The Valkyre Awakens

Editor's note: though not classified as Illustrated, this story contains a safe-for-work image.

*

I walked along the parquet floor of the main gallery. A few hours earlier this was bustling with people but now it was just me. All of the main gallery lights were off and just a few concealed lights gave the place an air of serenity.

I had worked at the gallery as a security guard for about four years now. I liked art and I enjoyed looking at the exhibits as I did my rounds. The gallery was spread over three floors. There was a guard on each of the upper floors and two on the ground floor. Us upstairs guards had a small room where we could sit and monitor a small bank of cameras. Every hour we had to patrol from one end of the gallery floor to the other.

The gallery had just acquired a new painting. The Valkyrie by Leopold Shmutzler. It was a 19th century oil on canvas study of a nude woman with a shield and a spear. Her breasts were exposed though she had a strip of material about her shoulders that hung down and covered her genitals. I had seen other examples of his work and found them to be very erotic in nature. There was something about this dark haired woman that I found so alluring. She was looking up and to the left, her right and I wondered what it was that she was looking at.

After I had taken my fill of the painting I carried on with my patrol. Past more dreary paintings of stern looking men and women and various sculptures, some of which I had no idea as to what they were supposed to be. I reached the end of the floor and bleeped the guards on the ground floor. They responded with two bleeps on the radio and I started on my way back.

I was almost back at the Valkyrie painting when something strange happened. The lights flickered and for a second I was plunged into darkness. I switched on my torch and flashed it around.

"Control." I said into the radio.

"Go ahead."

"Have your lights just gone out?"

"No, why?"

"Well mine just did."

"Are you ok?"

" Yeah, just... Wait one."

The lights came back on.

"It's ok, they are back on now."

"Received. Put it in your report and maintenance can get onto it in the morning."

"Roger, out."

When I got back the security station I woke my PC up and typed out a short report of what had happened. I selected maintenance and they would get a copy of what I had put. I flicked back to my game of solitaire and played a few rounds and then picked up my book. With luck I might be able to finish the chapter I was on before I went out again.

***

My watch beeped the hour. I picked up the leaflet that had announced the arrival of the Valkyrie painting and slipped it into my book as a book mark. I grabbed my torch and headed out on patrol again. I had not gone far when I noticed up ahead the lights near the painting flick on and off a couple of times. I decided that my original report to maintenance would suffice and I would just have to put up with it for the rest of the night.

I passed several works of art and finally arrived at the Valkyrie. I looked up in awe at the painting. It seemed to shimmer in the flickering lights and looked very realistic.

"Hello Aurelia." I said addressing the painting.

I have no idea why I called her that but it seemed to fit. She seemed to have a personality all of her own and I stood and admired her.

The lights flickered a few times and then I was in darkness again. I flicked my torch on and flashed it around. I was aware of movement in the direction of the painting and I moved the torch beam towards where I had seen it. Aurelia, or at least the woman in the painting was looking straight at me. I froze and I could feel the hairs on the back of my head stand up on end. The lights flickered and I blinked. She was looking in the same direction as she had always been looking.

I dared not move for a few minutes. I was transfixed. It must have been a trick of the light or my mind playing tricks on me. I had done a few extra shifts lately and maybe I was just tired. I moved on but kept looking back until the painting was no longer in sight.

I made my check call at the end of the floor as I had before and started to make my way back. As I approached the painting I kept glancing at it for sign of movement. Nothing. My own stupid imagination.

"Thanks for the fright Aurelia."

I returned to the security station and refilled the coffee pot. A nice fresh mug of strong coffee will do the trick. I played another couple of rounds of solitaire and then the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. I poured myself a mug and settled back to read some more of my book as I drank it.

***

Another hour had passed and I was getting ready to do another patrol. I splashed some cold water on my face from the little sink in the corner of the room and grabbing my torch, set off on another patrol.

