The Eternal Flame

           Six-year-old, Sally Schaffer had awakened suddenly from a deep sleep at her grandparent’s home. She was certain that she had heard the scream of a woman.

           Sally sat up and wiped her tired eyes with the palms of her hands and listened intently for any other noises. It was a cool summer night, and Sally enjoyed the crisp air while she slept, so her window had been left open; just enough to hear a commotion outside. She stood up from her bed, and with sluggish steps, she walked over to the window and peeked out through the fog-covered glass.

           Approximately 30-feet from the back of the house stood a red wooden building that Sally’s Grandfather had told her, was his hideaway whenever Grandma got into one of her moods. The noises seemed to be coming from there, but Sally couldn’t tell for certain, so she slipped on a sweater and went downstairs. By the back door sat her father’s rubber boots that he used when working in the field, so Sally slipped the oversized galoshes onto her tiny feet, opened the back door, and began to walk across the damp grass to the red structure.

           A flickering light glowed through the shuttered windows. Sally stretched her legs as high as they would take her and was able to peep through a crack in the curtains. What she saw would affect her for the rest of her life.

           A group of men and women were dressed in red robes and wore unusual masks upon their heads. The masks reminded her of animals, but they had a painful look on their faces. The group of people danced playfully around two people who laid on a table in the center of the room. Sally struggled to get a better look, but the crowd obscured her view. There was a sudden moan of pain coming from within the circle and the dancing came to a stop. There, upon the table in the center were a man and woman, naked from head-to-toe except for their masks. The man laid over the woman, perched upon his arms, while the woman seemed to struggle beneath him. The moans were coming from her. Sally was terrified at the sight and ran straight back to her room, forgetting that she still wore her father’s boots. She climbed into bed and hid under the covers wondering what she should do about it. Perhaps she should go wake her mother and father and tell them to call the police or something. She was too scared to move though.

           Ten minutes had passed when voices started emerging from the back yard. Sally gathered up her courage and snuck quietly over to the window ledge and peeked outside. The men and women started exiting the building, now dressed in regular clothes and carrying their masks and robes. Sally began to recognize a few of them including her mother and father along with her grandparents. She was in shock! Sally saw them making their way toward the back door, so she quickly jumped back into bed and laid in silence. Moments later, her mother had opened the door and snuck inside to check on her. Sally pretended to be sleeping while her mother stood there.

           First, Sally’s mother looked over and noticed that the window was open and she questioned whether or not Sally would have overheard anything that was going on moments earlier. Then she looked beside Sally’s bed and spotted a pair of large, black rubber boots still dripping of dew from the grass outside. Her mother grabbed the boots and left the room, closing the door behind her. She then carried the boots back downstairs and informed her husband and her parents about what she had suspected.

           The following morning, when Sally had gone downstairs for breakfast, she had expected that someone was going to question her about the boots, but nobody had. Instead, they went on as nothing had ever happened.

           Eighteen years had passed, and Sally woke in a cold sweat. It had been years since she even thought about that night, and yet it was all still vivid in her mind. Why was she thinking of it now? Why were they all gathered together in that building? Now that she was old enough, Sally realized that the two people on the table in the center were having sex, but what was with all of the creepy outfits and masks, and why were so many people there to witness it? While it was fresh in her mind, she started to jot down what details she could remember about that night. She was now determined to discover the mystery of the event and to figure out what kind of secrets her family had been keeping from her all of these years.

           Her father had since passed away, as did her grandparents, but her mother lived back at her grandparent’s old house still, so Sally got herself ready, packed some clothes, and headed to the old farmstead in the country.

           When she arrived at the house, she was surprised at the condition it was now in. Since her father passed away from a massive coronary two years ago, the fields had become overgrown with weeds and the house required some serious repair. Several of the wooden shingles that made up the siding on the house were falling off or missing, and the front porch railing was falling over. It was disturbing to Sally to see the property in such disarray. As she approached the front door, it had begun to open. There in the doorway stood the shadow of a woman that Sally remembered as being tall, strong, and beautiful. Now, she seemed hunched over with her greying hair disheveled upon her head. Sally’s mother, Theresa tried to force a smile, but Sally could tell that it seemed unnatural to her.

           Sally and her mother hadn’t spoken in almost a year, but when Sally looked upon this frail woman before her, she felt remorse and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother. Theresa hesitantly returned the sentiment and placed her hands loosely around Sally’s back.

