Voices Trapped in Yearning
by Mudak
In January, 2010, BlueLyric invited us spend some time down on the bayou in the mysterious estate of Marawind. The story that follows is my entry into his contest. This is a work of fiction, and I do not believe any of the people or places (except the airport, of course) presented here really exist (or if they do, then they don’t have the powers that are presented here.) Any other similarities are nothing more than coincidence. This is an “adult” story, so if you have any reason not to read one (such as local laws, or if you’re not yet an adult), then please go elsewhere. If you found this story because you were looking for the lyrics of Sarah McLachlan’s beautiful song “Possession,” then you’ve found the inspiration for the title of the story, but you definitely came to the wrong place. (For reference, though, the song is on her 1994 album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.) I welcome commentary and criticism. My e-mail address is mudak326@gmail.com
Chapter 1
Erika popped a small bubble on the gum in her mouth as she and her friends stood up and retrieved their carry-on luggage from the overhead bins. She giggled when she popped open the bin. “Yup! It looks like it shifted during the flight!”
She grabbed the handle of one bag and pulled it down. “This one looks like yours, Sandy.”
Sandy nodded her agreement as Erika handed her the small briefcase that was covered with stickers that ran the gamut of humorous to fantastical, the most prominent of which read ‘Silence is golden but duct tape is silver’ and ‘Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for ye are crunchy and taste good with ketchup’. “It’ll never be mistaken for anyone else’s, that’s for sure.”
Tatiana snorted as she reached up and around her friends before pulling down her own bag, a plain brown piece of luggage slightly larger than a purse. She quickly opened it up and dropped her copy of Scientific American, which she had been reading on the flight, into the bag.
Sandy, not the least bit affronted by this attitude, asked, “Any good articles in there, sis?”
“Actually, yes. There was this one article on artificial intell-” Her voice was drowned out by people jostling around trying to disembark from the plane.
Erika looked at Penelope. “You didn’t have a carry-on, did you, Penny?”
“Just my purse, but I didn’t put it up there.”
“Then I guess that’s everything, huh?” Erika said to no one in particular. “At least until we get to the luggage carousel, anyway.”
The four girls slowly filed out of the plane and followed the crowd to the luggage pick-up area.
Sandy leaned over to Penelope as they strode through the corridors. “It was really nice of your uncle to invite us down to his estate for spring break this week.”
Erika chimed in with her agreement with an enthusiastic “Yeah!”
Tatiana spoke quietly, “Yes. Thank you.”
As they strode through the corridors, Erika looked at one of the pictures on the wall. “Is that Louis Armstrong?”
“You got it,” Tatiana confirmed. “Since the airport’s named for him, you knew they’d have pictures of him all over the place.”
Erika giggled. “I knew I’d seen his name somewhere recently.”
Tatiana rolled her eyes as Sandy laughed.
The four of them reached the baggage carousel just as the first suitcases from their flight were coming down the chute. In quick succession, Sandy, Penelope, Tatiana, and finally Erika found and retrieved their respective suitcases.
“Where do we go from here, Pen?” asked Sandy.
Penelope pointed towards the escalator near the entrance. “I’m guessing my uncle’s waiting downstairs for us.”
The four of them filed onto the escalator. Downstairs stood a man, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie, holding a sign that read, “Penelope Woodruff.”
Sandy noticed the man first and called out to her friend. “Penny! Over here!”
Penelope smiled and confidently walked up to the man.
Before she could say anything the man asked, “Are you Miss Woodruff?”
“Yes. You can call me Penny or Penelope. These are my friends, Sandy, Tatiana, and Erika.”
The man gave the three others a quick two-fingered salute and turned to face Penelope. “Your uncle requested that I bring you to his home. Unfortunately, he was called out of town on urgent business. He doesn’t expect to return home until late Wednesday or Thursday. In the meantime, he asks that you and your friends make yourselves as comfortable as possible in his home, so I will bring you there.”
Penelope smiled. “Thank you, Mr....”
“Statler.”
“Thank you, Mr. Statler.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Woodruff. Now, if you and your friends would be kind enough to place your bags on this trolley, I can bring you to your home for the next week.”
