Tell us Sima!!!!! Hurry!
76
Nurse brings us mugs of hot chocolate, she says to Yasmin and me, ‘You’re looking brighter already, your friends must be doing you good!’
Indeed, being with Lau, Sima and Turi is making a big difference, even if what they’re telling us is scary, we know they’ve come through alive, and we can begin to put together the pieces of this mind-twisting puzzle we’ve been living though. Turi goes on...
‘When I got there, all the other girls were naked, manacled, fettered, collared and chained in a coffle, all ready for the slave market. I was soon fitted up the same and a pair of Guards marched us off double quick along the cellar passage, out by the back gate, across Shahidi Square – we turned a few heads, some guys tried to grope us, but the Guards saw them off, soon we were in the cellar of Liquat Brothers’ Emporium, and we didn’t have to wait long before we were taken upstairs to one of their posh lounges for VIP customers.
There was a couple of men already waiting, like this had all been arranged. They were in plain business suits, I thought they’re probably agents of whoever’s buying us. They made a show of examining us, the usual physical examination I suppose. When one of them came to me, he soon found the clit ring, and whispered to his colleague “This is the one”.
After that, there was a bit of ritual haggling, a quick bank transfer via the net, and we were sold. We were taken downstairs to the yard, the rest of the girls were herded into a sort of people-carrier – a military-type one, but plain, no markings, but I was taken off the coffle and pushed into a car, another very plain-looking one, but it looked bullet-proof, with tinted windows.
Stuck, naked and handcuffed, between two strange men, to top if all I was hooded. I was absolutely petrified, I’d sussed they must be the Secret Police, what the hell was going on? Where are they taken me? What are they going to do with me? Why?
The journey didn’t take long, and they didn’t molest me in any way. When the driver stopped, they took the hood off and hauled me out of the car, up some steps and into an old house, I only saw it was surrounded by trees, and overgrown garden, hidden away. Inside, I was led along the hallway into a room at the far end. Again I nearly crapped with terror, I was sure it was a Torture Chamber, just the sort of furniture and instruments you three had to suffer.’
Lau, Yasmin and I all shudder, yes, we know well...
‘They made me lie on a bed thing, and strapped me there, much like in the Branding Chamber. But they didn’t torture me. All they did was take off the cunt-ring. Another man, more senior looking, was there, they gave it to him.
After that, they undid me, took me out to the car, popped the hood back on. They didn’t get in with me, I was alone in the back. Again, not a long ride, we paused at one point, I heard some words like we were at a checkpoint, then we went a bit further and stopped. The driver got out, unhooded me, a soldier was standing by, he directed me into a low building, when I went in I found the rest of the dancing troupe. One thing I did notice, between the car and the hut – I could see that hill, the one with woodland all over it, that we could see from the Academy –‘
‘Oh yes,’ I say, ‘You must have been at one of those military bases up beyond The Academy...’
‘That’s what I thought. But this wasn’t just an ordinary army base, these were Special Forces, tough guys in plain combat gear, no identifying marks. Anyway, the girls were pretty worried, we thought we’d been sold to some military brothel, we were going to be used for “recreation”. But no, they treated us well, we were unchained, they brought some men’s t-shirts that served quite well for cover-ups, sandwiches and hot drinks, there were quite comfy beds.
And there we stayed, for a couple of days I think. There seemed to be a lot going on in the base, trucks and machinery moving, men shouting. We asked the guys who brought our meals what was going on, they said they didn’t know any more than us – they probably didn’t, they certainly didn’t know what we were doing there, or what was going to happen to us. But then Sima turned up- and she had some story to tell!’
I can't take the suspense!Tell us Sima!!!!! Hurry!
The grey haired man?All they did was take off the cunt-ring. Another man, more senior looking, was there, they gave it to him.
Hmmm... what is going on here???77
‘Well,’ says Sima, ‘while all that was going on, I was in my hidey-hole, wondering what was going to become of me. Then the Wardrobe Mistress came with really mysterious message. First she gave me a handscreen I could use as a control. I had to remember three codes, one would disable the alarm system so I could unlock the hatch at the top of the chute, the second opened the door of the wee cell I was in, the third was for the door of the Wardrobe Mistress’s room. She said “Then there’s the door to the garden, but you know that already,” which of course I did.
