Ulrike's Daughters

Ben heard movement beyond the door and what he concluded was a gentle thumping of footsteps on stairs. Above the whooshing of the gale that drove snow against the back of his head he also thought he heard the excited giggling of children.

Ben took one pace back and stood patiently with his hands in his coat pockets and collar raised against the blizzard. He heard a loud 'clunk' and the door opened out toward him. The door continued to push slowly open, shoving the snow that had been blown against the front doorstep and the base of the door until it was half ajar. Ben leaned to look past the edge of the door and a face peered out.

The most striking and beautiful woman with deep blue eyes and jet black hair gazed up at Ben from about a foot below his gaze. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and platted and she had smaller, narrow braids of hair running around the sides of her head to the rear, bunched with her ponytail.

"Hei!" exclaimed the woman in a sweet, almost angelic tone.

"Err, hei. Hello!" Ben responded in both Finnish and in English.

"English?" immediately enquired the woman, who by now was in full view and was incredibly petite, standing less than five feet in height and dressed in an off-white muslin dress gathered at her tiny waist. She squinted and blinked against the wind and flurry of occasional snowflakes.

"Yes. English" Ben confirmed.

Ben then went into his mentally prepared dialog, in English.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but I was stranded in my car back on the highway. I saw some tracks leading me here so followed them because I am stuck in this storm" Ben explained.

"I see" the woman answered flatly and watching him intently. She paused for a moment in thought.

"OKAY" she continued, you had better come inside and shelter" with her accent betraying her Scandinavian heritage.

She beckoned Ben to enter with a tiny, perfectly manicured hand which was cosseted in fingerless mitts. Stooping to avoid striking his head on the door frame, Ben stepped over the threshold and into the house, whilst the woman closed the door behind him and latched it closed with a plank of wood on a pivot at one end.

It was very dimly lit inside; lighting being provided by candles on the window sills and on shelves at high level along the rear wall of the room. Ben immediately glanced around at what appeared to be quite an enormous and long room, with various benches for seating at one end and a large table with several chairs at the other.

In the centre of the back wall was a huge, wide and open stone lined hearth recessed several feet into the wall with a roaring flame. A large cast iron pot was stood centrally on a grate above the fire. About five feet to one side of the fireplace, a set of narrow stairs ascended. A similar distance to the other side was a closed door. An old fashioned cast iron stove stood against the wall between the hearth and the door.

Ben took in the surrounds and noted there were two large wooden armchairs complete with cushions in the centre of the room facing the fireplace each with a small side table. On one of the tables was a bundle of cloth and yarn, which Ben figured was some knitting. Branches of various plants were hanging from beams and wooden bowls stacked with various dried leaves and nut kernels were scattered around on the shelves.

Ben noticed how warm and cosy it was compared to the conditions immediately outside and the smells of various herbs and spices filled the air. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the eerie half-light and noticed through the orange glow that the furniture was all pretty basic, constructed roughly in timber and quite clearly suited to his hostess's small stature! The seating area consisted of timber benches topped with large home fashioned cushions. The floor was covered in woven mats from wall to wall, layered to provide warmth and a soft, pliant platform as you walked on them.

In one corner, there were some longbows and quivers each containing several arrows leaning against the wall, various slings, hand tools and other miscellaneous items were hanging from pegs in different areas. Small stacks of chopped firewood were piled against the walls in several places, including each side of the hearth.

The ceiling was an off white colour that must have been discoloured over the years by smoke and there were massive dark timber, natural beams running front to back across the room. Even the beams had the appearance of having been fashioned all by hand. It reminded Ben of a few ancient country pubs that he had frequented in the past back home in England.

Ben stood in an awkward silence; head bowed slightly to beneath the low beams of the ceiling, awaiting the arrival of the man of the house and any further sound of the children he was convinced he had heard when approaching. He concluded that he must have happened upon some kind of hippy commune, going by the way this woman was dressed and the hand-made furniture and other artefacts strewn around.

His hostess broke the silence; "Please. Take a seat" as she beckoned with her hand toward the large armchairs beside the fire and gathered up her knitting to place it on an old wooden dresser that stood one side of the front door.

