Spirits of the Shaft Pt. 02: Mind

Mind

18 months later...

The proximity alarm went off on my phone indicating that Rosa was a few blocks from home. I shut off the audio book that I was listening to and closed my computer. I walked over to the yoga mat next to the TV and knelt on it waiting for Rosa's arrival.

She came through the door and my nose notified me immediately that she had brought home Chinese takeout. She set the food on the kitchen table then went back towards the bedroom. She was probably changing her clothes. I heard the toilet flush.

She returned to the kitchen and grabbed a single plate. She sat at the table and ate quietly, occasionally tapping furiously at her phone. My stomach made a loud growling noise, but otherwise I remained where I was, kneeling by the TV with my wrists crossed behind my back, waiting...

"You seem to be fidgeting a lot today, bijou, do you have something exciting that you want to talk about today," Rosa asked once she had finished the food on her plate.

"Oh, yes, Chatelaine, I got a very interesting letter today-"

"Come and eat first. Then you can tell me about it."

I stood up and dragged the yoga mat over to the kitchen table and knelt next to Rosa's chair, once again crossing my wrists behind my back as Rosa began to carve out a bite of Beef with Broccoli for me on a fork. "Thank you, Chatelaine."

Our lives together had changed a lot in the past year and a half. We never found any information about the buttplug. Every morning, like clockwork, Rosa unlocked the plug so I could do the number two. I cleaned the plug, slipped it back in, and presented my ass for Rosa to lock it in place for another 24 hours.

Mariana's company was still a small startup, but they were growing quickly and Rosa was making an excellent salary. In fact, we moved out of our apartment and Rosa bought this house. Rosa had to travel a lot: San Francisco, New York City, LA, Vegas, Chicago... Of course, I accompanied her on every trip. There was no other option.

My attendance was too spurious for the pastry shop, so they let me go. Rosa said that she made enough for both of us now and forbade me from finding another worthless job. I guess that I was a kept woman now.

Unfortunately, a lot of my carny sisters from El Circo de las Mujeres Curiosas had moved on to new and exciting lives in the last year and a half as well.

Luna was making good money as a stunt woman. She had an apartment in town still but was gone for months at a time on movie sets. Lala was a bike messenger in Denver and the twins joined some art collective in the mountains outside of LA. Needless to say, I felt myself becoming more isolated. My life was focused more and more on pleasing Rosa.

I had taken up swimming at a local athletic club. Running or biking with a pole impaled in your backside is difficult, but swimming is manageable. Although, I'm in much better shape, physically than all my huffing and puffing might imply and I'm pretty sure that I leave a lot of DNA in the pool. I always wear a one piece with board shorts when I'm in the pool to hide my special parasitic butt friend.

We have an open basement with gym mats, a barre, and weights where I spend hours stretching. I discovered audio books and jigsaw puzzles. I've made acquaintances but no real heart-to-heart type friends.

Rosa takes really good care of me. It just seemed natural that we would slowly take on a more and more dominant - submissive lifestyle. "Power exchange" is the label that would best describe how we live. I've let Rosa tell me what to do more and more. I owe it to her. I need to be what she needs me to be. She's gentle with me and loving and commanding. I kind of love it, too. I'm horny all the time. The buttplug makes sure that I am.

I remember when Mariana's company was just really getting going. Rosa dressed me up and brought me to a company party. It's just a basic fact that the software industry is still ridiculously male dominated. Mariana's Bros, they called them. Some were a little awkward, but most were okay. The more charismatic ones had nice girlfriends or wives, who were usually professionals like lawyers or doctors. Much smarter than me. I didn't really have much to talk about with them.

Then there were the C-suite dudes. Mariana grabbed my hand and presented me to a clump of them. She raised my arm and said "This is Ana. She is Rosa's..."

The men stared at me for a moment waiting for Mariana to finish. Finally, one said, "I'm sorry. I didn't catch all of that. Did you say she was Rosa's girlfriend? Wife?"

Mariana said, "No. Just... She is Rosa's."

I blushed and smoothed my dress down as the men looked at me with more lurid gazes, seeming to imagine a more deviant relationship. I guess there may be truth to that.

"She's really bendy," Mariana said.

One of the braver men said, "Oh! I thought you were of hispanic descent. Are you Indian?"

