A Bondage Myth

Setting:
This story takes place in a different universe where there exists a world, eternally draped in clouds and the rain falls more often than not...

Outside the gates of the Great Temple of Aada.

<>--+-

I stood in the early morning light and the steady drizzle waiting for the gates of the temple to open. I had arrived earlier than my appointed time.

The temple rose before me like a fortress - dark stone walls hedged between neck-achingly high towers piercing the low clouds with turreted peaks. I sat on a wet bench slowly drifting back to memories from years and years ago when I was a young girl...

Back then, we would congregate by the Priestess Portal seeking shelter from the rain. Sometimes the Priestess would come to the portal and pull back the shutters with a grinding of metal and wood and talk with us. She was so wise. As a game we would attempt to think of the most profound questions to ask - Why is rain wet? Can you eat clouds? - The priestess always answered patiently and with respect.

One of our favorite questions to ask was "Why is there day and night?" We never grew tired of story the Priestess told. This is what she would say:

Long ago when the first people lived here, the world floated in a sea of blue and there were rarely any clouds. It was so clear that one could see the Center of the Universe, which was so bright that you would burn out your eyes if you stared too long. There was no night.

In that time, it happened that the most beautiful woman ever was born. Her name was Aada and her golden, blonde hair was long and thick. Even at a young age people knew that she would grow to be something so beautiful that she was pampered and lavished with attention. When the Leader of the Land saw her, she declared that, like all things in the land, Aada was her possession and would live in her castle from that day forth. Aada's childhood was abundant and happy, and she learned of kindness and empathy.

Though Aada grew up in the castle, she was free to travel into the countryside and she enjoyed visiting people and helping with chores and the sick and the animals of the land. The Center of the Universe, whose name was Desiree noticed her as well and came down to the world one day to court Aada. Desiree discovered that Aada's beauty was much deeper than the her physical appearance. She was kind and smart and curious and charming. Desiree soon fell in love with Aada. And, in time, Aada also fell in love with Desiree who told tales of incredible creatures and customs that could only be observed when one lived in the Center of the Universe.

The Queen of Darkness, whose name was Sirkku, was well aware of Aada too, though she paid her little attention, for her idea of beauty was distorted by evil. On the other hand, Sirkku had long hated Desiree and her blinding luminescence. When Sirkku saw that Desiree and Aada were falling in love, she developed a heinous plan to quench the light from Desiree and cast the world in eternal darkness.

One day as Desiree and Aada were picnicking in a green meadow, Sirkku appeared before them as a Raven and spoke in a long extinct language so old that Desiree had forgotten she ever knew it. The words only registered as suggestions which rose slowly into Desiree's mind as brilliant ideas.

"Come with me, my love," Desiree said to Aada, "to the Center of the Universe. I will show you all the wonders to be seen."

Aada frowned. "I want to but I am worried that the Leader of the Land would not approve. She is often jealous of her possessions and she has declared that I am hers."

"Nonsense," Desiree said. "You are free! And the Leader of the Land need only to see our love to understand that we should go and come together!" Desiree kissed Aada and Aada was sure that Desiree was right.

So, the two lovers set out to leave the world and travel to the Center of the Universe. But, as they neared the edge of the world, Sirkku, once again disguised as a Raven, said to Aada, "You cannot leave. You are the possession of the Leader of the Land."

Aada replied, "Desiree and I are in love. The Leader of the Land will understand."

Sirkku then whispered to other animals encouraging them to remind Aada that she should not leave. To each, Aada replied, "The Leader of the Land will understand."

Soon, however, with all the animals talking and giving warnings such a ruckus was created that The Leader of the Land noticed that Aada was leaving her dominion and she became jealous and sent forth a legion to stop Aada and Desiree. The Leader of the Land did NOT understand and she intended to keep Aada for her own.

Aada was apprehended and locked in chains and marched back towards the castle. Meanwhile, Desiree was banished from the world with a warning of violence committed upon her should she ever return.

The Leader of the Land locked Aada in the dungeon of the castle where the light from the Center of the Universe could not directly shine. All this according to Sirkku's plan.