           “What brings you here after all this time?” Theresa enquired.

           “Can’t I just come and see my mom?” Sally retorted, then continued, “The truth is, I was remembering things about my childhood, and I thought that if I came back to where I spent a lot of my childhood, then I may recall more details.”

           “What kind of memories are you talking about, Sally? Why are you truly here?” her mother stated harshly.

           Sally hesitated because she didn’t want her mother to start pushing her away again, then she finally came out with it…

           “The fact is, mom, I dreamt about something that happened back when I was only 6-years-old. Back then, I was too young to understand any of it, but now I figured out that you, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa belonged to some sort of cult and what I witnessed was some kind of ritual, right?”

           Theresa sighed with the realization that she could no longer keep the truth from her daughter, so she held Sally by the hand and asked her to follow. Her mother led Sally around to the back of the house and over to the old red structure. It seemed smaller to Sally now, and the paint had faded the color, so it now was more pink than red. Theresa inserted an old brass key into the lock and opened the door. The inside was filled with cobwebs and dust as if it hadn’t been cleaned, or even used in several years. Theresa grabbed a corn broom from the edge of the doorway and swept a path through the webs to the other side of the room where a stone fireplace sat. Sally’s mother then slid one of the stones away from the hearth revealing a secret compartment. She reached inside and pulled out a dusty leather-bound book. Upon the cover was a symbol that looked as if it were burned right into the leather. The symbol showed a sideways figure eight which Sally recognized as the symbol for eternity. Above it was a picture of a flame, and within the flame were tiny images of people in agony.

           Theresa led Sally back into the house and sat her down at the kitchen table. She laid the book in front of Sally, pointed to the cover, and began to explain, “These symbols represent The Eternal Flame; a secret society that dates back to around 500 BC in ancient Greece. The society began as a tribute to the Greek God, Hades, God of the Underworld. It was said that Hades had only one true love, a human woman named Zoe, but it was frowned upon by the gods for any of them to love a mortal, so to spite them, especially Zeus, Hades married Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Hade’s sister, Demeter. Persephone became the goddess of the underworld alongside her husband, but Hades wasn’t satisfied. He still craved the flesh of his mortal conquest, Zoe, so he met her one night at her home while she slept and seduced her. Zoe became pregnant that night with the spawn of Hades himself. The child grew up to be healthy and strong, and once he turned sixteen years of age, he was visited by Hades. Although the boy should have been frightened, he showed no fear what-so-ever for this intimidating and immortal man before him. Hades explained to the boy that he carried a very special bloodline; one that must continue to be passed on for eternity so that Hades could continue to exist. That bloodline continued for centuries and now it nears its end. You are my daughter, and you are the last descendant of Hades, God of the underworld.”

           Sally sat silently for a moment trying to take in all of this information that seemed impossible to her, but deep inside, she knew that there was truth to it. She raised her gaze from the book to her mom and stared into her eyes. It was if her mother had just turned back the hands of time. She looked ten years younger. She had kept the secret from Sally so long that it was beginning to eat away at her and causing her to physically deteriorate, but now she appeared refreshed and had a smile on her face that Sally hadn’t seen since before her dad died.

           “I don’t know where to begin,” Sally started, “So we are direct descendants of a Greek god? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

           “It was because of what you witnessed all those years ago. The ritual that you saw happening was a procreation ceremony between me and your father. The others in the room were all of my relatives. Many of them were not able to bear children and we felt that the bloodline would soon die out, so we tried to create a little brother or sister for you to carry on the tradition if you were unable after witnessing the ritual and reacting the way that you had. I tried to protect you, but perhaps all that I did was cause you to withdraw and suppress what was supposed to be your destiny. Can you forgive me?” Theresa held tight to Sally’s hands and tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

           “Of course I forgive you, mom. I understand now that you were only trying to do what was right. So, what can be done if we were to continue with the traditions? I mean, if I get pregnant and have a baby, will that be good enough?” Sally asked with concern.

           Theresa thought for a moment, then replied, “I’m afraid it’s not quite that easy. You see, for this immortality of Hades to continue, you must perform the ritual in front of your family members. There are very few of us left, but if you are seriously considering this, then I can make some calls when the time is right. First, you need to find a man who is strong in body and of will, not to mention willing to have sex in front of a group of your relatives. That one is usually the deal-breaker. It took me a while to convince your father to go along with it.”