The four girls quickly placed their luggage on a small trolley and followed Mr. Statler out to a shiny stretch limousine that was waiting near the door. He opened the back door to the car and the four girls piled in. Once they were secure in their seats, he loaded their baggage into the trunk, wheeled the trolley back to the inside of the airport and slid in behind the driver’s seat.
After they started moving, Sandy looked at Penelope. “This is something else. Is this how your uncle always moves around?”
Penelope smiled. “I knew he was doing really well, and that his house is huge, but I never really knew everything. This’ll really be the first time I’ve been here.”
Statler looked through the window that separated the front seat from the four young women in the back. “Your uncle travels by limousine most often, however he does own a vintage Mustang, which he frequently takes on joyrides. And he also owns a Harley Davidson for those times when the open road beckons.”
Erika perked up upon hearing this information. “Do you guys remember Rex? The best thing about my relationship with him was his motorcycle. I loved riding on the back of that thing!”
“I’d be too scared to get on one of those things,” Tatiana said. “There’s a reason why they call them donorcycles in hospitals.”
“Yeah, but at least you’d die having fun!” Erika responded.
Tatiana scowled and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Oh, come on!” Erika smiled. Finding the switch that opens the moonroof in the back of the limo, she stood up and started to scream with glee, waving to the other cars, and laughing.
Sandy stood up, too, and the laughter of the two girls filled the limo.
“Whaddaya say, Sandy?” started Erika. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Her hands had already found their way to the bottom of her T-shirt and were starting to lift the fabric up.
“We really shouldn’t,” said Sandy as she started to do the same.
The numerous honking horns they could hear from outside of the limo windows was enough to indicate approval from the other drivers near them.
The limo hit a bump in the road and the two standing girls fell into each other. Deciding they had had enough fun teasing the other people on the highway and that they didn’t want to cause any accidents, they both sat down, still giggling.
Tatiana scoffed and looked away.
“You know, Tatiana,” Sandy started, “You really need to let your hair down more. There’s plenty of time in life to be serious, but we’re on break now. Give it a rest. Have some fun!”
“I know how to have fun!”
“I know you do.”
Erika quickly interrupted this conversation. “Then prove it!”
Tatiana turned her head quickly to face Erika, crossed and uncrossed her arms, and opened her mouth to speak, before deciding that it wasn’t worth saying what she was thinking. Instead, she mumbled, “We’ll see.”
There was a short pause in the conversation when Penelope leaned back and spoke to Statler. “Could you tell me the name of the estate again? I keep forgetting it.”
“Marawind,” he answered matter-of-factly.
“Thanks.”
“It comes from a mishearing of the lyrics to the song ‘Bad Romance’. The previous owner heard it and thought the phrase ‘my rear window’ was ‘marawind,’ and it kind of stuck.”
“That’s interesting.”
Tatiana spoke quickly. “That’s called a mondegreen.”
“A what?” asked Erika.
“A mondegreen. That’s the word for misheard lyrics. The word itself is its own example. It comes from a magazine article from the 50’s or so. The author had heard a folk song called ‘The Bonnie Earl O’ Morray.’ It’s got a line that goes ‘They had slain the Earl of Morray and laid him on the green.’ The author of the article thought they said ‘They had slain the Earl of Morray and Lady Mondegreen.’ Thus a new word was born.”
Sandy added. “One of my favorite—what was that word again?”
Tatiana started to say the word ‘mondegreen’ when Sandy picked up again. “Mondegreens is Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze.’ You know. ‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy!’”
Everyone laughed.
Penelope added, “Don’t forget Bob Dylan. You know: the ants are my friends, they’re blowin’ in the wind.”
Erika took a deep breath. “I don’t know what the real words are, but can someone please tell me that that one song by England Dan and John Ford Coley really doesn’t go ‘I’m not talkin’ ‘bout the linen.’ What is that lyric actually?”
“You mean the song “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight?” asked Tatiana.
Erika nodded.
“That’s actually, ‘I’m not talkin’ ‘bout movin’ in.’”
