169 lines
9.0 KiB
Plaintext
169 lines
9.0 KiB
Plaintext
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Stephanie's Reunion
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By Sir Kevin
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Stephanie smiled at the slavegirls kneeling under the neon
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sign of Pompeii's Cafe, the favorite hang-out of her master and the
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other slaveowners. They smiled back at her. None of them said
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anything. An exchange of smile was all the greeting the slavegirls
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were allowed among themselves.
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All the girls were naked, like herself. Some of them were
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chained or bound, others were not restrained save for the chains
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around their necks, but they also rigidly crossed their wrists
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behind their backs, as if held by their masters' magic spell.
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Stephanie walked to the end of the row and fell on her knees.
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Sitting on her heels, she threw out her chest and knelt with the
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grace of a Greek statue, while her master locked the chain on her
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collar to a ring in the wall and disappeared into the cafe.
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Her arms and hands were tied tightly behind her back, so
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tightly that it was hurting her. But she had decided not to
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complain. Her master was not in a very good mood that day. In fact,
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just before they left home he had whipped her severely for some
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extremely trivial mistake. Her back and breasts were still burning
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from the pain.
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The street was crowded as usual. A constant flow of legs and
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feet moved to and fro before Stephanie's eyes. Some of them stopped
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in front of her. Then there would be a hand touching her at
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different places on her body, and maybe even a few flirting words.
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But over the last few years, Stephanie had learnt to simply ignore
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them. The armed security guards standing by the door of the cafe
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were her insurance that these passing menaces would not be any
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serious threat to her.
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A pair of young lovers appeared around the corner, and
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Stephanie could not resist the instinct to glance at them a few
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times. The young man, rather gloomy-looking in his dark grey rain-
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coat, did not attract much of her attention initially. But his
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girlfriend, a cheerful little blonde wearing a bright red and white
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sport jacket, tight-fitting blue jeans and a pair of white leather
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boots, who walked in a way of dancing and talked in a way of
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singing, reminded Stephanie very much of herself before that
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fateful day in the slave market.
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The girl stopped in front of each of the slavegirls and
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giggled brief remarks on them like an art critic appraising art-
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works on an exhibition, while her boyfriend hemmed single syllables
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from his nose either in agreement or disagreement. Vaguely,
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Stephanie found his voice somewhat familiar.
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The white leather boots danced over to Stephanie, and the girl
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exclaimed in a raised voice: "Oh look! This one has all the
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elements of a Degas!"
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"Now there you got it, darling. She's a real piece of art."
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The young man finally spoke.
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Immediately, Stephanie realized whose voice she was hearing.
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On an uncontrollable impulse, she raised her head and called out:
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"Eddy!"
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Stephanie felt like in a dream. Towering over her pitiable
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kneeling figure was indeed her younger brother Eddy.
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Eddy was the only family she had in the world. Orphaned at a
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early age, she practically raised him by herself, although she was
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only a year older. Having always demonstrated a strong talent in
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art, Eddy aspired to go to an art school in Paris. Five year
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before, when he graduated from high school, Stephanie withdrew from
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her own college to work as a waitress in order to help him save the
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money. A few months later, when it became clear to her that they
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would never be able to save enough money with the kind of jobs they
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could find, she made an ultimate self-sacrifice for Eddy. She went
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to a nationwide slave dealer and signed up for an upcoming slave-
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auction, designating her brother as the sole beneficiary of the
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proceeds from her sale. The evening before she was taken away to
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the auction, Stephanie and Eddy locked each other in their arms and
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cried well into the night. The next morning, the men sent by the
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slave dealer had to literally tear her away from Eddy's arms. When
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the van moved down the road, Stephanie saw her brother running
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frantically after it, while she hit the barred windshield until her
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hands bled. Eddy's distorted voice had been echoing in her mind
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ever since then: "Stephie! Stephie! I'll come and get you out as
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soon as I return!" ...
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It seemed to have happened only the day before, but in reality
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Stephanie had not seen or even heard from Eddy for well over four
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years. She knew Eddy should be back from Paris by now, and she had
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been praying day and night that he would come to her the very next
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minute. And now when her dearest brother suddenly appeared before
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her eyes like a miracle, Stephanie could not contain herself.
