Skulls, Bones and Flowers 2

During puberty, Lilly had occasionally fainted due to some hormonal issues that had luckily just stopped when she had become 16. On these occasions, she had only lost consciousness for some moments, and she was reminded of these times when she woke up and immediately realized that she was still bound and gagged, lying on the hard planks of the boat.

However, when she blinked, she had to narrow her eyes because of the brightness around her. The purple clouds had vanished, but though she was sure that only minutes had passed, they were now in broad daylight.

»Mhhmm? Uuhhmmm!«

Lilly raised her head, only to see Daisy look at her. The Black also was still gagged, and when Lilly looked around, she could see that Nesrin also still was with them. They were all still trussed up, but so far, nothing worse had happened.

»These clouds must have contained some narcotic! We passed out, for now, it’s bright day!«

A wave of hope flushed through her: the sea was usually crowded with small vessels, and even if they didn’t manage to free themselves, soon, someone would see them, and then, all this would be nothing than a terrible memory.

She sat up, but to her surprise, there were no boats. Without her glasses, she could only see a greenish blob that had to be Martinique, maybe some mile away, but there were only glistering waves and the sun above.

»Uuhmmph! Mmhhmmm!«

Nesrin, who was staring over her shoulder, suddenly got excited, and then, Lilly heard a flapping sound. She shifted her body, so she could see what Nesrin had spotted, and she whimpered with relief: it was a boat, and the sound had been that of its sail fluttering in the wind as it now reduced its speed and approached them. It looked a bit strange, with its triangular sail that was beige instead of shiny white, but it wasn’t a hallucination, as Lilly now could hear voices, and she could see blurred figures standing in the bow.

She let out a fluttering breath, and Nesrin also seemed to be relieved. Daisy was a bit calmer, her head lowered, and Lilly suddenly understood her problem: their rescuers sure would notice that she had wet herself.

»Come on, it’s just a little embarrassment, but soon, we will be free!«

The boat got alongside, and now, Lilly could see more details. The man on the oar and the two operating the sail were black, whilst a fourth man standing beside the mast was white. Beside him stood a black woman, and now, Lilly realized their strange fashion: The Blacks all wore nothing but dirty shorts and straw hats, and the woman sported a coloured cloak and held a carves stick whist the white man wore a white shirt and a black vest with tight black pants, and he also sported a three-pointed hat.

»Are these reenactors, or part of a film crew? Anyway, they can tell us once we are free!«

Now, the boat had come so close that the two men could reach it with their bare hands, and they quickly tied the two vessels together. Lilly thought that something else was strange, except for their clothing, and she suddenly realized what it was: none of these five people seemed the least upset by the sight of three bound and gagged girls. The black men behaved as if this was some routine, the woman seemed to be focussing something in the distance, and the white guy even grinned. Lilly let out an annoyed grunt.

Now, he said something, and Lilly frowned. It sounded French, but neither like the French she had learned at school, nor like the French Creole people in Martinique were speaking. Obviously, he had a very strong dialect.

»He might also have a stutter and a lisp, but could he please move his ass and free us now? My limbs are numb, and this gag is choking me!«

The White now entered their boat, but the way his eyes wandered over her body, Lilly felt more than just scared. There was greed in his eyes, but also contempt. It was as if he was assessing her. She could almost feel his eyes on her breasts, and she blushed as she tried to shy away from him. The woman said something of which Lilly only understood »Monsieur Blanc«. The man grunted something, but then turned his attention to the other girls. He seemed equally fascinated by Nesrin, but less in Daisy, and finally, he jumped back onto the other boat – without touching them, but also without loosening a single knot of their bonds!

All three girls mewed, but he barked an order and the Blacks towed the boat, so they could pull it when they once again set their sail. Lilly exchanged a puzzled look with her fellow captives.

»What is going on? Where are they taking us?«

Her fellow captives seemed equally confused, but with no ability to communicate, they could do nothing but sit up and wait for things to come. If some other boat would come, they could try everything to make clear they were not here on their own free will!

They approached Martinique, but it seemed that they were heading towards a different bay, as Lilly could not see a sign of the village. There was a white spot that turned out to be a house, or rather a mansion, and when they were closer, she could also see several huts surrounding it. There was a small pier, and the boat now stopped and was moored. It seemed that their new captors – Lilly no longer considered them rescuers – had all the time in the world.