Sandy laughed. “I don’t know if it’s a mondegreen, but I’m sure that, at least once, they sing ‘Play that fucking music’ instead of ‘Play that funky music.’ It’s just too convenient.”
Everyone laughed and nodded their heads.
The limousine slowed down and turned into a long driveway. “I think we’re here,” Penelope said.
Everyone turned to look out the nearest window, admiring the beautifully landscaped estate. Erika couldn’t suppress her amazement as she watched a swan graciously soar and dive into a small lake not fifty feet from their car.
The limousine pulled up near the tall, arched front door with towering pillars on either side and came to a stop. After a moment, Statler opened up one of the doors and gestured to the four women to step out of the car.
“Allow me to show you to your rooms. I will bring you your luggage shortly. Dinner will be served at 6:30 this evening.”
“Thank you, Mr. Statler,” said Penelope as she stepped into the mansion.
Chapter 2
Statler escorted the four girls into the sprawling mansion and up a spiral staircase. With a flourish, he gestured down the hall and told them that the first four rooms would be theirs. “I will return in five minutes with your bags. Please. Make yourselves comfortable in the meantime.”
Erika looked up at the vaulted ceilings and around her in amazement. “This place is huge!”
“Yeah, I, um... Wow! That’s all I can really say: wow.” added Sandy.
Tatiana chuckled. “It was really good of your uncle to invite us down here for spring break.” She walked over to the balcony and looked out over the grounds. Arching her back, she took a deep breath and called to the other three. “Isn’t that beautiful?”
Erika, Sandy, and Penelope joined her on the balcony.
Erika looked over at Penelope and giggled. “How long’s your uncle been living here?”
“I really don’t know, Erika. He’s been living in New Orleans since I was a little girl, but I honestly don’t know how long ago he bought this place.”
Statler interrupted Erika as she was about to speak again. “Your uncle bought Marawind Estate about a year ago.”
“Thank you, Mr. Statler.” Penelope blushed.
“You’re most welcome, Miss Woodruff. If the four of you would be so kind as to help me sort your bags...”
The four girls entered back into the hallway leading to their rooms and grabbed their respective suitcases and carry-on luggage.
Penelope thanked Statler as he turned on his heels and headed back towards the spiral staircase.
Erika asked the other three what time he said they should be downstairs for dinner.
Tatiana looked at her watch. “6:30. We’ve got about an hour and a half before we have to be down there.”
“What’re you guys thinking of doing before dinner?” asked Sandy.
“I don’t know about the rest of you,” answered Tatiana, “but I’d like to just unpack and veg.”
“Not a bad idea,” said Penelope.
Sandy and Erika sighed, almost in unison.
Sandy looked at Erika. “I guess I’ll do that too.”
“Um, all right,” said Erika.
The four of them dragged their bags into the nearest rooms. The moment she crossed into her room, Erika yelled, “Wow!”
Sandy laughed.
Erika ran across the hall to Penelope’s room. “Looks like all the rooms are the same size, and I think they’re larger than the entire downstairs in our apartment!”
“Yeah, I think so,” answered Penelope, smiling. “Did you see this bathroom?”
“Your uncle must have beaucoup bucks to be able to have a place like this. I didn’t get that far into my room, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got the same bathroom in my room, too.”
Sandy and Tatiana walked into Penelope’s room.
Sandy smiled and said, “I think we’ve all got our own bathrooms. That’s, like, too cool.”
“Does anyone mind if I just take a nice hot bath before dinner?” asked Tatiana. “I don’t want to be antisocial, but my back’s killing me.”
“Go for it,” answered Penelope.
“Thanks.” Tatiana turned and walked out of the room with more spring in her step than she had displayed in the past week.
Once Tatiana was gone, Sandy leaned over to Erika and said, “I think she’s finally glad to be here. Now all we’ve got to do is get her laid, and we’ll be golden.”
“Good luck with that,” mused Erika, who started laughing. Sandy and Penelope joined in the laughter.
Chapter 3
Tatiana hoisted her suitcase up onto the bed and stared at it for a moment. Her arms and legs were so tired, so sore, she decided that she could take her hot bath before she unpacked. After she kicked off her shoes, she reached into her purse and pulled out the magazine she had been reading on the plane.
