Judging by the state of Father John's penis, still stood hard and proud before him, I didn't think talking was the first thing on his mind and I could feel the juice running down my legs, despite my knickers and the sanitary pad attached. I could see the two girls in their sari style novices dresses were looking distinctly uncomfortable, their breasts pressing out through the material, tits clearly visible, I suspected their thighs were as wet as mine. The Father led our little band out into the corridor, turned right and then just opposite my room he opened the door and let us into a massive bedroom. On the right was a desk he clearly used for his office while on board the ship, complete with a computer and telephone, it was fairly tidy with just a few pieces of paper scattered across the surface. In the other corner of that side of the room there was a little seating area, a couple of couches and a couple of easy chairs round two coffee tables, while the whole of the other side of the room was occupied by a large four-poster bed, it looked about seven foot square and very solid. As I was about to enter the room, he suddenly swept me off my feet and carried me across the threshold.
"I know it's not really a wedding, but you are now a very important part of the family and we do like to keep the family feel around, you could say this trip is your honeymoon." He carried me lightly over to the bed and just dropped me unceremoniously, before turning back to the girls.
"Close the door, strip, and get yourselves over here!"
The girls had been wearing sheer, almost transparent novice dresses, so I was already aware they had nothing on underneath. I still appreciated watching their dresses drop to the floor, their young firm figures being revealed. As the Father kicked off his slippers and climbed on the bed beside me, they came trotting over to stand at the foot of the bed. I looked at Father John uncertainly. He knew the two girls were under 18, so I wasn't quite sure why he had them stood like this. Just to remind him, I asked the girls how long it was till their initiation.
"Well Mistress, there is only a week between our birthdays, so Susan will be ready for her initiation in about three months and I'll be ready about a week later. Of course it depends where we have in our cycle as well, to make sure we are at the peak of our fertility. We've been living together for so long that we almost synchronise, so you might have to have Father John do both of us on the same day."
Maggie sounded so enthusiastic, and clearly looking forward to the ceremony even though it was humiliating for the girls involved. Lola, of course, enjoyed the humiliation and the pain – I hope Father David was not being gentle with her, she would enjoy it far more if he were to punish her, but then I would have her pretty well to myself tomorrow and we could both make sure that we enjoyed ourselves.
"Right you two, if you're getting fucked in three months, it's time you had some education in the subject. Helps Sister Karen to undress, then I want you stood one either side of the bed, legs apart and hands behind your head.
Father John retreated to the far side of the bed, while the two girls jumped up and helped me sit up, unfastening my robe and sliding it down off my shoulders. Susan reached around behind me and unfastened my bra, slipping it down my arms and taking the opportunity to fondle my tits. Almost in unison, they slid their lips across my breasts and suckled on my nipples, before joining their mouths together across my body in a hot, sexual kiss. Pulling apart, they helped ease my robe out from beneath me and pulled my soaking pants down my legs, folding the robe onto a chair at the side of the room and leaving the panties in the ball on the floor.
"Now worship her!"
Following Father John's instruction, the girls started licking and sucking on the sides of my breasts, before heading up – not to my nipples this time, but up beside my body to my armpits. I could feel them licking and sucking on the delicate skin under my arms, before working around my shoulders to the side of my neck, synchronised, spending time in my earlobes even thrusting their tongues inside my ear licking and washing my ears with their tongues. I felt Father John get off the bed, return a few seconds later and gave the girls something and then I felt them doing something with my earlobes. I realise they were putting ear rings in. Father John passed me a hand mirror, and I saw they had put back the diamond studs which I had given to Sister Grace the previous night.
"While most of the people in the Church rely on natural beauty rather than jewellery to attract a partner, we certainly have no objection to the wearing of jewellery. I believe these belong to you." I smiled at him, he continued "As you know, the Church has non-traditional feelings about the family, I would like to talk to you later on tonight about your family and the symbols you wear to show your attachments. If you wish to continue to wear your wedding ring, we will not stop you but I would ask you not to as it may confuse some of the younger people."
I knew when Father John was feeling uncomfortable about something, because he used a very starched, formal language. He was right that I was married in the conventional sense, and I had a 12-year-old son but I did not live with my husband and I had not really seen my son for several months, I didn't even know if they realised yet what had happened to me. I was quite happy for the moment to not wear my wedding rings, I felt a far greater attraction to Father John and the Church than I felt for my real family. Just now, I felt a great attraction to the two girls who were busy licking my head, it felt so erotic I was almost tempted to stay bald just for the sexual stimulation it could give me.
Father John was growing impatient. "Thank you girls, please assume your positions either side of the bed, hands behind your head, legs apart." The two girls jumped down and stood either side of the bed. Father John lifted me into the centre of the bed, laying me on my back with my hands behind my head and my legs spread about shoulder width apart, in the same position as the girls but horizontal. He then crawled down, knelt between my legs and lapped from my arse, over my cunt and clit and up to my belly button. I was writhing beneath his tongue, when he stopped and turned to Susan.
"Do you see what I'm doing here, how I'm making her body rise. Her clit is highly sensitive, so when I nip it like this, see how her full body stiffens. How do you feel right now?"
I realise the girls had been given the drug, only a very small dose but their inexperienced bodies would be feeling it. After being made to worship me and then watching Father John literally playing with my clit, it would be getting to them. With their legs apart and hands behind their heads, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it; I could see that Father John was going to torture the girls tonight, getting them ready for their initiation.
