There'd been rumors about our crazy Aunt Cordelia swirling around the family for years. I'd heard some rumblings from older cousins at family gatherings - hushed tones about what really happens at her country estate. No one would admit anything substantive, and I was left to invent scenarios on my own.
On my 18
th
birthday, my mom said it was my turn to have a "visit" with Aunt Cordelia. From what I could gather, this was the tradition. When a son or daughter came of age, they were shipped off to crazy Aunt Cordelia's for a couple of weeks.
"Mom!" I protested when I heard the news. "I've got plans this summer!"
"Now Katrina," she said sternly. Mom always called me Katrina instead of Kat when she was serious about something, or if I'd gotten in trouble. "This is not up for discussion. You're the oldest of my kids and we will honor the tradition!"
There was no dad in the picture, so I had no one to appeal to. My younger siblings, a boy and two girls, were in no position to back me up, so I was out of options.
On the train ride out into the country, I started imagining what I was about to face. Was she a witch that put spells on her nieces and nephews? Was she an eccentric who would yell and scream at me for two weeks? Was she a recluse who would turn me into a spinster?
Aunt Cordelia had never married, so I assumed all things were possible. I didn't even know her age. For all I knew, she was an old maid that smelled of moth balls.
Boy was I wrong. About everything.
I felt like I was entering another country as we approached the station. I live in the city, and this was as far away and different as you could possibly get.
Rolling green hills surrounded a lush valley, filled with crops I didn't recognize and farm equipment running about doing farm equipment things. Everyone looked very casual and too friendly. Maybe they were all robots, or zombies!
The conductor helped me off the train and I walked into the old-fashioned station looking for my bag.
There was no one else inside except for a woman of undetermined age who was leaning against a sign that read "No Loitering". How ironic.
"Expecting someone?" the woman said.
She was wearing a thick black coat with a hood over her head that hid most of her face.
Her voice was sultry and smooth, like she wasn't really interested in talking to me, but at the same time beckoning me in.
"I, um," I stammered. "I'm waiting for my aunt."
Should I be talking to a strange woman in some random train station far from home? I started to reach for my cell phone when she laughed out loud.
"Ah, Katrina Petrov, it's you!" she said, throwing off the hood and reaching out for me.
"Uh, Aunt Cordelia?" I said, not a little shocked.
One of the reasons for my shock was the face. Aunt Cordelia is stunningly beautiful. Kind blue eyes, long wavy brown hair that falls across her chest, soft facial features and an expression of joy that I didn't match her tone at first.
"Come here and give me a big hug!" Aunt Cordial said as she pulled me in.
I felt the softness of the coat, some kind of fur. And the roundness of her figure. There were large breasts in there somewhere. She smelled of orchids. And her grip was strong. I felt a little suffocated as she pulled me in tight.
"Let me look at you!" she said, finally setting me free but holding me by the shoulders. "You are positively radiant, my child. You have my hair, and I can see your mother in your good looks. And you've filled out so nicely. You should be so happy with such a wonderful pair of breasts to show off!"
"Um, thanks, I guess?" I said. I wasn't used to people talking about my body like that.
And how did she know I'd 'filled out'? As far as I knew, I'd never met this person, though it's possible I just never noticed her at our large family gatherings.
"Come on, let's find your bags," she said, putting an arm around my shoulder and leading me deeper into the station. "I told the baggage handler to take special care of your things."
I'd heard some stories, but Aunt Cordelia was even stranger than I was expecting. But not a witch, or a recluse. I was having a hard time pinning down her age - in her forties, maybe? I knew she was older than my mom, but her face looked younger.
We got my bags and headed for her car - a Porsche convertible no less! She dumped my bag in the backseat and took off her coat, also throwing it in the back. We got in and she immediately put down the top.
As she pulled out, I got a better look at my aunt. Her brown hair flowed off her shoulders and over a sheer white blouse. As we pulled out on the road, the cool wind blew her blouse against her chest, and I would see a lacy bra underneath. It must have been made of thin fabric because I could also see large dark areola and pert nipples. She also wore a short black leather skirt which rode up higher and higher on her thighs as she worked the peddles.
"You like my skirt?" Aunt Cordelia said loudly over the engine noise.
"Oh, sorry!" I said back, averting my eyes to the road. "I mean, yes, it's nice."
We drove the rest of the way without speaking. I thought I caught Aunt Cordelia checking me out a couple of times, but I wasn't sure.
I was expecting her to live in some sort of stone cottage with a thatched roof. Something out of a fairy tale, given her eccentric reputation. Instead of driving up a dirt path, Aunt Cordelia's home stood behind a massive stone wall and iron gate, which rolled back as she pushed a button on the dash.
The driveway wound its way up a small hill, covered in grass, flowers, small ponds and trees - lots of trees. Her house, or more accurately her mansion, stood at the top of a small rise. It had a commanding view on all sides.
We pulled up and she stopped the Porsche in the middle of a stone driveway, beside two massive front doors.
"Come on," she said, grabbing my bag. "Let's get you settled!"
She led me up a grand central staircase to the second floor and down a hallway.
"I'm right here," she said, motioning to some double doors to my right. "And you're here," she said, entering a doorway across the hall.
My bedroom was actually a suite, with a sitting room, a balcony with double French doors, and a bedroom with a huge king size bed.
"Come on down when you're ready," Aunt Cordelia said. "I'll be waiting in the living room."
I had to practically pinch myself to make sure this was real. I put my clothes away and headed back downstairs. I was now very curious about my aunt, this place, and why I was here.
"Thanks for having me, Aunt Cordelia," I said as I entered the huge living room, complete with a stone fireplace that was easily twenty feet tall.
"Please call me Delia," she said, motioning for me to sit.
"Okay, Delia," I said, taking a seat.
"Let's set a few ground rules for your visit," Delia said, putting her hand on my knee.
Okay, here it comes
, I thought.
"The rule is there are no rules!" she said, laughing loudly.
"Say what?" I said.
"Listen, Katrina..."
"Kat, please," I said.
"Kat. That's nice. Anyway, this is a time for you to explore yourself. To learn new things and have new experiences. I promise you will leave here a changed woman!"