She couldn’t help but admire the artwork that hung on the walls and the grandeur of her bedroom itself as she slowly walked into her bathroom. She looked around and saw a large bathtub that seemed to be begging to be filled with water so that she could relax. She noticed a small package near one corner of the tub. She moved closer to the package and found that it was a box of bath salts, created from some of the most rejuvenating salt mines on the planet.
She started the water and quickly undressed. Once she was naked, she reached into the tub to see whether or not the water was the right temperature.
A little too hot, she mused as she adjusted the knobs to cool down the water a little bit. She then lifted the plug to allow some water to drain out. Once she had replaced the plug, she poured a handful of the salts into the water.
She stood up, looked at herself in the mirror that spanned nearly the entire length of the wall opposite the tub and smiled.
This was what she had been waiting for, for the longest time. Just because I don’t flash my tits at passing cars, they think I can’t have fun, she thought. Well... This will be relaxing. That’s fun in and of itself. She let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
She glanced back at the tub and saw that it was filling up nicely. She looked at herself once more in the mirror and noticed that the glass was starting to fog up along its upper edge. She felt a slight chill move through her and she paused.
Tatiana took a deep breath and decided it was time to get in. She quickly turned and stepped into the half-full tub.
The moment she was in the water, all of her concerns melted away. She lowered herself into the water and sighed deeply as the warm water provided immediate relief to the tension in her back and legs.
She closed her eyes and splashed the water over her face.
She said out loud, “I could get used to living in a place like this.”
Another chill ran up her spine and she grabbed her knees in response. Looking around, she asked, excitedly, “Is anyone there?”
She saw her dim reflection in the now-completely fog-covered mirror and decided that it was just the chill she felt before. She made a mental note to herself to point out to someone—Statler would probably be the best candidate—that there must be a draft in her bathroom.
She closed her eyes again and let herself be almost completely immersed in the warm, soothing water. She took a deep breath and fell into a light sleep, the relaxation was so all-consuming, so omnipresent.
In her dream-like state, a low, gravelly-sounding voice called to her. “You have nothing to fear.”
Without moving her lips, she responded, “I have nothing to fear.”
“You will make a fine candidate,” the voice informed her.
“I will make a fine candidate,” she repeated.
“You must first be conditioned.”
“I must first be conditioned.
“Your preparations will begin tonight.”
“My preparations will begin tonight.”
“You will forget all instructions until you are fully prepared.”
“I will forget all instructions until I am fully prepared.”
“I can tell that you have something to prove to your sister and to your friends. You will start tonight.”
“I will start tonight.”
“Very good.”
She was roused by the sound of Erika knocking on her bedroom door. “Tanya! Dinner’s in fifteen minutes!”
She shook her head and stretched, marveling at the fact that she must have fallen asleep. Those bath salts were certainly relaxing.
“All right,” she called back. “Just ... just give me a few more minutes. Should I meet you downstairs?”
“Sure!” Erika responded.
She stood up from the bath, admired her tall, thin naked form in the foggy mirror, and walked back into the bedroom. She quickly put on her clothes and went down the spiral staircase to meet her friends.
Chapter 4
Tatiana got dressed and slowly walked down the spiral staircase. Her friends were waiting at the bottom of the steps.
Before she could say a word, Statler took off down a long hallway and her friends followed closely. She had to run a short distance to catch up with them.
“I hope I’m not too late,” she whispered to Penelope, feeling like she was back in high school, wondering if she’d get detention for showing up too late to class.
“Don’t worry about it,” Penelope chuckled back to her. “Statler didn’t want anyone getting lost on the way to the dining hall. We weren’t waiting that long anyway.”
They walked in silence down a long, narrow corridor, turning occasionally and passing through several sitting rooms before they came close to the kitchens. The smell wafting through the hallway was enough to prompt Erika to say, “Something smells good!”
If Statler heard Erika’s comment, he didn’t acknowledge it; instead, he just kept walking until they arrived at the dining hall. He swung the door open wide and bowed to allow the four young women in. “Your meals for this week shall be in Dining Hall B.”