You know how I use my finger-joints to do maths?’
We nodded, Yasmin can do it too, I can a bit, but they’re amazing, quicker than a computer.
‘Well I asked her for a marker pen, made little marks on my fingers to remind me, no-one could guess what they meant but me – look, you can still see them’
She showed us her fingers, there were little traces of dots on some of the joints, hardly noticeable.
‘Well, then the Mistress said, “In about an hour, after the evening prayer, Prince Uday’s going to be making a speech, from the Great Gate Tower – you’ll hear the call to prayer, then soon after there’ll probably be some sort of fanfare and he’ll be relayed over loudspeakers. When that’s going on, be ready - you’ll hear someone knocking on the hatch, one-three-one-two, got it?” I nodded. “When you hear that, quickly disable the alarm, push this bar across to unlock the hatch, lift it up a little. Then – just do as you’re told.” “Okay, Mistress,” I said. “I must be off now, good luck Sima!” She gave me a hug, and off she went.’
We’re wide-eyed.
‘So I waited. There seemed to be something going on outside, I could hear shouting, sounds like a crowd...’
‘Yes,’ I say, ‘that was when we were being crucified.’ Yasmin nods.
‘Crucified?’ It was Sima’s and Turi’s turn to be shocked, they didn’t know that was what had been done to us.
‘By Allah, there’s no evil that man didn’t do! Well, anyway, sure enough, straight after the prayers there was some brassy music, then I heard the knocking. I unlocked the hatch, it was a bit stiff, but it moved, as soon as I pushed it up, it was pulled open and this star soldier jumped in, right on top of me!’
‘Cor, some girls get all the luck!’ We laugh.
‘Yes, well he was quite a catch – but he was in a hurry, just hissed “Show me the way to the garden!” We crept out, he needed his knife to slide the panel back in the cupboard, after that it was straightforward, everywhere in the cellar was dark, no-one about – we could hear Uday still speechifying through the speakers even down there. I took him to the door, the one we went through each morning for our run, he told me to unlock it, peeped out, then told me to go back with him to the Wardrobe Mistress’s room.
When we got back, half a dozen more troops had got in, all in plain combat kit, Special Forces. They’d got some equipment with them, like in rucksacks, dunno what. But he told me to get back up the chute to the hatch. He looked out to check all was clear, Uday had finished his speech, the national anthem was playing, my order was “Skip across to the van and hop in the back, quick!” So I did.
One thing I noticed as I crossed the pavement – there was a big black car, a limousine like the royals use, it was stopped outside the back gate of the Palace. But as I scrambled into the van, I heard it drive off, fast.’
‘Mm,’ I say, I saw that car, from where I was hanging. I’m sure it was that one, just at that time. It was speeding towards the Royal Palace.’
‘Interesting! Well, the van I was in drove off fast too, it was a military type people-carrier, but I was alone in the back. After about twenty minutes, it stopped, the driver opened the door, directed me across to building where I found Turi and all the others – God was I relieved!’
‘So were we!’ says Turi.
‘Well, after that, we were all together there, wondering what was going on. There was a huge commotion, shouting, all kinds of vehicles and equipment moving, aircraft noises. Then they all seemed to move off, things went a bit quieter. Suddenly, we heard a huge explosion – some way off, but it must have been a bomb. And then all the sounds of a battle – shooting, explosions, aircraft screeching – it was scary, but not very near us. It went on during most of the night, but gradually died down, became more distant.
Then, in the morning, some soldiers came for us, we all got in a carrier and were brought here, to Al-Dakhm Palace.’
It was not a funeral car!there was a big black car, a limousine like the royals use, it was stopped outside the back gate of the Palace. But as I scrambled into the van, I heard it drive off, fast.’
‘Mm,’ I say, I saw that car, from where I was hanging. I’m sure it was that one, just at that time. It was speeding towards the Royal Palace.’
Ingelstan rewrites its history too?With apologies to sharp-eyed readers who've already read the latest -
after posting it, while I made and ate a very good moussaka,
I decided to make a minimal change -
the Mistress who gives the instructions to Sima is the Dancing Mistress,
not the Wardrobe Mistress.
If I'm Byzantine, you're Constantinopolitan!View attachment 523158 Well now ... talk about intrigue piled upon layers of intrigue ... I think this was what one refers to as "byzantine"!