Nigkala Tales Pt. 12: Continuing education

I began to sense a tentative presence. It seemed distant, and in the direction of my bedroom. I focused thoughts in that direction, and soon noticed the presence become more definite. When it seemed to steady, I called out with my mind. "Hello?"

"Who seeks me?"

"It is you who has sought me out these last few nights."

"I have? Are you the holy one I felt?"

"I may be. I woke up each morning, feeling as if a storm had just passed, and when I touched something metal, I got a small shock as stray energy left me."

"Then you must be the holy one I have encountered. Strange. I do not know you. Yet it feels as though you are in Heaven. How can this be?"

"I do not understand, what is it I am feeling that makes you think I am there?"

"You float without weight. The air against your body stimulates you. And it seems you gaze at the stars themselves."

"While I do float, it is in water, not air. The current is water. And the stars are actually tiny lights in a large room."

"Then you are not in Heaven. Only the truly blessed visit where the gods live."

"Then I have been blessed twice. I spend a good part of a year working in orbit. That is a part of space, or Heaven, that is near our world. I went back later to use the results of my labors to tell a tale of adventure of strangers from space who meet us."

"You have been to Heaven! I have no memory of having been so blessed. And you tell tales also! You are my sister in spirit."

"Who are you? Do you know?"

"I am..., I am..., I cannot remember my name. Hmm..., I cannot remember much of anything about myself. I am tired, so I must rest."

Suddenly, the presence was gone. I got out, called for a little bit more light, and dried off. When I entered my bedroom, I immediately noticed the storm smell was very strong. I carefully headed to bed, half expecting a big shock, but none came. Soon I slept, but no dreams. When I woke, the smell of the storm was gone.

When I returned to working on the tablets, I went through each crate and pulled out the second set of pieces. As I sorted them into edges and such, that familiarity was back, and pieces went together much faster. I got as much done today as I had in my first two days.

When the dreams came, I almost woke. I did manage to focus my mental power somewhat to communicate with this echo. Although sleeping, my mind seemed to take part in shaping the dreams. I seemed to travel in Akkad as her guest, and she went with me as I wandered places I had lived, including orbit. When I woke, I could smell the storm, but very faint. There were no shocks this morning.

My skill must be improving because I came to near completion just after dinner. I generated a pair of prints like last time. When I went to bed, we explored each other's life, as we did last night. But upon waking, I felt I needed to do something. Hoping it would come to me if I did simple things; I swam, ate, and packed the second tablet. I placed it on the next shelf.

As I was passing by my bed, I felt the presence. I stopped, and reached out for it with my mind. Being fully awake, I got a better sense of direction as to its location. I soon realized I needed to look under my bed. To my surprise, I found the glassy artifact from the museum that I had warned Evan about. I carefully reached in and picked it up. When I did, it seemed like an electrical connection had been made. I looked at it closely, and saw no change from what I remembered. Evan needed to know about this, so I called him.

"Evan here."

"Hi, Becky Sue. Um, have you misplaced an artifact recently?"

"Funny you should ask. About a week ago, an alarm went off. Several, actually. But the cameras seemed to indicate they were triggered by a lightning strike that somehow traveled into the underground storage area. The timestamp said just after midnight, yet the weather forecast did not call for thunderstorms. When we checked for damage, there was nothing beyond a single box with a scorch mark. It should have held that odd glassy artifact I showed you, but it was empty. We've been searching everywhere for it."

"Oh dear. I know I saw you pack it away in your briefcase."

"Yeah. And I unpacked it and had my assistant handle the storage box I placed it in. It should still be here in that box."

"Remember I said it was powerful?"

"Yeah...."

"I just found it under my bed."

"WHAT!"

"My house was struck by lightning just after midnight, the same day, and ever since I have felt something different about the room. Today I finally found the cause."

"I don't know how I can explain this to the bosses."

"Then don't. Ancient stuff is often mysterious. How about I drop it off later today?"

"Can you?"

"Sure. I'll call when I get there."

"Okay, bye."

I changed into a little black dress, and then headed for the shop, this time to get a carrying case. I left a power tool on the table; I placed the artifact in its case. The foam void should keep it safe enough. I was about to close the case when I felt the presence.