The four of them arrived at a long, rectangular table that had already been set and their food was waiting for them.
Statler pulled the chairs out for all four of them and they quickly sat down. Penelope and Erika let him push their chairs back to the table, while Tatiana and Sandy did it for themselves.
He then quickly lifted the covers off of their plates and they were greeted with a beautifully prepared mixed salad and herb-roasted chicken.
“Might I interest any of you ladies in a glass of wine?”
“Yes, please!” Erika and Sandy said at the same time.
“Thank you, Statler, I’d love some,” Penelope said.
“Yes, that sounds great,” Tatiana added, quietly.
Erika stared at Tatiana, her mouth wide. “Since when do you drink?”
Tatiana looked down at her plate, picked up some leaves of lettuce from her salad and quickly stuffed the food into her mouth.
Erika wasn’t about to let this drop, and as soon as Tatiana had swallowed the food in her mouth, she resumed her interrogation. “Seriously, Tatiana. I’ve never known you to drink anything. What gives?”
Tatiana sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. I just ... I didn’t want to be the only person here who said no. Besides. We’re here to have fun, right? Well, you guys are always talking about the fun you’re having when you’re out at parties and all, so I figured... Well, you know...”
Statler took a bottle of wine out of an small ice bucket and held it in front of Penelope. She nodded her approval and looked up at him.
He quickly opened the bottle and handed her the cork, which she sniffed and said, “This is good.” She handed the cork to Erika, who continued to pass it around the table.
Statler poured half a glass for Penelope. She lifted the glass and swirled the light yellow liquid around before raising it to her lips. She slowly sipped the contents and swirled it around in her mouth before swallowing it. “Excellent, Statler. Excellent wine! What year is this wine?”
“Miss Penelope, it is from your Uncle’s private collection: a 1963 vintage pinot grigio.”
She tried, without success, to stifle a gasp at having just had a drink of a wine that was older than she was.
Statler poured glasses for the other three young women and they all thanked him in kind before he returned to Penelope’s seat to fill up her glass, after which he replaced the bottle into the ice bucket.
Statler turned on his heels and left the dining room.
Once he was out of earshot, Penelope commented, “I guess he didn’t hear me gasp, huh?”
Tatiana put her empty glass down on the table a bit harder than she would have liked. She hiccuped and smiled. “That really is good...” Her voice trailed off as she spoke.
Sandy smiled and put her hand on Tatiana’s hand. “Take it easy. It’s good to see you doing this, but we don’t need you to overdo it, okay?”
Tatiana poured herself a second glass of wine and started to drink it before she answered Sandy. “All right.”
Watching the four girls eat their dinner through the windows in the kitchen doors, Statler leaned over towards the chef. “Well, Marjorie. It appears as though the house has chosen a body.”
“Yes, Statler, it does. What’s her name?”
“Tatiana.”
“Do you think she’ll be ready in time for the party this weekend?”
“Absolutely.”
“I wonder which spirit is running things this time.”
Statler didn’t answer. The end result would be the same, regardless.
The four friends finished their dinner, talking about what they would do over the course of the next few days before the conversation turned to the weekend.
“Your uncle’s going to be throwing a party, right, Pen?”
“Right, Sandy.”
“I’ll bet his parties are a lot of fun.”
Statler rolled a small cart through the kitchen doors at that moment and said, “They are. Even for those of us who work here.”
Erika jumped when she heard him speak.
“Can I interest you ladies in some dessert? Would any of you like some coffee, tea, or brandy?”
Tatiana quickly said “I’ll have a brandy.”
After a short pause, Sandy said, “Coffee for me, thanks.” Sandy sighed and thought, at least Tatiana’s not going anywhere tonight.
“I’ll have a tea,” added Penelope.
“Coffee here,” said Erika.
“Excellent,” Statler said. “We have black forest cake, strawberry cheesecake, and some assorted fruits for dessert. What would you girls like?”
Sandy said, “I’ll have the fruits.”
Erika chimed in, “Me too.”
“Could I have a small slice of cheesecake?” asked Tatiana.