"Let me take your coat" she continued, bending to grab a large wedge of chopped firewood and hurling it under the fire grate and into the flames.

Ben shed his puffer jacket and offered it to her extended hand, which she hung on one of several hooks mounted behind the front door, he then he stepped forward and positioned himself in the chair, which was quite low, but very comfortable. It was wide and had several cushions to form a seat and back.

"I am Leena" announced the woman and bowed at the waist and her head almost unnoticeably.

"My name is Ben" offered her somewhat grateful visitor, "I am over from England for the week on business" he babbled.

Ben then went on to detail the lead up to his immediate predicament, that he had journeyed up from Helsinki and that the weather had taken a rapid turn for the worst.

Leena listened intently and acknowledged the story as Ben related it with the occasional nod and verbal agreements of "Yeah" but expressed like most Finns; during an intake of breath.

Whilst she took in Ben's narrative, Leena gave the impression of almost perpetual motion as she busied herself throwing more wood into the fire, stoking it then grabbing a couple of large timber flagons from the shelves of a rustic free standing dresser. She grabbed a metal jug that was sat to the side of the large cast iron pot on the fire grate and filled them with some dubious looking liquid.

"Glögi" stated Leena. "Mulled wine" she confirmed in English as she held one flagon out for Ben to take from her hand.

"Thank you" Ben said gratefully as he reached out with both hands and accepted the offering. He hadn't eaten and he hadn't had anything to drink in a few hours, so whatever was offered was welcomed.

Ben sipped the hot liquid, which wasn't overly pleasant but totally undrinkable either.

He took the opportunity to give Leena more of a once over. Her age was hard to assess. She had a fresh and flawless complexion, hardly any sign of wrinkles, but this was no girl. She was a mature woman, no doubt, with the curves in her body and a pair of pert little breasts to show for it under her somewhat unconventional attire, albeit she was very petite. Ben made a mental stab at age of around the thirtyish.

Leena was dressed in a pair of what Ben would describe from home as Ugg Boots on her tiny feet; shin length fur-lined and animal hide to the outside, hand-stitched and made to measure. They looked very cute in Ben's eyes. She wore dark green woollen leggings and an off-white thigh length muslin dress, tailored at her waist with intricate embroidering on the square neckline chest panel.

The upper section of the dress was clearly double layered, whilst Ben noticed that from the upper bodice down, the material was relatively see through so that it could be determined that the leggings were actually a pair of woven woollen tights.

Much the same as most men, Ben had already noted her very shapely bottom and legs through the material when she bent to grab firewood or stoke the fire. The sleeves to her dress were long and flowing, gaping at the cuffs fashioned much like what Ben would expect from a wizard's cape.

Ben took a few gulps of his mulled wine now it had cooled appreciably, which was now internally warming him to a noticeable degree and it was actually now quite enjoyable, a trace of spice but also giving a rather fruity aftertaste. He was settled comfortably adjacent to the heat emanating from the massive hearth and its roaring flames when once again, Leena broke the silence.

"I shall fix you with something to eat" she resolved.

"You must be very hungry" she continued and beckoned him to a wooden bowl stood on the shelf adjacent to the fireplace into which she poured some hot water with a ladle from the pot.

She handed him a muslin hand towel as he rinsed his hands in the steaming water then directed him to the chair at the head of the table at the far end of the room, which Ben had to crouch to sit on. Luckily, as it happened, because without spreading his legs and keeping them slightly bent his knees would never have fit under the table!

Ben was enjoying Leena's accent. Her English was good, but her voice and accent were very sweet which in addition to her appearance, he found everything about her very sexy!

Leena busied herself around the stove and shelves, opening lidded pots and boxes and conjured up a mini feast on a timber platter consisting of various potted and dried meats, raw fish, unleavened breads plus various dips contained in several different small timber bowls. To accompany his feast, Leena placed another smaller sized mug filled with water beside the platter.

Ben was used to some of the Finnish cuisine. Especially the raw fish! He tucked in, took a decent smattering of the various dips with a scoop of folded bread and soon had finished the mulled wine.