"Why are you sending me away?"

"The museum is currently in charge of your physical form. They do not know about you. So I am returning you to them."

"That is not good. I should be with a holy one like you."

"While I might be able to arrange that, it would be difficult, take a lot of time, and a lot of uncomfortable questions would be asked. And I have already promised to bring you today. We have very little time to do anything."

"Let me think...."

After standing there for five minutes, I sat down. Ten more minutes passed when I heard, "I have an idea."

"Tell me."

"You must find a very dry area with a fair amount of sand. You must also lend me some of your power. I think I can guide you to transferring my essence."

The only dry area with lots of sand I could think of was a golf course in a valley at the base of a mountain. It was about an hour away, in the opposite direction as the museum. I transmitted what I thought I could achieve, and this seemed to be good enough. I finally closed the case and went to my car.

When I got to the course, I asked the staff where the adiabatic winds were the hottest over any of the sand traps. They pointed me to the fifteenth hole, second trap on the right. I told them I would be hanging out there testing a theory. They gave me a look, so I gave them a whammy. They offered to take me.

After I was dropped off, I opened the case and brought out the artifact. I immediately felt the presence. "It is not dry enough."

"I was afraid it might not be, so I selected a place that gets hit by hot winds blown down from the mountain."

"Why do the winds get hot?"

"When it comes down the mountain, it is compressed, which makes it hot. The heat will draw away the moisture, and thus make it dry. And below us is a fair amount of sand."

I felt the presence get stronger. "The sand is good. I feel the winds coming, but I cannot tell if it will get dry enough. It is time to prepare you for the ritual. Please strip and sit in the sand."

I did. I folded my clothes and placed them in the box along with my purse. As I walked to the center of the trap, I went into a meditative state. Placing the box just behind me, I sat down in the sand, and held the artifact in my lap. I felt the presence make an even stronger connection to me, as it said, "Concentrate on the breeze. Imagine it getting stronger, and coming from far away."

I focused my meditation on the gentle zephyr, and imagined the air mass that contained it. In my mind, I made it grow stronger and larger, covering an even greater area. As I knew the ritual needed the adiabatic wind, I imagined the air mass was expanding to include the air up the mountain, and that it was coming to me.

"Good. Now imagine it happening now. You must desire it greatly."

This reminded me of the explanation of the working of magic that Inanna gave me. So I focused my mind to the task. After a few minutes, I felt the wind pick up. Taking this as confirmation I was on the right track, I redoubled my effort. I also felt the presence seeming to guide my thoughts to focus in just a certain way. The air responded.

Five minutes later, it seemed as though the air was getting warmer. The wind was no longer a zephyr, but now a breeze. At twenty minutes, I was starting to feel the air charge up with static electricity. The wind was enough to send the golfers back to the nineteenth hole. The temperature was also rising. I could feel the presence become more powerful, and anticipating release. At thirty minutes, I had to nearly close my eyes, the sand was stirring. Even as it did that, I started seeing small sparks here and there, and the sense of an impending storm rose. I also felt my hair start to defy the wind with its own static charge. But what was even stranger was that my nipples had fully deployed even though I was not aroused.

It was nearing an hour, when I felt the presence decide it was time. I felt it pull my hand in front of my chest, and build up a great charge. My hair stood on end, even with the strong winds. And I saw and felt sparks leap from my nipples into the air, connecting with some particle of sand nearby. The charged feeling got even more intense. Suddenly, the sparks from my nipples became continuous, and the air felt like lightning was about to hit.

It didn't hit. Rather, it erupted from me through the artifact and into the sky. It erupted through my nipples, and entered the artifact. It lasted several seconds and then cut off. I nearly fainted, I was so drained. Suddenly, lightning struck two feet from me. It knocked me back, and I was out for a few minutes. When I awoke, I was lying in the sand with the box under me, giving me a crick in my back. I slowly say up, and I saw before me a glassy object floating a foot off the ground. I saw it sparking into a tiny cloud of sand that whirled about it. As I watched, it seemed to alter its shape a little as it slowly absorbed sand. Below it, and a little to the side, was the artifact.

