Of Milk and Honey

Silk.

That's what encrusted Talia while she drifted. Long wavy locks of soft charcoal hair were both a cushion and a stream on her pale cheeks and over her High Holiday best. Two piercing eyes carved from jade peered over the crest as she got on hands and knees and crawled towards them over the infinite carpet, heels thrown off to the side, her top cardigan button undone.

Olive skin and full lips greeted her over the nose bridge.

"To a sweet New Year."

A melodic voice like honey melted over her.

"To a sweet New Year," she replied.

And like the voice, honey began to drizzle from the oversized lips, Talia no larger than an index finger. Down it cascaded, up it trickled until the amber substance pooled over her hands and the knees of her pantyhose. She lifted her hand to reach towards the lips, sticky honey webbing and trailing. The green as green as new growth in Spring flicked its gaze towards Talia as the honey continued to pour and seep into the formalwear she had brought from home to her first semester of college. She may have been Jew-ish as in not a very good Jew on the practicing front, but Rosh Hashanah was not the holiday to skip.

"I've wanted this for so long." Talia licked a large strand of honey as it dripped from the bed of sandy-blonde curls atop her head and traced her fingers under her long ruffle skirt. "So so long."

In the distance a ram horn sounded. The ancient shofar and the melodic voice flowed and flowed and flowed and...

"Crap!"

Talia looked around the sea of bobbing kippahs and lace head coverings donning the congregation of Beth-El and realized she was the only one still standing, without shoes on at that. She shot a nervous glance towards the bimah where she caught the gaze of same bright green eyes from her daydream, those of Leah Hyman, the Rabbi's daughter. Leah continued to sing commands for her father to blow on the shofar in her conservative creme dress and matching blazer.

Talia had introduced herself once, briefly, during a Friday night Shabbos when she'd first moved to the small East Coast town before the start of classes, but had since done her best to pretend she wasn't completely captivated by the charismatic charm of such forbidden fruit.

She's probably a daddy's girl and straight.

Embarrassed, she sat down and buried her face in the prayer book, hoping her spot at the back would be enough to avoid standing out more than she already did. The sticky gush of her own honey milked from her ill-timed fantasy seeped into the seam of her pantyhose. Talia was hyperaware of the rough nylon pressing up into her pantyless, unkempt bush. Of all the days to run out of quarters for laundry, she sighed. Her cheeks flushed a brighter shade of pomegranate upon realizing her cardigan buttons had also managed to undo themselves and hastily rebuttoned them, but every heartbeat only pushed her swollen nipples further out into the fabric of her thin blouse like small, pointy dates.

A faint smile flickered over Leah's lips while she observed Talia's predicament from afar.

~~~

After the service, everyone shuffled out into the atrium for a toast. Talia swirled the Manischewitz around the little plastic cup, not unlike the ones used for cough syrup, which just about described the sickly sweet flavor of the wine ubiquitous at Jewish gatherings. She barely caught the end of Rabbi Hyman's schpeel as she took her spot closest to the wall away from the hubbub at the center.

"Today marks the Day of Judgment where God opens the Book of Life and chooses who will live and who will die. For the next ten days until Yom Kippur and our fates are sealed, we take the time to reflect and repent. Let us celebrate." He raised an ornate silver Kiddush cup, "L'chaim--to life."

"L'chaim." The congregation returned the cheers and drank from their small plastic cups.

The adults shifted into conversations amongst themselves and gathered around the seasonal catering. Apple slices, bowls of honey, and round challah loaves studded with raisins lined the tables that had been set up during the service. Little kids scrambled trying to be the first to get a slice of the buttery brioche after being made to sit still for three hours straight by their parents while Talia kept to herself. She didn't know anyone there and felt like she was watching the festivities play out through a camera lens. She only wished that the wine had been more generously poured to try and wash away some of her budding anxiety.

"Shana Tova. Talia, was it?"

Talia looked up to return the traditional greeting and flushed. "Yeah. Shana Tova to you too. Leah, right?"

Leah's lips curled and Talia found her eyes drawn to the sapphire-encrusted Star of David dangling enticingly above the gentle heave of her modestly covered breasts.

"Did you enjoy the service?"

Talia's eyes shot back up to the darkly framed ones in front of her. "Yes. You, um, have a lovely voice." Her words faltered as Leah took another step closer, brushed a flyaway curl off of Talia's face and tucked it tenderly behind her ear with her hand.

"You didn't doze off or anything?"

"What?! I, no, my feet just got tired, and maybe I did, a little." Talia's breath caught, not wanting to admit to fantasizing about Leah in front of her, and she suddenly became self-conscious about the musk sticking to her thighs. Fresh wetness leaked through the black nylon and mixed with what had dried and flaked over earlier. She shifted her legs around, but the tight wrappings only shoved the seam further into her folds under her skirt.

"Well, I know you're new here, but you don't need to be a wallflower. We're a community at Beth-El." Talia subconsciously took a step back so she was against the wall while Leah inched closer and raised a green apple dipped in honey up towards Talia's full lips with her other hand. A long, viscous strand had already trailed from her slender fingers and onto the laminate wood floor. "And I wanted to wish you a sweet New Year, in the spirit of sharing, personally."

Talia darted her eyes around, but no one seemed to notice the undercurrents of sexual tension rippling around her.

"Open your mouth, Talia."

Juicy, firm flesh pressed its way between Talia's lips, thick nectar coating them like lip gloss. Leaving the apple wedge in place, Leah grabbed the flustered Talia's hands and gently led her down an unlit hallway towards the back of the synagogue. The honey parched her throat while her heart threatened to burst forth like a tidal wave.

