| The Sacred Sect, Chapter 4 – The Stairway to Heaven Nothing ever seemed quite the same after the passing of Elspeth (the High Priestess ‘Orchidia’ of the Sacred Sect of Mystical Sapphists). Elspeth’s mum, Fiona, Laura and Charlotte sat quietly at Elspeth’s bedside until the doctor arrived to officially confirm her death, so that the hospice staff could do the necessary paperwork before transferring Elspeth’s body to a chapel of rest. Laura drove Fiona home and made a big pot of tea so that they could sit quietly and benefit from the wonderful reviving power of this English tradition, while they discussed what needed to be done next. Charlotte just sat motionless in a corner nursing a bottle of Coke, occasionally sipping on it, and just not being able to understand why her goddess had been taken from her. Laura made some necessary phone calls for Fiona, and after some discussion and a few more calls it was decided that Elspeth’s body should remain at the chapel of rest until the following Monday when she would be transferred to the temple for forty-eight hours to give all the other sect members time to pay their respects. The cortège would leave from the temple at 11.00am on the Wednesday and make its way to the inter-denominational chapel at the cemetery. As was the custom with local laws, funeral services had to be held in a public place of worship, although a special memorial service in the temple would be basis of the sect’s meeting the following evening. It was decided that Laura, in her capacity as ‘spiritual leader’ of the sect, would conduct the funeral service, and Charlotte (if she felt up to it) would lead the memorial. While all this was going on, Elspeth’s father arrived home from work, and when Laura was sure that Fiona was going to be ok, she drove home with Charlotte. For their meal that evening Laura made some salad with sliced ham and bread and butter, but neither she nor Charlotte felt like eating very much. Eventually they withdrew to the lounge and Laura plonked down on the leather chesterfield sofa with Charlotte curled up in her lap. Charlotte cuddled up close into her mother’s bosom, and wept. Laura lit a cigarette and after taking a couple of deep inhales realised that for all its harmful effects, nicotine certainly did have a certain ‘calming effect’. So she put the cigarette to Charlotte’s lips and said, “Here Darling, try some of this.” Charlotte reluctantly took a tentative drag and coughed a little, but she soon succumbed to the buzz it gave her. Laura was reaching for her pack of cigarettes to take a second, when Charlotte asked, “Mummy could I have one too? I think I need it.” Laura replied, “Of course you can Darling, but try not to make a habit of it.” Charlotte was so pleased that her mum was addressing her as ‘darling’ (which was Elspeth’s pet name for her) instead of the usual ‘sweetheart’. They sat there smoking, and talking about little inconsequential things, as neither of them could focus their minds on anything in particular. At about 9.00pm, Laura said, “I think we ought to turn in now and try and get some rest.” “Can I sleep in your bed?” asked Charlotte, “I just feel I don’t want to be alone tonight.” “Of course you can Darling,” came the response, “here, let’s go.” Laura’s heart started pounding like a jackhammer inside her chest as she took hold of her eight-year-old daughter’s hand to lead her up the stairs. ‘Is this the moment I’ve been waiting for?’ she wondered to herself, but she also realised the potential dangers of crossing that threshold of no return. She loved her daughter more than anyone else in the world, and at times had had very lustful thoughts about taking their relationship much further. But was this the right time? Charlotte went into her room and stripped out of her T-shirt, shorts, panties and socks before wandering naked into the en-suite bathroom of Laura’s room. Laura had removed her blouse and skirt, and was just about to take off her bra and panties when Charlotte straddled the toilet seat without bothering to close the door. Laura just stood there with her mouth agape as Charlotte let go and a golden torrent started to stream into the toilet bowl. Astounded by this beautiful sight, Laura walked over and without saying a word, she clamped her mouth onto Charlotte’s pink lips and started to French with her. Feeling no resistance from Charlotte, she slipped her hand between her daughter’s little legs just in time to feel the last drops of golden liquid trickle out of her pussy. Laura broke their kiss to put her fingers into her mouth so she could taste the sweet nectar. “Oh Mummy, you’re so fucking beautiful and I love you so fucking much,” Charlotte blurted out, “please make love to me tonight. I need you so fucking much. I’m yours if you want me.” Laura bowed her head down and licked along Charlotte’s labia. Yes this was indeed the right time. Charlotte slid her little hands inside her mother’s bra and started to massage her 34B tits, and she was so excited to feel the hardness of her erect nipples. She had just pulled the breasts out of the red lace bra to start to play with them, when Laura said, “Come on Darling, let’s go sit on the bed.” Laura led Charlotte over and she sat down on the edge of the bed with Charlotte straddling her lap. Charlotte reached round to unhook her mother’s bra, and slipped it off her shoulders. She sat there sucking on the hard nipples, first one, and then the other, and then she flung her arms around her mother’s neck and started to passionately French with her. After many minutes of deep kissing, Laura lifted Charlotte up and stood her on the floor. “Time to take my panties off Darling,” she instructed her. This was the moment that Charlotte had been waiting for, so she dutifully slid the lace