The wine was giving him a warm glow and a buzz by now, so Ben was becoming totally at ease with the situation. Whilst he ate, Leena placed more wood in the fire, stoked the flames with a metal poker then stepped forward and refilled his mulled wine as soon as it became depleted. The meat was somewhat 'gamey' and Ben presumed it to be Reindeer or Moose. In Ben's judgement, it was very palatable and besides, he was famished.

It was Leena that broke the silence again.

"There is nowhere you can go tonight. You should stay here. I shall make up a room for you and we can see if the snow is any clearer tomorrow" Leena surmised.

"Thank you" Ben responded gratefully. I would be happy to pay you for the food and the stay" he continued.

"No, no" Leena shot back immediately. "You are very welcome as a guest. It is of no inconvenience at all."

Ben started to wonder where everyone else was. He was really in his element with this beautiful and intriguing woman waiting on him hand and foot, but he anticipated her husband arriving at any moment and there was the question of those kids...

Ben's thought process was interrupted by Leena.

"You must feel tired. You can sauna before you retire and I will wash you."

Ben blinked. Did he just hear correctly that Leena was offering to wash him?

In reality, it wouldn't be the first time Ben had enjoyed a sauna in Finland and, indeed, he had experienced the full service in the sauna in his hotel basement. It was traditional to sauna and then a woman would arrive with a pail of warm soapy water and a loofah to wash you from head to toe.

Nudity even in mixed company wasn't as stigmatised at it was back home, as Ben as discovered whilst visiting northern European countries. There was much to say about the typical 'British reserve' that was apparent around those regions that Ben had grown up in.

The first time Ben had experienced the full sauna was with a couple of colleagues. He wondered whether they had arranged it to shock or embarrass him! But they had reassured him that this was all quite normal and clearly, the woman who turned up was quite familiar with naked men, even casually manhandling their genitals whilst she set about them with the soaked loofah and a cloth to their every crevice.

However; to be fair, the lady that Ben first encountered who administered the all over wash was easily into her fifties and not exactly young, slim and nubile. Ben, however, had still judged her as reasonably attractive!

The real prospect of Leena giving him a wash down with a wet loofah both disturbed Ben and appealed to him in equal measures. She was absolutely stunning! He had managed to fend off any natural tendency when experiencing this ritual previously to grow a terminally embarrassing raging erection and it would undoubtedly be a source of amusement and teasing amongst his colleagues.

Ben was somewhat perturbed that his eager manhood would refuse to co-operate under the pretty little hands of Leena and he would commit an unprecedented faux pas; something that might definitely be frowned upon round these parts in the shape of a throbbing and willing hard-on during his wash! His colleagues would often tease and make jokes with uninitiated visitors and among themselves regarding that particular possibility.

Ben's thought processes were interrupted by the realisation that his travel bag was still in the car.

"I have a bag with my change of clothes and things in the car" he blurted to Leena.

"You go and sauna and I will fetch your things and place them in your room" Leena responded rationally and calmly.

"Ah, OK" Ben offered thoughtfully. "My case is on the back seat. The car is unlocked" Ben went on to explain.

He didn't worry that the key fob to the keyless ignition remained in the car. Nobody was likely to be stealing the vehicle anyway. Satisfied that everything was resolved, he took a huge swig of his mulled wine to fortify himself.

"Come!" Leena commanded, as she opened the door at that end of the room that Ben had spotted past the stove, whilst she took a lantern from the shelf and lit it with a taper she poked into the fire.

Ben stood from his chair and found himself having to steady himself with a hand placed on the table, as the mulled wine hit him hard and he was unable to stand fully upright due to the low beams.

"Wow!" Ben thought to himself. Whilst he wasn't exactly a big drinker, that stuff she had been passing him was pretty powerful.

Whilst he hadn't eaten since the flight, he was somewhat surprised that the mulled wine had this effect on him. Ben likened the effects to the Kava he had partaken in when holidaying in Fiji, which had the appearance of cloudy used dishwashing water and was fermented from roots. It would creep up on you and disable the ability to talk, walk, or think!