~~~

Street lights flickered through the hazy September evening as Talia left shul and began the long schlep back to her college dorm. She was the last one to leave other than the Rabbi and his family. Her curls lay disheveled and her cardigan buttons were crooked. Close to her chest, she carried a paper bag filled with leftover fruits and an unopened bottle of Manischewitz. The soft clack of her heels echoed off the sidewalk pavement while her insides bunched in confusion.

"Do you know what the pomegranate means?"

Leah had led her to the kitchen. Buttons were unfastened, zippers undone. Deep blood-red juices had pooled over Talia's face as Leah grabbed a handful of flesh-covered seeds like a handful of jewels and crushed them slowly between her palm and fingers.

"It's abundance."

A kiss, languid. And her taste--tart, sweet and heavenly.

The ruby stain still marked Talia's blouse like an illicit love-bite, but she couldn't figure out why Leah had so suddenly come on to her. Sure, Leah had mentioned working on her masters at the same college, but she doubted they would have run into each other, especially not at a Rainbow Raiders meeting, the on-campus LGBTQ group. Maybe she knew. She noticed me staring every week and knew.

Overhead, clouds thickened and started to drizzle. Talia sped up her pace as rain glistened off the pavement in small pools of dull orange glow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone huddled under a large oak tree. She recognized it as the Jewish cemetery she had passed on her way to Beth-El. Rabbi Hyman often talked about how the community here traced their roots back to the early nineteenth century, with many joining later after World War II. Talia didn't know much about her family's history or the old country or language and felt like she had floated her whole life, distanced from any big communities like Beth-El, somehow ending up thousands of miles away from everyone she knew. Maybe Leah could be the anchor to finally help her settle on herself.

The new moon made it difficult to see more than a shadow sticking out in front of the gravestones, but the chill rain sent goosebumps down her spine, and she worried that the person under the tree may be worse off. Rosh Hashanah was the time of good deeds and mitzvot, after all. She couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, but they appeared short, stout and sat curled in the fetal position.

The rain began to pelt down harder, so she quickly ran towards the oak, its branches a protective awning in the spate.

Talia sat on the grass next to the grey, sickly figure. Indiscreet facial features like an unfinished sculpture waiting for the details to be carved out and a slit where the mouth should be were all she could make out in the dark.

"You look hungry. Rough night?" Only the patter of the rain answered. "Hello? Shana Tova?"

Raindrops fell heavy from between the leaves. Dirt trailed down where the droplets hit her silent companion, letting off an earthy petrichor scent. She shivered as her drenched clothes clung to her body and placed her hand on one grey cheek.

"You're really cold." Unease glued Talia's throat together as she took out a date from the soaked paper bag and placed the dried fruit between the figure's stony lips. It fit perfectly. "For a sweet New Year." Faltering a smile, she quickly got up and left, half-running half-walking all the way back to the dorm, praying she hadn't stumbled upon a dead body.

