"Chosen by L-exander909," By robblu (https://pastebin.com/u/robblu) URL: https://pastebin.com/BwqwV4KQ Created on: Saturday 30th of July 2016 11:18:04 PM CDT Retrieved on: Saturday 31 of October 2020 03:30:46 AM UTC Chosen by L-exander909, Sep 16, 2015, 3:09:18 PM Literature / Prose / Fiction / Fantasy / Short Stories “Soon, it will be your turn, Miki... Just like how I was chosen.” I swear I heard my sister whispering to my ear again in my sleep... that familiar face of dear Kira, except it is made of cold, lifeless stone, her iris-less eyes staring down at me as I lie helplessly on my bed. Though it is comforting that I get to see Kira again, but to see her as a statue, I would do anything for someone to wake me up from this nightmare... Thankfully, the chickens from a nearby farm obliged my wish and ejected me from my dream with their loud morning calls, banishing the vision of the statue into thin air as I frightfully opened my eyes. Why am I having these dreams? At this time, even? It’s the day of the ritual, and I will soon be participating in the Rite of Stone, it’s name already striking a chord of fear deep inside me. And so, I got out of the musty bed and tidied myself up as best as I can. The ceremonial hut isn’t exactly built to accommodate guests, let alone me in it, but it certainly functioned as a shelter for me to rest for the night, a night I wish it would never end so that this dreaded day would never come. At first, I looked forward to this day where I would officially be recognized as an adult where I become eighteen... But when the village leader visited my home and presented me the sigil, my joyous birthday immediately became what would possibly be my last day on this world. I sat on my bed and waited nervously. Shortly afterwards, the hut’s door is unlocked, and the village leader, along with four sturdy men came in. “Good morning...” The old man politely greeted me first. “The box has been prepared for you...” “I understand, chief.” I gravely nodded to the old man’s lethargic statement. Obviously he didn’t want this ritual to take place... none of us wanted to in the first place. There is a Gorgon living up in the mountains, in an abandoned temple where we used to worship the mountain gods... If there is indeed a mountain God, he would have banished the vile creature and let us live in peace... but alas, here I am, about to be sacrificed to this Gorgon so that it wouldn’t send snakes to attack our village and cause everyone to suffer and die from their venomous poison. With a single nod, I quietly took off all of my thin, ragged clothes and folded them neatly on the musty bed. The men on the other hand, understood my need of privacy and made sure that they stared at the empty wall before I entered the ‘box’. “I’m ready.” I said, after I lied down inside the coffin made after my size. A wooden cover with several holes on it are placed over the box, and I can feel the box being hoisted up in the air by the four strong men. I’m not particularly heavy myself, but I suppose they would need all the manpower they can get to make this work easy. I waited patiently inside the box as the men carried me to the mountains where the temple is located. It is entirely possible for a person to travel there on foot, but we’ve grown wise as to not let a girl go there alone... One was clever enough to escape and never return, and obviously the village suffered the consequences for it. Some negotiations later (a few being confrontational ones, of which we were, again, punished for), the Gorgon has agreed to have sacrifices delivered near her temple in a box, where she would leave a hint inside it (usually a flower) so as to inform the village leader that the sacrifice has been received, and the village will not be harmed for the rest of the year. Apparently, I dozed off inside the box while I am being carried to my death in the mountains. When the box is placed onto the ground however, the bump is strong enough to wake me up. When I opened the cover of the box, the village leader and his men are nowhere to be found, while the entrance to the abandoned temple is right in front of me. After I wished my family farewell, I bravely entered the temple where I will soon meet my end, for the good of my village... ===== As I entered the temple, the air inside the building felt unusually cold. It made me shiver for a bit before I slowly become adjusted to the atmosphere inside the temple. Some of the torches inside the temple are lit, barely enough for me to make out paths and navigate the temple. It has a very lived-in feeling, pretty understandable given the fact that a Gorgon has taken this place as its home... But still, it felt odd wondering around in somebody else’s home without being guided - am I allowed to explore this temple, or am I supposed to actively try to seek out the Gorgon so as to let her do me as she pleases? I try not to make myself lean towards the latter and remained as cautious as I can. Soon enough, I arrive to what it would appear to be a makeshift gallery of sorts. While the room itself is not as spacious as our village hall, there are quite a number of pedestals inside this room, each with a statue of a nude woman placed on top of them. Undoubtedly these are the girls that have been sacrificed to the Gorgon from our village each year, and the Gorgon has gathered quite a collection, a few dozen or so. I examined each of the statues slowly as I took small, slow steps around the gallery; the statues that