The Curator

Chapter 5: If the Shoe Fits

Sue recovered quicker than she might have expected. She didn't even notice the earbud wire was dangling loose and the headphone jack tentacle was gone. Unfortunately, she was sure it took at least 3 minutes for her to get it together. She continued further into the geology wing in a bit of a just fucked mental haze. With all the added modes, she was stressing about her predicament. The squid had ridiculous technology she would have never suspected was available. She didn't know how much longer she could stand it. She wanted to head straight for sanctuary in her basement office to wait out the lockdown mode, but instead fought down the panic. The fugue must have been one of the tougher programs. Surely most of the features were already activated. The museum would be closing soon and Bill would be gone before long. She was better off waiting before making the trip through the lobby.

Finding the main section of the geology wing didn't take long. It was bigger than she remembered. Thousands of rocks, minerals and crystals were displayed in rows of glass cases. Trying to isolate the rock used in the chair was going to be more difficult than she thought. She knew the fundamentals: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. The rock of the chair was clearly hard and strong, mostly likely igneous or metamorphic. The hot lube reminded her she wasn't here just to browse. She was on a mission with limited time. Dr. Graebel surprised her as she started looking at the labels.

"Hello Sue, you seem like you are looking for something in particular," he said in his soft, smooth, voice.

Dr. Graebel was an institution of his own at the museum. He was the only remaining adjunct scientist brought in during the last major expansion of the museum, way before Sue was even born. He flew jet fighters in Mig Alley during the Korean War. Whatever his past, Dr. Graebel always seemed like a kindly old man to her. She was worried what the squid might have in store for her in a few minutes, but knew that this was also an opportunity. Dr. Graebel was part-time now and seldom available. She was lucky to find him here. If anyone could help her, it would be him.

"Hello Dr. Graebel, it's been a while," Sue replied trying to seem casual and unhurried.

"Please, Martin, we're both colleagues and past formalities I should think."

Sue nodded and smiled. "I forgot just how many samples you have here."

"Don't worry, I know every one of them--as long as I have my glasses on." He laughed.

"I know what you mean, my prescription is measured in pounds instead of diopters."

Martin laughed with her. "I like to close up the wing myself. It's a little ritual I have to keep an old man happy. It helps to remind me why I'm here and that I'm part of something bigger than myself. That's the only reason to do something like this with one's life." He paused as if considering his own words. "You're welcome to look around. I don't need to lock up right away. Is there anything in particular you were looking for?"

Sue figured she might as well cut to the chase. She felt safe enough around Dr. Graebel. "I've found some new stone in the Nuymean artifacts. I think I've seen it before."

"Intriguing. Very Intriguing. Stone would have been laborious to obtain in their jungle homeland from what I understand. The location is along an ancient stable tectonic fault though--more than enough possibilities for something undiscovered. Most people don't realize how many unique forms of stone are actually out there. Some mineral forms come from only one place on the whole planet."

Sue felt that familiar feeling of scientific intrigue and curiosity that drove her to her chosen profession. "I don't have any specific samples other than found on the artifacts themselves."

"That's not a problem. I worked with Dr. Barnes years ago. In fact, we were pretty good friends; I'd like to think. We should start in the NSD room this way. I think I have an idea what stone you might have found."

Sue always found the "Not Suitable for Display" rooms and hidden collections more intriguing than the polished, lighted and labeled items put out for the public. Like most museums, 99% of the National Museum's collection was not on display. This was the real museum to her. "Let the field scientists bring the items to her" was her knew stance on career. She would make her discoveries on her own terms.

Martin hit the light switch and an array of benches, shelves and tools flickered into view. The room was dusty with a bit of earthy smell. "We don't use this room much, mostly just storage. Some of the items in here have been sitting for years. All the geological counterparts to the Nuymean holdings are here," said Martin. "There are a few small samples of stone and the like, but I think you will find the larger artifacts along the wall the most interesting...maybe a match with your findings."