Feeling more awake than before and rather foolish for scaring myself I strode down the wooden floor like a man on a mission. In my mind I dared the lights to flicker. They did not. I reached the Valkyrie painting and stopped to admire her again. My eyes scanned every inch of her body. I loved the way the artist had captured his subject and I could not help myself but I ran my hand over my groin and gave my cock a rub.

I must have stood there for a good five minutes before, with a sigh, moved off and continued with my patrol. I passed all of the familiar works on my way and finally ended up at the end of the floor. This time I checked the doors that lead out to the staircase. With everything secure I bleeped control. I waited. If I had no response in thirty seconds I would check in via voice. It had been a strange night so far to say the least. The radio was silent.

I went to get the radio off my belt when it did a double bleep. I felt relieved but I was not sure why. This sometimes happened during the night. I started back. I cannot have gone more than ten steps when the lights flickered and went out. I switched on my torch and started walking again. Up ahead there was a noise. I could not work out what it might have been. Then it came again. I reached for the radio.

"Control." I said. Silence.

"Control, do you copy?"

I flashed the torch ahead of me but could see nothing.

"Control. Comms check."

Still silence from the radio. I fiddled with the settings and checked the power level.

"This is One Nine, comms check on channel three."

Still the radio was silent. Up ahead there came a noise again and maybe movement. I shone the torch in the direction of the movement yet saw nothing. I kept walking. I held the torch above my shoulder. The bulky metal shaft would give me some degree of protection if there was an intruder.

I placed the radio onto open mic setting and put it back onto my belt. I kept moving forward. Eventually I reached the halfway point where the Valkyrie painting was. I stopped and listened. The beam of light penetrated the darkness ahead of me and then I scanned the walls. Everything seemed to be in its rightful place. I directed the beam towards Aurelia and became rooted to the spot. She was gone. Not the entire painting, no that indeed was still hanging there. A dark splodge of a background that indicated trees perhaps, a forest maybe, but the figure was missing.

I managed to take two more steps when there was a crash. Something heavy and wooden had landed on the floor. The torch beam flashed in the direction of the noise and there was an unfamiliar shape on the floor. I walked up to examine it and took a step back when I saw what it was. A heavy looking wooden shield that looked as if it had seen some use in battle and a short spear just lay there on the floor. I crouched down and reached out to touch them. The shield felt solid and real enough. With one last glance back at the painting with the missing figure I moved on slowly making sure that I shone the torch into every likely hiding place.

I had not gone much further when I spotted a shape up ahead. A human shape. I pointed the torch beam towards the shape which moved but not before I caught a glimpse of a bare shoulder and a flutter of material.

"Hey you, stop." I called out.

There was a sound of a fearful gasp and more movement ahead.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I called out, "But you need to stop running away."

The last section of the gallery before the security station had a collection of statues. I flashed the torch about looking. The end doors had not been opened as they were heavy and made a noise. Whoever the intruder was would be somewhere in here. I could hear breathing, heavy breathing, panting. Ahead of me was a figure. The torchlight picked out the shape of a tall woman. I approached.

She just stood there breathing hard, in fear. The strip of material was draped over her shoulder and hung down over her breasts. She held it together just below them. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" I asked.

She looked at me fearfully.

"Are you cold?" I repeated.

She nodded. I unbuttoned my jacket and removed it. Slowly I approached her and slipped it over her shoulders. She trembled and said something quietly under her breath.

"Who are you?"

She looked at me and shook her head. Her dark curly hair tumbled about her shoulders.

"My name is Jack." I said pointing to my chest, "Jack, do you understand?"

"Aurelia." She said quietly.

"That's what I called you, what is your real name."

"Valkyrie."

She did not seem sure and just looked down. She was frightened. I was too if I was being honest. This was all too unreal. I looked at her huddled in my jacket. She had stopped shivering. Her slender legs poked out of the bottom and they looked pale in my torchlight. I did not know what to say or do.

"Are you real?" I asked eventually.

