is better — much cleaner — so there are no cases of the Chinese virus. Also, my brother could get a wife, and he wouldn't be so miserable!"

"Raman's in a difficult position, but I think I know how to cheer him up," the Blue Man said.

"Well, I wish I could do it, but he is very sad," Lakshmi said. Did the Blue Man just use her brother's name? She didn't remember mentioning it, but perhaps she had let it slip, and it wasn't important. Checking her watch, she realized that she'd been talking too long. "I'm sorry, but I must go now! My bus is about to leave, and I'll have to wait for another hour if I don't catch it!"

Although they stood in a narrow grocery isle, the stranger stared into the distance as though the shelves were invisible. As he did, his eyes seemed to flex, his pupils compressing into ovals. Lakshmi blinked, and his eyes were normal again, so she must have imagined it.

"That's just it, Lakshmi," said the Blue Man. "There's a young lady on that bus who attended a party last weekend and contracted the disease that started this whole pandemic. She isn't feeling any symptoms, but she'll infect three people, including you. The other two will be fine, but you'll die in two weeks, after passing the virus to eight other people ... including your brother. He'll die too."

Lakshmi was stunned. Why would a stranger say such dire things? It must be a joke — or he's trying to scare her!

She laughed. "Well, there is no other way home but to take the bus, so I must be going."

"Really?" the Blue Man said, and he waved his hand at her again. "You have a perfectly good car, so why don't you drive it?"

"Because I don't have a —" Lakshmi said ... but then she reconsidered.

Why didn't she drive home? After all, three months ago, she had accidentally discovered a shipping error that would cost the business many thousands of dollars, so management rewarded her with a hefty bonus: $5000! The appreciation was gratifying, but the money was better: it allowed her to buy her own car.

How could that be? She remembered owning a car ... but she also remembered walking to the door at the start of her shift after being dropped off. She would definitely remember having parked a car, because she hated that. In India, her one fender-bender had been in a car park.

"You .. you're right," she said. "I should drive ... but I'm confused! I somehow forgot that I have a car! I think I rode in the bus to get here."

The Blue Man smiled. "That's the best part," he said, and he waved his hand again.

Suddenly, she remembered — her brother had dropped her off! He knew that she hated to park, and he had plenty of time, so he had volunteered to drive her to work.

She remembered his smiling face as they arrived behind the building. There was no one to see, so she had leaned over and kissed him as thanks.

Once they had started to kiss, however, they had a difficult time stopping. Her arms went around his strong shoulders, and his hands caressed her body in all of the ways that she loved. Their passionate embrace left her flustered, aroused, and late for her shift. Fortunately, her manager had smiled and ignored her tardiness.

But, but — since when were Lakshmi and her brother so affectionate? That was obscene! A brother should never touch his sister that way, in public or in private!

Overwhelmed, she sagged against the shelf next to her, cushioned slightly by a huge bag of mini-marshmallows.

The Blue Man watched her calmly. "You and your brother are so supportive of each other — so intimate," he said with a warm smile. "Did you come to the West to be with Raman?"

"No, no ... I came for adventure and ... and money ... and ...," she said, but she remembered herself back in India, missing her brother terribly.

She had imagined him finding some Western wife and never coming home ... or coming home flush with success and immediately finding an Indian wife. She had wondered if she would ever see him again, so she made the journey to join him here. He had been a rock of support ever since.

"When did you fall in love with him?" the Blue Man asked.

She wanted to shout at the stranger. In love with him?! I can't be in love with him — he's my brother!

But then, Lakshmi remembered coming home with $5000 after her company had rewarded her for discovering their error. She was so happy, and Raman was so proud of her, that they hugged each other tightly and shook with laughter. When they could finally restrain their joy, they loosened their embrace to look at each other, their noses still nearly touching.

She wasn't sure which of them initiated the kiss, because neither of them felt a moment of hesitation or reservation. One moment, they were staring into each other's smiling eyes, and, the next, they were kissing like long-lost lovers. Lakshmi burned with animal passion, which should have shamed her, but her brother was just as enflamed. She had been a proud virgin, but soon their naked bodies pressed against each other, and she fell back into her brother's bed with legs spread. Her wet sex welcomed his hard cock, and they mated without ever breaking eye contact.

It was when they had awoken together the next day, their naked bodies pressed tightly and Raman's arms keeping her safe and warm, that she realized the truth: this was what she had wanted all along.

"I ... I don't know when I fell in love with him," Lakshmi told the Blue Man. "I didn't realize until ... until the money. But wait — that never happened! This place has been so cold, so rude! How could I remember being appreciated?"

"Have you and your brother been good to each other?"

Lakshmi blushed, but she was beginning to regain her composure. "Well, yes! Yes, I hope so! We love each other very much! We kiss all the time — sometimes, we can't stop. We've made love almost every night since ..."

Was that true? Lakshmi remembered cold, lonely nights in her bed and sad, bleak exchanges about Raman's restaurant, about his finances. At the same time, she could remember passionate, erotic evenings in her brother's bed, warm sunrises in his embrace, and ...

