Females of Vulvar Page 2

  There were three circular windows along one wall, not large enough to climb out of but rather like the portholes I’d seen on cruise ships. Yet they admitted sufficient light to allow me to recognize it was daytime. Instinctively, I lifted my arm to check the time on my watch only to find the watch was missing.

  My first thought was that I must still be on Earth. After all, the sun was shining, and obviously, I was breathing, which meant I was in an atmosphere containing sufficient amounts of oxygen. It must be the Earth.

  I threw back the thin blanket that covered me and got out of bed. But as I stood, it seemed there was a heavy weight on my back that put me in mind of the backpack I’d been wearing on my hike to the cliff dwellings. I stood for a moment to adjust to the feeling of strange heaviness, which I couldn’t explain, then made my way to one of the windows.

  Looking out, I knew immediately I was not on the Earth. For one thing, I could see the sun or at least a sun. The size of it was off. Either it was a larger star or the planet I was on was much closer to the life-giving star it orbited.

  The building in which I found myself was high above the ground, apparently one of an indefinite number of buildings surrounding it, like endless skyscrapers of similar sizes and colors, joined by narrow bridges that arched slightly between them. The construction was somewhat like that of buildings on earth yet different enough for me to see it wasn’t the same.

  Because of the height of the building and the angle, I could not see down far enough outside the window to see the ground. In the distance, I could see hills that appeared to be covered with green vegetation that I assumed was grass. Wherever I was, it seemed clearly not Earth but a planet similar in some ways.

  Wondering at my predicament, but feeling fatigued, I turned back to the bed. I shuffled over to it. I lay back down heavily on the padded surface, feeling somewhat dizzy and disoriented from the recent exertion. Standing and walking had somehow seemed different, requiring more effort than seemed usual to me. Then a thought occurred to me. More gravity. It had to be.

  Evidently, I was on a planet that was considerably larger than the earth. I knew from a basic physics course I had been required to take in college that planets of larger size and mass have more gravity. Volume increases as a cube and surface area as a square, so even a slightly bigger planet would have much stronger gravity. Also, given the apparent size of the sun I’d seen outside the window, it seemed this planet was somewhat closer to it, and perhaps that also affected the gravity.

  Suddenly it occurred to me that my clothes had been changed. My outdoor clothing and hiking boots were gone. I was clad in a simple white tunic that appeared to be made of linen or some similar material. It was loose-fitting, about knee length, and tied at the waist with a braided cord. Lifting the hem of the garment, I discovered that my underwear was also missing. I realized that I was clean, despite my panic-stricken run through the wilderness in southwest New Mexico. Someone had apparently bathed me before dressing me in the tunic.

  Looking about the room, I spied hanging on a wall a large circular shield made of shiny metal with the letter “V” emblazoned on it. It reminded me of an image of an ancient Spartan shield I’d once seen in a history book. I supposed the “V” to be a crest of some type, though I had no idea of its meaning.

  I was hungry and had no recollection of when I’d last eaten. I tried to pull my thoughts together, lying on the bed. It all felt more than a little overwhelming. I felt almost like a child, knowing really nothing at all, and having been taken to some complex place where I was incapable of comprehending the new and strange things I encountered there.

  While it seemed safe to assume I was a captive, the room I occupied did not seem a prison cell. Still, there was no ready means of escape given the height of the building alone that I was inside of. Looking about, I saw the outline of a closed door at one end of the room. There was neither a doorknob nor hinges in evidence. I supposed it might open by sliding side to side like pocket doors on Earth. Being that I was a captive, I assumed my captors had locked the door. At any rate, I didn’t at the moment feel energetic enough to get out of bed to check whether it was locked or not.

  Opposite the shield hung a tapestry on the wall to the right of the bed, a woven depiction of some warlike scene that appeared somewhat fancifully done. Spear-carrying mounted soldiers in gleaming helmets were making a cavalry charge against an opposing line of foot soldiers. Looking closely, it was apparent to me the animals carrying the mounted soldiers were not horses at all, but what seemed to me creatures composed of different animals like those that inhabited Earth. They had equine-like bodies and hooves, but that is where the similarity with horses ended. The bodies of the animals were covered with green scales, something like those of a fish. As for their heads, they seemed quite similar to the heads of the mythical dragons I’d seen in books. They also had elk-like antlers.

  Another thing struck me about the tapestry scene. The mounted soldiers were only lightly armored beyond the shiny helmets. The amount of exposed flesh suggested they wore no garments beneath the armor. It was impossible to see their faces for the helmets, but while the soldiers all appeared quite muscular, I was almost certain I recognized only female forms. The mounted soldiers seemed to be women. Perhaps that too was only a part of the fanciful imaginings of the artist who had woven the tapestry.

  Aside from the two wall decorations, the room was mostly bare. There was a small metal table with two chairs, but no other furnishings. The beige walls, ceiling, and floor were smooth as marble.

  I contemplated getting up again and making my way to the door. Perhaps if I beat upon it, someone would respond, and I could request food and drink. But before I had moved, the door at the end of the room slid open.