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Looked up at Eddy, her whole body was shaking violently, and her
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eyes were filled with passion and expectation.
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A complex expression flew over Eddy's face. He had apparently
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recognized his loving sister, too. He stepped forward to her, but
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stopped instantly. Instead of throwing himself down to her and
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relieving her of her bondage as Stephanie expected, he stood
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motionlessly, mouth half open and eyes staring blankly beyond her,
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as if stricken by a lightning.
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The little blonde looked up and down between Eddy and
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Stephanie, and asked him curiously: "You know each other?"
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"Huh, what? Oh no, no, not really. I don't think so." Eddy
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seemed to have finally gathered himself together. He turned to his
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hapless sister, and asked: "How do you know my name, slavegirl?
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What do you want from me?"
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"Eddy..." Now it was Stephanie who felt like stricken by a
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lightning.
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"What? Do I know you?"
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The cruel question came upon Stephanie like a dagger piercing
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through her heart. She let her chin sink on her chest, leaned back
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against the wall, and breathed deeply.
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"You have forgotten, Ed...Master Eddy," after a long while,
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Stephanie managed to say in a small voice, without raising her
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head. "My master used to be your next-door neighbor...and I used to
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help you with your housework when you were young..."
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"Ah, I see," Eddy quickly played along. "Now I remember ---
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Stephanie, right?"
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"Yes, Master Eddy..." Stephanie felt as if something had been
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stuffed in her throat.
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"It's been a long time, Stephanie. How have you been?"
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"I'm fine...I guess. Thank you, Master Eddy."
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"Where's your master, Mr., eh..."
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"Mr. Van Dyke, Master Eddy. He's in the cafe. I have a message
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for you from him." In her shocked state of mind, Stephanie did not
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realize the illogicality of her last statement.
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"Oh? What's the message?"
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"My master wishes you all the best in you career, Master
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Eddy."
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"That's...very kind of him," Eddy said after a long pause.
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"Please thank him for me, Stephie."
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"I will, Master Eddy."
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Both of them fell silent. They stared at each other for a time
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without saying anything.
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Finally, Eddy's girlfriend broke the awkward silence. "I don't
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want to interrupt your little reunion, Eddy," she whispered, "but
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I think it's time for us to get back to the airport now. I don't
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want my parents to wait for us too long."
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"Hm," Eddy replied, and slowly turned away from Stephanie like
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a dream-walker. Then abruptly he turned back to her and asked:
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"Stephie, is your master treating you well?"
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"Yes, Master Eddy, very well." Tears streamed down from
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Stephanie's eyes.
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"Good...now take good care of yourself, OK?" With the words,
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he walked away quickly.
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"Hey, wait for me!" The little blonde bounced along after him,
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while waving to Stephanie. "Bye-bye, Stephanie!"
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"Why do I have the feeling that you knew each other much
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better than just neighbors?" Stephanie heard her asking Eddy
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teasingly once she caught up with him.
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"Oh, just those silly childhood things. You don't want to
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know."
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"Yes I do! Tell me!"
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"Nah. Leave me alone."
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"No, I won't, till you tell me. Tell me tell me tell me..."
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They disappeared into the crowd.
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Stephanie spent the rest of the evening crying to herself. The
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other slavegirls watched her with great sympathy. Some even
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accompanied her in tears, but none of them said anything.
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The security guards standing around also looked at Stephanie
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sympathetically.
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"Poor girl," said one of them. "Must have had a crush on that
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little boss man."
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"Hopeless," another guard commented. "That's why I always tell
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these girls: never get wrapped up in those romances."
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Stephanie just cried.
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Stephanie's master was astonished to see her tear-covered face
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when he came out from the cafe.
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"What's wrong, Stephie?" He squatted down to wipe her face
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with his silk handkerchief and caress her bruised shoulders. "Did
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I beat you too hard this evening?"
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"No, my Lord...not at all." Stephanie threw herself into his
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broad chest and cried like a child.
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"Please...my Lord," she murmured between sobs, "please whip me
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again...whip me right now, my Lord; I want it...and whip me harder
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than ever..."
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