Finally, they were brought ashore, and their ankles were freed, so the black men could line them up side by side. Lilly noticed that they seemed to have less issues in touching Daisy than they had with her or Nesrin, though still, none of them tried to free them. One of the men pointed at the spot at Daisy’s middle, and they chuckled, but lowered their heads when the White looked at them.

From the mansion, Lilly could see more people approach, and when they were close, she could see it were three: another white, dressed as if he played in a 17th or 18th century period piece, followed by a blonde girl in a white dress that also looked as if it was from a different century. The girl was followed by a black girl in a plain dress that held a sun umbrella over the blonde.

The white guy from the boat seemed to report something to the man who seemed a bit puzzled by what he saw. They seemed to discuss something, and Lilly tried to understand their conversation in this strange version of French. She got the word »filles« for »girls«, and also the term »négresse«. She frowned. It was a racist term, but neither the black girl nor the Blacks still standing beside them seemed to mind it.

The man now approached and let his eyes wander over them, frowning. Then, he waved the woman in the cloak towards him, and again, there were some negotiations. Suddenly, Daisy seemed to have enough of this games. Her legs were still bound above and below the knees, allowing her only small steps, but she shuffled forward and grunted angrily, demanding the man’s attention. One of the black sailors held her back, and to Lilly’s amazement, it seemed rather that he wanted to prevent her from doing something stupid.

»Uuuhmmph! Mph! Hhrrrmmm!«

The man finally turned over to Daisy, and the sailor now rolled his eyes and sighed, as if he wanted to say »I told you so!«. Raising his eyebrow, he asked:

»What do you want to say?«

He sounded amused, but there was a threatening undertone in his words. Daisy stared daggers at him and raised her chin, demanding to be ungagged. The man let his eyes wander over her; then, he brushed over her cheek. Daisy shook her head and grunted angrily.

»Seems you need to be taught manners!«

He cringed his nose and looked at her soiled pants.

»And you need to be washed, too!«

He made a waving gesture, and two of the sailors grabbed Daisy’s arms. They more dragged than led her away, ignoring her muffled screams. Lilly and Nesrin stepped forward, protesting through their gags, but before they could even think of going after Daisy, the man stood in front of them.

»Is she yours?«

Suddenly, Lilly understood. Not only why this guy spoke a strange kind of French – not a dialect, but an ancient version of the language. She also understood that he had asked if Daisy belonged her – because in his time, a white girl owning a black girl was something normal.

»In his time!«

Lilly staggered, feeling her legs getting wobbly. She managed to stay on her feet, for the man showed no intention to help her. Instead, he let his eyes wander over her. More to himself than to Lilly, he pondered:

»I must say I am confused. A white girl in just her underwear, but still wearing all her jewellery!«

Lilly frowned. What was he talking about her underwear. Then, however, she understood: in the eyes of this man, her silk dress looked like something a woman of his time – his time! – would have worn under her garment.

The man waved for the white sailor, and he approached Lilly, taking her necklace and the earrings from her. He bit the pearls and examined the silver; then, he told his Master:

»Nothing too expensive!«

»A silk gown, and some cheap jewellery – I can think where they got you! Well, since you seem to worry about your maid so much, you may join her!«

He added an order to his henchman who repeated it towards the remaining black sailor. Lilly understood the word »putain« – »whore«.

»Uuhhmmph! Nnnggg!«

She protested when the man forced her to stagger away from Nesrin. She wanted to follow Lilly, but he stopped her.

»You, however, look like you had been more respectable! Maybe, we can need you in the mansion!«

***

Lilly stumbled towards what turned out to be a palisade with an open door. Inside was a sandy place, surrounded by a few plain huts. A few black women in shabby clothes were there, but Lilly could only stare at the middle of the yard. There, a post had been rammed into the ground, about three yards in length and some five inches in diameter. To it, two horizontal beams were nailed, one some foot above the ground, the other two feet above. To this contraption, Daisy had been tied in a way that made Lilly shudder with fear and compassion.