           ****

Sally started on a quest for the perfect man. She cruised the malls, the bars, the beaches, and even the construction sites. Eventually, she found a few possible candidates through an online dating site. Doing it this way allowed her to weed out the unqualified men and focus on those who met her criteria. Her profile was very specific to her needs…

           “Hot, twenty-something blonde, seeking casual encounters and possibly more. Men only, please. Must be fit, handsome, and into exhibitionism. If interested, message me back. If you don’t hear from me, I’m not interested.”

           The emails started pouring in within minutes of the profile being completed. Sally didn’t realize that there were so many men desperate for sex in this town. “Well, it’s time to get to work. Bachelor #1, what do you have to offer? Interesting…an educated man, though his looks are only average. Sorry pal, maybe in my next life.”

           The list grew smaller as the day progressed. Finally, she had it narrowed down to three possibilities. One was a football coach in his forties. Rugged, yet handsome. He had a chiseled jaw, but his nose was crooked slightly. Most likely from too many hits while playing ball. He is probably brain-damaged.

           The second candidate was a bodybuilder in his thirties. He had the physical part down, but could he perform? After the first time she attempted to have sex with him, Sally realized her muscle-bound man lacked in other areas. All of the steroid use over the years left him with an embarrassingly small and incapacitated phallus that would be detrimental in her plan for childbirth.

           The third one, however, seemed almost too good to be true. Johnathan was a twenty-eight-year-old college student studying ancient history of all things. His daily routine was running and Ju-Jitsu training, and he reeked of confidence. He was a non-smoker and only drank socially. His favorite vacation spot was the Hedonism resort in Negril, Jamaica, so the exhibitionist part should not be an issue.

           Their first time together was magical. Sally felt as if they had known each other all of their lives. He seemed to know every way to please her and could even tell what things she wasn’t comfortable with. Before breaking it to him about the ritual, Sally needed to check out his nerves by having sex in a public place. She seemed to be more nervous than he was though. Her palms began to sweat as they stood under a gazebo down by the lake. Other beach-goers strolled past unaware of what was happening only ten feet away. Sally had her back to Johnathan as she leaned against the railing. He lifted her skirt and they began having intercourse. Sally tried to hold back her moans of pleasure, but she was too turned on to control it. She was nearing her climax when they were interrupted by a voice from behind.

           An elderly man yelled out, “What do you kids think you’re doing? That’s disgusting! Can’t you see that there are kids around? I’m going to call the police.”

           Sally and Johnathan ran off quickly and back to Johnathan’s SUV where they finished their dirty deed.

           A few weeks had passed, and Sally decided to bring Johnathan to meet her mom and they would discuss the procreation ritual with him together. When they arrived, Sally’s mom looked more youthful than before. She was simply vibrant. When she first spotted Johnathan, Sally thought that she was going to jump him right there in front of her. She had a lustful look in her eyes and glanced over at Sally with an approving nod and smile.

           The news went over better than expected and Johnathan was all in with no hesitation. The ritual was to take place that night once the remaining relatives arrived.

           Theresa’s brother, Dan, and her cousin, Jessica arrived first, followed by her uncle Samuel who was actually two years younger than Theresa. They made their way out to the structure in the back of the property, lit a fire, and changed into their ceremonial garb. Sally noticed Johnathan glancing at the body of Sally’s mother as she changed, which in turn caused Sally to admire her as well. She still kept her figure even though she was nearing forty-seven.

           The relatives circled Sally and Johnathan as they made love on the padded table in the middle of the room. The relatives chanted praise to Hades and prayed for his flame to last eternally. Johnathan and Sally seemed oblivious to what was being said. They were too caught up in the moment to notice. As Sally reached her moment to climax and she let out a wail, flames erupted within the fireplace grew with intensity and Sally was almost certain that she could hear the souls of her father and grandparents calling out her name. The act was complete, and even though they had just finished, Sally somehow knew that she would be pregnant. It felt like a burning within her womb.

****

           Years had passed. Johnathan and Sally were still together and now had three children of their own. The oldest was Harry. At sixteen, he acted as if he were in his twenties. The second was Janet; a mini version of her mother. Thirdly, was Karen. She was only two, and yet she had the beauty of a goddess within her already. Sally and Johnathan looked at their family with pride and were looking forward to the day when the tradition could be passed on.

The End.