"Samuel...Samuel...I see you Samuel." The taunting continued on this way; followed by bouts of alluring yet insidious giggling. Samuel hid behind a tree, his curiosity increasing with every moment that passed. He had been aroused from a rather sound slumber by the tiny footfalls of his two younger sisters as they raced down the corridor, past his room, and the room of his sleeping parents.
The girls whispered to each other as they skittered down the stairs, almost floating, and out the front door of the house. Samuel followed close behind, taking cover in the black blanket of night as to not be seen. He watched the girls disappear into the woods at the east end of the village. He followed their bare foot tracks in the dirt, mud and then stopped a few feet away from them where he found his cover by the tree.
Samuel's sisters were soon joined by three of their peers; young girls who-without the promise of a man- could not yet be considered women, though advanced as one is through nature that none of them could, by any measure, be considered children; Lydia Duncan who had just reached her nineteenth year, Rebecca and Ellen Blackwood; sisters, though unmarried, but within child bearing years. Molly Ward was the youngest of the group having turned eighteen just three days before. The others had surrounded her laughing and hugging her as Samuel's sister, Grace placed a garland of flowers on the other girls head. Each of the girls kissed Molly on the cheek and she kissed them each in return. The light of the full moon shined down on the girls, illuminating them in an eerie, surrealistic glow.
"Come sister." Lydia said to Molly as she took the younger girls hand. "The others await." Giggling like silly school girls, the small group moved further into the trees to what destination Samuel was unsure but determined to find out. Ellen turned briefly, looking directly at the tree where Samuel hid and suddenly winked. Samuel started.
Did she know he was there he wondered. Was she inviting him to follow? As the girls skipped and pranced through the woods Samuel followed, keeping a safe distance behind them. The girls came to a clearing in the center of the forest where they were greeted by yet more of the young women from the village. All of the women present were in their bare feet and night clothes. Their hair flowed, untamed, down their thinly clothed backs. Samuel found a safe hiding spot in the foliage from which to spy on the gathering.
He recognized many of them straight away.
Among them were Lucy sanders, Beulah Abbott, Rose Wilsby, and Constance Palmer. All the women were unmarried and between the ages of nineteen and twenty-two. Beulah Abbott had recently announced her engagement to Seth Bosworth but her intended was not present at this gathering, which Samuel found quite odd. Rose Wilsby-he thought- was planning to marry Thaddeus Cole though no proclamation of their love had yet been made.
Samuel thought Thaddeus a wasteful and slow witted youth anyway, he could think of a better choice for Rose as he had thought quite often of courting her himself, and would have if so many others had not been talking about the two as though they were a couple. Samuel sighed as he thought of Rose and the idiot Cole together; Samuel was sure that he would have made her a much more suitable husband. Molly was immediately surrounded by the others as they gifted her with more garlands of flowers, woven with colorful cords and lace that they dropped down her golden locks and attached to the garland that crowned her head. She looked like a strange sort of bride, standing beneath the moon wearing a veil of blooms.
The girls had all stepped back from her, clearing the way as Beulah stepped up. She smiled to Molly warmly, then raised a silver, shimmering, pendant in her hands for all to see. Two of the other young maidens lifted Molly's beautiful hair off her slender neck so Beulah could fasten the pendant for her. Samuel couldn't see for sure what the pendant was though he was quite certain that it was not a cross which would have been the only form of jewelry approved by the church. He wondered suddenly what these girls were up to, why were they all gathered in the forest at night, and on this night?
It was all hallows eve, the devils night. Any good, God-fearing man, woman, or child would surely be home locked way within the safety of their houses. To be honest, the thought of going back into town and waking his father had crossed his mind, but his curiosity got the better of him as he watched, in utter disbelief, what transpired next.