Daisy’s legs were bent, her thighs and ankles tied to the lower bar, in a way she had to kneel on the ground. Lilly could also see that her shoes and socks had disappeared. Her wrists were bound behind the vertical post, and a rope around her neck forced her to lean against it; if Daisy collapsed, she would strangle herself. The girl was still gagged, and she stared at Lilly with widened eyes.

Before she could try to get closer, the man pushed Lilly over to the women who quickly gathered around her, looking at her curiously, but obviously, they didn’t want to do her any harm. They even helped her sit up, but when she tried to get to her feet, pointing at Daisy with her chin, one of them shook her head. In a French hard to understand she said:

»Hit Toussaint! Now punish!«

Indeed, one of the two men was leaning in a corner, and he had a bleeding bruise on his forehead. His comrade seemed to be amused by this, for he was laughing whilst another of the women tried to wash his wound and put a bandage over it.

Lilly understood that she couldn’t help Daisy by raging, and so, she forced herself to calm down. Indeed, the women now started to work on her bonds and gag. Lilly had to oppress the urge to make them work faster, though it prickled painfully when circulation came back.

One of the girls worked on her gag, and Lilly coughed and panted when the dreadful cloth finally came off her mouth. She whispered a »Thank You!« to the women; then, she saw Toussaint approach Daisy, a whip in his hand.

»No!«

Toussaint looked at her, then let his whip crack. Lilly reached for her right hand with numb fingers. The other man had taken her necklace and earrings, but she still had her silver ring with an amethyst gem. She took it off and then stumbled towards Toussaint who raised his whip and looked threatening at her.

»Please, don’t punish her! Please!«

She went to her knees and offered him the ring. Toussaint hesitated and scratched his backside with the handle of his whip. Lilly desperately thought what else she had to offer. There were her shoes, but they would be of little use for the tall man, and she would not sacrifice her dress unless it would become inevitable.

Her eyes fell on her left wrist. The wristwatch had been a present of her aunt, and it was only silver plated, but perhaps, it would be precious to a man of the 18th century. So, she took off the watch and added it to the ring.

Toussaint examined both things, held the watch to his ear and finally, he nodded and dropped the whip. Lilly sighed with relief.

»No whip! But stays until dark – and you wash her!«

He approached Daisy, grabbed the lapel of her uniform blouse and ripped it off with one brutal yank. Daisy mewed, and Lilly could hear some murmuring from the women. She then realized that this was the first time any of them saw a bra.

Daisy’s was white, with some lace, and the upper halves of the cups were transparent, so her dark skin shimmered through. Toussaint seemed to consider whether to rip that off, too, but then turned for her shorts. These were made of denim and therefore offered more resistance, and Daisy groaned when the material was pulled between her legs. Finally, the seams tore, and Toussaint staggered backwards. Again, there was some murmuring, as now, the girl’s panties were revealed. They were white, had very high cut leg openings and also sported a lace trimming.

Toussaint now barked a few orders at the women, and they got up to gather a few wooden buckets filled with water from the well, a rag and even a bit of a soap bar. The man took one of the buckets and poured it over Daisy’s head, so she shrieked through her gag and panted, for obviously, it was quite cold. Then, he pointed at Lilly.

»You wash!«

Reluctantly, Lilly took the soap and the rag from one of the women. Then, she approached Daisy who looked at her with a mixture of fear and exhaustion. Lilly brushed over her cheek, but when she wanted to loosen the gag, Toussaint stopped her and repeated his order, accompanied by a painful slap on Lilly’s butt.

So, she soaked the rag and produced some lather from the soap before she approached the helplessly bound Daisy and began to tenderly wash her. She whispered some excuses, though it wasn’t her fault they had landed here – wherever, or rather whenever this was. Daisy just nodded the little her neck rope allowed. She tried to stay calm, but Lilly knew that she was at the end of her resources. Daisy had been bound and gagged for longer hours than Nesrin or her, and Lilly herself was about to faint once again.

She tried to avoid Daisy’s breasts and middle, but she used much soapy water on her lower belly and sides, so it ran down her body.

»Once you have dried, your panties are almost like new!«, she whispered. It was a desperate attempt to give the poor woman a little dignity back, and the look in Daisy’s eyes told her it had worked, for she once again nodded slightly.