When I sought the presence, I did not find it. Yet, I could sense a lot of power in the object floating in front of me. It suddenly discharged into my forehead. The remaining sand swirling around it fell. It fell softly down to the ground. I reached out and touched it. There was no reaction, but I sensed it had a lot of power. Picking it up, I tried to 'speak' to the presence, but I suddenly remembered a bit about her. The odd part was that it was from her perspective, and I was not there at all. I tried asking what had happened here; I instead, got a memory. Again from her perspective, but with it, I learned what had happened.

She caused a static charge to manifest in me, as well as guiding my own power to pull in the hot wind. When I was at my limit, she sent the energy into herself and up to An, god of the sky, with the desire to create a new talisman tuned to me. This also sent her essence, which appears to have returned as memories. I realized that it returned as lightning into the sand, causing it to liquefy briefly. Why it then levitated up and changed, I have no idea. I suspected it had something to do with being a divine object.

I placed it back down on the sand and picked up the artifact, which, I now realized, was a talisman. Nothing. I felt nothing from it. No presence, no divine feel, nothing. Now, it was just an artifact. She said she had found a way, and I guess she did. I carefully set it down, and turned around. I immediately turned back as my muscles screamed. That's when I found out I was sore all over. Especially my nipples, which were at least back to normal size. After sitting still for a few minutes, I tried again, but I moved very slowly. I was able to get the box, and I brought it in front of me.

Opening it, I took out my shoes and put them on. I then took out the dress I wore, and took my time putting it on. It irritated my skin, and my nipples hurt from its touch. I tried sitting still a few minutes, but it didn't help, so I carefully took it off. I decided to wrap the new talisman in my dress, since I wasn't going to be wearing it. I then placed the artifact in the box and closed it up. I picked up the box in one hand, and everything else in the other, and stood. I felt woozy, so I didn't move until it passed. I slowly headed for the clubhouse, as I needed something to drink after all the heat and wind. Some food would be nice.

The walk took forever, but loosened me up a bit. When I approached the door, it was opened for me. I entered to catcalls and whistles. Hoping to stop them from groping me, I called out, "Bartender, a round on me!" Cheers erupted. I then headed to the bar. The barkeep got real busy. I caught the eye of a waitress, and asked her to bring me a towel to sit on, and a pitcher of water. I was parched. I stood by a barstool waiting for her. I poured a glass and began drinking slowly. When she came, I sat on the towel and thanked her. I turned my back on the bar and sat facing the crowd. As I turned, my legs opened wide.

"Gentlemen, I got stuck out there in the hot wind. So hot, I had to take my dress off. I realize you all want sex with me, but please, let me slack my thirst first."

There was a sudden buzz. I had bought a round for everyone, and implied I would have sex with everyone. I overheard several talk about my four breasts, and about my smooth vagina. A minute later, I turned back to the bar to pour my second glass of water. I turned back, legs even wider and facing the crowd to drink it. When I got my third drink, I saw that only one more glass' worth remained. Facing the crowd with legs spread wider still, I sought eye contact with a waitress. She came over.

"Can I get you something?"

"Yes, I feel I have been drained from the heat, and I need a nutritious meal. Can you get me something I can eat one-handed? I expect I'll need the other kept free." I winked at her, and she blushed.

When I got my fourth glass, I faced the crowd, doing a full split. The waitress came along with a large burger, with all the fixings. After looking at it, I asked her to bring another.

"Gentlemen, while I eat out this burger, who wants to eat me out?" I then took a huge bite of the burger. Several guys got up. I raised my free hand to stop them. When they paused, I pointed to one and crooked my finger at him.

"Go John! She likes you."

"Show us what you got, John."

"Damn, you're lucky."

As he came to me, I whammied him to avoid my nipples. He knelt in front of me and started licking. With my free hand, I pulled his head in close. When I finished my first bite, I said, "That's nice. Get me juicier than this burger. I want to leave a mess." I had to quickly swallow, as I felt an orgasm start. "First orgasm. Keep going."