She looked at me and said nothing. Very carefully I reached out a hand and touched her hair. It felt real enough. Aurelia looked up. He features were soft, her eyes bright and her skin looked smooth. My fingers brushed her cheek. It felt warm to my touch and she smiled.

"Sorry." I said pulled my hand away.

"No." She replied and grabbed my hand and pulled it back to her face.

I continued to explore her face with my fingertips. She rested her hand on the back of mine and tilted her head back. When I reached her lips she kissed my fingers and darted her tongue out. I pulled my hand away and gently took her shoulders and pulled her towards me. Her lips parted in anticipation and I brought mine down to kiss her. I closed my eyes as they met and then there was a sudden movement. The lights came back on and I was left standing there holding my jacket. Aurelia had gone. I ran back to the painting, past where the shield and spear had been and skidded to a halt. The painting was as it had always been.

I walked back to the security station and poured myself another coffee. I grabbed the leaflet from my book and studied the picture on the front. The strange girl that I had started kissing was the one from the picture but how? I took my coffee and walked back to the painting. Sitting on a low bench I drank my coffee while silently gazing at her.

My watched beeped to mark the hour. I was not going to bother doing a patrol. I just sat there and waited.

"Come back to me Aurelia." I said quietly.

The figure in the painting was motionless. I waited. In my head I imagined the route that I would have taken on my patrol. I paused where I would have naturally paused. I checked my watch. Five more minutes. My eyes scanned the painting. She was so beautiful. I checked my watch again and then bleeped my radio to signify the end of my patrol. Moments later the radio bleeped back twice in reply. The lights began to flicker again and then went out. I switched my torch on and the girl in the painting was gone.

Two slender arms brushed over my shoulders and closed around my chest in an embrace. A soft warm face and silky hair passed my neck and a gentle kiss was placed upon my skin just behind my ear.

"I'm here." She said softly.

I reached my hands back and placed my hands on her arms and held them against me. She kissed my neck again and nibbled my ear. I could feel a heat growing in my groin and my cock twitched.

"That feels so nice." I said.

"Good."

He hands stroked my chest through my bulky uniform and I turned my head to face her. Our lips met and we kissed. Her tongue met mine and she brought one hand up to caress my face.

We must have kissed like this for several minutes until she pulled back and smiled at me. She tugged on my jacket.

"My Black Knight." She breathed, "Your maiden is her to serve you my lord."

Aurelia bowed her head in deference. I reached out and gently lifted her head up and smiled at her.

"I'm not a knight." I tried to explain, "Just a man."

"You saved me from the hoard that were about to rape and kill me."

I thought about the look she is giving in the painting. A look of defiance and fear. She was a strong woman, prepared to fight to the death for what she believed in.

She got up and walked round to face me. The strip of material draped around her as it had been earlier. She moved the fabric off her shoulders and allowed it to flutter to the floor. Aurelia stood before me. She smiled. It was a mixture of shyness and lust. I looked at her face. The dark curls framed a perfect face. I guessed that she was probably in her very late teens or early twenties. She had a slim, athletic build. Her breasts were pert and topped off with perfect pink nipples. Her slender waist and perfect hips made her all the more attractive. A thick thatch of dark pubic hair and long shapely legs. The painter, I thought, had done an excellent job.

She stepped forward and pulled my head towards her stomach. I kissed the soft skin and reached my hands around to squeeze her pert buttocks. She murmured something and then I moved my face down and buried my face into her pubes. The felt soft against my nose and I inhaled deeply of the womanly scent from below. I stuck out my tongue and started to run it through them until I found the top of her slit. She held my head and moved her legs slightly to allow me better access. I licked her outer pussy lips and then managed to push between them and I found her clit. She moaned in pleasure.

"No man has ever done this to me." She said breathlessly, "It is I who should be giving pleasure."

I continued to lick her rapidly moistening pussy as my cock began to rapidly swell in my trousers. I wanted this moment to last forever but knew somehow that at some point the lights would come back on and she would vanish back into the painting. I pulled my face away and removed my jacket.

"Lay down." I said gently.