When she was finished, Daisy was dripping, and both her bra and panties were all but transparent, but it seemed that she had been able to refresh a bit. Now, Lilly felt her own exhaustion, and she sank down to the ground. One of the women handed her a wooden mug with water, and she was led by her into the shadow of a hut. When she started to sob, the woman withdrew, and Lilly understood: their solidarity wasn’t unlimited, for their own fate wasn’t better than Lilly’s.

She looked at the open door of the slave’s bin, but there, Toussaint’s comrade was leaning, and he didn’t look much friendlier. So; Lilly just looked at the white thing she knew was the mansion where now, Nesrin was perhaps suffering a better fate, allowing them to escape and try to find a way back soon.

***

Nesrin, still gagged and with her arms tied, was led inside the mansion’s lobby where she had to stand whilst the man who obviously was the owner talked to the cloaked woman whilst the blonde watched Nesrin with a mixture of curiosity and something the girl couldn’t figure out what it was. She forced herself to stand still and not to moan, though she had also come to the conclusion what had happened to them, and of course had severe problems coping with it.

Finally, the man sent off the woman and then gave an order to the servant girl who untied the cloth covering Nesrin’s mouth. The cleave was removed next, and the girl, seeing it was made of fine silk, secretly took it whilst Nesrin spat out the rag, followed by some saliva that dripped onto the floor. The blonde giggled, and Nesrin shuddered at the lack of empathy on her.

»Now, before I consider freeing you, I have to know what to do with you. Somehow, I got more than I bargained for!«

Nesrin stared at him. Did he really want an explanation from her why she had been kidnapped, bound and gagged, from her own time? She opened her mouth, but only a croak came out. The man continued:

»I got one slave, and your – friend obviously is a whore, but how about you? You don’t look French to me, but also not like a Mestiza. Are you a Gypsy girl?«

Nesrin swallowed her initial answer, for in that time period, there had neither been an Iran, nor a Germany in the modern sense. So, she answered:

»I am from Persia! My name’s Nesrin! Please, Monsieur, this is all a terrible misunderstanding-«

The man raised his hand to stop her, but Nesrin decided to take her opportunity to talk:

»Please, let me and my friends go! Let us get back to our time!«

The last sentence made the man frown.

»What are you talking about?«

»Why are you asking me?«, Nesrin blurted, »you are responsible for our abduction! We are from the year 2024!«

Now, the man burst out laughing.

»Wherever Sayana picked you, she wasn’t too picky! So, you are from the far future, you say? Now, tell me, who is King of France in 2024?«

Nesrin panted. Of course, she could have told him about Macron, elected President of the French Republic, but she feared that he would have seen that as a proof she was indeed mad. This man obviously had a veritable witch on his side (obviously, the cloaked woman), but he wouldn’t accept the changes between his time and 2024.

»I-It’s difficult«, she breathed, and the man just shook his head. To the blonde, he said:

»Marguerite, remind me of having Sayana whipped! Her magic obviously brought a lunatic into my house!«

The girl, obviously his daughter, approached Nesrin.

»I think she is quite funny! After all, she comes from Persia and thinks she can travel through time! Maybe, we can keep her for – entertainment!«

Nesrin gasped. Now, she knew what the other expression in this girl’s eyes was – it was glee! This was a spoiled brat looking for a new toy – and she had chosen Nesrin for the part!

»No! I am not mad! And I won’t become part of whatever your daughter considers to be entertainment!«

When she had said her words, Nesrin knew she had made a terrible mistake. In her time, just insisting on the reasonable was helpful most of the time – but here, the laws were made by men like the one standing opposite to her. Now, the man rubbed his chin.

»I think I now know what you are! Either, you are a Gypsy, or you are a mad Gypsy! Either way, I am tired of your remarks! Alceste!«

The white man appeared from outside and bowed slightly.

»Monsieur?«

»This girl annoys me with her constant talking! Please, take care of that!«

»With pleasure, Monsieur!«

Alceste picked up the two cloths from the floor. Nesrin shied back, desperately trying to dodge the man and to run for the door. She was successful in avoiding his grip, but then, something hit her shin and she staggered. Before she could get back to her feet. She felt Alceste’s knee in her back.