decorate this gallery are all made in various poses, some artistic, some frozen in the middle of a dance... But one statue in particular attracted my attention. As I moved closer to inspect the statue, the plaque attached to its pedestal read “Kira”. My sister! “Oh, Kira... What did the Gorgon do to you...” Realization struck me when I recognized the statue as my deceased sister. So the fairy tales ‘were’ true - the Gorgon did not simply feast on the flesh and blood of virgins, the statues inside this gallery were all her doing... I remembered that those who caught sight of the Gorgon’s eyes will have their bodies hardened to stone, and Kira must have suffered this terrible, terrible fate... But, why does my sister look so... serene? The statue of my sister is posed in a way where she is kneeling on her knees, while her arms are stretched over her head, where her right hand holding onto her left elbow over her head as if she is stretching her body. Even though Kira’s face is expressionless, the sides of her mouth are curved downwards to form a small frown. Her eyes are closed too, so how was it possible for her to be turned to stone? In such a blissful stance too, even? Something doesn’t quite add up, now that I realized that most of the statues are also made in the same fashion - how are they turned to stone in the first place? When I averted my vision to my right, there is an empty pedestal placed next to my sister. The plaque attached to the pedestal has my name on it, ‘Miki”. “I see that you admire my work.” “Eep!” Instinctively, I turned around to see who was talking to me behind my back. A huge mistake - wasn’t the person living in this place a Gorgon? I saw the visage of the person talking to me and I believe I must have seen her bright, emerald eyes... I tried to close my eyes... too late, I guess. My body must be turning to stone now... “Oh! I’m sorry, my dear. That’s just how I like to greet my guests. Ho ho.” ...? Wait, I’m not turned to stone? “Open your eyes, silly. What are you so afraid of?” Against my better decisions, I obeyed the stranger and opened my eyes. Much to my surprise, what I saw in front of me isn’ a hideous, snake-skined creature with snakes as her hair, but rather a rather well-endowed woman wearing a white, transparent dress. “Are... Are you?” “A Gorgon?” The woman replied. “Maybe, maybe not. Your sister asked the same thing too.” “My sister?” “Your name is Miki, yes? Your village leader has told me a lot about you.” “Oh...” Somehow, the dreaded Ritual of Stone is becoming more and more awkward for me. Somehow, I couldn’t fathom how a lady like her has managed to live in this mountain for so many years and not being discovered as ‘not a Gorgon’ by my village. Perhaps this ‘is’ lady responsible for turning all the chosen sacrifices into stone? I wouldn’t know for myself, and I don’t think I want to find out either. “Now come, I’m sure you must be tired after your journey.” ===== I wasn’t quite sure how the Ritual of Stone is reduced to a simple meet-and-greet session with a lady living up in the mountains in an abandoned temple... But here I am, taking a gentle bath and getting ready for dinner. The lady’s name is Euryale, a beautiful name, if I may say so myself... Even though she admits to the fact that people tend to call her a ‘Gorgon’, but it was for an entirely different reason which is completely unrelated to the legendary being turning people to stone. It worried me for quite a while when I stepped into this temple where I still believed that I was literally walking towards death. Now, I have this strange feeling that everything is going to be OK. It’s hard to explain it, but I don’t think I will be dying anytime soon, not with Euryale saying that she will do everything in her power to take good care of me. After I have finished cleaning myself, I returned to the temple where Euryale said she will have a surprise waiting for me. The path back to the temple is easy to follow, and I easily made my way back. What suddenly surprised me is that, when I entered the makeshift gallery inside the temple, all of the statues are gone. “What the...?” I tried to recompose myself. Was everything happened after I got out of the box just a dream? Statues can’t simply come alive and move around now, can they? “Oh, there you are, Miki!” Somehow, when I heard Euryale’s voice coming from a corner, it managed to relieve me. I’m not sure how she does it, but I’m glad I wasn’t hallucinating or anything... But still, where did the statues go? She couldn’t have moved everything by herself, unless there were somebody else besides me and Euryale inside the temple... When I arrived to the kitchen however, it wasn’t empty and deserted as I originally anticipated. Rather, there are several girls working in the kitchen, some cooking, some preparing ingredients, some busy moving dishes to the dining room, all of them as naked as I am. “Hey, you must be the new girl! Help us move the plates to the dining room if you can.” One of the chefs made a quick glance at me before returning to her current work. Unable to think up of anything to say out of my mouth, I simply nodded and sheepishly moved towards the preparations table where the completed dishes are ready to be taken to the dining room. I spotted a bowl of fruit salad and decided to take that first. As I turned around however, I nearly bumped into a person I thought I would never see again in the flesh... “Hey, aren’t you...?” “It couldn’t be!” I was so shocked that