"You see how her nipples are standing high and proud, just like yours. See what happens to her body when I grab them, nip them and twist them. With her drugged body, anything I do to her gets converted to pleasure. Can you feel the drug go through your bodies? Answer me Maggie!"
The girl's eyes snapped open, she had been letting her imagination run riot and the question caught her by surprise.
"I.. I…" She gasped. "I don't really know Father, I never had these feelings like this before."
"Can you feel the fire in your cunt?"
"I can feel something down there Father, I don't really know what it is, but I like it!"
"Try flexing the muscles down there, see if you can enhance the feelings just by using the muscles inside your cunt. If you really concentrate, you might be able to make yourself come, otherwise you're going to have to wait until I release you and the two of you can go off together somewhere. Now I'm going to fuck the Mother of Mercy, make her come half a dozen times, and then I'm going to deliver a load of my come inside her and once again welcome her into the Church."
I suddenly had a moment's doubt. "I'm not on the pill you know, it's not my most fertile part of the month, but there's always a risk."
"I know my darling, if things had gone according to plan this would have been your most fertile time, my initiation of you has the same aims as my initiation of any of the girls, to produce a Child for the Church. As it is, I might just have to fuck you every night this month to make sure we get the right night."
He then switched to his more formal voice. "Mother of Mercy, it would be a great honour if you would agree to bear a Child for this Church, it will be a great honour for me personally if you will allow me to be the Father of that Child. You must know that when the Child is born, he will go in the nursery with all the rest of the children, be brought up just the same as them, to make his way in the world according to his own abilities and not basking in the reflected glory of his parents."
I already had some idea of the way the Church cared for its children, I understood that it did not believe in the family as a unit in a modern civilisation, and I tend to agree that many women have lost out due to the pressure to have a family and to bring up their children. This was one of the reasons why I did not live with my husband, I had always put my career first whilst my husband was the one who wanted children. He always made me feel a bit of a failure that we only had one child, and that I had not been prepared to stay at home and look after the child while he went out as the breadwinner. I was quite happy to accept that Father John would be the parent of my second child and that child would be a Child of the Church. I also knew the correct response at this point.
I turned to him and looked him straight in the eye.
"Father John, I beg you to fuck me, stick that big cock inside my cunt, fill me with your sperm and carry on doing this every day until you get me pregnant and I bear a Child for the Church. And then please carry on fucking me every day for the rest of my life."
Father John was clearly pleased of this response, although he nearly broke out laughing at the end.
"As two leaders of the Church, I'm not sure that I can promise you that we will be together every day but I can promise that I will fuck you as often as I can, and I promise that there will be plenty of other men around who will be more than willing to worship you and satisfy you in any way you want. I think it's not only the men who were quite happy to satisfy you either, you and Lola seem to have a very strong bond building and" he looked at the two girls beside us, "I think there are two girls here who will help you in any way they can, once we have initiated them and they have given their Children to the Church.
I looked at the two girls, they were clearly very excited at the thought of maybe helping me occasionally, but I wasn't sure how much of this was the drug and how much a real liking for me. I realised Maggie was vibrating, not just shivering but shaking from head to foot as the need to come built inside her. Susan seemed a bit more controlled, but I could see that her thighs were wet and her nipples were standing out like doorstops. Even her clit was showing itself, peeking out from under its hood, despite having no physical stimulation whatsoever.
Suddenly I groaned. I had taken my eyes off Father John for a few seconds, and he had sunk himself into my cunt. I had my eyes on Susan; she had her eyes on Father John, she had seen his cock enter my cunt and embed itself in one quick motion, and I had seen her flinch and a small jet of her juice shot from her cunt. She had had an orgasm just watching me getting fucked? Was she thinking it was herself lying there feeling Father John's fantastic cock moving back and forth inside her warm, moist, silk lined pussy? I wanted to reach out and tweak her clit. I knew it would drive her over the edge, into a fantastic orgasm, but she was under-age. I shouldn't really be thinking these sort of things about a 17-year-old, even though she was beautiful with gorgeous boobs and a body to die for.
Father John was fucking me with long, slow strokes, clearly determine to go on all night if necessary. I had no such desire, I wanted to come, I needed to come. I needed to feel the stimulation in my breasts, to have my nipples pulled and twisted, to have my cunt pounded. This long, slow, luxurious fucking with driving me mad. I pulled my hands out from behind my head and reached for my breasts, immediately Father John withdrew. I snapped my eyes open. He was just kneeling there, between the legs, watching me. I froze.
"During an initiation, the girl is not allowed to touch her own body. Often we would handcuff her hand behind her back, but that is uncomfortable when you are lying down. Please put your hands back behind your head, so we can resume the ceremony. As you have attempted to touch your body, I think I will have to punish you. Susan, get three pairs of nipple clamps from the drawer beside you."
I watched as Susan pulled three sets of nipple clamps out of the drawer, and brought them back to the side of the bed. Father John told her to put a pair on her nipples, tightening them down until she couldn't stand the pain. I watched as she squeezed open the first clamp, before she clasped her right nipple, twisting, pulling hard before releasing the clamp. The pain made her eyes water, and there were tears in her eye as she tightened it. There were real signs of pain on her face, but her pussy was pulsing juice by the time she finished. She let go of the clamp and I realised she had been holding it up right so it now bounced, bending and twisting her nipple as gravity tried to pull it down. She quickly repeated this on the other side, then shook her breasts to make the clamps bounce against her body.