"Not Hindi. Bendy!" Mariana laughed.

"I'm a contortionist," I explained.

"Oh! Do that triple back bendy thing!" Mariana said.

About that time Rosa arrived with a drink for me. I thought that she was rescuing me. "Yeah, Ana. Show them your triple fold."

I frowned at Rosa, then looked down at my dress. "Well..."

"Do it! Do it!" Mariana began to chant and others began to join in.

Finally, blushing, I stepped out of my heels and did a quick, tight back bend. I'm sure that the thick, inch diameter nipple rings that Rosa got for me were plainly obvious as the fabric pressed tightly against my breasts. I walked my hands between my legs and lowered my chest to the ground, sliding even further forward until my face was next to my feet. "Ta da!" I said quietly. I'm sure that some were able to see my panties under my skirt. I pushed myself back up to my feet and curtsied and everyone clapped for me.

After that party, in bed, I was complaining to Rosa about Mariana. "She was just having fun," Rosa explained. "Besides, you were totally hot! Everyone was mesmerized by your beauty."

"They thought I was a freak!"

"You are a freak, lover," Rosa said. "I'll tell you a little secret, but you can never say anything to anyone. Mariana is in love with you."

"What? No way!" I said.

"She is!" Rosa said.

"Hm! Well, have her come over sometime and we can all 'play Twister' together," I joked.

"Yeah? No! She's not a carny, like us. That would just confuse her," Rosa said. "Besides... You are my little freak anyways, now. All mine."

"I guess I am," I smiled. "Aren't I?"

<>--+-

Rosa fed me my dinner as I knelt patiently on the floor. We then moved to the living room, where Rosa commanded me to undress and masturbate, but not cum, while she worked on her computer. Every once in a while she would glance at me and smile. She was playing a game with me, teasing me... I smiled back. This was our strange language of love.

After about thirty minutes, Rosa stretched her arms and yawned. "Okay, Ana. Tell me about this letter that you are so excited about."

I got up off the floor and grabbed the envelope from the mail desk. I sat next to her on the sofa, kissing her cheek. By calling me by my name, she signaled that we were once again equals. Of course, I was naked and she was fully clothed, so it still felt like she held the power.

"I got a letter from a lawyer today. I called the lawyers' office to explain it to me. And, it's for real. Apparently I am the sole heir to my great aunt, Tia Havalina," I said.

"Oh! I did not know that you had any known living family," Rosa said, as she pulled the letter from the envelope and started reading.

"I think I remember meeting her once with my mother when I was quite young," I said. "The image in my head is that she was old and kind of bent out of shape by age. She scared me a little... Anyways, apparently I am now the owner of some old mansion in the mountains of New Hampshire."

"Yeah! That's what this says," Rosa replied, holding up the letter.

"I think that the keyword is 'old'," I said. "The place is probably falling down. Apparently, Tia Havalina passed away almost a year ago. No telling what state the place is in. I was thinking that we could sell it. Then I'd be contributing to the household income."

"Ana, I told you that you don't have to worry about making an income," Rosa said. "I am taking care of you."

"I know, but..."

"We should check the place out," Rosa said. "I need to go to New York City for business next month. I'll take off a week and we'll go up to New Hampshire and check it out."

"Oh! Is New Hampshire near New York?"

Of course, I travel with Rosa whenever she goes on business trips due to the fact that I need to have my buttplug unlocked every morning. Mariana says that I should register as Rosa's service animal, then perhaps I would get cheaper air fares. Apparently, for Mariana, that joke never grows old.

"Now, bijou, have you been a good girl today?" Rosa asked, once again signaling that the power exchange game is on.

I slid from the couch onto my knees on the floor. "For you, always, Chatelaine."

"Go get ready for bed while I check to see what I have due tomorrow at work," Rosa said.

"Yes, Chatelaine." I bowed my head, picked up my clothes and headed off to brush my teeth.

I sleep naked every night. When I climbed into bed, I locked a padded leather cuff around each ankle. The cuffs were attached to light chains that were anchored under the bed. I also placed my double sided retainer in my mouth - a single bit of hard plastic which helped keep both my upper and lower teeth aligned. Finally, I locked leather cuffs around my wrists. These, too, were anchored by chains to the bed. The chains were too short for me to lower my arms further than my stomach.