“I think I’ll have the black forest cake,” Penelope said.
Statler turned on his heels once more and went back into the kitchen. He returned quickly with the mugs for coffee and everyone’s choices of dessert.
Chapter 5
When the four friends finished with their dessert, Sandy looked at the other three and said, “What would you guys like to do tonight?”
Tatiana said, “If it’s all the same to you, I’m feeling kind ... kind of tired. I’d like to go to bed. We can .. um, we can do more tomorrow.” She started to stand up but had difficulty maintaining her balance.
Sandy smiled and said, “Let me help you up to your room.”
“Thankssss,” Tatiana slurred.
Erika called to Sandy, “We’ll meet you in the front hall after you help her to bed, OK?”
“Great!”
Sandy grabbed Tatiana by the elbow and said, “Come on, Tat. You probably had a bit too much to drink tonight and need to sleep it off.”
“Yes, thank you,” she turned to see who her assistant was, not immediately sure it was her sister. “Sandy.”
The two of them walked slowly down the corridor to the spiral staircase and to the room that Tatiana had taken for her own. “Will you be all right here on your own?”
“Yes, Penny, I mean Sandy. Go down and fave hun. I wanna know what you,” she paused to hiccup. “Do, OK?”
“Sure.” Sandy didn’t comment about the two very un-Tatiana-like verbal gaffes she had just heard.
Sandy disappeared from the doorway as Tatiana closed the door and got undressed for bed. Wearing only her panties, she paused to admire her own body in the mirrors that also served as closet doors. Her eyes fell to her stomach. She spoke out loud to her own reflection. “I’ve got a pretty good looking body, don’t I? I could probably have the guys falling all over me if I wanted to, right?”
She sighed and closed her eyes. She heard a voice, little more than a whisper but undoubtedly the same voice as before, answer her. “Yessssssssss.”
“Who said that?” She opened her eyes quickly and looked around in the dimly lit but empty room.
Nobody answered.
“I must be imagining things. Is that what all that wine will do to you? I guess I really do need to relax.”
She put on a nightshirt and got under the covers.
She nuzzled into her pillow when she heard the voice repeat the word “Relax.” Soon, she found herself repeating the word, slowly, in time with her rhythmic breathing.
In almost no time, she was asleep.
“You have nothing to fear,” the voice told her now.
“I have nothing to fear.”
The voice repeated this simple message several times. Tatiana repeated it under her breath in a slow monotone.
“I need to see what’s in your head, Tatiana Levenworth.”
“My mind is an open book,” she intoned.
“Yes, it is...” The voice seemed to whistle its way through this last sentence. “I need you to tell me honestly, how long it has been since the last time you had sex.”
Without hesitation, Tatiana responded, “Two years.”
“How does that make you feel, Tatiana?”
Tatiana remained silent for a moment and responded, slowly, “I feel nothing. It just is.”
There was a long pause before the voice decided to see the degree of power it held over Tatiana. “Please stand up, Tatiana.”
She sat up, moved her feet off of the side of the bed, and slowly stood up, facing the bathroom.
“Come around to the closet.”
She walked towards the closet and stopped.
“I want you to admire your body. It is a beautiful thing and you should honor it as such. I want you to dance. Your body needs to dance.”
She started to run her hands along her sides, slowly dancing in the mirror.
She turned around, completely unaware of her surroundings, what she was doing, or why.
After she had been dancing for about five minutes, the voice spoke again. “Very good, Tatiana. You may get back into bed.”
She slowly walked back to her bed and got under the covers.
“You have proven yourself worthy of the wonders and mysteries of the Estate at Marawind. You will continue your preparations tomorrow night. You will not have any memories of what has happened thus far. Tomorrow night, when you prepare yourself for bed, you will decide that you wish to sleep in the nude. Sleep well.”
Tatiana snuggled in to her pillow and started snoring.
Statler finished clearing the dishes from the dinner table and glanced up at the television screen in the back of the staff lounge. Watching Tatiana dancing in front of the mirror was a good sign.
The chef slowly approached the monitor and looked up at Statler. “What do you think?”
“I think the house has made a wise choice, Marjorie.”