Hekate's Passage: A Story of Sex and Rock'n'roll, Part 1, Vol. 1 (16 page)

Everybody agrees with her and she leaves.

I decide to take out my laptop. Perhaps it’s functioning too. I plug it in and to my surprise, it is working. I just check if I don’t have anything unsuitable on the desktop, stuff that the guys shouldn't see and then call them.

“Come on, one more toy for you. This one has games. Well, maybe not games, there’s just one.”

“Why only one?” Jim asks, he sits next to me; Tony comes on the other side.

“They are simply too addictive and you get to waste too much time playing. I got hooked to just one and try to stay clear of the other ones.”

Meanwhile Babette comes back with pots of tea and coffee, the cook brings cups on a tray. She leaves it and walks out while Babette complains.

“This woman is terrible, she’s still sitting and praying there. She did prepare some food though, there are some sandwiches and she cut some beef for a stew, but it’s uncooked yet. Can you do something about her? Send her home or something? She’s not any good in her present state.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ted offers and they both leave the living room.

Everybody stirs for a while helping themselves to coffee and tea. Babette and Ted come back in a short while bringing two more trays with sandwiches and Ted says.
“
I just told her to go home. She already left.”

Jim and Tony urge me to show me the game, so I open the application. My favorite and only game – Plants versus Zombies. I explain them the rules.

“It’s a tower defense game. There are zombies trying to get into your house and you have to defend it, otherwise they’ll eat your brains.” This brings peals of laughter from them but I continue. “You defend your house with plants – pea-shooters, corn cannons, exploding jalapenos and all kinds of other shooting or exploding plants. To get the plants you have to collect the suns - they fall from the sky and also get produced by sunflowers. They are a must - you have to have them, preferably two rows. All the shooting plants have different firepower just like the zombies have different strengths – some are easier to kill, some are more difficult. So you have to build your strategy. Wanna try?”

Tony takes the laptop from me eagerly and I show him how to operate the built-in mouse and touch pad and I launch level one of the game…

I look at Jim. He has to get something for him as well, after all we want to prevent him from thinking about our vanished girlfriend.

“Let’s get you another laptop, maybe Yasmin’s is working too.”

Fortunately it is. .

“Tony, can you stop for a moment? I have to make a copy of the game for Jim.”

I get my pendrive and quickly copy the game from my computer and launch it again for Tony to play, then copy it into Yasmin’s laptop and launch it for Jim. I think a bit, and get Melisa’s bag and retrieve her laptop out and repeat the procedure, give the laptop to Colin and explain him the rules of the game – apparently he wasn't listening when I was talking to Tony and Jim as he was busy with the ipod. So was Ted, who suddenly gets interested in the game, too. So I get Babette’s laptop and copy the game there, too. To say the truth I don’t even think about copyrights now... and anyway, there’s no chance of buying the game in 1985.

Then I remark to the gals.

“Well, I suppose this will keep them busy for at least an hour or two. What do you want to do? I’m interested in this beef, I like stew, but it has to be prepared well. But first of all, I want to eat something.” I get myself a sandwich and wolf it down, then do the same with another. “Now it’s better…”

Yasmin’s Story:

Well, all the discomfort caused by the disappearance of Melisa is slowly going away. But my mind is still busy, trying to find an explanation to all this – the stone circle might have served as a shrine for some kind of Dark Fertility Goddess in Prehistoric times, even before Hekate appeared. People related some intriguing facts and visions around the place, and figured that there lived a Dark Goddess, Keeper of the Secrets of the Underworld and Magic.

Anyway now life seems to take a more normal course, if possible here, a light of domestic peace gleams on the faces of the men, who look totally delighted with the game. They are making comments, cursing aloud, and begin to ask for some more coffee and tea. Colin and the rest have promised to behave like gentlemen and to keep their eyes and mind far from the future and its temptations…for now.

The cook is not there, so I go to the kitchen and take some beverages and see that Eleyne has been really serious about cooking that stew.

“Well, tomorrow, give me a chance to make some pizza and hot sandwiches.”

She smiles vaguely at me while cutting some vegetables, and then she returns to her almost passionate cooking. Babette is there, too, looking through the window and says.