Aurelia moved and lay on the bench beside me. She opened her legs to fully expose her pussy to me. I moved to go down on her again and with completely free access.

I licked her pussy for a few minutes and then something dreadful happened. With a flicker, the lights came back on and she had gone. I looked at the painting and there she was in the familiar pose. I was gutted. I grabbed my jacket and then noticed something. Near the collar where her head had been was a single dark curly strand of hair. Near the bottom where she had been laying was a small, but quite obvious damp patch. I felt my face and could still feel traces of moisture, licking my lips I could still taste her. She had been real and not a figment of my sordid imagination.

Reluctantly I made my way back to the security station. I poured another coffee and checked the time. I had about thirty minutes before my next patrol. The whole encounter was less than ten minutes. How could I live a life based upon ten minute segments? How could I get her out of the picture for good?

***

I sat looking at the leaflet trying to find out more about the painting. I then realised that I had a PC that was connected to the internet. I started to research the painting, who the model may have been and so on. I then started to look into people who may have been cursed somehow and made to live in an object. Most of what I read was just ghost stories really but it passed a few minutes of my time.

My watch beeped the hour and so I grabbed my things and started my patrol. I walked past the statues with barely a glance. The next section went by in a blur. I arrived at the Valkyrie painting and stopped.

"I will be with you in a minute Aurelia." I said and walked on.

By the time I got to the end of the gallery I realised that I was a few minutes ahead of my usual time. I checked the doors as I had done earlier and used the drinking fountain in the corner. I was about to check in when my radio crackled.

"One Nine."

"One Nine, go ahead." I replied after grabbing my radio from my belt.

"One Nine, can you come down to G3, we may have a problem."

"Roger, G3, on my way."

My heart sank. It would take me at least five minutes just to walk down to the location and five to walk back. Who knows what was happening but it could not be more important than Aurelia pulled my key card from my pocket and let myself through the door and headed downstairs.

The lights in the gallery flickered and went off.

***

"Thanks Jack." My colleague said.

"No worries."

The problem was minor and could have been dealt with by the other officer. It felt as if I had been dragged away on purpose but nobody would have had any idea as to what had been happening to me this evening. I looked at my watch, ten to three.

"One Nine." My radio called out.

"Receiving."

"One Nine, location please."

"G3 but now returning to station."

"Copy returning."

"Control, I will return via two five so will only be doing a single pass this hour."

"Copy single pass, check call at station."

"Roger, out."

I headed back the way I came and back into the gallery. I checked the door and then ran to the painting. She was stood in the same pose as usual and so I sat down and waited.

My watch beeped the hour. I looked at the painting yet again. She was so beautiful. My cock began to twitch. Every minute or so I checked my watch until ten past and then I carried out my check call. Moments later the lights began to flicker so I switched my torch on in anticipation. I was then plunged into darkness again. I looked at the painting, she was gone.

"Jack, you never came." She said as she appeared behind me, "I was scared."

"I'm sorry, I got called away."

I stood up and turned to face her. She flung her arms around me and held me tight.

"I never want you to leave me."

"I don't want to leave you, but I'm not sure yet how it will be possible."

We started to kiss. I wanted to carry on from where we had left off earlier and my cock was twitching as I held her naked body. Every time she appeared we had about ten minutes. She seemed upset though and I just contented myself with holding her.

"Before you appear next time I am going to try and set something up." I said eventually, "I want to make love to you."

"I want that too."

Aurelia hugged me tighter. The lights started to flicker.

"I will see you in an hour." I said.

"Ok." She breathed and then vanished.

***

I spent the next half an hour or so putting my plan into action. I hunted through one of the store rooms and found some dust sheets. I lay them out on the floor in front of the painting. In the lost property box in the security station there was a knee length grey cardigan that would fit her and an unopened t-shirt that someone had bought from the gallery shop. It would be big on her but she could wear it as a dress. I could not find any shoes but it was summer and it would be early when I finished work. My car was parked a short distance from the gallery.