thong down her mother’s thighs and off her feet. Laura lay back on the bed with her legs parted and said, “Lick me good baby, come taste your Mummy’s sweet juices.” Charlotte climbed over and put her face close to her mother’s cunt. She could smell her juices already. She poked her little pink tongue out and traced it round her mother’s hairless vagina, paying the most attention to teasing her clit out of its little hood. As she was furiously working the now erect clit with her tongue, she slipped two fingers inside her mother’s wet vagina. Laura started moaning, “Oh fuck, that is so fucking good. Don’t fucking stop baby, I want to fucking cum!” It didn’t take long though until Charlotte’s pretty face was showered with cum juices. “Thank you darling, that was so fucking good. Let me return the favour.” Charlotte quickly made herself comfortable on the bed with her feet spread wide and her knees up in the air. Laura eagerly dove in and started to lick her daughter’s sweet cunt — and she licked and she licked until Charlotte also returned the favour and showered her mum’s face with cum juices. “Oh fuck Mummy, that was so fucking beautiful,” she cried with tears streaming down her bright red cheeks. Both now feeling pretty well exhausted, they slipped under the duvet and cradled into each other’s arms. They kissed and cuddled together until they both fell asleep, still wrapped in each other’s arms. At the Thursday sect meeting that week, Laura or ‘Abbess Snowdrop’, in her temporary capacity as the group’s spiritual leader, decided to dispense with most of the usual formalities and told all the girls there was no need to wear their robes tonight, save for their sacred signet rings, but they should observe, as ever, the protocol of going ‘barefoot and pantyless’ in the chapel, as this is what Orchidia would have wished. Everyone sat in a circle on the chapel floor holding hands, and shared their precious memories of Orchidia, and sang her favourite songs. But her most favourite song was left for now. Snowdrop also told everyone about the arrangements for the funeral (which was reserved for family members and close friends) and the memorial to be held in the temple the following day. Before the funeral, Laura and Charlotte paid one visit to the chapel of rest to see Elspeth before her transfer to the temple. She was laid out in her high priestess robe of purple chiffon, with her diamante tiara on her head, her sect ring on her wedding finger, and her priestess earring in her left lobe. Her face had been made up in her favourite gothic style with purple lipstick, heavy pink eyeshadow, and lots of black mascara and eyeliner. She was lying with her arms crossed over her chest in a pure white coffin adorned with gilt. Both Laura and Charlotte thought she looked so beautiful, and in a way they were relieved that she was finally at peace, and her soul was in lesbian heaven with the great goddess Sappho. It was a very simple funeral service in the tiny cemetery chapel; apart from Elspeth’s close family, also present were Charlotte and Laura, Yasmine and her mum Sunita, and Janine, the family chauffeuse. Charlotte was still mesmerised by the sight of Janine in her smart uniform, immaculate makeup and gold-rimmed shades. She fondly remembered that night of wanton lust in the back of the Rolls-Royce when she had made love with Janine and Elspeth. Surprisingly, also there was Billie, the 17-year-old waitress from the restaurant where Elspeth had taken Charlotte for her birthday treat. In the chapel Billie sat beside Charlotte with her arm round her to comfort her during the service, while Yasmine sat on Charlotte’s other side holding her hand. In a break with sect protocol, Charlotte and Yasmine were openly wearing their gold sacred signet rings on their wedding fingers, and Charlotte and Laura both wore their 6-inch long gold chain priestess earrings in their left lobes as a mark of respect for Elspeth. Laura led the proceedings in her role of spiritual leader of the sect. Only one song was sung during the service, which was Elspeth’s favourite — ‘Stairway to Heaven’. “There’s a lady who’s sure There’s a sign on the wall There’s a feeling I get And its whispered that soon If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow Your head is humming and it won’t go And as we wind on down the road And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.” The eulogy was read out by Charlotte with tears the size of raindrops in her eyes: “We commend Elspeth to the love and care of the great goddess Sappho. We pray that her passage be smooth and that the Light Bearer illuminate her path; that the hand-maidens of the goddess lead her gently by the hand and that the Goddess protect her. Elspeth left us with the gift of simplicity and trust that only a young girl can bestow. She stepped into the darkness of the Goddess's embrace without fear. One day we must all follow her along that path. May we share some of that innocence and trust and knowledge that after the darkness follows the light. Death as we know it is but a transition — an initiation.” Pink Floyd’s paean ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ played in the chapel as the procession made its way to the graveside, with Charlotte never letting go of Billie’s hand. Everyone wept as Elspeth’s body was lowered into the newly dug grave, and they showered the coffin with orchids. Afterwards there was a reception to be held at Elspeth’s house, but Charlotte was feeling quite pale and weak, so Laura decided it was best if they went straight home instead. She had noticed how Billie had been comforting Charlotte throughout the service and asked her if she’d like to come back for a cup of tea. Billie was delighted and graciously accepted. Charlotte normally