Adventures in Nemesisland

Kim traced her steps back through the darkness of the medieval chamber with its fearsome cage and pit and emerged into a corridor. Here she faced a difficult choice; to her left was one door, facing her was a short passage leading to another door and across from her was an imposing black metal gate with the word 'Nemesis' welded onto it that led to stairs and an upper floor. Where should she go next? She had already had some strange adventures and she wished she could end up somewhere normal with normal people and hold a regular conversation.

Then Kim noticed something; built into the space under the stairs was a small cage with a wire mesh door that was padlocked. Kim's attention had been drawn by a flicker of movement in this cage. As she approached and her eyes penetrated the gloom she could see a shadowy figure inside.

She peered into the cage through the wire mesh. A whiskered face, pointed black ears and a pair of eyes stared back at her. She jumped back in fright. It was a strange creature, the shape of a man but with the features of a cat. The ankles and wrists of the black cat, if that was indeed what it was, had been shackled and padlocked to hooks on the walls and floor of the cage. His head hung forlornly and his bushy black and white tail spread out from underneath his back-side where he sat.

The black cat looked back at her. It was most odd; it was as if the creature recognised her. It shuffled to the back of the cell and cowered into the corner staring back at her in alarm. It must think I'm going to harm it, she thought.

"I promise I won't hurt you," said Kim, "I like cats. I have a cat at home in my flat in Manchester, she's called Dinah."

Kim held her hand out to the mesh reassuringly and the cat shuffled towards her on all fours. Kim saw that there was a tag on the leather collar around the cat's neck. She stretched her fingers through the wire mesh and tentatively reached for it, hoping that the animal would not scratch or bite her. 'Nano', it read. That must be the cat's name, thought Kim. What a strange name for a cat. She flipped the metal disc around and on the other side was another inscription, 'Property of Mistress Nemesis', it read. This was even stranger, thought Kim. What could that mean?

The cat eyed her warily. She wondered if the cat could speak at all. The strange encounters she had already experienced suggested it was worth striking up a conversation with the animal. It was hardly going to be the normal conversation she craved but she was so anxious to find out more about this world and to use any opportunity to understand this strange place she had committed herself to.

"Hello, my name is Kim. Can you help me? I've lost my way," she asked.

"Well, that's very careless of you," the cat replied.

Kim glared at the black cat. Really, this was so infuriating. Would nobody here give her a sensible answer? She was about to speak crossly to the cat and tell him off for being so rude and unhelpful when he spoke again.

"Besides you don't have any ways, all of the ways here belong to Mistress Nemesis. You'll have to use one of her ways."

At least Kim had got an answer of sorts, even if it was a strange one. But, the black cat named Nano appeared to know something about this place so Kim thought it was worth pursuing him with some more questions.

"So, who is Mistress Nemesis?" she asked.

"This is all her domain, her kingdom, there is nothing that happens in here that she doesn't know about or doesn't control," the cat replied.

"You mean I've no free will in this place at all? I must have some choices."

"No, of course not, Mistress Nemesis controls everything here. You'll meet many characters in this world but they are all doing her bidding. Sometimes they may think they have free will but it will be an illusion. Even when you think you have made a choice it will only be because that's what she desires. Mistress Nemesis is powerful; she will get inside your head and make you do what she wants. Everybody in this world is in her control, they all serve her."

Kim contemplated the answer she had been given. The cat was proving to be most helpful and knowledgeable. Perhaps if Kim could find out more about how this world worked she could find her way around it. This Mistress Nemesis seemed to be the key, especially if the cat was right about the power she wielded over her domain. The cat seemed to have got over his initial nervousness at being approached by her and was speaking to her openly. She decided to get as much information out of the cat as she could.

"So, this Mistress Nemesis, am I likely to meet her at all?"

"Oh yes, almost certainly, but she takes on many characters, sometimes you might not know. Who have you met in Nemesisland?"

"Well, I've met the Queen of Hearts in a chamber with a cage and the Duchess, the white rabbit and Tweedledum and Tweedledee," Kim replied.

"Oh well, you've almost certainly met her then, the Red Queen is one of the personas she takes on as she travels through her kingdom. She has many guises. Most of the time she will treat you cruelly, she is capable of inflicting severe punishments on the people who occupy her world, especially if they displease her or fail to carry out her instructions. She'll laugh at you as well. Even when you are in the most awful of predicaments it will amuse her. Occasionally, if you serve her well and if you're lucky, very lucky, she'll show you some kindness."

"Well, I think she sounds quite horrid," said Kim, "I rather hope that I don't meet her again."

The cat nodded his head and smiled at Kim. "No, you haven't understood this world at all. She's not horrible. When you've been here a bit longer you'll understand, you'll embrace her, you'll do whatever she wants and, however painful or humiliating, it won't matter because you'll want to serve her."