At a word from Father John, she resumed her place at the side of the bed and we all watched as Father John passed a set of clamps to Maggie, and she went through similar actions. She nearly collapsed to the floor as she released the first clamp onto her nipple and had a massive orgasm and by the time the second clamp had been tightened up she was whimpering in frustration and pain/pleasure.
"You see, Mother of Mercy, how your actions can have consequences for others in the Church. As your actions have caused pain for these two young ladies, I think it only right they should get their own back. Susan, Maggie, climb up on the bed and put this last set of nipple clamps on Sister Karen."
As the two girls climbed up on the bed, the father took the last set of nipple clamps and looped the chain through the chains on their clamps before giving one end to each of the girls. They both reached down, gripped my nipples and pulled up, lifting my breasts and stretching the nipples quite painfully. They simultaneously released the clamps and I got the pain from both nipples running down as fire to my cunt, which exploded in an orgasm, an explosion that carried on as the girls tighten the clamps painfully, and then they simultaneously sat back on their heels, pulling on the chains and stretching all six nipples painfully.
Father John resumed fucking me, this time hard and fast, heaping my orgasm going until he exploded inside me, bringing me to a new peak. Despite coming inside me, he didn't stop, he went back to the long, slow, luxurious strokes with his fantastic, 9 inch cock. After my orgasm, I wanted a break, a few minutes to recover but that wasn't allowed. The girls leaned forward relieving the stress on my nipples and went back to worshipping me, sucking on the sides of my breasts and the tender flesh on the underside of my arms, nipping the sides of my neck and licking across my head. I could feel my hair was already starting to grow back, not thick, hard spikes like a man's stubble, but little soft hairs that I could just and so feel catching on the girls tongues as they licked. Each time the girls moved, the chains slid against each other, causing vibrations and gentle tugs on my nipples. I was in heaven.
"Do you have any questions?"
What a strange time to be asking that, I thought, then I realised for the first time all day I felt sated, my appetite for sex being held at bay by the gentle stimulation in my cunt and the feel of the girls tongues round my breasts, neck and head. I lay back, thinking of all the questions spinning around in my head, and eventually went for the big one.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why am I fucking you right now? Because I want to welcome you properly as our Mother of Mercy and I want to get you pregnant. And because that damned Bishop give you a drug which won't let you relax unless you have a cock in your cunt. Okay?"
"No, silly, but don't stop what you're doing. Why do you want me to join your Church, and why do you think I am fit to help lead it?"
"We want you to join the Church because you fit in with our target profile and because you already believe in many of the aims and objectives of the Church, and we want you to lead it because you have the right personality and because you have experience of the world outside the Church. You know what's going on out there, these girls have led sheltered lives, they don't understand politics or cold wars or terrorism, even I've been in the Church was so long that I'm losing touch with reality. That was the bishops problem, he let the power go to his head. I want you to help me stop the power going to my head, make sure I don't start sexually abusing 17-year-olds, or beating and raping 13-year-olds. I've done things in the name of the Church which I'm not proud of, and I want you to help me right some of those wrongs, especially those 147 women on that island."
"So why are you sending Sister Grace to the island?"
"I'm sending Sister Grace with a message of hope, with a message that the bishop's gone and we have a new Mother of Mercy to lead us into a brave new world. Sister Grace is going to prepare them for a return to normal society, if that's what they wish to do. She'll also give them other choices of joining the Church, or of staying where they are. She sent many of those women to the island – the Bishop made the decision, but she gave the drugs and spread them on that mattress, unable to relieve their frustrations, naked and hairless. Her penance is to face them, naked, hairless and with the drug coursing through her system, to beg their forgiveness and to hold out hope for the future."
"May I go with her?"
Father John looked at me, surprised.
"Why?"
"I feel sorry for her. She was only obeying the Bishops orders, she thought it was for the good of the Church. If I can go with her, I can help her explain, I can show the women that the Church really is changing and I can apologise to them on behalf of the Church."
Father John looked thoughtful. He was working through the implications, again having to think on-the-fly. Eventually, after bringing me to another orgasm, he carried on talking.
"You are my Mother of Mercy, and you may do anything you want. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go now, though. It would be at least a week before we could get you off again, and if you don't come back on the ship with us your friends in the customs office are going to tear the ship apart."
I grinned at this, remembering the warning June had given me as we kissed goodbye this morning. So much had happened in the past 24 hours, I've made more friends than I had had in the 20 years before, I felt like at last I had a home and family.
The father continued speaking. "Some of those women are hard bitches, if they saw you drugged and hairless like themselves, they would try to control you and I can't risk that. And more important, I need you beside me for the next few weeks, by now people will know that the Bishop is gone and we need to go round and show our flock that we can keep the wolves from the door. You probably know better than I do how the wheels of power turn outside the Church. Most of our sponsors and backers support the Church and our aims, but as power shifts from person to person we have to keep them informed and updated on what we are doing. You have seen the human end of the Church, but you must understand that the Church is a business and you are now a corporate asset that we can't afford to put away on an island for a few weeks. And anyway, I thought you wanted me to fuck you everyday."
I thought the father's arguments were remarkably coherent considering he was still thrusting into me with his hard cock, but his last few words were the strongest parts – I didn't think I could be away from him for the week, I so loved that cock inside me.
I never really thought about where the Church got its money, and I wasn't overly impressed with the idea that I was a corporate asset although I did know that Father John had invested several years of his time in grooming me for the role, but for now I was curious about what it was I would be trying to sell.
