"Tia Sophia sends for you. She needs you. She is dying."
Antoinette "Toni" Rodriguez stood in the doorway, her face frozen in shock and surprise as the strangely-dressed man with a heavy accent delivered his message. She was not surprised by the message; she had heard it many times before in her dreams. She was not shocked by the messenger himself, despite his eccentric appearance; she knew Tia Sophia's manservant, Carlos, from the many times which she had stayed for the summer at Tia Sophia's house. Her shock and surprise came from the fact that everything was unveiling itself precisely has she had dreamed it so many times over the past few months. In her dream, Carlos would arrive and she would leave with him but then she would awaken with a feeling that the dream was incomplete.
"We must hurry. It is a long journey and we must be there before the moon rises."
Toni walked quickly through her apartment turning off lights and grabbing a few personal necessities to throw in her purse.
"You need bring nothing. Everything will be provided."
Carlos took her purse from her hands and placed it on the table by the door and motioned for Toni to follow him. The car was an antique from the days when elegance meant a chauffer who rode up front in the open. Carlos held the door as Toni stepped into the curtained rear area. Shortly thereafter, she heard the engine start and they floated from the curb to begin the six-hour journey to Tia Sophia's mansion. As they traveled Toni thought of her summers at that mansion deep in the remote hills surrounding the city and the woman whom she called "Aunt Sophie." Sophia wasn't really her aunt, just a very close friend of the family. Everyone called her "Tia," which means "aunt," so Toni called her Aunt Sophie
Tia Sophia called her "my chosen one," Toni had asked about that name, but Tia would never explain what she meant or why she called her such a strange name. There were many things about Tia Sophia that were mysterious and unknown. Why did Toni's mother say that Tia was the source of strength for the whole family? Why was Toni the only one who was ever invited to spend summers at Tia's mansion? Other children came to visit, but none stayed for any length of time.
And what was on the mysterious and forbidden fourth floor of the mansion? The door to the stairs was always locked and the one time when Toni tried to pick the lock, Tia dragged her back to the living room and administered the first and only spanking which Toni ever received at Tia's hands. Tia then sat Toni down on the couch and said very sternly, "You must never go up there until it is your time. When you are Tia Sophia, you will learn the secrets of the open room. Until the time is right, you must never speak of it again."
Toni wondered what "When you are Tia Sophia" meant, but Tia often spoke in strange ways. Sometimes she spoke of things long, long ago as if she had been there. Once she spoke of Toni's great-great-grandmother as though they had been childhood friends. Now Tia was sending for her for one final time. Was this the time in which she would learn the secrets of the "open room"?
Toni must have fallen asleep because suddenly they were there. Carlos opened the doors for her and beckoned her urgently. "You must hurry. Tia is too ill and the full moon will soon rise." He then led her into the mansion and up the grand staircase to the second floor.
Toni thought they were going to Tia's room, but Carlos hurried down the hallway to the inner staircase and again beckoned urgently. This was the way to her old room on the third floor. Was that where they were going? But no, Carlos passed the room where she had spent her summers and walked to the end of the hallway, to the locked door that led to the forbidden fourth floor. He unlocked the door and stood beside it.
"You will know what to do."
As Toni stepped through the doorway and began to climb the stairs, she could feel her heart racing within her. Was it fear? Or, was it excitement? As she reached the top of the stairs, she paused in wonder. This was nothing like she had ever imagined. She was outside. The fourth floor was a huge "open room" built into the top of the mansion. Here, beneath a ceiling of glass, completely hidden from the outside world, was a huge marble courtyard within a circle of marble columns. In the center of the courtyard was a raised bench -- or was it a table -- or perhaps an altar? The bench was shaped like a large cutting board or paddle. Very narrow on one end and widening out into a larger area in the other half.
As Toni walked to the center of the courtyard, suddenly Tia was standing beside her. But it wasn't like Toni remembered ever seeing Tia. She was young and beautiful with firm breasts and raven-black hair, both on her head and between her legs. Between her legs!... Tia was naked, and yet it seemed right. Tia did not speak, but merely made a sweeping downward gesture with her open hand which Toni knew meant that she was to also remove her clothing.
It felt strange sliding out of her clothing under the starlit sky, but at the same time, it felt as if this were what she had always been destined to do. Standing nude beside Tia, Toni noticed for the first time how much she looked like Sophia. Like twin goddesses in some Greek myth, Tia led her to the raised platform and bent slightly to point to an ebony chest sitting beside the bench or altar or whatever it was. Toni opened it and removed the contents. There were several large leather bracelets or cuffs and two tapered cylinders which appeared to be made of marble. They were not identical. One cylinder was larger than the other; one was white and one was more yellow; both had intricate carvings on one end.
Tia pointed to one of the larger cuffs and then to Toni's right leg. Toni strapped the leather cuff to her ankle. There was a strange brass ring on the inside of the cuff. Toni picked up the second cuff and strapped it to her left ankle. The brass ring on this cuff also faced inward.
Tia then pointed to one of the smaller cuffs and pointed to Toni's right wrist. Toni had a little trouble using her left hand to wrap and secure the cuff, but soon it was attached and she was able to quickly wrap the matching cuff around her left wrist and secure it. She started to pick up what was obviously a leather mask although it had no eye holes, but Tia shook her head and instead pointed to the larger of the marble cylinders.