Shortly, Rosa entered the room wearing a long silky nightgown. I felt my sex clench at the sight of the wrist length leather gloves. When Rosa wears the gloves, that means that she feels I deserve a special treat.

"Hands and knees," she commanded.

I rolled over in bed into the position she requested. She placed her gloved hand on my back and slid it down over the swell of my butt, allowing a finger to slip between my butt cheeks and lightly jiggle the plug. With the gloves on, Rosa can touch me there without accidentally unlocking me.

I felt Rosa position herself behind me. She placed a line of kisses on my back end slowly approaching my sex. It had been four days since I had been allowed to cum. My arms were trembling with excitement. I spread my legs apart a little, anticipating her lips' arrival.

She stroked my sex with a single pass of her tongue causing me to shiver, my breath slipped from my lungs in a sudden rush.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Rosa moved away from me.

"What's up Mariana?" Rosa said into the phone. "Yeah... I've got another half hour of work to do on that... probably... Uh-huh... Sure... OK. Let me put Ana to bed, then I'll get back to you... Yeah... OK, bye."

I groaned quietly in disappointment.

"Sorry, bijou," Rosa said. "Maybe tomorrow... Lie down, love."

"Yeth, Thhatayane," I lisped around the retainer. I rolled over to my back with my hands cupping the undersides of my breasts.

"You are so pretty," Rosa said as she idly flicked one of my nipple rings once or twice. She pulled my CPAP cup over my head. The padded cup covers my nose and mouth. She tightened the strap so that the cup pressed tightly against my flesh. When she has to work late into the night, she does not like for my snoring to interrupt her. She also does not want to keep me awake, which is her excuse to apply the blindfold and earcups.

I felt Rosa kiss the top of my head once all the straps were secure. A few moments later, I heard a muffled sound as Rosa started to talk on her phone. "Mariana? I'm back..." The conversation was too muffled and contained too much technical lingo to follow, so I eventually fell asleep.

<>--+-

A month later, Rosa woke me up from the nap I was taking in the passenger seat of our rented car.

"We're almost there," she said, as she turned off the rural two lane highway.

It was a cool October evening, and the light was fading from the cloudy, evening sky. The only sounds were the crunch of gravel under the tires and the wind in the trees.

"This is it," Rosa said as we rounded a bend in the road.

The mansion loomed over the landscape, a dark and forbidding presence. The gray day only served to emphasize its sinister appearance. The tall, narrow windows were like empty eyes, staring out at the world with a cold, unblinking gaze. The roof was covered in moss, and the walls were crumbling and peeling.

The mansion was surrounded by a wrought-iron fence, which was topped with sharp spikes. The gate was locked, and there was no sign of life anywhere.

The mansion seemed to be waiting, watching, biding its time. It was as if it were waiting for someone, or something, to come along and fulfill its dark purpose.

I could feel a chill run down my spine. I imagined this was a place of shadows and secrets, a place where the dead could walk and the damned could roam. It was a place where no one would ever be safe.

"Oh my God," I said. "It's even worse than I imagined. It's so creepy."

I got out of the car and unlocked a chain that held the gate closed. The sound of the cold metal links clanking against the fence was particularly unnerving. I looked around as though the noise would awaken something that should not be.

Rosa drove up to the mansion and parked in front as I pushed the creaky gate closed. The wind was picking up, and a wave of autumn leaves were starting to fall.

I took a deep breath and walked up to the front door with the old key in my hand. The door was old and creaky, and it took a few tries to get it open.

Rosa and I stepped inside, and the door slammed shut behind us plunging us into darkness. I could hear the wind whistling through the cracks in the old stone.

I fumbled for a light switch, and finally found one. I flicked it on, and the room was illuminated. It was a large, dusty room with cobwebs everywhere. There was a fireplace in the center of the room, and a few pieces of furniture. The walls were covered in dusty oil paintings of dark, snowy forests -- the ground splattered with red from some noble hunt. There were portraits of people dressed in puritan clothing.

There was a small trunk sitting in the middle of the room with a large envelope on top with my name handwritten. Inside there were instructions to turn on power to the rest of the house, start a water pump, and light the water heater. The instructions required us to navigate through the twisting halls and down into a musty cellar.