Sue's brain was racing. It never occurred to her that Nuymean items would be elsewhere in the museum. There were some broken stone carvings that looked like they came from temple walls. Nothing was as nice as the ones down in the Nuymean storage area, but they were clearly Nuymean nonetheless. In their condition, she could see why most of the items weren't of archaeological interest, but rather were geologically interesting. One item, however, caught her attention as if it called out to her. She knew there was something special about it instantly.

Near the wall was a large stone artifact clearly made of the same stone as the chair. It had a large rounded base tapering up into what would best be described as a round ball. The top of the ball widened into a saddle-like area on top. It reminded her of the inflatable exercise balls at the gym. From one side of the ball a thicker projection stood out like a neck. Of course, the Nuymeans would not have seen a horse, but it still reminded her of one. In fact, it had some resemblance to one of the bouncy rubber hobby horses kids ride, at least in a remote sense.

The horse was covered in carvings, obviously Nuymean in origin, but looked worn and weathered. There were chips all over the place. In the "saddle" area, the stone was polished and smooth like the body contours of her favorite chair downstairs. Unfortunately, this one had been vandalized. A large reconstructed area was on top. She recognized the patching material. In modern equivalent, it would be an epoxy, but the Nuymeans made it from stone dust and some kind of plant resin. It was hard as concrete. She matched up the locations and realized the patching was located where a phallus mount point might have been. This was another stimulation device!

Martin gave her a moment to look around and watched her study the horse. "Dr. Barnes believed it to be one of the training devices vandalized in the Nuymean fall."

At first, Sue wasn't sure what he was talking about then it flooded back. It was one of the first things she read when she first got the job, but had almost forgotten about it since in the volumes of reading she had done. She had read Dr. Barnes theory of the Nuymean fall. Some unknown group attacked the Nuymean Priestesses, which were the basis for their culture. They didn't kill them for fear of the gods, but they destroyed many of their sacred artifacts; the very artifacts needed to train a young woman to become a priestess. With no new priestesses, the order would come to an end.

Nuymean culture dictated that once a girl reached the age of adulthood she could commit to the religion. Once such a commitment was made, it was sacred and could not be broken willingly. The candidate was trained rigorously to develop sexual performance and endurance. Her union with the gods upon becoming a priestess would require extraordinary endurance and stamina for her to be worthy. She would need to satisfy beings more than human. The artifacts were thought to be gifts from the gods and there was no substitute. Very few candidates succeeded and were accepted.

It all had seemed pretty out there when she read it and was not wasn't written as a factual account like Dr. Barnes other works. Sue had found it amongst her unshared personal works and didn't know how Dr. Graebel had known of the theory. She hadn't shared the theory as it seemed like a work in progress with a lot of speculation.

"I didn't know anyone else knew of that theory. I only found it in Dr. Barnes personal notes," she replied.

"I discussed it extensively with her. Some of these artifacts were part of the basis for her theory. She called it a theory, but the evidence is clearly there. If it wasn't a deliberate attack on the priestesses, then what else could it have been? The patina on the stone indicates the damaged areas are of an age corresponding to the Nuymean fall."

Sue knew there were a few pieces that didn't match up though. Some evidence that the priestesses were still actively creating new written works some 100 years later existed. She wasn't sure how serious to take some of it.

"I have to go finish closing up. We have quite a few valuable artifacts and a lot of security systems. I'll be back in 20 minutes or so. Feel free to look around. We can see if we can match up that stone when I get back," Martin offered as he headed out the door.

As soon as he left, Sue went straight over to the horse. It was definitely made of the same stone. The way it was made was similar as well. She couldn't help getting a little horny thinking about what it might have been like to "train" like a prospective priestess. She tried to visualize how a young acolyte might use it. Lost in the moment, Sue thought she would try a little more participant archaeology to understand the body orientation needed to use the horse. There was a small foothold on the side. What harm could it be? Martin would never know. She just needed to sit on it for a couple minutes. She didn't see any security cameras in the room.