  A tall blonde woman, well over six feet in height and perhaps in her late fifties or early sixties, stepped through. She wore a tunic-like floor-length garment trimmed in red. The woman was regal looking and quite attractive despite her age. I hadn’t known what to expect, what the aliens who had abducted me would be like. Despite her above-average stature and muscular arms, this woman looked little different from the women on Earth beyond being extraordinarily beautiful. With a broad smile, she walked toward me until she was standing beside the bed. I raised up, threw my legs over the side of the bed, and sat on the edge. The woman tenderly stroked my cheek with a hand and looked deeply into my eyes.

  “Tobias Hart, it’s been far too long,” she said.

  “Yes, I am Tobias Hart,” I said. “How do you know my name?”

  “I am Laena, your mother,” she declared, grabbing my hands in hers and lifting me to my feet. She then pulled me close and embraced me, which I responded to rather stiffly. Yet somehow, her gesture had felt reassuring. Still, I wasn’t ready to accept this stranger was my mother, who I’d not seen in more than thirty years and had only scant memories of.

  “You’re truly my mother?” I said. “I’ve supposed for most of my life that you were dead.”

  She released me and took a step back, keeping her hands on my shoulders and shook her head. She looked at me with what I felt was unmistakable warmth and affection.

  “I’ve always loved you, Tobias,” she said. “From the moment I gave birth to you.”

  Then she turned away and crossed the room to a window. Peering out, her shoulders shook as if she were weeping quietly. The woman appeared deeply moved by our meeting. Even if she was my mother, I wanted to feel no sympathy for her. Yet I found that I could not help it. That made me angry with myself. She had deserted me when I was only a toddler. And what was it now? Did she feel some regret? And how was it that she had spoken so innocently of loving me always? Does a mother abandon her own son, whom she loves?

  Somehow, despite my conflicted thoughts and feelings, I found myself crossing the room to rest a hand on her shoulder, to touch her. I felt some kinship with this woman, with this stranger and her sorrow. My eyes were moist. Something stirred in me, obscure, painful memories tha
t had long been suppressed, fleeting memories of a woman I had barely known. Memories of a gentle face, of arms that had protected a small child when he awakened frightened in the night. And suddenly, I knew this woman was who she claimed to be.

  “Mother,” I said.

  She straightened and turned to face me, wiping her eyes with the back of a hand. She had been weeping. She looked at me with sadness in her eyes and with tenderness. Looking at her, it was unmistakable. I saw myself in her features, in her blue eyes. We had the same fair skin and ridiculously blonde hair. I realized, with an incomprehensible suddenness and a joy that bewildered me, that someone existed who loved me. This woman was my mother.

  “My son,” she said, embracing me and holding me close again.

  We both wept, then at last we parted. My mother regarded me evenly.

  “I’m so sorry about your father,” she said. “I had no right to let him fall in love with me.”

  I nodded, despite not yet understanding the full meaning of her words, not wanting to speak, but wanting her to tell me a million things I desperately wanted to know. I wanted the mysteries dispelled that had torn me from my own world and had brought me to this one, this room, this planet, to her, my mother.

  “You must be hungry,” she said.

  “I want to know where I am and what I am doing here,” I said.

  “Of course,” she said, “but you must eat something.” She smiled. “If you will eat, I will tell you everything you wish to know.”

  I nodded my agreement. She clapped her hands twice. The door she had entered through slid open again. Through the opening came a young man, somewhat younger than me, with short blond hair. He wore the same sleeveless type garment I had on, but his tunic was light brown. He was barefoot, and as his eyes shyly met mine, I saw they were light blue and deferential. Though he hadn’t spoken, somehow, I sensed he was somewhat effeminate. My eyes spied a shiny metal band he wore about his neck like a collar. The young man placed a tray on the table, which held plates of food, a decanter, and two metal chalices. The young man bowed, then as quickly as he had come, he departed.

  At my mother’s insistence, I began to eat, though reluctantly, never taking my eyes from her. While famished, I hardly tasted the food beyond noting it was simple fare but excellently prepared. The meat reminded me of some kind of wild game rather than the meat of a domesticated animal. It had been grilled in some manner. The crusty brown bread was still hot from the oven.

  There was also fresh fruit, including grapes and something resembling peaches but which tasted sweeter and wholly different. During the meal, I tasted the drink my mother had poured from the decanter. It seemed to be a dry, light-bodied wine that was both excellent and quite potent. I learned later it was called Irie. As I dined, and we shared the Irie, my mother spoke.

  “This world is called Vulvar,” she said. “The name is a derivative of the Latin language word volva, which I suppose you know is the term for the female external genitalia. The name was chosen because this world is ruled by females. Here, things are quite the opposite of what you're accustomed to on your native Earth.”

  “And the men allow women to rule?” I said.

  My mother laughed.

  “It is not a choice for them,” she said. “But, it has not always been so. This world once had the same patriarchal system of your Earth. But, some six-hundred Vulvarian years ago, there was a great and catastrophic world war. It was yet another in a series of seemingly endless wars started by men. A massive number of the men of this planet had perished by the time the war ended. The land was laid waste throughout the planet as a result of the conflict. It is believed that fewer than three thousand people survived the war, and the famine and pestilence that followed it, most of them women.”