Luckily no demons jumped out at us, but we desperately held each other's hand.

Finally, we made it to the last task: "Raise the plumb from the ventiduct and open the corliss," Rosa repeated for the third time.

"No matter how many times you read those words, they still won't make any sense to me," I said.

"'Raise the plumb...'," Rosa read again. "It says to follow the instructions precisely and to wear the appropriate safety gear."

"Maybe we should stay back in town," I suggested. "I'm not sure what 'safety equipment' means."

"The instructions say to go to the west hall, second bedroom on the right," Rosa said, with that focused look she gets when performing a particular task. I followed Rosa's lead. I had no idea which way was west. We ended up in a small room lined with bookcases which reeked of mold and decay.

"Roll the case on the back wall two meters towards the left..." Rosa crossed the room and tentatively pushed against the side of a large bookcase. "I think this is it. Help me push."

"Maybe we should wait-"

"Bijou!" Rosa said.

"Yes, Chatelaine," I responded. Apparently, I would not be able to deter Rosa from completing the list.

With both of us working, the bookcase began to slide along a set of rails, revealing the wall behind. Rosa ran her hand along the wall, stopping after a moment. "Hmm." She pushed the wall. There was a clicking sound and a door sized section of the wall popped out. "Help me pull this open," Rosa said.

A cold breeze burst from behind the door like an exhalation. The house itself, it seems, had been holding its breath. Behind the door was only darkness. Somewhere, deep within that darkness there was a sound of some sort of machine coming to life. By the time that I realized that there was a staircase descending into the earth behind the door, some sort of light clicked on far below.

"'Climb down to the bottom'," Rosa read and she stepped through the door.

I could do nothing but follow at this point. Rosa had activated the power dynamic. I owed her to do exactly as she said.

As we made our way down the uneven steps cut straight into the bedrock, I tried to envision what kind of machinery could possibly be kept down underground like this. Maybe it was some sort of well or maybe a steam based central heating. Whatever it was, the steps took us deeper and deeper underground.

We must have descended the equivalent of five stories into the earth. The stairs were not ordered in flights. There were no places where we turned back on ourselves. I couldn't imagine that we were even anywhere under the structure of the house anymore.

We stepped from the stairs into an underground cavern, lit by a series of buzzing incandescent lights. There were a number of large machines. They did not look old and rusty, as I might expect. Rather they were shiny and sleek as though freshly installed.

A large green circle had been painted on the floor. Part of its circumference was lined with a series of control panels - buttons and levers. A laminated document of sorts dangled from the controls. I looked over Rosa's shoulder at the document as she read. Anxiety, or perhaps the effort of the descent, had my dyslexia running wild. The letters on the document seemed to spin and change. I had to look away as a headache began to form.

"It says that we need to wear hard hats and a safety harness," Rosa said.

Two of each sat to one side. We put them on - tightening the straps of the harnesses around our torsos. A leash extended from each harness to eyebolts drilled into the floor -- one on either side of a second circular section centered around the attachment point of a thick cable that descended from overhead.

"Use the winch to raise the capstone."

There were more instructions than Rosa read aloud. She seemed to know which controls to activate. I jumped nervously as one of the machines came to life with a whining sound that quickly ascended in pitch as though it was under a heavy load. In front of us there was a low grinding sound and a huge circular section of the floor began to be pulled up by the overhead cable.

By the time the machine cut out, a four foot deep cylinder of stone had been pulled from the ground and was suspended about eight feet overhead. Rosa manipulated some more controls and the winch arm rotated to a side carrying the huge stone plug with it. Once clear, the plug was lowered onto a pad. It settled on the floor with a heavy boom.

A second cable slithered down from overhead.

"Attach the hook to the steel plate," Rosa read.

"Steel plate?" I asked.

She pointed into the hole which once housed the plug. I stepped to the edge and suddenly understood the reason for the tethered safety harness. I could clearly see a six foot diameter steel plate in the bottom of the hole, four feet down. I glanced up at Rosa and she motioned for me to climb down and do as the instructions stated.

I found a pair of handle grips bolted to the floor next to the hole and chose that point to drop down inside. I slipped the hook from the overhead cable into an eyelet on the steel plate and twisted a screw to close the gap on the hook. Rosa helped drag me back out of the hole.