sat beside her mother in the passenger seat of the Range Rover, but this time she decided to sit in the back with Billie. As they drove along, Billie wrapped her arms round Charlotte and cuddled her close. She leaned over and, feeling her own heart fluttering like mad, planted a tender kiss on her forehead. Charlotte surprised her somewhat when she puckered her lips and gave Billie a look that suggested to her that she wanted to be kissed way more passionately. Billie put her red lipstick onto Charlotte’s own pink lipstick and started to kiss her. But Charlotte wanted even more and forced her little tongue into Billie’s mouth. Now it was Charlotte’s turn to be surprised when she felt Billie’s tongue piercing. All the times that Billie had spoken to her she hadn’t even noticed she had one. They only broke their French kiss when the car finally pulled up on the driveway to their house. When they got inside, Laure put the kettle on to make the tea, and Charlotte and Billie sat casually at the kitchen table. When the tea was made, Laura poured out two cups. Charlotte of course, wanted a bottle of Coke. Laura offered Billie a cigarette, and they all sat there chatting for quite some time. It turned out that Billie was indeed a very special friend of Elspeth’s, and she knew of the sect, but she had never wanted to join it herself. When Charlotte had only half finished her Coke she decided to go up and lie on her bed for a little while. Laura noticed that she was indeed looking very pale so she thought that if she managed to get a little nap, it might do her the world of good. Charlotte kissed both her mum and Billie on the lips and went quietly upstairs to leave her mum and Billie to their chatter. Laura and Billie talked for a long time, drinking several more cups of tea and smoking quite a few cigarettes. Laura found out quite a bit about Billie — she was 17 and still at school, studying for her ‘A-levels’ and hoping to go on to catering college to do a course in hotel management. She worked as a waitress at Suzanne’s restaurant on the weekend, and occasionally also on a weekday evening to supplement her college fund. What Laura found really fascinating was when Billie started opening up about her intimate life. “Yeah I’d already fucked quite a few boys,” Billie began, taking a deep inhale on yet another cigarette, “but it was when I was in year 10, I must have been only 14 at the time, when this sixth-form girl, Victoria Hathaway, seduced me. We were on the hockey team together, and one afternoon after hockey practice, after all the other girls had gone home, we were alone together in the changing room. We hadn’t showered yet as we’d been given the task of putting all the equipment away. Anyway we got undressed and I couldn’t help noticing how fucking beautiful her body was. I was used to seeing the other girls naked in the changing rooms, but now it was different with just the two of us together. She had lovely blond hair cut into a bob, and fucking enormous tits, about a 36D, which made mine, which were only a 34A at the time, look positively puny! I didn’t understand then why the sight of her naked body excited me so much as I’d never really thought about being with another girl. Anyway Victoria started to run the shower, and when the water was the right temperature we went in. I was just starting to soap up my buttocks, when Victoria said, ‘Here let me help you with that.’ I didn’t know what to say so I just let her, but it sure made my heart start pounding when her soapy hands started massaging into my arse cheeks. Well, one thing led to another and soon we had our arms round each other and we were Frenching like mad and fondling each other down there. I got home rather later than expected, and to make an excuse, I just told my parents that we had had an extra long practice session that day, which I guess was not a million miles away from the truth.” Billie and Laura both chuckled. “It was then that I realised I must like girls as much as, if not more than boys. We remained really close girlfriends till Vicky went off to uni. We still keep in touch, but I don’t see her much these days,” Billie sighed. “Of course, in the interim I met Elspeth and we had some very nice times together, but Elspeth was the sort of girl that is very private, and sometimes quite distant. But you couldn’t help being totally in love with her. She was just so fucking beautiful and very regal looking.” “Yeah I know what you mean,” replied Laura, stubbing out her cigarette, “but in a funny sort of a way I think Charlotte managed to get closer to her than almost anyone. It’s no wonder the little love is so distraught over her passing away.” She paused for a moment. “Well it’s getting quite late now, would you like me to drive you home? But you must come over and visit us very soon.” “Yeah I suppose so,” Billie sighed before flinging her arms round Laura’s neck to kiss her. Laura was delighted to receive the kiss and parted her lips to let Billie slide her tongue into her mouth. Billie of course obliged, and played with Laura’s chain earring as they Frenched. Laura received just one more passionate kiss from her just as she dropped her off at her house, and she was definitely looking forward to meeting with this ravishing 17-year-old blonde again! As a final gesture of good will, Laura slipped £100 into Billie’s hand (“for your college fund,” she told her), and she also gave her a new pack of cigarettes to take with her. [Note: The lyrics of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ are copyright of Jimmy Page & Robert Plant. The eulogy was adapted from a piece used at an actual pagan funeral for a young girl, as reported in the book ‘Witchcraft and Paganism Today’ by Anthony Kemp (Brockhampton Press, 1995).] |