“Maybe she will return in a while, or in a hour…”

“Don’t know,” I reply, “the ring is here…For some reason, it is here.”

The ring is in my left hand and feels cold and gloomy.

Eleyne looks at me with a worried expression in her green eyes.

“Could we have made Melisa vanish from here? I feel almost like a bitch. We did tease her about sharing Jim, she didn’t like it and now she’s gone. Now we could have Jim almost whenever we wanted to.”

“Only if your guys agree to it,” Babette comments.

“I think they will, I overheard them talking,” I reply, which gets Eleyne really curious. Babette seems interested, too, if only to hear about it.

“Details, please,” she demands.

So I tell both of them what I heard and also what I saw. Obviously for Babette it’s big news, so Eleyne adds her side of the morning (or noon) events then she sighs.

“If only you were right...” Then sighs again shaking her long honey brown hair, “shit, I do feel like a bitch...”

“Our feelings couldn’t have made her disappear. She must have somehow triggered the power in that ring. It’s a powerful object.”

“I hope you’re right,” she still looks worried.

“Come on, Babette, help me with the tea and coffee for the beasts.”

She laughs and helps me, taking one of the trays and then we carry everything to the living room.

The men are enthusiastic about the possibilities of our gadgets.

“These things will change music, I am sure,” says Tony. “All these… have to be reflected on the music industry technology, what do you say, gals? Is it true?”

“True,” I nod and drink my coffee in silence.

“Don´t know anything of technology,” says Babette, “but for sure all things have changed.”

I murmur in Babette’s ear. “Don´t talk too much, otherwise they might feel tempted to listen and see what they should not, OK?”

She nods.

“What are you talking about?” Ted asks. “Come here, Babette, help me to kill those bastards, ok, honey?” He smiles and she sits at his side.

I stand behind Colin. He seems to be miles away, but it’s all right, I think… I decide to get another coffee for me. Then despite the caffeine I begin to feel sleepy, sitting by his side and looking at him playing for some 20 minutes. I try to take off the ring, but it seems that my finger has swollen. I decide to take a bath and to leave the beasts playing joyfully on their own.

“
Yasmin…” I hear Colin’s voice and think he’s back with us, but not, he adds, “would you bring some beer?”

Well, I have to bring beer and get something more to eat, the only way of preventing alcoholic intoxication, not very desirable at these hours and definitely incompatible with our plans.

A bath unblocks my tired mind and fortunately helps me to relieve my swollen finger, allowing the ring to slide off easily. I place it in my bag, and start to civilize my looks the best I can. After a couple of minutes, I have a decent aspect, and change my clothes, put on my t-shirt and shorts. Fortunately for me they are dry. I washed them and also my underwear before going to bed.

I apply some eye shadows and little blush, wondering if he would notice and guess the outcome of my guessing. Search for perfume but I only have a roll on, well, for a time traveling gal is not a bad luggage.

Eleyne’s Story:

After filling my tummy with sandwiches and coffee, I try to keep myself busy and go to the kitchen to investigate this stew meat. I check what other things are available to make the goulash – my mind is filled with images of soft, tasty pieces of beef and veggies floating in wine-infused gravy. I find everything I need in the kitchen – onions, frozen baby carrots and diced potatoes, sweet pepper sauce. And some spices. I also spot an open bottle of red wine in the fridge. After tasting it I almost shudder, what a blasphemy to keep dry red wine in the fridge! Babette joins me and I share the observation about the wine with her. She laughs.

“
It may have been the cook who put the bottle in the fridge. She seemed a simple, superstitious country woman. Will you need some help with this stew?”

“
Not now, but a little later somebody has to check on it. I’m not going to sit here for two hours. And this is more or less how long the meat needs to be stewed. I wanna take a shower and put on make-up. I don’t feel too fresh after everything that happened yesterday. Hell’s Fire, I still feel this olive oil on my skin.” I keep on chopping the onion while talking.

“Yeah, I also didn’t wash properly last night. I was too tired. Eleyne, I still can’t believe I’m here with them and you. And that we did have them with us.”

“Yeah, I agree. It feels almost like a dream. But I don’t want to wake up. I’m so happy with them even though I feel a bit confused now.”