"Why do people join your church?"
"Most young people join for the sex, but a lot of older people agree with our fundamental beliefs."
"So people join your church for the free sex? No worries about the immortal soul or worshipping God or anything like that?"
Maggie answered this one, from her position beside me. The girls were snuggled in either side of me, still occasionally kissing my breasts and neck, their hands roaming over bodies – their own, each other's and mine – gently tickling and arousing. Every now and then, one of the girls would grind her pussy against my leg, giving herself a little orgasm to relieve the frustration. While I knew it was illegal for me to have sex with them, I didn't know how the law would respond to them using my body for their sexual stimulation – but the ship was well out in international waters now, I wasn't even sure whose jurisdiction we were in.
"We believe in God, we believe that God created the world, that she was there before the big bang and she will still be there when the last sun goes out and the universe is left cold and dark. We believe God created life, wherever it exists throughout the universe, and she gave life the power to evolve, to keep improving itself that we could worship her through every action and through enjoyment of life itself."
"And did God make man in her own image?" Somehow the combination of the Christian philosophy and Maggie's assumption that God was female did not go together correctly, but I couldn't be bothered sorting it out at the time.
"God gave us evolution so that life could constantly improve, so that new species could emerge and replace the older species, survival of the fittest. Man is simply the next stage in that evolutionary process."
"But man is destroying the planet!" Susan sounded quite emotional as she broke in with this. "There are too many of us, we're destroying all other life on the planet. We're using all the resources God gave us, squandering them for profit and greed."
"So what can the Church do to stop this?"
Father John spoke up for the first time. "Nothing. We believe the world is passed the tipping point, and now it's only a matter of time till some calamity triggers the total collapse of civilisation as we know it. All we can do is try to identify the worst-case scenario and do what we can to keep the best of humanity alive so we can repopulate the world after the catastrophe. That is the ultimate aim of the Church."
"How long do we have?" I spoke quietly, subdued at the size of the task ahead of us.
"I believe you and I could live to see the collapse of civilisation. I believe Lola and Susan and Maggie, Father David and all the other boys and girls on this ship and on the island are the future of humanity, that's why I need your help."
For a long time the room was silent apart from the slurping noises coming from my cunt and the slap of Father John's balls against my arse as he continued to slowly thrust into me. It seemed like it would go on all night, but eventually I spoke up.
"Father John, I would like to join your Church. I would like to help build this future for humanity. If you consider me worthy, please fill my womb with your sperm and make me pregnant, let me bear a child to live in this brave new world."
Father John increased his pace, soon I was moaning my way through yet another orgasm as he released millions of sperm into my waiting womb, to fertilise the eggs I would soon be releasing. Then, he lay down beside me and with Maggie on my other arm and Susan on his, we all fell asleep. We would face the brave new world tomorrow.
…
I woke the next day to find myself alone in the bed, Father John was sat at his desk, quietly reading through some papers. There was no sign of the girls. I must have made some noise as I sat up because Father John looked up and smiled.
"Good morning my dear, how are you today?"
"I'm not sure. I have so many questions, I just don't know where to begin."
"I am here to answer any questions you may have, please don't hesitate."
"Thank you my darling, I know you can answer all my questions but would you mind very much if I just went out today and talked to our flock?"
"You may do exactly as you wish, I'm not sure how talkative you will find the flock with the Mother of Mercy but if you take Lola and the girls with you, they may talk more freely. Have fun."
I walked out of his bedroom, getting halfway across the corridor before I realise I was naked. I looked along the corridor but there was no one in sight so I carried on into my bedroom. The bed had been made, but there was a bundle of sheets on the floor, heavily stained with blood and semen. The door in the side wall was open and stepping over I looked into Lola's room and found her sat in front of a dressing table, brushing through her hair. As soon as she saw me, she dashed over and fell to her knees in front of me, her head not bowed but thrown back as she stared up at me adoringly. "Sister Karen, thank you for letting us use your bed. I stripped off the sheets and remade it with clean ones, but I'm not sure what to do with the dirty ones."
"Well what happens with the rest the dirty washing around here? I keep getting given clean clothes, and the dirty ones just seem to disappear somewhere."
"There are laundry hampers in one of the cupboards off the corridor, but we are supposed to treat sheets with our virgin blood differently. Tradition has it that we should wash them through by hand and then keep them to wrap the baby when it's born. Admittedly, we don't usually have sheets that are seven foot square, we could wrap up half a dozen babies in one of them."
I was quite amused at the idea that here was a tradition in a church that it had been going 10 years.
"Leave it there for now and we'll ask around, see if any of the passengers know what to do with it."
"But I'm not supposed to leave your side today, Sister Karen. Father John and Father David have both told me that I am responsible for you and I have to look after you, look after all your needs if you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean, but today I'm going to go and talk to my flock and I want you and Susan and Maggie to come with me to help me make friends and help me understand people. They're still a lot about the Church that I don't know or understand, and I'm hoping that talking to members of the Church will help me work out what I need to do. But first, I need a shower."
Lola immediately stood up, slid the dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor so she was dressed just as I was. Together, naked, we walked across my bedroom and through a door on the opposite wall into my private bathroom. I used the toilet while Lola turned on the shower, and once it was warm I stepped underneath. I realised Lola had been combing her hair when I came in, and asked her "Have you already washed your hair today?"
"Yes Sister."
"Then you keep it dry, I can wash myself today."