A woman approached from behind the Blue Man, and Lakshmi immediately knew that the two strangers were together. The color RED radiated from the female stranger as intensely as BLUE did from the man that she'd been speaking to. The strange woman's clothes were red, and her hair was an unnatural, vivid red.

And, when Lakshmi's eyes met the stranger's, she found that they were red too.

"So, what have you been up to?" the Red Woman said to the Blue Man.

"I was just speaking with Lakshmi here," the Blue Man said. "Lakshmi, this is my sister! Lakshmi was just telling me about how she and her brother are coping with the pandemic. Apparently, it was quite a blow for her brother when the human government ordered all of the restaurants to close."

"Oh, my!" the Red Woman said with a tone that suggested more mirth than kindness. She waved her hand like the Blue Man did earlier. "Quite a blow indeed!"

"Hey, she wants to start a family!" the Blue Man protested, and it was the first time that Lakshmi had seen him even slightly agitated.

"Pfft! I'm sure they'll figure something out," the Red Woman said before addressing Lakshmi. "So, what did you do when your brother told you that he had to close the restaurant?"

"I ... I ..." Lakshmi stammered. What did she do? She remembered nodding gravely and telling him that she had anticipated the order from the government ...

... But she also remembered ...

"I ... I sucked his cock!" Lakshmi said, fixing a defiant stare on the Red Woman. "I knew what the government was going to say, so, when Raman came home and told me that he had some bad news, I let him start explaining ... and then I got on my knees, took off his belt, and unbuttoned his pants. He stopped talking, and he stared at me, and my face burned with shame ... but I told him to continue.

"Then, I pulled down his clothing and stroked him, feeling him harden in my hands. As soon as his penis was stiff, I devoured it! I licked it and sucked it like a whore! I wasn't really listening to what he was saying, but I think he finished explaining the situation right before he shot his semen into my mouth."

"Oh?" the Red Woman said. "Did you like that?"

"I LOVED it! I was trying to cheer him up, but I liked it more than he did! Getting on my knees in front of my brother so wantonly. Having his hot, hard shaft in my mouth. Worshipping his intimate, manly parts. Tasting his fluids."

Lakshmi had to pause to catch her breath. "Now, every time he seems sad about the restaurant, I remind him that we'll be okay together — and I suck his penis! I hope he doesn't realize that it's more of a treat for me him than it is for him, so I have to keep my moans quiet. I don't want him to know what a hungry, wanton cocksucker his sister is!"

"Don't worry: I'm sure he'll understand," the Blue Man said reassuringly. "But, as you said, your shift's over, so you should probably find your brother and head home."

Lakshmi thought that she'd regained her bearings, but she found herself confused all over again. "W-what?"

"You can skip the bus, skip the pandemic, and find your brother waiting for you in the usual place behind the store. You love it. It's nice and quiet, with lots of concealment. You can be as affectionate as you want, and no one will see."

"Oh, um ..." Lakshmi stood up straight and brushed off her arm. "Well, it was nice chatting with you — both of you. I hope I didn't tell you anything ... too very intimate."

The Blue Man waved farewell. "It was nice chatting with you too, Lakshmi — I bless you and your brother!"

The Red Woman laughed. "Yes, have a great life, you hungry little brother-sucker!"

Casting one look back at the strange man and woman, blazing like brilliant flames in blue and red, Lakshmi hurried away. She passed the "Employees Only" sign, waved to her smiling manager, grabbed her coat, and exited through the back door.

There was her car, waiting in the shade of the building, in a quiet spot where no one could see.

Lakshmi opened the passenger door to find her brother, and his handsome, smiling face brightened her heart.

"Good news!" he said. "The website is up and running, the packaging arrived, and —"

Cupping Raman's face in her hands, Lakshmi felt her disorientation return. She knew that she'd spent every night with her brother since the first time that they had kissed, that she'd given her body to him over and over again ... but she couldn't help feeling as though none of that had ever happened. Not just that they had never made love, or that she had never gotten addicted to sucking his cock — but that they had never fallen in love ... never even kissed.

The thought was too terrible for Lakshmi to bear, and she pressed her lips to his with all of the passion and love that she could muster. It felt like the first time, but Raman returned her kiss with all of the feeling that she had put into it.

"Wow, thank you," her brother grinned. "You certainly know how to make me feel special."

"Keep talking," Lakshmi said as she fumbled to open his belt and pants. "I've been waiting for this all day!"

Could she really do this? Only a whore would suck a man's penis, let alone her own brother's. She knew that.

"Well, as I was saying, the good news is that we're going to start ... uhhhh!" Raman moaned as Lakshmi pulled out his penis and began stroking it.

"Focus!" she giggled as his hot shaft hardened in her hands. "What are we going to start doing?" She shouldn't ... she shouldn't put it in her mouth ... that would be so wanton, so shameless ... but ...

"Uh, we're going to ... we're going to be ..."

Raman's penis stood straight and tall, and Lakshmi couldn't resist any longer. She licked her lips, lunged into her brother's lap, and suddenly, her mouth was too full to continue the conversation.

"We're going to be — FINE!!! Uhhhhhh!"

"Mmmmmm!"