Suddenly Yasmin enters. Seeing her I can’t resist and voice my doubts. I’ve been trying to get them out of my mind, but in vain. I simply feel a bit guilty, could our eagerness to share Jim against Melisa’s will have something to do with her disappearance? However, Yasmin soothes my conscience saying it’s impossible, then announces.

“The guys want more tea and coffee. I guess we have to make it ourselves. Babette can you help me?”

They busy themselves with the beverages. Yasmin asks me.

“So this is going to be a stew? Isn’t it?”

“Yes, Hungarian-style goulash, with a lot of wine and other veggies inside. We’re going to need some good bread to go with it. I don’t see any here – there’s only this toast style soft as cotton loaf. We’ll have to ask the guys to go to a bakery – some French baguettes would be definitely nice. Or to a supermarket, we may need some more wine, too. And perhaps some cheeses, I don’t see any more in the fridge.”

“
I’ll tell them, and later on I’ll go with them to make sure they buy the good stuff,” says Babette; she and Yasmin take the pots with tea and coffee and head for the living room.

I stay alone in the kitchen and continue with the stew. I season the meat and get it into a big pot together with the diced onions and I let if fry for a while. After a few minutes I add the red peppers sauce and whole bottle of wine, stir everything, cover the pot and lower the fire underneath. I decide that I have at least half an hour before checking on the dish and leave the kitchen. I go to the living room to collect my suitcase, when I enter the guys are so busy killing zombies that they don’t even notice me. I laugh in my heart at that – the game is so funny they are completely entranced in it. But this happened to me, too. For a moment I wonder what we will need to do to drag their attention off the laptops and the game...

I take my luggage – now quite lightweight after removing all the wine bottles I had there and go up to the bedroom. I muse how prudent of me – if that’s the right word here – was not to leave the suitcase in the hostel room, but to take everything with me to the Passage and then to get it out of the car. Now at least I have my clothes, toiletries and cosmetics with me – well, not many as a lot of space was taken by bottles.

The shower is fantastic! I finally feel fresh and clean. I decide to pamper myself a bit more and apply some fragrant body lotion and do some make up, too. Later on I get dressed – a top with low v-neck and a skirt are just fine, but I make sure that the v-neck is low enough to catch male attention. I think I will need some special resources today. Having prepared myself for anything that may turn up, I go down to the kitchen to see how the goulash is doing. While I stir the meat in the pot Yasmin joins me.

“I’ve had a shower,” she tells me, “it’s just a pity I don’t have anything else to wear.” She points at her t-shirt and shorts. True, she got transported here with virtually nothing, just what she was wearing at the time and her bag. I offer.

“I don’t think you’ll fit in my trousers or skirts, but perhaps some of my tops will be good for you. And if you want you can use my cosmetics.”

“Oh, thank you, Eleyne. It’s really nice of you.”

“After all we’ll probably share our men, so I suppose we can also share some cosmetics. I think I also have some perfume samples in my cosmetics bag, try them out if you want.”

“That’s really gracious of you, Eleyne. I’ll sure do. I only have a roll on in my bag.”

“Everything’s in Tony’s bedroom. I left the suitcase open. The cosmetics are in the bathroom.”

“OK, thanks a lot again.”

She leaves me in the kitchen and goes upstairs again to beautify herself a bit more.
Now Babette joins me, also fresh and made up.

“The guys are there in the living room still playing like kids. Even Jim looks happier but he’s still not his usual cheerful self. But you were correct yesterday about gadgets and men. We’ll have to be really persuasive tonight to get what we want.” She winks.

I laugh.
“
I see you made some preparations, too. Yasmin has just gone to Tony’s bedroom to choose one of my tops, I also let her use my cosmetics and perfume samples, you can have a go at them, too.”

Babette laughs back happily and goes to join Yasmin and finish making herself look gorgeous.

The meat still requires some stewing, but I decide it’s time for the frozen carrots and potatoes to go in. Then I make myself one more cup of coffee and join the guys in the living room. Babette was right, they are so hypnotized by the game that they don’t even see me entering. When I stand behind Tony, I see how far he has progressed in it. It seems he’s almost done with the fog level, I look at him curiously to see how he manages the last game of the level. Then I surprise him snapping my fingers, now I have his attention back, the others also notice me.