"Please mother, let me wash your body. I promise not to get my hair wet." I had to laugh, she sounded just like a petulant little girl – I was half surprised she hadn't called me mummy!
I relented, and having wet myself all over I stood outside the spray area and let her wash my body with a wet soapy flannel as I washed my legs and down my arms. I turned round so she could wash my front, my breasts and my belly, taking special care to wash the creases and folds of my labia, and then the inside of my thighs. I picked my feet up one at a time and rested them in her lap as she washed my lower legs and ankles, then I pulled her to me and rubbed my soapy breasts against hers as I gave her a long, sexy kiss. Turning away, I washed the soap off my front and then stood in the middle of the spray, I turned and pulled her towards me. I stopped as soon as the spray was hitting her breasts, rinsing off the soap I'd spread there and running down across her belly, down her thighs to the floor. I stood looking at her for a moment.
"You are beautiful, now go find some towels." She grinned up at me, spun round and dashed off to find some towels, her feet leaving dainty wet footprints across the stone floor. I remembered the shower yesterday, where we had been sliding around as the ship rocked on the swell. Today, the sea seemed flat calm in comparison. Here in first class, the engine noises were muted but I wondered how Sister Mary was doing at the far end of the ship. I would have to call in on her later, make sure she was all right. Now though, it was time to get dried and dressed.
"Lola, can I borrow one of your dresses?"
"Certainly not, Mother of Mercy, it will be most improper for you to appear as an initiate."
"But I submitted to Father John just as you did yesterday, I hope to have a child for the Church and it would be nice to think of our children growing up together. I feel just as much an initiate as you do, in fact you know more about it than I do. I don't want to appear before my flock behind a mask and hood, I want to appear as a friend, as someone they can talk to and answer my questions honestly."
"Come with me then, we'll find you something appropriate."
We walked through into the bedroom and Lola opened a large wardrobe full of robes and dresses in various colours. "We never know who we may have on board the ship, so we always have a range of dresses available. May I suggest this one."
She reached in and pulled out a rich, blue dress, made to look much like Lola's sari from the front, but almost backless. I tried it on and it was ideal, looking dignified and sexy at the same time, smart casual as they would say, just what I needed.
Lola was searching through a drawer. "Do you want a scarf or hat, anything like that?" I knew she was concerned that I would not want to show my bald head in public, but I was not ashamed or embarrassed of it. It was part of my story which I was quite prepared to tell.
"No, all I need now is some shoes."
Lola pulled open another drawer, and instead of a scarf or a pair of shoes she passed me a pair of knickers. "You might appreciate these later."
I laughed and thanked her, pulling the knickers up my legs and over my hips as she found a pair of blue, flat bottomed shoes. I appreciated that these were probably more suitable than high heels on the hard decks of the ship, especially if the weather were to turn a little rough again. I sat and put on some make-up – a little lip gloss and just lightly pencilled in some eyebrows, nothing more, as Lola ran back into her own room and came out moments later redressed.
"Where are Susan and Maggie?"
"They are in the kitchen, making breakfast."
We found the girls in the kitchen, sitting drinking coffee and talking with a young man. As we walked in, the two girls dropped to their knees while the young man stood and bowed gently.
"What would my lady like for breakfast?" The young man was dressed in white, his trousers freshly laundered but showing stains from cooking, his tunic immaculate. I guessed he wasn't the head chef, he only looked about 19 or 20, but he was obviously in charge of breakfast.
"Please don't trouble yourself just for me. Do you think they will still be making breakfast for the passengers?"
"When I leave here, I am supposed to be going down there to help out. We'll be serving down there for another half hour at least."
"Well get yourself off down there, and we will be down in a few minutes."
"Thank you, ma'am."
He turned and disappeared through the door which presumably gave access to the staff area, and the girls and I set off down the corridor. Susan and Maggie were surprised to see me bare headed, especially going into the more public part of the ship. As we walked along, I explained to them that they were to talk with the passengers, listen to their replies and pass on their views to me. I knew I could trust these 3 to ask intelligent questions and not to embroider the replies, so I felt between us we could get to a significant proportion of the people downstairs.
"What I want to know is what these people expect of the future and what I can do to help them make their expectations come true. I know you three have worked very closely with Father John, and I hope you will work very closely with me in future, but I really need to know what our flock wants of me. What it wants of us."
With that we entered the dining room, which turned out to be the same lounge area we had passed through yesterday, several heads turned our way and there was a general rustle a conversation.
"Who's that?"
"Is it the Mother of Mercy?"
"It could be, we didn't see her face yesterday, or her hair for that matter."
"Those are the same girls that were with her yesterday, so I think it must be."
I picked up a tray and helped myself to a full English breakfast, bacon, egg, sausage, mushrooms, they even had black pudding – a rare delicacy, if you like it. I discovered the girls had already eaten but we picked up a cup of coffee each and then we went and sat at one of the tables. I chose a large table which already had two girls and two boys sat at it, and as we sat down I said hello to them. After a few moments, one of the girls turned to me.
"Excuse me, but are you our Mother of Mercy?"
"I'm not sure yet, I don't really know what you lot expect of your Mother of Mercy, I don't know if I could live up to your expectations. That's why I'm down here now, to talk to you and find out what you want, and so you can ask me questions and find out what I can give you. Hopefully, by the time I leave here I'll know whether I am your Mother of Mercy and you all know whether you want me to be. These three ladies are my friends, and they're destined to be leaders in the Church, so talk to them, talk to each other and tell us your feelings, talk to the girls as you would talk to me and they will pass on all that you say. I really and truly want to know how you honestly feel so don't hold back. For today forget about rank, just call me Karen and these are Lola, Susan and Maggie. Now you three go circulate, go and network, make friends and chat. I'm going to finish my breakfast and then I'll be ready to talk."