Kim was struggling with this concept. She had been told she had no free will and now she was being told she would have to be servile to the cruel mistress of this bizarre world.

"I'm sure I should not wish to serve such a person."

The black cat laughed at her.

"I bet you've already given yourself up to her. There are none here that don't. Did the Queen of Hearts punish you?"

"Yes, she treated me cruelly. She chained me up in a cage, twisted my nipples and used an electric wand on me."

"And you could do nothing to resist could you? Am I right?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Even when you weren't restrained you did nothing to escape, did you?

"Well, you're right, I didn't"

"And tell me, be honest, when the pain was being inflicted, you wanted it didn't you? You didn't want it to stop, did you? I bet you wanted more, didn't you?"

Kim was shocked. It was as if an express train had stopped her in her tracks. All of this was true.

"And did she have you carrying out tasks for her?"

"Well yes, I guess she did. She told me to punish Tweedledum and Tweedledee."

"And you did it without questioning, didn't you? You had to, because she wanted you to and you were powerless to resist!"

Kim gaped as the dawn of realisation hit her.

"You're a character in Nemesisland now," the black cat laughed, "You've been captivated and there's nothing you can do about it."

"But how can I get out?" cried Kim.

"You don't. At least not until she lets you go. Anyway, after a little while you won't want to, you'll want to stay here. Don't worry. All the characters in Nemesisland have been through what you have. Some have accepted their place whilst others still resist. But it's hopeless; she will control you in the end. She's very powerful. Look at me. She turned me into a cat. "

"How did that happen?" asked Kim.

"It's a long story."

"Oh, but do tell me, I'd like to hear."

"Well I'll try and tell it as briefly as I can without missing out any of the important parts. Sometimes Mistress Nemesis lets her characters out of Nemesisland. Some privileged slaves are given missions to carry out for her. I have been lucky enough to be sent on such a mission. You have heard of the Celtic Goddess, Rhiannon?"

"Yes, I have. Well at least from stories and myths."

"I had to go to an underground labyrinth in the Welsh borders where the Celtic Goddess Rhiannon and her magical white horse and birds were being held in captivity."

"Ooh, a magical horse, that sounds exciting," Kim interjected.

"Yes and also very dangerous. She was being held captive by the Roman invaders who were seeking to destroy the powers of the Celtic goddesses. My task was to rescue Goddess Rhiannon and her horse. Mistress Nemesis provided me with an elixir which gave me the shape shifting powers of the goddesses. I used this to turn myself into a horse to infiltrate the stables where Rhiannon's horse was held. But I was caught myself and turned myself into a black cat so I could sneak away from my captors. I did eventually escape with Goddess Rhiannon and her horse but, although my mission was successful, at one point I had succumbed to temptation and seduction so Mistress Nemesis kept me in this cat's body as a punishment."

What a strange tale, thought Kim. Perhaps the worlds outside of this place were even odder still.

"But, don't you mind being a cat?" asked Kim.

"Oh no, not really," the cat replied. "I've learnt to accept Mistress Nemesis's judgement in these things. One day, when she's ready and she thinks I've suffered enough, I expect she will release me back into my human form again."

"I should find it very strange to be a cat, "said Kim. "Would she turn me into a cat do you think?"

The black cat smiled, a long broad grin, wider than a Cheshire cat.

"Beware, she is capable of turning you into whatever she pleases and having you do whatever she desires."

Kim sighed, "I don't know if I'm going to like it here, it's so very weird."

"As I've said, the only ways are Mistress Nemesis's ways. You'll have to follow the path that is laid out for you and when you have finished your journey submit to her judgement as to whether she will let you return to your world. Who knows, by then, you might be happy to stay."

The cat had already been helpful and explained something of the strange world that Kim found herself in. She decided on another line of questioning now, one that might give her some practical help.

"Can you tell me where these doors lead?" asked Kim.

"The door behind you leads to another part of Goddess Nemesis's realm that leads to a dark isolation chamber. Upstairs beyond the metal door is the heart of her world. It's a forbidding place with dungeons and instruments of torture. Through the door there," the cat nodded his head in the direction, "there's a tea party going on."

"Oh, just like 'Alice in Wonderland', that sounds fun," said Kim. "I think I should prefer that to dungeons and torture chambers. Thank you for your help. I hope your Mistress sets you free soon. Goodbye," Kim called out as she set off towards the next door.

"Goodbye Kim. I'm sure our paths will cross again. Beware, not all tea parties are such fun," the cat called down the corridor.

But the warning came as Kim skipped out of ear shot, too late for her to heed the cat's words.