Muddy footsteps followed not far behind.

~~~

Talia tossed and turned in bed that night. Strange dreams interspersed with memories of Leah's expert fingers tugging at her nipples and sliding between the velvety wetness of her sex.

I barely know her...

It was a fluke she even noticed me...

She's a good Jewish girl and I'm so bad...

With a gasp, her whole body shuddered, thighs clamped tight around her wrists. The pillow muffled her whimpers while orgasmic ripples pulsed through her dreamscape.

Rolling over, drawing in lungfuls of air, she tossed off the comforter and paused, confused. Her dorm room and roommate had all disappeared and been replaced with what looked like a marsh, the roof the night sky, the walls opened in a vast plain of wilderness. Soft dapples of light from the twinkling of stars cast a deep blue hue over the landscape.

Cautiously, she dipped her toe over the ledge of the bed. The ground was warm and soft. She placed her other foot over the ledge and felt the earth squelch gently between her toes. One star shone brighter than the rest. Drawn to it, she left the safety of her bed, wrapping a blanket around her naked body and leaving a path of footprints towards the beacon of light.

Gritty dirt clung to her ankles and grasses tickled and massaged the balls of her feet while she journeyed. The light flickered and danced the closer she got until she could make out the silhouette of a person. With the curves of a woman and the angles of a man, the figure looked hewn of stone and cemented with mud.

"Hello?"

What turned to face her did not reply, its face featureless, scraped off. Only a slit where the mouth should be.

"Have we met?"

Talia reached out her hand. The figure was cold and damp but responded in kind. A hand entwined with hers, malleable like unfired clay. She pressed her thumb into it and felt it give. She gazed into the sightless eyes before her. A smooth, silvery substance streaked up her arm.

"What are you?"

Something deep inside Talia stirred as she offered her other hand. The blanket pooled at her feet, exposing her naked form. Warm flesh cut through the thick clay like butter. Under the open sky a dance happened--intricately connected beings carved from the same earth. The curve of her breast melded with the contours of wet clay. The cool, thick embrace scraped against her sensitive skin, sending goosebumps down her spine. Legs twined with legs, arms with arms, sex with sex. Mud dried and cracked over the hills of her buttocks and slid down her crack. More clung to her pubic hair. Her hips ground slowly while the clay sucked her in deeper until her whole body was painted the same color as the night sky and heaviness enveloped her. Until they were one. Until the morning sun rose and the only moisture that remained was that which seeped between her legs. The rest had hardened into a shell around her when she awoke.

~~~

"Leah."

Talia sat up with a start. Compressed shards of dirt surrounded her like a carpet of rose petals. Without time to process her strange night visitor, she swept the shards into a garbage bag, dressed in her best and rushed to shul.

~~~

Talia stood outside next to Leah in front of the small creek that ran behind Beth-El. They, along with the other congregates, had gathered outside with bread crusts to cast into the water after the main service.

The Tashlich casting away of sins had always been Talia's favorite part of Rosh Hashanah. The shul where she grew up had a dense thicket where she could find all sorts of wildlife. During Tashlich, ducks would swim over, quacking appreciatively, as they darted and bobbed for the biggest crumbs. Sometimes a turtle would join, too, until the whole pond would bubble over with life.

"You're late." Leah pinched her arm.

"Sorry."

"And you've got some schmutz on your face."

Talia blushed as Leah took a tissue out of her purse and dabbed off her cheek. Silvery dirt glinted in the late afternoon sun for a moment before returning to its usual earthy hue. Talia leaned into Leah's shoulder and slipped her hand into hers. After the congregation returned to shul, they stayed behind, watching the bread dissolve and amble downstream.

~~~

"I don't think I can last much longer."

Talia groaned. No one looked like they would last much longer. Denied food and drink, the congregation collectively filled the sanctuary with the rumble of empty stomachs. Yom Kippur was her least favorite holiday, and if she were honest with herself, she only participated this year because of expectations from her parents and as an excuse to spend time with Leah.

Sneaking off into the bathroom, she locked herself into a stall and slid an apple and a small bottle of water from her purse. Biting into succulent flesh, she let her transgressions crunch around her mouth before returning to the service and joined everyone in hitting their hearts in apology for all they were guilty of.

