Vanessa shivered in horror at the picture and wondered what on earth these cards could be.
It began to grow dark outside and still no one came. Suddenly, she was startled when the heavy burgundy velvet drapes on the windows were drawn as if by an invisible hand. Then, in the same curious way, the lights on the wall were lit and the fire seemed to blaze up more brightly.
Why, oh why, did no one come! She began to grow panicky. She stood up and walked determinedly to the sliding doors. She tried with all her strength to pull them open and when that failed she began to bang on the doors with her fists.
"Help! Help!" she screamed. "Please… open the door… someone open the door!" She fell to her knees and began to cry. Suddenly, as if aware of a powerful presence, she looked up. Something was glowing on the mantle of the fireplace, glowing brighter and brighter by the minute.
It was utterly obscene! It was a statue – she could swear it had not been there when she first entered the room – the most vile statue she had ever seen. It was carved of ebony and looked like a primitive African work. It was a carving of a naked man with an enormous cock in his fist. His eyes, lit from within, glowed like green coals, and the grotesquely large penis glowed a deep red.
The sight of this obscene statue caused Vanessa to grow almost hysterical inside. Something was wrong here! Something was very wrong! She screamed again for help. She banged the door and paced across the room, and in her terror, her hand swept across the table and the strange cards were tossed to the floor.
"You shouldn't have done that," said a calm deep voice. Vanessa looked up and, blinking the tears from her eyes, found herself looking at the handsomest man she had ever seen.
"But I shall forgive you. Perhaps I have been inconsiderate in making such a late appearance." He smiled in a most disarming manner and extended his hand. "I'm your Uncle Aleister," he said. "How do you do."
"How do you do," said Vanessa, feeling terribly ashamed. Why had she panicked in such a ridiculous fashion just because her uncle had kept her waiting? But the statue! She looked over at the fireplace mantle and saw only an ordinary ebony carving of a man. "I-I'm sorry. It-it's mother's death… I am not myself."
"That's all right," said Aleister, his eyes staring intently into hers. "I quite understand." Aleister Crawford was a tail man with a slender but muscular build. Though in his late forties, his hair was still thick and wavy, streaked in a most attractive way with silver. He was wearing a black silk smoking jacket and looked terribly handsome to Vanessa. But one thing about his appearance seemed quite remarkable to her. It was his hands – there were rings on all of his fingers except his thumbs, beautiful rings of gold and silver, some with carved figures like icons, some with jewels.
Aleister was stooping now to pick up the cards and Vanessa bent to help him. "No!" he snapped. "You mustn't touch these." Then his anger faded and he smiled charmingly again. "They are Tarot cards," he said relaxing. "Of course, it's just a superstition, but no one but me must ever touch them."
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Oh no, it is I who am sorry. You must be terribly tired from your long trip. Let me show you to your room."
Now the sliding doors opened easily and Vanessa was led up the richly carpeted stairs to the second floor. The upstairs hallways were paneled with mahogany and an oriental carpet of red and black covered the floor.
"Oh, this is lovely," she exclaimed as he opened the door to her room. Though it was a little dark for her taste, it was beautifully appointed. There was a heavy wooden four-poster bed with a canopy of burgundy velvet, and heavy velvet curtains of the same color covered the windows. The dresser was dark and massive and the lights that lit the room gave one the feeling of being in another century. There were paintings on the wall, dark oil colors, but she did not study them carefully.
"If you want anything, this cord will summon Billy Butter. We have an excellent cook, Lily, a girl about your own age. And you may take something in your room tonight, as you must be quite exhausted from your journey." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "In the morning," he said, "we will get to know each other better. Deep dreams."
He left quickly, closing the door behind him. Vanessa was upset with herself for having behaved so badly. Uncle Aleister was a perfectly charming man, and this was certainly a beautiful home. All she needed, she told herself, was a nice hot bath, a light supper and a good night's sleep. She took off her traveling outfit and carefully hung it in the closet. For a moment she caught her reflection in the mirror and was oddly surprised by it. Perhaps it was because she still thought of herself as a little girl. What she saw in the gold-framed mirror was a tall and beautiful woman in a black lace bra and panties, with a black lace garter belt and stockings. She was shocked by her image in the mirror, oddly obscene in the weird setting of this room. Perhaps, she thought, it's because my underwear is black. She had always worn white until she had to buy a mourning outfit.
She turned from the mirror and removed her bra. Her tits stood high and firm over her slender waist, and the cool air made her nipples tingle into erectness. She removed the rest of her underwear, unpacked her soft velour robe from her suitcase, and stepped into the adjoining bathroom.
It, too, had a kind of dark elegance. There was a black marble sink and tub, soft black carpeting on the floors, black and gold wallpaper, and mirrors with elaborate gold frames.
The hot bath made her feel sleepy. She quickly put on her pretty white nightgown and slipped in between the covers of the bed. She lay back against the soft satin-covered pillow and felt her body relax. She realized she had eaten nothing since morning and she was quite hungry. Perhaps a light snack before sleeping would be just right.
She pulled the red velvet cord by the bed and a moment later Billy Butter appeared at the door. "Good evening, Miss," he said. "Is there something I can get you?"
"Yes," she replied. "Some tea would be quite nice and perhaps a little cake."
"Ahhhhh," smiled Billy. "There is some wonderful honey cake in the pantry. Lily baked it this morning. Would that be suitable?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "Quite."
It did not take long for Billy to return with the tea and cake on a carved silver platter. "Good night," he said. "Deep dreams."
Deep dreams! she thought. That's what Uncle Aleister had said. What an odd expression!
The cake was delicious… very sweet, with a trace of a spice she could not quite place… something like anise, but not exactly. She ate it all and sipped the tea, then lay back on her pillow to relax into sleep.
Her body relaxed into a state that felt light and everything in the room seemed to take on an oddly soft focus. She felt as if she were dreaming yet she was sure she was not asleep. A heavenly relaxation seemed to pervade her body.
Then her eyes fell upon a painting on the wall. The content of the picture was shocking, but she was astonished that it did not disturb her tranquility to view it. It was even beautiful in a curious kind of way, the red and black colors giving a feeling of the beauty of evil. The beauty of evil… what an odd thought, she observed, though she was not at all disturbed by it.
In the painting a girl with golden hair was lying on a slab of stone, raised somehow magically above the ground. The girl in the picture was naked, though the tones in the painting were so dark Vanessa had not noticed it when she had first entered the room. Around the girl in the painting was a group of people wearing cloaks. From the air, a terrifying creature – seemingly half man, half bat – was swooping down towards her. Despite Vanessa's strange and drug-like state, what she noticed next in the picture made her heart jump with fear. Between his dark hair and hair-covered legs the creature had an enormous cock, red and menacing, standing straight out from his loins as he swooped down on the blonde girl.