The three girls picked up their coffee cups and wandered off, each soon attracting a group of followers. By the time I'd finished my breakfast, Lola was back apparently with most of the flock in tow.
"Sister Karen, there's a question everybody keeps asking us that we don't know how to answer."
"What is it Lola?"
"What happened to your hair?"
I wasn't sure how I could answer that one. Did these people know about the disappeared? Did they know that people were taken away on this very ship supposedly never to be seen again? Suddenly, I noticed another flash of blue amongst the green.
"Father David, can I have a quick word?"
He walked over, smiling at me. I don't think he was surprised to see me there or even to see me with my head uncovered. I pulled him close and whispered.
"Do these people know about the disappeared?"
"Most people in the Church back on the mainland know nothing about the disappeared, but most know very little about the islands at all. Our missionaries are told a lot more about life out here, they are told about all the islands including Prison Island as we call it, and this group in particular know that Father John intends doing something about it."
"Thank you Father David." Turning back to my larger audience, I smiled and stood up so they could hear me better.
"I did not want to upset you by telling you things about the Church which you might not have wanted to hear, but Father David assures me that I will be telling you nothing new. Two days ago I confronted Bishop O'Brien about his behaviour in the past, I had evidence that he had abused girls and boys who were supposed to be in his care, and I was prepared to go to the police with it. Bishop O'Brien drugged me and decided I should become one of the disappeared, one of the poor ladies sent to Prison Island with no hope of returning to civilisation. He had me shaved and I should, right now, be locked away in a little room in the bowels of this ship to never be heard of again.
You all knew what Father John had planned, but I was totally in the dark until he rescued me and somehow used the evidence I had collected to have the Bishop arrested. I am now here, trying to decide if I can take on this job, while you all seem to think it is a fait accompli. I have doubts in my own ability to live up to your expectations. That's why I have come down here today, bare headed to show that I am no better than you and that I would like to know if you feel I am up to the job. Thank you."
As I was about to sit down, I heard one of the girls asking "So who is the woman in the stern? We saw two of you come through yesterday, and she was returned early this morning, but she was masked so we couldn't see her face. Is she to be disappeared?"
I felt a tear grow in the corner of my eye as I replied.
"That is Sister Grace." I waited for the babble to die down. Sister Grace was well known to many of these people, they liked and respected her and were surprised at her predicament.
"Sister Grace was only following the Bishop's instructions when she drugged and shaved many of the women who are currently on that accursed island, but she feels responsible for their suffering. Her penance is to be the last woman to suffer transportation in this way, her joy is that she takes news and a message of hope to all the women there, news that the bishop has fallen and hope that we will have them off the island within a few months. When next you see Sister Grace make sure you honour her and show her respect for the sacrifice she is making."
I sat down as most of the group dispersed to talk to the girls. Father David also started walking round, fielding questions where he could and helping the girls answer questions they were having problems with. I still seemed to have the largest group, and they asked me a lot of questions about who I had been previously, they seemed particularly interested that I had a husband and a son and they asked me about family life. In return, I asked them what it was like growing up in the Church and whether they felt they been brainwashed or forced into doing anything they didn't want to do. They explained that they were there out of choice, that there were a lot of people who wanted to be missionaries but the selection process was very difficult. Only people with an IQ of over 110 were allowed to be missionaries, and they were required to show some skills in specific areas and to demonstrate they were prepared to work hard before they were allowed on to the course.
I discovered the most people there were between 19 and 21, having lost their virginity shortly after their 18th birthday. I realised that most of the girls did not get to enjoy Father John's 9 inch cock at their initiation, most of them were allocated a young man who they may never have met before to take their virginity. When I asked who allocated the men, I was told such things were organised by the Sisters of Mercy, to ensure there was a mixing of the genes and to prevent inbreeding.
There were three older people in the group, two women and a man. The man had wanted to be a missionary several years before but had failed the tests, so he had left the Church and learned how to be a blacksmith. He'd realised that skills such as smithing were going to be very important in the future for the island, if it were to be in any way self-sufficient, and he had taken the initiative to show he was worthy of a place there. When he returned to the Church after five years he was welcomed, and here he was on his way to set up the first blacksmith shop on the island.
The two women, I was surprised to find, were officially part of my staff. They told me they were professional mothers, a name signifying that they worked in the nurseries as wet nurses. Apparently, anything and everything to do with babies was the responsibility of the Sisters of Mercy, and hence ultimately my responsibility. This went right through from allocating partners to parent a babe, through looking after the pregnant woman and helping with the birth, to managing the nurseries and the staff who run them, even to educating the children. Even the policing of the flock was my responsibility, and doling out punishment where required. It appeared my word was law, nobody would countermand my instruction and I could be judge, jury and executioner. I realised I wasn't prepared to accept that level of responsibility, that the pressure of making such crucial decisions was too great for one person, and I decided one of my first jobs in my new role will be to find people I could trust to restrain my powers, to help me behave sensibly and rationally. I could see where Bishop O'Brien had needed that control, but he had failed to put it in place at an appropriate time and that's how he started down the slippery slope.