Between the chorus of thumping chests, her eyes met Leah's. Famished with hunger, Leah's gaze was ravenous. The shofar blew once more and the concluding phrase:

"Next year in Jerusalem!"

~~~

The days after the High Holidays were a hectic swirl of catching up on schoolwork. The library became Talia's second home while her roommate started using their dorm room as a party hook-up haven, so she never felt in a rush to go back early.

More distracting were thoughts of Leah. They'd texted on and off since their first rendezvous in the kitchen. She could still taste the heady juices on her tongue.

Hey Leah, I won't be able to make it to shul this Friday. Project deadline's killing me.

No worries. I've got my thesis coming up too. Coming to Sukkot? We can shake the lulav together. A string of winky emojis followed.

Sorry, deadline's cutting into my fun time *sad face*.

For about a week there was radio silence on both ends when out of the blue, Talia's phone pinged during her economics class.

Meet me under the stars. 9:00 PM, tonight.

Attached, GPS coordinates. Talia plugged them into her phone and saw that they were only a ten-minute walk from Beth-El. Talia took her time adjusting her mascara in the mirror. She didn't normally wear makeup, but she wanted to look her best. A gold chain clasped around her neck with a tree of life pendant from her Bat-Mitzvah completed the look. Giving one final adjustment to her light grey leggings and floral print dress, she tossed a jacket on and wandered off into the night.

Only house with a mezuzah on the doorpost. Don't knock. Enter through the back.

The harvest moon illuminated the sukkah standing in the center of Leah's backyard. Canvas walls tied to wooden posts billowed in the gentle October breeze. A fiery glow lit up the inside, showcasing Leah's silhouette as she unfurled the curtain hanging over the front and beckoned Talia inside, wearing nothing but a simple white dress and a Star of David nestled in the dimple of her cleavage from a silver chain. Her dark nipples teased through the cotton where the candles flickered over her.

Dried orange slices and colorful paper rings hung from the open roof, a collection of branches and leaves their only protection. Moonlight trickled through the slats.

"It's beautiful, Leah."

Their lips brushed. A long tangle of charcoal hair draped over Talia's golden ringlets.

"But the Rabbi, won't he--"

"Shhh," Leah brought a finger to Talia's lip, "My dad's not here tonight. It's just us, the sukkah, and the elements."

Passion overtook them, tongues diving into the pools of each other's mouths. A dark oval began to form over the light grey crotch of Talia's leggings as Leah's knee pressed into her mound. It didn't take long for them to collapse panting on the grass, their fingers and faces feasting on each other's bountiful nectar until they were sated. Soft, supple skin contrasted with the sharp cold settling outside.

Candles extinguished, they snuggled under a pile of blankets, breath smoking in the air.

"My family never built the sukkah. This is the first time I've stayed in one."

"Then enjoy it." Leah's face disappeared under the blankets. A velvety tongue rasped against Talia's inner thigh, her words honeyed and thick. A moan escaped Talia's lips. "Enjoy every second of it."

Talia's face contorted in pleasure as Leah thrummed through her folds. Bursts of hot breath and suction followed. Grinding herself over her face, ecstasy overtook until she gushed and squirmed and screamed.

~~~

The clay person visited Talia's dreams again that night. Earth squelched between her toes under a panorama of the starry sky. She held out her hand again, but only made contact with their cracked mouth. Plunging deep inside, her hands came upon something small and pebble-like.

~~~

Awakened by dew settling on their faces, the two women woke under the first pink hues of dawn.

"What happened?"

Sludge had invaded every cover of the open space with more mud dripping through the roof like a tempest had swept through while they slept.

"Ick!"

Lifting the blankets, more dirt tumbled onto the grass.

"Oh no, my clothes are ruined," Talia whimpered as she spotted her discarded dress and leggings sticking out from a giant mud heap.

"Just your clothes? The whole sukkah's trashed."

Standing up, something plopped off Talia's head and landed on the ground.

"What's that?" Leah pointed to the shriveled, oblong object and inspected it. "It looks like a date."

"Strange."

After hosing off in the warming rays of the sun, they smelled the fresh citron of the etrog and waved the lulav, which thankfully had been wrapped in plastic and spared the mud-storm. The palm, myrtle and willow branches all snapped together with a satisfying flourish.