The Queen of Darkness, then went to the Leader of the Land in the form of a lizard as she meditated upon her most prized possession.

"I sense, dear Leader, that you are troubled with the accommodations under which you must restrain Aada. You have her like a jewel, locked inside a box. But, you are the Great Leader, are you not? You want to display your treasures for all to see the extent of your power," Sirkku said.

"Yes! Yes!" said the Leader of the Land.

"On the other hand," Sirkku continued, "you are afraid that if Aada can be lured from you once, then eventually she may be stolen again. Even, perhaps, by entities of great power like the Center of the Universe."

"Yes," said the Leader of the Land, a little more quietly.

"As a loyal resident of your domain, I would love to see Aada, as well. I do not wish for her to be hidden," Sirkku exclaimed. "I have a plan."

The Leader of the Land settled and allowed the lizard her audience.

"Build a cage in the courtyard for Aada to live her life and make a ceremony of sealing the entrance so all will know the foolishness of any plan to steal her again."

The Leader agreed. This was a good idea and construction began on a great cage to hold Aada. And while everyone was busy, the lizard Sirkku slinked down into the dungeon and slipped an elixir into Aada's drinking water. It was a poison and it cursed Aada to always need the protection of her cage lest she fall into a deep sleep from which she could not be aroused.

In due course, the strongest cage ever forged was constructed and Aada was pulled from the dungeon and housed into her permanent cell in the courtyard of the castle. A ceremony was held with all the Royalty of the land witnessing as the cage was sealed shut.

Desiree, the Center of the Universe, watched as well from her perch high in the sky, and afterwards she wept at length.

The Queen of Darkness then moved forward with the next part of her plan. She took the form of a lark and flew to the Center of the Universe and sang for Desiree.

"I see that you are sad, Desiree," she sang, "and it makes us all sad to see you cry. For the Leader of the Land has performed a great injustice by restricting the flow of love."

"Oh! What I would do to hold her in my arms! I would never let her go again!" Desiree moaned.

"Do not cry!" the evil queen of darkness exclaimed. "For I have brought to you a key to a secret door to Aada's cell - a door created by the builders who secretly schemed to perform treachery against the Leader of the Land by stealing Aada for themselves." And the lark held out a key.

Shortly, under the cover of her own tears, lashing the world in a horrific storm, Desiree crept into the courtyard of the castle, and, true to the lark's word, she was able to find and open the secret door.

Aada, who had been crouched in the corner, hiding from the weather, leapt forth when she saw Desiree had come to save her, jumping into her arms and kissing her.

"There is no time, my love," Desiree said. "We must flee." And Desiree lifted Aada into her arms and flew into the heavens.

When they arrived at the Center of the Universe, though Aada was unconscious - asleep as though she were dead. As Desiree made this discovery, the lark flew in through the window.

"I'm afraid that Aada is dying, for, I have discovered, she has been poisoned by your enemy, Sirkku, the Queen of Darkness," said the lark.

"Tell me, lark," Desiree shouted, "What is the nature of this poison? I must counteract it somehow."

The lark looked over Aada's pale limp form. "I am sure that you should be able to counteract Sirkku's poison, for you are great and powerful, however, I wonder if you have the time. But, here!" At this point, the lark pulled forth a bejeweled flask. "This is how we birds feed our young. Drink of this elixir and then hold Aada in your arms and kiss her with all of your love. This will keep Aada robust. This will give you time to combat the the evil Queen's poison."

Desperate, Desiree did as the trusted lark prescribed. She downed the elixir and pulled Aada into her arms, kissing her lips will all her constrained passion...

But, of course, the elixir was of Sirkku's making and it was poison and it transformed Desiree as she kissed her lover. Her arms became hard as steel and stretched and divided and rejoined forming a perfect cage around Aada containing the hardest substances in the universe.

And as a side effect of the transformation, Desiree's metal arms turn from bright light to a dull, steely darkness. For the first time ever, night descended upon the world.

The Queen of Darkness flew from the Center of the Universe back to the world. She was filled with joy as all of her plans had succeeded and she was filled with such an evil form of joy that it spread from her into the space between the world and the Center of the Universe as a deadly poison through which no person could ever travel again.