I nearly dropped the fruit salad I was carrying - In front of me, I met a person whose face is the same with one I saw in my dream, except she is now alive and well. Her eyes are filled with the same, pleasant surprise, the ones that I would give anything in the world to see again. “Miki!? Is that you?” “Kira... Oh god, you are alive... Thank god...” After I confirmed that my sister is not a statue, I broke down to tears of joy and hugged my beloved sister after I carefully placed the fruit salad back onto the table. This definitely isn’t a dream, and I am not hallucinating either : my dear sister Kira is alive! “Oh, my pretty little sister Kira, how you have grown so much~” My sister Kira affectionately returned my feelings with a warm hug as well. “You cannot imagine how much I have missed you...” “How did you end up working here? Weren’t you...?” I tried to ask my sister the question about why there is a statue of her in the temple’s gallery room. Before I could finish my sentence, my sister hushed me with her finger on my mouth. “It’s a secret~” She answered. “You must be the chosen one this year. Wait until the ritual is finished, and you will know.” ===== It wasn’t easy bringing out all the dishes to the dining room, seeing that we have around fifty mouths to feed this night (me and Euryale included). It also made me realize just how big this temple really is, despite its outside appearance. Even then, it felt quite odd having to work around with strangers who are wearing no clothes to prevent their bodies from being seen by others... But since there is no males inside this temple, I’ve quickly learned to ignore it and just do my job as I go. Soon enough, it is time to eat, and I am specifically seated next to Euryale at the front-most table. I grabbed myself a helping of rice, meat and vegetables and enjoyed them ‘as gracefully as I can’ and not wolf them down, as Euryale advised. In the middle of mealtime, Euryale attracted everyone’s attention for an announcement. “Now I’m quite sure why we are gathered here tonight in this blessed hall, as I am certain that every lady in this hall has experienced this ritual once. Today, we are here to celebrate Miki’s coming to age as after tonight, she will officially become 18, and join us as adults.” The audience applauded generously at us, giving me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside me. “The drink, please.” After that, Euryale summoned my sister from the kitchen where Kira has brought a tray with a golden goblet on it. When I took the goblet, the drink gave off a sweet-smelling aroma, coupled wonderfully with the pretty tropical flower that decorated the exotic drink. I looked at Euryale for a moment, and she nodded, gesturing me to drink the contents of the goblet... And so I did - at first, I took small, careful sips to savor the taste of the drink before moving on to pour the delicious liquid into my mouth. Seconds later, the goblet is empty, and the crowd applauded again. “Congratulations, the ritual is complete - Happy Birthday, Miki!” An immensely satisfying feeling aroused inside me as I happily watched the crowd congratulate me of my coming to age. If this whole thing was just a specially prepared ceremony for me to celebrate my birthday, I cannot thank the village leader enough for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. “Now dear Miki, after dinner is over, can you kindly place the flower of the drink inside the box where you came from?” ===== Dinner time was wonderful, I can safely agree with that. But now, I am filled with the same sense of dread that haunted me this morning. Why am I feeling this scared though? I asked myself as I looked at the pretty flower I am carrying over my supposed wooden coffin. I just remembered that those that have been sacrificed for the Ritual of Stone has never returned to the village, meaning I can never go back to the village either if this whole celebration was real... I would never be able to see my mother and father again, and the kind village people... “Worried that you won’t be going back to the village?” I heard a familiar voice speaking to me from the temple entrance. It was my sister, Kira. “Don’t worry, I felt the same way as you did too when I was about to put my flower in the box.” I remained silent. Not that I don’t want to talk with my sister at the moment, I just couldn’t think up of anything to say out of my mouth. “Hee hee, I still remember how badly you cried when you’re still a small kid... when you heard that I won’t be coming home forever, you tried to stop the village leader from taking me away.” “Uh... Yeah, eh heh heh... I got locked in my room for a day because of that.” Kira laughed heartily when she heard that. “Still... I’m happy... I’m happy that you’re the chosen one... I’m happy that you’ve grown up to be such a fine woman like me. When I first saw you, I couldn’t believe it - it is as though as I was looking at a mirror... But when I saw your birthmark at the right side of your right eye, I knew it was you.” It was how I easily identified my sister too - Kira had a black spot as her birthmark at the left side of her left eye, while I had mine at the opposite side. If we were born as twins, we would literally be a mirror reflection of each other. I guess that ‘is’ the case now, except that we weren’t exactly twins or anything... “Hey, sister Kira... Tell me something.” “Hmm?” “The gallery...” I tried not to sound too awkward when I’m asking Kira the question about the