»Now, you’ll pay, bitch – pardon, Mademoiselle, pardon, Monsieur!«

He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, forcing the still damp wad back into her mouth. Then, he tied the other rag between her lips, so tight it cut into the corners of her mouth. Nesrin tried to get up, but the man just put more weight on the knee resting on her back.

»I hurt my foot when I stopped that lunatic!«, Marguerite now complained. Alceste asked her:

»Do you want me to punish her for that, Mademoiselle?«

Marguerite seemed to think about the question, walking up and down right in front of Nesrin’s face. Then, she decided:

»I think I will do it myself! Just hold her ankles for me!«

Alceste got from Nesrin’s back, but before the bound girl could think of escaping or kicking him, he had grabbed her ankles and stood behind her, holding her as if she was a wheelbarrow. Marguerite turned towards the black girl.

»Fleur, the belt! Hurry, or I will use it on you!«

The girl darted away, and Marguerite now touched the hem of Nesrin’s skirt.

»What a strange material! It feels like silk, but it is different!«

Had she not been gagged, Nesrin could have told her a thing or two about modern textures, but she got distracted as she felt that the girl pushed the skirt of her dress up her calves. Nesrin moaned and tried to flail, but Alceste just tightened his grip.

»She’s not wearing a chemise, Papá! How indecent!«

The addressed chuckled, and Nesrin couldn’t help blushing as she could feel how Alceste was trying to look up her skirt. He didn’t have to wait long, however, as Marguerite pulled her skirt up her thighs now.

»Aww, what’s that?«

She had now revealed Nesrin’s panties, and the girl couldn’t help blushing all over. They were modest and plain cotton panties, covering her complete butt, and being white with purple stripes. Marguerite brushed over her buttocks.

»Maybe, she got spanked before, and therefore decided for a little protection!«

The sound of heels on the marble announced that Fleur returned with the belt, and Marguerite showed it to Nesrin. It was a broad leather band without a buckle.

»Uuhhmmph! Nnnngggg!«

»That will teach you to hurt me!«, Marguerite hissed. Then, she let the belt land on Nesrin’s buttocks. Nesrin screamed into her gag, more from anger and embarrassment than from actual pain. The spanking didn’t last long, and either Marguerite wasn’t that angry or just not used to physical work, for when she was finished, Nesrin’s buttocks tingled and she had tears in her eyes, but she had managed not to wail.

Marguerite now tugged the skirt under the sash of Nesrin’s dress, so her butt would remain exposed. Then, she ordered Alceste:

»Get her to my room, and make sure she will stay there until I look for her after dinner!«

***

Toussaint and the other man prevented Lilly from getting too close to Daisy, and so, she had decided to talk to the other female slaves, at least to the woman who had given her the water. She didn’t speak much French, but she at least got the information that they were on the plantation of a Comte d’Rey. Tarrah, so was her name, warned her that she should stay away from Toussaint, but his comrade would be okay. Also, she told Lilly that the male slaves had to sleep in different quarters, though the Comte didn’t forbid contacts completely. As if to prove that, Toussaint’s comrade had gone to one of the huts, and the sounds that emerged from it told what he was doing – and that the woman wasn’t doing it against her will. The other women, and even the few children that now showed up, didn’t seem to care. It made Lilly feel apprehensive that they also didn’t seem to care for Daisy who was still tied to the post, forced to wait for the evening. They just showed some casual curiosity, but obviously, the slave quarters didn’t offer much time for compassion.

However, the slaves didn’t seem just jaded either. The children laughed and played games, some of the women chatted and sang when they repaired their shabby clothes, and one of them who had found Daisy’s sneakers walked around in them, trying to find out what this kind of strange footwear was.

»Obviously, there’s routine even in slavery!«

When the evening approached, most of the women left the quarters, obviously for their work in the house, and Lilly could also see the male slaves return from their work – guarded by mounted overseers with whips and rifles, and Lilly could see the scars on many of the men’s backs. One of the overseers talked to Toussaint and his comrade who had left the hut; obviously, they had a more privileged position in the plantation’s hierarchy, though they were Blacks, too.

Lilly couldn’t understand them, but Toussaint pointed at Daisy and her, and he made a gesture that left little to imagination. Lilly decided that they would try to escape as soon as there was an opportunity.