Sue stepped into the foothold easily and lifted her leg over the side. As she tried to sit down, the position was immediately difficult. The inclination of the seat was too slanted and she had to brace herself against the "neck." She couldn't find a workable angle for her feet. She kept shifting around then realized it was more like the seat for a jockey. She needed to tuck her legs up really tight into a squatting position. The contour in the stone clearly was a seat though. Her ass fit into it like it was a custom saddle.

After fumbling for a while, she found notches on each side high up near the rear of the saddle. With a lot of effort, she pulled her left foot up to a notch. Her pointed shoe fit easily. She suddenly realized what the shoes were all about. They were for training on devices like this. The phallus chair must have been made specifically for initiation. She wanted to understand the full effect and pulled her other foot into the second notch. Her feet sank in deeply up to the heel with a perfect fit. The natural point of her toes, forced by the shoes, created a perfect alignment for her lower leg. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it seemed like it could have been a natural riding position.

As Sue situated herself further into what seemed like the proper position. The seat still had an uncomfortable lean forward. She struggled to keep upright. She could see that a phallus would have been positioned directly under her, right where it should be--exactly where it should be. The repair was still consistent. The material was contoured, rather precisely, to press up against her intimately. Actually, the pressure was a bit stimulating after a minute or two. The smooth finish of the patch matched up with her anatomically. The smoothness was from wear!

Just then she heard a beep from her purse. Shit! What now? Her purse was on the floor beside the horse. She had set it down absentmindedly. She started to pull her feet out of the notches to get down, but they were held fast. She couldn't move them in the slightest. She was somehow locked in!

The remote beeped again and Sue outright panicked. What if it was going to enable yet another sinister mode? She had to get that remote, but how? She tried bending down to reach it but it was too far away. There was nothing close by to use as tool. She rushed through possible options as quickly as she could think of them with no luck. Suddenly she had an idea, she could hook the purse straps. She started pulling off her sweater and silky undershirt. She needed her bra. The hooks on the back should work. The fear of Martin returning to find her and what the squid had in store with the next prompt combined to generate a new level of frantic. Her heart was pounding.

She bent one of her bra strap hooks, wincing at the pain in her fingers, then snagged the purse strap on her second try. She laid her sweater, shirt and bra across her lap in front and set the purse on top while she braced against the neck: success. The remote said, "Press 1 to confirm seated riding position. Once confirmed, you must remain seated for entire program." It must be that the sensors in the squid detected her unusual position, but what did it have in store now?

She selected "1" in fear that it might try to force her to stand up or even punish her otherwise. The display changed to "Fox Hunt." The door behind her opened with a clunk. She jumped in surprise causing her balanced clothes and purse to slip from her lap. The contents of her purse spilled out with a clatter while her cell phone skittered across the floor. She stared in disbelief then looked right up into Martin's eyes as the squid started up with a deep throbbing vibration. Sue was mortified.

Sue awkwardly tried to cover her naked breasts with her hands, but still needed one hand to keep from falling forward. She could only support herself upright for a few moments without bracing her arm on the neck. It was simply too difficult for her sedentary muscles. She palmed her left breast with her right hand and tried to use her forearm to cover her right one.

Martin barely paused as he came closer. The door closer pulled the heavy metal door shut with another clunk and then a click. Sue felt like a rabbit caught in headlights--fast moving headlights--right towards her. She scrambled to think if anything embarrassing was in her purse. She had dropped the remote who-knows-where and didn't see it. She could only imagine what the "Fox Hunt" program would do. It was a nightmare of embarrassment. "Dr. Graebel, I was only trying to..."

He cut her off with a short wave of his hand, as if it was nothing. "Dr. Barnes tried much the same thing only she did it completely in the nude...it was the '60s after all," he said with a shrug. "She was serious about re-creating the Nuymean training. Now they would call it 'participant archaeology,' to us it was just experimentation. Did your feet lock into the holds?"

Sue nodded meekly not finding any words.

"I'm glad you can get past your inhibitions. You'll find out a lot more if you are willing to try things yourself and use techniques as authentic as possible. It took Dr. Barnes a couple weeks to work up the nerve. You should find that your intimate parts are pressed firmly against the stone. If a phallus was mounted there you would be quite penetrated. Hard to imagine how many hours the young women spent secured to this apparatus hoping for a chance to reach enlightenment with the Nuymean gods."