When Sirkku returned to the world, she noticed that the skies were painted with a vast array of points of light. But this was no problem for the sorceress and she draped the world in a thick skein of clouds blocking the skies forever from the land and finally casting the world in complete darkness.

The Leader of the Land, of course, was horrified to find that Aada, her treasure, had been stolen, but she had no time for sorrow. The creatures of darkness had begun to crawl from their caves and feed upon the people of the land. A great battle began for dominion of the world.

Meanwhile, as the war waged down below, Aada slowly emerged from her deep sleep. Now that Desiree had transformed into a cage, the conditions of Aada's curse were satisfied. And when she awoke she found that she was in the arms of Desiree, her lover, the Center of the Universe.

And so, my children, you must know that love, True Love, is a great and shining light. And as Aada languished in the eternal embrace of Desiree's arms she began to glow with the brightest, most shining Love ever. Her Love was so bright that it eclipsed anything that had ever come before and it pierced through the clouds bathing the world in daylight once again.

The Leader of the Land fought back the creatures of the darkness and they, with their angry Queen returned to the refuge of their caves forever.

And so, the world still drifts through the sea of the sky passing into the light of Aada's love then passing into shadows cast by Desiree's eternal metal arms. And as the world passes from light to dark and dark to light, this makes the day and the night.

With her story complete, the Priestess then spoke to us...

This all occurred long, long ago. The skein of cloud cast by the Queen of Darkness remains, but Life will always find a way. And we, the People, and the animals of the world have adapted to the clouds and rain and day and night and we have thrived - for we are part darkness and part light. And we have built temples, such as this one, in honor of Aada, who looks down on us with love and we construct tall towers to pierce the clouds. And Priestesses are chosen to commit themselves to the towers to seek the holy, loving source of Aada's fire.

Maybe, my children, one day you will choose to learn the ways of the Priestesses and submit yourself into the eternal loving arms of the Great Temple of Aada.

The Priestess then raised her arms with the chimes of her wrist chains ringing above the tapping sound of rain and smiled as she closed the wooden shutters behind the barred window. And somehow, only for me perhaps, she winked, just as the shutter came to. And at that moment I knew my destiny.

<>--+-

That was many years ago and I have blossomed into a woman of my own. I have spent the last three years preparing for this day.

The doors to the Great Temple slowly open and I see the Hall Priestess standing in the entrance. She has a heavy metal collar in her hands. It is open at the moment. The Priestess smiles to me. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, then looks out into the gray, rainy morning.

"Ahhh, Love! It is a great day!" She smiles to me. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Mistress," I say. I attempt to appear reverent. In reality, I was nervous, excited.

"First, Love, you must divest yourself of your clothing."

I slowly begin stripping down right there in the rain by the main doors to the Great Temple. My eyes are fixed on the collar in her hands though. It appears simple and plain - a heavy curved bar with four rings mounted around the outside suitable for sturdy attachments. But I knew the collar has been meticulously designed to exacting specifications - its locking mechanism hidden within, such that, once closed, it could never be opened again. Also, its fit has been carefully measured to form precisely to its servant's throat. Indeed, I had sat for that particular measurement just a week before.

The Priestess holds out a box and I dump all my clothes and shoes inside. These will be donated. They are not of use to me any more. Naked now, I slowly descend to my knees, settling in the mud.

"This is a wondrous moment in your life, Love. Whether you choose the collar or not, the Goddess will always shine her love upon you."

The Priestess hands me the collar. I have no doubts. I have worked through them all these past three years. I carefully wrap the metal collar around my neck, pushing the locking mechanism inside until there is a catch. I take a deep breath, my hands shaking, then I press a little harder and there is a muffled metallic click.

"Very good," the Priestess says. "Now, when you cross the threshold you will step into a life dedicated to the commitment to the Goddess Aada. You will be stepping into the eternal loving arms of her temple."

I stand up on shaky legs and stare into the maw of the great building. I feel the cool rain splat against my naked skin and run in a rivulet down my chest. Somewhere across the courtyard I hear a bird sing and horses trotting down a distant alleyway. The seconds stretch and stretch and stretch...