gallery in the temple. “There was a statue of you in it...” “Oh, that.” Kira looked like she remembered something when I mentioned the statue. “I guess I should tell you now before midnight... Yes, that was me.” “Huh?” “You saw a statue of me, right? And the pedestal, it has my name on it. That statue ‘was’ me.” “Wait... So you did turn to stone?” “Yes.” My mind is immediately filled with disbelief. How is it that my sister is alive right now when she admitted that the statue of her that I found in the gallery is her? It didn’t make any sense at all! “I know it all sounded confusing at first, but let me explain - you will understand it all after midnight.” I was planning to turn around and try to make a mad dash back to the village before my sister caught my arm and prevented me to do so. It was a pretty stupid move, now that I think about it - there’s only a small time left before midnight, and I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the village without accidentally bumping into a wild animal or two. I had no choice but to listen. “My dear sister Miki, you should consider yourself quite lucky to be selected by the village for the Ritual of Stone. At first, I was scared too, but I chose to stay, and I never regretted that decision... save for leaving you behind back at the village.” “What happened to you here?” “The Ritual of Stone... Euryale... She gave me the most precious gift any woman would beg for, and she has blessed you with the same gift I have received. Remember the goblet that you drank during the dinner? That drink is actually a poison...” “A... A poison!?” “Rest assured, it’s not lethal. The poisoned drink contained the gift that is given to the chosen ones for the Ritual of Stone - immortality, an eternity of youth where our bodies would never age... But at the same time, we paid a price for it.” “What price?” “Our servitude to Euryale, physically and spiritually. This is how all of us are inside the temple, under her care.” As I listened to my sister explaining the truth behind the Ritual of Stone, I got more and more confused. So it wasn’t a Gorgon that feasts on the body of a virgin freshly turned adult nor the Gorgon turning the sacrificed woman into stone by its gaze, but rather we unknowingly volunteered ourselves to become stone so that Euryale can take care of us for an eternity... I tried hard not to think about it, but when the sound of the temple’s bell echoed through the mountains, my sister hastily dragged me back into the temple. “It is nearly midnight” she said. Somehow, I feel scared again. ===== During my visit to this temple this morning, the gallery inside the temple is filled with statues of women in various poses. During mealtime however, the gallery is empty as I found out before Euryale told me to go to the kitchen where I would meet my sister again. Now, it’s filled with life where the crowd is either busy finding their pedestal, or having a chat with their friends. I’m pretty confident that after midnight, the gallery will be quiet again as everyone will be turned back to statues on their pedestals, me included... If my sister’s story is true. “I know you’re confused, dear sister Miki, but trust me, after midnight, everything will be clear... For now, just think of a pose you’re comfortable with.” I wonder to myself about the absurdity of the whole ritual thing - how in the world my sister Kira can act so casually when she and I both knew that we’re about to be turned into stone after midnight? I couldn’t think straight for a while, the thought of me becoming a statue certainly didn’t help... But seeing that my sister being accustomed to this place, I managed to calm myself down and recount my experiences thoroughly : my sister was a statue inside this gallery, and then she is alive and working to bring dishes out to the dining room with me earlier this evening... If she can turn back to a person after she is a statue, that means I can too? I wouldn’t know for sure, everything came to me so suddenly... “Did you decide your pose yet? We’re only a few minutes away now, I think.” “Hmm...” I turned my attention to my sister standing on top of the pedestal conveniently arranged next to mine’s, and saw her having difficulty trying to choose a pose. She almost settled for a pose where she placed a hand over her chest with the other arm outstretched as though as she was singing, but soon decided against it. I hesitated at first, but a moment later I decided to climb onto my pedestal as well. “Can you decide for me, sister Kira?” I said. “I’ll try to mirror your pose.” “Ahh, I see what you’re thinking there.” A few poses later, Kira eventually chose a pose where she balanced her body carefully so that she could tilt slightly towards my direction with her hand stretched towards me. I, of course, did the same, except that I replicated her pose in a mirrored fashion where my hand can touch hers in a fitting manner. And just like that, the temple’s bell echoed once again, and the gallery immediately fell into complete silence. I felt my body seizing up for a very brief moment before everything became completely still where I couldn’t move my body anymore. Before I realize it, I am not breathing anymore, and I could not feel the beating heart in my chest - everything simply ‘stopped’. I couldn’t believe it for my own self - I’m now a statue! But how am I still alive? I’m still capable of thought, yet I no longer needed to breathe like a normal human being. Is this how being a statue