Sue gasped as the squid head swelled inside her.

"That's it," encouraged Martin. "Let your imagination lead the way. Feel what they would have felt. I'll leave you there for a while so that you can...get the full experience. I have to go down to close the main gate to the wing and lock up. I'll be back in a while. The front door leads to a state-of-the-art security system and the back door is a steel fire door so you'll have privacy here."

Sue tried to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth. She wanted to ask him not to leave her alone, but at the same time being alone was exactly what she needed until the squid was done. She couldn't believe he was going to leave her here and was so....so, unimpressed.

Martin gathered up her clothes and the contents of her purse and put them on one of the worktables--far away out of reach. Her bra was still hooked to the purse. "You didn't need your cell phone. I was coming back. Just relax and let things happen."

He came over to her and stood very close. Her breath was getting faster, but it wasn't just nervousness of Martin's proximity, anyone that close when you're half naked and bound, even if just topless, creates a rush. Instead, it was the squid starting to create a slight bouncing sensation using the tentacles. It seemed to roll with a consistency not unlike a moving horse might have been. Her clit was feeling a little compressed from the inside pressure of the enlarged squid combined with the outside pressure of her kneeling position forced by the saddle right on her sex.

"There are also handholds on the neck of the horse that complete the position. If you are ready to try the full experience, just insert your hands here." He pointed. "You will find grips down in the openings."

As he left, she felt a sense of relief at being alone, but also a sense of fear. She wasn't going anywhere. She fought against the footholds and immediately knew it was pointless. She had no idea when Martin would return and could only assume he knew how to release her. All she wanted to do was sit on the horse to see how it worked. Now, she was half naked and trapped, fake stone pressing again her sex, horny and waiting for some stranger to help her. She was beginning to wonder if there was a Nuymean curse.

At the same time she was feeling pressure to have some professional pride. Her ego wanted to show him that she could do something like this. If the Nuymean women were locked into the handholds and she didn't duplicate the same circumstances, then she wasn't exactly going after the most accurate "data" in her re-creation. Martin's critical scientific mind would also think she chickened out. After all, Dr. Barnes had done the same thing.

Her mind raced, trying to decide, while the squid seemed to puff its head like the body of a breathing horse. The tentacles seemed to move in crude approximation of the legs and body of a horse moving. With the pressure of the stone underneath her, the tentacles seemed to have some kind of mechanical advantage and their stimulation was strengthened. The movement seemed to be designed to use pressure from the saddle underneath.

She rolled a little with the motion. Her tights were not all that different from horseback riding breeches. She started to indulge a mental fantasy that she was a naughty young heiress out for a ride. This was her Victorian salvation, an outlet for her sexual needs. She started rubbing and grinding her sex into the stone to the rhythm like it was a saddle on a mighty beast surging underneath her. The squid just kept pumping out the same rhythm. Her lustful desires were rapidly overcoming her inhibitions and made the decision for her. She was ready to run the steeplechase. If she put her hands into the holds, it would be like holding reins. The thought of being restrained that way caused an erotic thrill that spread right up from her crotch to her chest. She would ride the ride. The Victorian Miss would feel the lust of an otherwise repressed sexuality. She knew that the impulsiveness was not like her, but her inhibitions seemed to be working backwards lately. The more something seemed like a bad idea then the more she wanted to do it.

Sue put her left hand into the holds and heard a click. She felt something wide and metal snap tightly around her wrist. After a shallow breath, she followed by placing her right hand into the remaining hold with dutiful follow-through. She wasn't sure why, but didn't think she could have stopped if she had tried. She wanted to feel what it was like too strongly to resist. Sue was trapped. Only then did she remember she was bare-chested. Years of conditioning to hide herself came into play and she desperately fought to pull her hands free. She thought about it for a minute longer and then just shrugged at her own ridiculousness. Martin would be back to release her and he already saw everything there was to see--her marked bosom with its perky anxious nipples.