  “So, the women ascended to power?” I said.

  My mother nodded.

  “The Goddess-Queens decreed that men would never be permitted to rule or hold any position of authority again because of their irresponsible and violent nature. It was at that time they renamed this world Vulvar.”

  “Who are the Goddess-Queens?” I said.

  My mother looked at me and seemed troubled as if she might have said more than she had intended. Neither of us spoke for several minutes.

  “Yes,” she said at last. “I will speak to you about the Goddess-Queens. It is one of the many things you must learn and know to understand the nature of this world.”

  My mother paused and smiled. She began to pace the room, and her blue eyes seemed even more bright and alive. In time I would come to understand more of what she felt. Pausing again at one of the round windows and looking out towards the green hills beyond. At last, she started to speak again.

  “Goddess-Queens, whoever, whatever they are, are accorded the honors of divinity. Theirs alone is the honor of being enshrined as the most ancient gods of Vulvar since the beginning of time. In a time of danger, a prayer to the Goddess-Queens is certain to escape the lips of even the bravest Vulvarian. The Goddess-Queens are immortal, or so most here believe.”

  “Do you believe it?” I said.

  “Sometimes, I’m not certain,” my mother said. “But, I think perhaps I do.”

  “What sort of women are they?” I said. “How many is their number?”

  “It is not known that they are women,” my mother said. “At least mortal women. And, according to our religious writings, there are four.”

  “If not mortal women, what then?” I said.

  “Perhaps gods.”

  “You’re not serious?”

  “I am,” she said. “Is not a being beyond death, who wields immense power and possesses extraordinary wisdom not worthy of being considered such?”

  I was quiet.

  “My theory, however,” said my mother, “is that the Goddess-Queens are indeed, or at least once were, women of flesh and bone, women much like you see before you. Humanoid organisms of some type who possessed great scientific technology far beyond our wildest dreams. The most advanced technology both here on this world and yours would at best be considered crude and rudimentary in comparison.”

  “They possess technology even beyond Vulvarian technology in general?” I said. “It seems your world has already surpassed the technology found on Earth. You’ve mastered interstellar space travel while we have yet to visit even another planet within our own solar system.”

  My mother looked at me with amusement.

  “You believe we’re a civilization of advanced scientific technology because of the ship that brought you here,” she said. “That is not of our technology, but that of the Goddess-Queens. The ships are not operated by any of my people, though we sometimes are directed to travel aboard them as passengers on missions of acquisition. There are many glaring deficits in our technology. In most respects, the technology on Earth is far more advanced than ours.”

  “The ships are crewed by the Goddess-Queens?” I said.

  “Frankly,” my mother said, “I believe the ships are remotely controlled by the Goddess-Queens. I don’t believe they physically board and operate them.”

  I nodded. “What are the missions of acquisition you spoke of?”

  “Voyages to the Earth and elsewhere,” my mother said. “Missions to acquire technology, raw materials, and other things we need and don’t have available here. Long ago, I made one of those voyages to Earth. That’s how I met your father.”

  “Please tell me more about that,” I said. “I have so few memories of both of you.”

  “I’ll fill in the holes in biographical data for you, but at another time,” my mother said with a faraway look. “You have so much to learn about Vulvar, and that must be your priority for now. Surely, you have more pressing questions at the moment.”

  “All right,” I said. “What did you mean when you said there are glaring deficits in Vulvarian technology?”

  “The Goddess-Queens selectively limit the technology available to us. For example, weaponry technology is controlled
to the point where the most powerful implements of war available to us are longbows, swords, and spears. Further, we have no motorized means of transportation or long-range communication equipment. We have no detection devices like the radar systems employed by the military of your world. On the other hand, we have very advanced technology in construction techniques, agricultural practices, and medicine.”

  I was astounded at my mother’s revelations.

  “Your soldiers use bows, swords, and spears?” I said.

  My mother smiled again.

  “You imagine we must be capable of designing and manufacturing things like automobiles, aircraft, rifles, and armored vehicles. The truth is, we are capable of it, but it is forbidden by the Goddess-Queens. If anyone attempted to design and manufacture any of the prohibited things, they would immediately be put to death and their inventions destroyed.”

  “Do the Goddess-Queens live among you here?” I said.

  “No,” my mother said. “They maintain a sacred dwelling place high in the mountains in the most inhospitable, dangerous region of Vulvar. They live within a vast wilderness that no mortal can penetrate or traverse and survive. Any attempt to approach the sacred dwelling place, to the minds of most Vulvarians, is taboo and far too perilous an undertaking to even consider. Legends claim some idealists and rebels have attempted it. If that be so, none have ever returned from the attempts to tell of it.”

  “Then how can you be certain they even exist?” I said. “Perhaps they weren’t immortal and died hundreds or even thousands of years ago.”

  “No, they exist,” my mother said. “We have a priestess coterie that maintains contact with the Goddess-Queens. They communicate their desires and instructions to us through the priestesses. And you forget the ship that brought you to this world. Only the Goddess-Queens have access to that technology.”