We ate lunch on the fly, taking a bite of a sandwich while listening to somebody's question and thinking of an answer, or getting a discussion going and then sitting back for a few minutes to listen. By mid-afternoon, I felt a lot more confidence in my ability to do the job, at least these people believed I could do it and I knew they would support me. I was shattered and the drug was starting to cut into my concentration, so I called the girls together and we returned to our quarters. Father David even stood up and gave a little speech to thank me, he said that I had taken the time to talk with them and that that, in itself, showed I was a right person for the job.
I invited Father David along as well so we could debrief, but he said he had a lot to talk about with his missionaries, that he wanted to make sure they had no questions before they landed. I realised that the ship made this trip every week, and that meant no more than three days out and three days back. Father David explained we should be arriving at the mission by midday tomorrow, and the ship will then depart again roughly midday the following day depending on the tides. That meant I had 24 hours on the island, and I intended to make the most of it.
Back in my room, I asked the girls if they have enjoyed themselves and they answered with a resounding yes. This was the first time they been treated like adults, usually they were seen as a little kid and it was really nice because the conversations informed and involved them, they were truly grateful to me. I knew I had to talk to the girls and see what their thoughts on the missionaries was, but first I just had to get Lola between my legs. We all stood naked and jumped on the bed, I looked at the two 17-year-olds and they looked at me and promised they wouldn't touch as long as I didn't touch them. After last night, I wasn't sure I could believe them but had also come to understand that as long as I didn't actively seek their involvement, my conscience could remain clear. Lola had her head between my legs, and I was busy licking her cunt – the classic 69 position. The girls were either side of us, watching and occasionally licking and kissing our bodies whenever the temptation became too strong. I moaned and groaned my way through two climaxes, got Lola to one earthshattering orgasm, and fell asleep. It had been a very late night and I hadn't really had much sleep, and I was so relaxed after my orgasms there was nothing else to do.
I awoke several hours later to a delicious aroma in the room. Dinner time had come and gone, and rather than waking me the girls had collected my meal and left it on a trolley at the side of the room for me. Lola had deliberately banged the lids a little bit, just to rouse me from my slumber before it went cold and now she served me breakfast in bed, or was it dinner in bed? I couldn't really decide. The girls had disappeared off to the kitchen, presumably to carry on chatting with the young chef. Lola took great delight in looking after me, bringing me my starters, cutlery, serviettes, salt and vinegar, anything that I needed. Once I had the meal in front of me, she settled down between my legs and carried on licking my clit. Dinner in bed had never felt so good, although I nearly spilt my wine having an orgasm halfway through.
Sated and replete, we curled up together and went back to sleep.
I was awoken in the middle of the night not so much by a noise, but by the lack of noise. The roar of the engines, ever present background noise for the last two days had stopped. I looked at Lola and she said "I think it's time to say goodbye to Sister Grace"
I was out of bed in a moment. I had meant to say so much to Sister Grace today, but then had never got to it. I was so disappointed with myself.
"Quickly we must get down there before she goes."
"I think we might have a little time, I think Father John and Father David have got something special planned."
I looked at her and wondered how much of the planning had involved her. She did seem to know an awful lot about what was going on in the Church, she seemed to have everybody's trust and she certainly had mine. If there was one person that I could trust to keep me on the straight and narrow, it was Lola. As I thought this, I suddenly realised that I absolutely trusted Susan and Maggie as well. I knew Susan had a bit of a sadistic streak, and I also knew that both had told tales to the Sisters of Mercy about what was happening in the dungeon that night, but I also knew they had the best interests of the Church at heart and that they would never allow me to do anything to damage the Church.
…
I wanted to go down to see her straight away, but Lola pointed out that they couldn't start the ceremony without the Mother of Mercy being there. I still wasn't sure, I needed to talk to Sister Grace before she was drugged. Lola pointed out that it was the responsibility of the Sisters of Mercy to decide when the drug would be given, and I was the only Sister of Mercy on board the ship.
"So before, before I became a Mother of Mercy, what would have happened then?"
"You remember the other Sisters of Mercy in the limousine? One of them was supposed to be deciding on the punishment before you turned up, Father John sent her back when we got to the port and then got really worried when you didn't turn up in time to get on the ship."
"What would have happened if I hadn't got to the ship?"
"I think the ship would have turned back for you."
"Couldn't Father John have given the orders? I hope he is not expecting me to actually inject the drug or anything!"
"Father John is only head of the Church, he can't give orders to have people injected with drugs or anything like that. Only the Sisters of Mercy have that sort of authority and you are head of the Sisters of Mercy."
"But, I don't want that sort of responsibility! I don't think I can handle it!"
"Some of us took great care to select you, we know you can handle it." I looked at Lola closely, once again intrigued by how much this girl had to do with my being there. Though seeming sweet and innocent, she had hidden depths.
"Come on let's get you in the shower and then get you dressed."
By the time I was out of the shower, Susan and Maggie were there to help me dress while Lola had her shower and dried her hair. I was wearing a full, formal Mother of Mercy robe, with all purple stripes showing. If this was my first formal occasion, I was going to make the most of it.
Once we were ready, we set off towards the stern of the ship. Susan led us up onto the deck and we walked along beside the hatches and shutters that covered the windows. Near the stern there was a group of people gathered, I realised that all the missionaries were there.
Father David stepped forward as I arrived and bowed, the first time he had actually bowed to me.