Molly looked down at the pendant and tearfully thanked Beulah for the gift. Beulah put her hands on each of the girl's shoulders and gently pulled her close. Samuel thought that she was about to whisper some secret in the girls ear when, to his complete shock, Beulah leaned forward and kissed Molly passionately on the mouth. The group around them suddenly erupted in a chorus of squeals and clapping. Beulah undid the ties that held Molly's gown together and let it slip to the girls feet. Molly blushed as Beulah stepped behind her and then lifted her arms high above her head as if displaying her to the others. One by one night dresses began to drop as each of the girls stepped out of their clothing and walked, naked, towards Molly and Beulah. Samuel stared at the scene, wide eyed, unsure if he should run or not.
Fear gripped him as he thought of what the town officials would do if they saw this behavior. The girls all would be flogged, or worse! He was frozen in place, horrified and mesmerized at the same time, unsure of what to do but unable to look away. The girls kissed Molly on the mouth just as Beulah had done, and she opened herself to each of them. Slowly, one by one, the girls began to kiss one another, wrapping their arms around each other, and groping at each other until they were nothing but a blur of hands on exposed flesh. Beulah stood behind Molly again, slipping her arms around the girls naked body, exploring her skin as she slid her hands over Molly's bare belly, up and down her hips, and then finally resting on her bare breasts.
Molly let her head fall back as Beulah began to kiss her neck lovingly. Her right hand fell down to the tuff of golden hair between Molly's legs. She stroked her hair, moving her fingers through it before slipping them between the soft folds of flesh hidden there. Molly moaned in pleasure as Beulah massaged her private place. Rebecca and Ellen approached her next. Rebecca began to kiss and then suck on Molly's hard pink nipples as Ellen placed her fingers on Molly's hidden place, her fingers working alongside Beulah's as Molly squirmed and moaned louder. Her legs spread a bit, allowing Ellen more access as she pushed her fingers deep inside the other girl. Molly gasped and cried out suddenly, but Beulah soothed her with more kisses. Ellen pushed her mouth against Molly's as she moved her fingers inside and out of her. Moisture glistened on Molly's golden tuff. Ellen went down to her knees, lifted Molly's leg onto her shoulder, and then pressed her face into her. She licked her while sliding her fingers deeper inside.
Samuel watched all of this with wild fascination. Guilt gripped him suddenly as he realized that he was becoming aroused. His organ pulsated behind his breeches, enough so that he grabbed at it, demanding it to be still. His eyes darted about the forest as he fought against his desire to watch more. The sounds of passion roused him once more though, and he caught himself staring greedily at the women while wicked, evil thoughts plagued his mind. Molly was laid down on the ground finally. Her chest rose and sank with each ragged breath as the women around her continued to stimulate her.
Somewhere near the forest's edge, someone had built a fire. Nude girls danced around the ever growing flames as they threw more kindling onto the pyre. Higher and higher the flames rose until finally three of the women lifted a heavy iron cauldron onto the fire and began filling it with water, herbs, and all manner of strange and exotic concoctions. All around the clearing young women were entangled in passionate embraces, kissing and stroking each other.
The crowd grew as more women emerged from the shadowy darkness of the forest. Some of them Samuel recognized, others he did not. The new arrivals were older, more seasoned. Many of them were married with children of their own. Samuel was amazed at the beauty of the women, even those who were of middle age, as they removed their clothing just as their younger counterparts had earlier.
A group of older women stood in a small circle and raised their arms to the moon, clasping hands, as though they were worshiping it. A soft chanting began to rise up above the tops of the trees. Beulah, who had seemed to vanish briefly, had returned now wearing a long cloak made of sage and grass. She walked to Molly, who was laid out on the forest floor, her legs spread wide.
The women gathered around and began to cover their faces with masks made of leaves and twigs. An ornate headdress was placed on Beulah by two of the younger girls. Colorful feathers and gems covered her face while twigs and straw covered her head. The very top of the headdress was adorned with deer antlers that had been covered in moss. The same two girls removed the cloak and busied themselves covering Beulah's body in thick black mud. When they were done a strange device was brought to her, something that Samuel had never seen before in his young life. It was a phallic shaped totem of some kind, smooth and polished. Its length was roughly eight inches with a two inch girth. It was attached to a harness made from deer hide which the two girls strapped to Beulah's hips; the totem rested against her private area, jutting out from between her legs like an erect organ.