An elderly woman stepped to her, in her hands two wooden bowls with what looked like an unidentifiable porridge. Lilly thanked her, but the woman looked at her shoes. Lilly sighed. The high heels wouldn’t be useful if they had to run, and so, she took them off and handed them to the woman who gave her one of the bowls in exchange.

It tasted stale, but only now, Lilly felt how hungry she was. Nevertheless, she forced herself to leave half of it for Daisy who soon would be freed. She asked the woman who had given her the food, and she just shrugged.

»Sayana decide!«

She wanted to ask who Sayana was when suddenly, Toussaint and his comrade stood straight at the door. Lilly thought that it was perhaps the Comte, but instead, the cloaked woman from the boat entered the yard. The two men bowed and then, the door was closed from the outside, leaving the women and children alone for the night.

»Sayana!«, the elderly woman whispered and withdrew as now, the cloaked woman approached Lilly. On the boat, she had looked tallish, but now, Lilly could see that she was just 5’2’’, like herself, and she also wasn’t older than in her late 20ies. She stretched her arms, and for a moment, Lilly thought that Sayana wanted to embrace her, but it was just the signal for one of the others to remove her cloak. Underneath, Sayana wore a short cotton tunic.

»You caused some problems, you and your Friend who now is in the big house«, she said in surprisingly good French. Her voice was dark and yet feminine.

»I told these stupid men to get me one black girl, but they also sent you! The Comte’s a bit angry with me!«

She said it as if it was Lilly’s fault that she and Nesrin had been kidnapped to another century. She put her hands on her hips, ready to tell Sayana what she thought about the whole affair, but then, she noticed that the others seemed to shy away from the woman.

»If they are afraid of her?«, Lilly wondered. She lowered her arms. After all, it seemed that the woman had been behind their involuntary time travel, and in her current condition, she didn’t want to have a veritable witch against her.

»May I free Daisy now?«, she asked, pointing at the girl who was showing signs of severe exhaustion now. She had no idea whether Sayana had the power to prolong her punishment, but she wanted to show respect.

Sayana let her eyes wander over her body.

»Your dress!«, she ordered.

Lilly took a deep breath. She knew that even in the night, the temperatures wouldn’t get too chilly. However, she had seen how Toussaint and the overseer had looked at her and Daisy, and she didn’t want them to see her in just her bra and panties. However, a look at Daisy on her pole convinced her. She opened the zipper, slipped out of her dress and handed it to Sayana. The Black took it; then, whilst her fingers felt the smooth silk, she let her eyes wander over Lilly’s body. She seemed to be fascinated by her black strapless demi cup bra and the matching panties, and for a moment, Lilly feared that she would demand these garments, too.

Sayana put the dress over her left arm; then, she stepped closer to Lilly and let her index finger wander over the thin pale line where her bikini strap had blocked the sun. When her finger brushed over her breasts, Lilly shied back, and Sayana laughed. Then, she said something in an African idiom that obviously was the allowance to release daisy, for as she withdrew, two women loosened the ropes. Lilly prevented the collapsing girl from landing on the ground, and she aided her over to where she had put the half emptied bowl.

»We will get out of this ordeal, Daisy, we will!«, she whispered whilst she picked on the knots of her friend’s gag. Daisy was too exhausted to be of much help, and so, Lilly had to pluck the dense wad of packing from her mouth.

»Th-Thank you!«, she breathed. Lilly fetched some water from the well and let her drink. Then, she fed the porridge to Daisy, too. The other women either weren’t interested in them, or they had been told by Sayana to leave them alone, for none of them approached or spoke to them. Daisy suddenly started to tremble, and Lilly took her in her arms, though she didn’t feel too confident either. With chattering teeth, Daisy stammered:

»Wha-what d-does it m-mean? I-I mean, why u-us?«

She sobbed, and Lilly understood that for her, the situation was even worse. Nesrin and she could perhaps escape and hide somewhere, but as a Black, Daisy would be considered a slave girl everywhere in this century. Sure, she had already learned a thing or two about discrimination, only to now find herself in an even worse nightmare.

»We will get back home!«, she said, trying to sound braver than she felt. Lilly had no idea how they could manage that, but she knew two things for sure: they would have to free Nesrin, too. And, even more important: The only way to get back to the 21st century, at least the only one she could think of, was Sayana.

***