"Mother of the Mercy, you told us that the next time we saw Sister Grace we should show respect, so we have come out now to show her our respect, our love and appreciation for what she's doing."
I looked at Father David; here was someone else I knew I could trust, somebody else to keep an eye on what I was doing.
"I feel so guilty sending her away like this. She's done nothing wrong! I don't see why she should suffer in my place." I spoke quietly, so the people couldn't hear me, couldn't hear the sadness in my voice. Father David looked at Lola, and glanced over my shoulder to Father John who had appeared behind us. He must have seen some sort of agreement in their faces as he broke the news to me.
"Sister Grace is here because she wants to be. Two nights ago, after you showed her that the Bishop wasn't really a saint, she went back to her room, stripped naked and walked right through the Church to Father John's room where she begged to be allowed to come to the island as a penance for all the people she had sent there. Father John and I talked to her this evening along with my two nurses, we tried to persuade her to change her mind but she is adamant."
"I have to see her, to check for myself. Has she been drugged yet?"
"The giving of drugs is the responsibility of the Mother of Mercy, she will be not be drugged unless you say she should be."
At that moment, the door in a nearby superstructure opened and Sister Grace came out, flanked by two sailors – I thought it was the same two that had escorted us the previous day. They brought her forward and stopped a few feet away from us. There was a slight cheer went through the crowd when we first saw her, and she was surprised to see so many people there. You could almost feel the love emanating from the group, supported her in her moment of need. I walked up to her and seeing me she dropped to her knees.
"Sister Mary."
"Mother of Mercy."
I pushed my hood back and took the mask off.
"Grace, it's me, Karen. You don't have to do this you know."
She looked up at me and smiled.
"Sister Karen, thank you for showing me the error of my ways. I do really want to do this."
I looked down at her smile, then fitted the mask back on my face and put my hood back up, resuming the anonymity of a Sister of Mercy.
"Sister Grace do you wish to arrive on the island drugged and unconscious or do you want your arrival to reflect your status as a messenger of hope?"
She looked up at me gratefully. "I would be very honoured if I was allowed to step off the boat for myself. I won't try to flee, this is what I want to do."
"Very well then. Sister Grace I send you out as a missionary." There was a muted round of applause from the missionaries gathered there, obviously pleased to accept her into their ranks. "I send you as a missionary to the women on that island to help them prepare for return to the real world. And I give you responsibility for Bishop O'Brien who will be joining you shortly. I wish you God Speed and hope to see you again very soon."
I turned to Father John with a tear in my eye as he nodded to the captain, and the two sailors helped Sister Grace through the crowd to the side of the ship. They lowered her over and helped her into a small boat that was hanging from the davits. The boat was quickly lowered into the water and a small outboard motor burst into life as it disappeared off into the darkness. There was silence as she passed through the crowd, but just as she reached the boat there was sound of a flute coming from amongst the missionaries, and then a drumbeat from some sort of small drum, and a voice, a single voice singing a song, a hymn I remembered from my childhood.
Then fancies flee away,
She’ll fear not what men say,
She'll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.
I wept behind my mask, then turning to Lola I took off my mask and wept openly. Once that lonesome voice had finished the hymn, it started on a new song, one which many of the missionaries joined in with.
I look down at Lola who was now crying as well. She tried to smile up at me and explained "This is kind of our anthem, the song reflects the problems caused by families in modern life. This is what we are trying to stop."
I listened to the words and recognised it as a popular song from a few years back. The whole crowd was singing as we reached the end of the song, even I joined on the final lines:
And as I hung up the phone it had occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home, son, I don't know when
But we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then.
It told the story of a father who spent too much time at work trying to give his family a better life, and by the time he had the opportunity to live that life with his family they had moved on with life of their own. It told of the expectation that a man would put his job above his family, the suggestion that a man who gave his family everything would be happy, but it is a criticism of modern life and I recognised why the Church felt it appropriate. This was the sort of pain people didn't need; the conflict between work and family.
Finally, the musician started playing Taps, a song which I'd learnt many years before as a Girl Guide. It was a simple song of thanks to the gods, at the end of a day. It was originally written for the trumpet, but this girl playing it on the flute made it haunting and beautiful. In silence the party dispersed back to their bedrooms till their was just our party left behind. The two Fathers, the Mother of Mercy and the three girls, my new best friends, my support network, my new family. They crowded round me as I stood, tears streaming down my face, looking out in the direction the boat had taken, looking out after my new sister.
…
Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather.
Theres no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.
Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He'll with a giant fight,
He will take up his right
To be a pilgrim.
Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He'll fear not what men say,
He'll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.
http://www.oystermouthparish.com/who-would-true-valour-see
A child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talking before I knew it and as he grew
He said, "I'm gonna be like you, Dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home, Dad, I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then
My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's okay"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "Im gonna be like him, yeah
You know Im going to be like him"
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home, Dad, I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then
Well, he came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and he said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home, son, I don't know when
But we'll get together then, Dad
You know we'll have a good time then
I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to Dad, if I could find the time"
"You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"
And as I hung up the phone it had occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home, son, I don't know when
But we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then
Cat Stevens - Cats In The Cradle Lyrics | MetroLyrics
http://www.metrolyrics.com/cats-in-the-cradle-lyrics-cat-stevens.html
Day is done, gone the sun
From the sea, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh.
Fading light dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar, drawing near
Falls the night.
Thanks and praise for our days
Neath the sun, 'neath the stars', 'neath the sky'
As we go, this we know
God is nigh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taps