He continued. Soon, I came again. I pulled his head back and up. Leaning forward, I kissed him. "Next," I called out. Scanning the crowd, I selected another. I continued enjoying myself and all the action downstairs. By the time I had eaten my burgers, I was on my ninth guy. When he finished, I said, "Sorry guys. Time for me to leave." I turned to the bartender, and handed him my card to pay the bill. I also gave him a nice tip. I then stood and left the bar and headed to my car.

Placing everything on the passenger seat, I pushed the start button. I checked the G.P.S. and saw I would need nearly two hours to get to the museum. Looking at the time, I saw it was already past five. I called Evan.

"Hello, Becky Sue. Have you arrived?"

"No. I'm sorry, but my plans took a detour. It was profitable, but took a lot of time. I can still make it tonight, but it will take me the better part of two hours to get there."

"Oh dear. Hmm, I can catch dinner here, and then return to the museum."

"Great! I will head there now."

"Okay, see you then."

"That you will, he he." I then ended the call, and left.

While I noticed a number of truckers checking me out, few others noticed me. Once I left the highway, and entered the city traffic, many more noticed me. Given how tall I am, my upper breasts could be seen by everyone. While I had not gotten too aroused at the bar, driving in the city with everyone looking at me, I couldn't help getting aroused. At the stoplight, when I had to wait a bit, I found my free hand between my legs. By the time I pulled up to the museum, I had experienced a number of orgasms. I called Evan and told him to come to the parking lot, as I did not feel I could enter. I asked him to bring a container.

When I saw him, I honked, and waved my arm to get his attention. He came over, and saw me, and said, "Shit! Cover up."

"I cannot just now. That detour I mentioned? It was a ritual. I needed to be naked, and at the height of the ritual, I was struck by lightning. But it was the second stroke, only two feet away in the sand, that knocked me out. It left my skin, especially my nipples, very sore. Anyway, do you have that container?"

"Yes." He opened it for me, and held it in the window. I opened my box and carefully pulled the artifact out.

"One of the reasons for the ritual was to make the artifact less dangerous. I don't think it was affected physically, but it is now an ordinary piece of glass formed by lightning." I placed it in his container.

"A fulgurite? Are you sure?"

"Fairly sure." I reached over to my dress, and unrolled it. Presenting my talisman, I said, "That lightning I mentioned? It created this. But it is no ordinary piece of frozen lightning. It is a talisman, attuned to me."

"Wow, I so want to examine it."

"I'll let you, but not today. Being hit by lightning is stressful, and I need to go home to relax. Oh, by the way, I have two tablets over eighty percent complete. I think there are six more, but I am not sure."

"..." It took him a few moments to get his voice working. "You assembled two? Already? Impossible."

"Then come visit me tomorrow or the next day. But don't expect to take them yet. I want to assemble as much as I can before going over the remainders to see if they fit any open spaces."

"Yeah, I'll be there early."

"No, don't come before lunch. I don't know how sore I will be, and may need the time to recover."

"Sorry, I didn't think."

"That's okay. I look forward to your visit."

We said our goodbyes, and I went home. The first thing was dinner. Two burgers were not enough. I had wound up eating three dinners worth of food before I felt full. I also had the funny feeling I would want more before I sleep. So I made half a dozen sandwiches. I brought everything to my room and laid the talisman and sandwiches on my bedside table. I then started the bath. I set it to hot, jets, and bubbles. I then got in and relaxed.

"Queen Inanna, today I learned much, but have even more questions."

"And what hap..." I suddenly felt her intense interest. "You have performed a ritual of power. I feel it still reverberating within you. Tell me."

"Remember that holy object you warned me of? It was responsible for my dreams. I managed to connect to it and learn about the 'woman' who was actually an echo of her spirit. I think she lived in Akkad, when Sargon reigned. While the caretaker took the talisman with him, it returned on its own just after midnight. I did not find it until today. I called the curator to return it. Afterwards, she spoke to me to convince me to do a ritual. I went to a suitable place, and she included me in the ritual to transfer her essence. I powered the ritual, and she aimed it. Lightning erupted from me into the talisman and then to the sky. A few seconds later, a bolt comes down beside me and knocked me out. When I woke, there was a new talisman before me, and the old one had lost all that made it a talisman. She successfully transferred her essence. The stress on my body has left me quite sore, which is why I am in the bath."