feels like? Lifeless, immobilized, and defenseless... Yet, I felt... alive? Words cannot explain what is happening in my head right now, but if the Ritual of Stone is anything but true, then I really am a statue now... Am I going to be stuck here like this? To be left in this huge, empty temple to gather dust and simply be a stone object decorating the gallery? My name is Miki, and next to me is my sister Kira, I can remember that, and the celebration that was held for me for my coming of age... Everything is as real as it can get, yet here I am, a human that has transformed into a statue on top of a pedestal against all nature of things. “Ahh, here you are, Miki.” Under me, I could barely see Euryale standing in front of my pedestal.Though it is difficult, I can still manage to see everything in the gallery where every living person I’ve come across this night has already turned into statues on top of their respective pedestals. “A lovely pose, I must say. You and Kira are a fine pair... Twins, if I may say so myself.” I would thank Euryale if I could. Statues cannot speak, let alone try to move their solid lips. “Welcome to my collection, dear Miki... Tonight, I shall welcome you to my home.” Chosen by L-exander909 ===== "Miki, wake up..." I wasn't quite sure how long I was asleep for. The last thing I remembered is that I was a statue next to my sister, Kira, and then I met Euryale... "Miki, wake up!" "Huh?" As soon as I opened my eyes again, the sky was so bright, I had to squint my eyes to see better. I can clearly make out the face of my sister above me... thankfully, it's not made of stone this time. "Where... where am I?" "Her land. Her paradise. Now come, we're very late as it is." As my sister helped me to get up on my feet, I noticed that both of us are no longer nude - Kira and I are both wearing identical sets of white dresses that kept us comfortably warm in this weather, and for some reason I am already wearing a pair of fitting sandals. Did Kira put these on me while I was asleep? Maybe. "Where are we going?" "I've already told you - once we are gifted with immortality, we owe Euryale our servitude both physically and spiritually." I wasn't quite sure what she meant by 'physically and spiritually'... but regardless, I followed her out of the room I am currently in. I recognized this place as the abandoned temple in the mountains near my village, except everything looked clean and polished, and the temple itself is made of white marble instead of dull, dirty stone. A moment later, I am led by my sister to the 'throne room' where I would meet Euryale again. In the wide, spacious room, the women that I have met back in the abandoned temple have all lined up besides the red carpet that leads to the throne where Euryale is waiting patiently. Everyone is wearing the same clothes like us except for Euryale herself, who is wearing an elegant gown that clearly stood out from us. After my sister urged me to go forward, I gingerly walked on the red carpet and approached the throne, trying not to mind the eyeful gazes I am receiving from everyone. As soon as I am at a respectable distance away from Euryale, she nodded and gestured me to stop. "Welcome to my home, Miki." Euryale spoke. "From today onward, until the end of eternity, I shall declare you as an honorable resident of my humble household, where you shall serve me as my handmaiden with great loyalty. You may now pronounce me with the title 'Mistress'." With Euryale's declaration made, I did what I thought would be the most fitting thing to do for this kind of an occasion : I bowed. "Mistress Euryale." ===== (Epilogue) "So how has it been? Have you settled in properly?" "I think so, more or less." It was another day in my mistress's realm. At first, it was pretty difficult to accustom myself to this kind of living which is far detached from the kind of lifestyle I had back in my old village... but Mistress Euryale is a kind lady, and she has benevolently taken great care of us while I am serving under her after she has blessed me with the gift of immortality. The Ritual of Stone wasn't a bad thing after all... I know I was scared of it when the day of my 18th birthday came, but I'm glad that I can go through the ritual under the guidance of my dear sister. I still miss my dear father and mother, that's for certain... but, to be with Kira again after we are separated for 10 years, I'm happy knowing that I can be with her together as Eurayle's servants forever. "Good to hear, good to hear." My sister Kira smiled as she lowered a bucket into the well. Today, our task is to bring water from the well to the temple. It'll take quite a handful of trips, but we have all the luxurious time we need to finish the task that has been assigned to us by our mistress. "It's only been a month... I think? I still have a lot to learn from you, dear sister Kira." "True, true. I still wish this place is a little bit more livelier though, like our village. Perhaps after we get enough servants through the Ritual of Stone." "That's still eleven months away, if I'm right?" Kira nodded as she drew a bucketful of water out of the well. "Mm hmm, and this time, you will be serving the golden goblet of poison to our new friend." "Right..." After I filled my bucket full of water as well, we both went back to the temple to deposit the water. When we are passing by the temple's gallery, I caught glimpse of something familiar... Marble by L-exander909 "Miki?" "Oh, sorry Kira, I'm coming." The End