Ben could feel the numbness in his legs and his head. There was a gentle buzzing in his ears and he felt pleasantly flushed. Even the tips of his fingers tingled, as did his groin region. Blinking to get himself alert, Ben followed Leena into a small ante-room beyond the door, which he had to duck low to pass through.

To the right, he observed via the orange glow of the lantern a slatted wooden bench about three feet from the floor with a roll of muslin at one end forming a pillow. Beneath the bench was a drain in the wooden boarded floor and the floor itself was sloped to it for drainage.

As Leena circled the room with the lit taper she lit two or three candles on shelves, Ben noted that there was a small cubicle half way along the back of the room containing a low level and, in Ben's view, rudimentary toilet in the form of a wooden slatted box and timber hardwood seat.

At the far left end of the room was another small, timber slatted door about five feet in height, which Leena pulled open to reveal a small sauna with two seating shelves.

Leena reached behind the door to the ante-room and took a muslin robe from a hook on the wall.

"Here. Remove your clothes and put this on while I get the sauna ready" Leena instructed, holding the robe out for Ben to take.

Leena swept past Ben to the fireplace and he watched her through the hinge gap of the door from inside the ante-room as she took a long a metal rod with a hook at one end, reached into the fireplace and obviously opened a heavy cast iron flap of some sort at the back of the hearth.

There was some shuffling and scraping as she took the poker and rod to manoeuvre hot embers from beneath the cast iron pot and push them back through the opened flap, before pulling it closed with the rod. Another three pieces of chopped firewood and all appeared set.

Ben quickly removed his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, quickly checking that his cell-phone was not indicating any coverage before turning it off and transferring it to the rear pocket of his trousers. He then rapidly removed them and stepped out of each leg in turn before he threw the robe on almost in haste, before dropping his underwear to his ankles and gathered his tidied clothing in a neat folded bundle. This he placed neatly on a wide shelf one end of the room.

His timing was impeccable. Leena swept in through the door holding another lit lantern in one hand and a large metal jug in the other, both of which she took into the sauna booth. Ben watched as she fiddled around to her left, clearly where the hot embers were at the rear of the fire, stoking and prodding the sauna heat source.

On the floor, she placed the jug containing a wooden spoon or ladle, the handle of which protruded from the top of the jug, then stood in the doorway looking out to Ben.

Suddenly, Ben started to feel somewhat self-conscious. This muslin robe he had thrown on was only thigh length and quite thin. It was undoubtedly as see-through as Leena's dress, through which Leena's midriff was in clear view and that Ben had been admiring, scoping her tiny waist when she turned away from him and her gorgeous flat tummy and belly button that was displayed above the top of her tights when she faced him.

Despite the dim orange candlelit half-light, Ben quickly crossed his legs and leaned slightly forward to ensure that his flaccid penis wasn't pressed against the material.

"There!" Leena announced. "All should be ready to go. Just put some water on the stones and the sauna should build to a strong heat very quickly."

She stepped out of the sauna, waving her hand casually to Ben to indicate he should enter and came and gathered his clothes from behind him. As she was about to depart through the door to the ante-room, she confirmed; "I shall get your bag from the car now and take it up to your room."

With that, Leena left, closing the door to the ante-room behind her.

Ben shuffled barefoot to the sauna, which was already considerably warm, climbed inside and took a grasp of the handle in the jug. It was a huge wooden ladle, which he employed to pour a dose of water onto a clump of volcanic looking stones sitting on a grate. Beneath the stones, there were bright glowing hot embers with flames licking up to the underside of the stones.

Ben was suitably impressed with the design and resourcefulness of whoever built this place. They had sited the sauna behind the hearth so it was constantly heated considerably when the fire was lit. They had designed it so that the burning charcoal embers could simply be shoved backwards and beneath the rocks to heat them. Ben was impressed that the water hissed loudly and encouragingly as soon as it splashed on the stones, turning the water immediately to steam.

Ben slipped the robe from his shoulders and whilst still in the doorway to the sauna cubicle, hung the robe on one of three hooks on the wall just outside.