Soul Guardian

SOUL GUARDIAN........

The moon was full tonight, casting a soft light over the hills that had appeared so green and lush during the warmth of the sunlit day. She looked up at the hills around the bay and wished that she had a man to walk into them with, a longing filled her empty heart and she sighed gently. She turned and wandered towards the sea, the sand heavy and damp beneath her feet. As she walked along the waters edge she dreamed of what could have been had she stayed with the man she had loved so much. But he had gone, away back to the wife and children he had promised her that he would leave....she missed him.

She thought back over her life, wondering if this was the end of her chances of happiness. Maybe forty really was the beginning of life, why then did it feel like the end? Tomorrow she would start to look for a new man in her life, so many times she had said this to herself in the hours around midnight when she was feeling lonely, but somehow, tomorrow never seemed to arrive. She wandered further around the bay, looking out into the sea where the waves were lapping gently against the shore.

At the end of the bay were some rocks leading up into the hills, she walked over to them and climbed up onto the highest one, the rocks felt sharp and rough after the warm, soft, heaviness of the sand. She stood on the rock for a while, feeling the cool breeze brush against her skin, she shivered a little. She stood down from her viewpoint and continued over the rocks to the base of the hill, yet another sensation under her feet as she stepped onto the dewy cool grass.

She started up the hill, it was steep but she wanted to stand on the top to see how far across the water she could see. She wanted to watch the small boats that had been moored at the edge of the bay bobbing up and down with the lapping of the waves. Further up the hill were some small trees and bushes, she wondered what small animals were making their beds there, maybe she would sit and rest a while when she reached them. She walked on, alone and peaceful with her thoughts. When she reached the bushes she sat and lay her head on her knees, she closed her eyes and thought about the love she had so recently forgone.

What seemed like hours passed, her mind had travelled for years into the future, searching for what might be. Suddenly she came back to her senses, aware of no longer being alone, she opened her eyes and looked up. Standing over her was a man, she could not see the features of his face against the moonlight. Strangely she felt no fear, this man would cause her no harm, he radiated a sense of peace. "Good evening sweet child" he said, looking deep into her eyes. She felt as if his eyes were looking right through hers into her very soul. His voice was gentle and deep, he held out his hand for her to take. Standing up she could see that he was wearing strange clothing, he had on a cloak and carried a long pole in his hand. "Walk a while with me my child" he said. Taking his hand she continued up the hill to where it was steeper, she was glad to have his hand to hold on this terrain, it felt as if she may slip and fall.

When they had passed the steepness she relaxed a little, the man walked beside her in silence and yet she felt that she could tell him of the pain in her heart. As they walked on she told him of the lost love she had suffered and of how she felt, alone and betrayed. He listened in silence until she had told him all. She felt small but protected with this strange man, she did not know him and yet trusted him completely. At the top of the hill were some craggy rocks, he led her towards them and rapped on a flat surface with the end of the pole. There was a deep scraping sound as the rock slid aside and revealed a large cavernous space behind it. The space behind the rock seemed to be so large that the hill could not possibly contain it.

She followed the man as he led her inside the cave, there was a fire in the centre of the space and as the light danced over the smooth walls it sparkled on the mica that made up the rock. As her eyes grew used to the darkness she could make out strange shapes carved into the rock, she did not recognise these shapes, they were like none that she had seen before. She walked over to the fire and sat on a soft red cushion that seemed almost to have been put there for her. As she sat and warmed her chilled flesh she took time to study the man more closely. His eyes were dark, so dark as to seem endlessly deep. His hair was long and caught back into a ponytail with a plaited twine to hold it there, he had a ragged beard and a mysterious soft smile.

She looked down at her bare feet, she noticed that her skin was dirty and scratched from the bushes they had passed through on the way up the hill, the man noticed her looking and walked over to her, holding out his hand. She took his hand and stood up, the man was tall next to her. He pulled at her hand and motioned her to follow him. He led her into a long tunnel, it was cool and dark in the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel she could see a soft glow of flickering light. As they reached the end she could see a smaller room, carved into the rock walls were dozens of small ledges holding roughly cast wax candles. The room smelled of incense. In the centre of the room was a deep pit filled with water. The man led her over to the pit and stood facing her, still she felt no fear, only warm peacefulness.

As they stood facing each other at the edge of the pit, the man started to undo the band that tied her hair back , as it came loose she shook her head to spread her hair now freed from the restraint of the tie. The man put his arms around her neck and slowly, one by one, undid the buttons of her thin cotton dress, all the time his eyes never leaving hers. He let the dress fall, she wore nothing underneath as it had been such a warm day. She held his hand as she stepped out of her dress. Keeping her locked in his gaze he removed his cloak, underneath he wore a cloth around his waist. He untied the cloth and tossed it gently onto the hard stone floor. As he stepped into the water she saw that there were steps carved into the side of the pit. She followed him into the water, surprised to feel that it was warm. Floating on the surface of the water were strange petals from flowers she did not know.

Once in the water the man began to wash her, gently as if washing a child he passed his hands over every surface of her skin. His hands were soft and warm. Around the edge of the pit underneath the water was a ledge, the man sat on the ledge and pulled her towards him, " Come, sit on my knee" he whispered. She did as he said. He put one arm around her back and gently pushed her backwards until her hair was trailing in the water, she lay against his arm as he washed her hair with a sweet smelling soap. He picked up a pitcher and dipped it in the water, filling it to the brim. He poured the water through her hair until the soap was gone.

The man stood her on her feet again and stepped out of the water. He held out his hand for her as she climbed the steps. She shivered a little as she stood dripping. He took his cloak and wrapped it gently around her. With his arm around her shoulders he led her back along the tunnel to the place where they had first entered the cave. This room was warm, she sat once again by the fire, combing her fingers through her hair as it dried. Soon she felt warm and dry again, she had not felt so cared for since she was a child. She looked up from grooming her hair and could just make out the shape of the man sitting cross legged on a raised platform, the platform appeared to be covered with animal skins. She heard his gentle voice again, "Come my child, sit with me". She stood up and walked over to where he was sitting, stepping up, she sat down beside him. She had expected the platform to feel cold and hard, but instead it felt warm and soft. The man gently unwrapped her from the cloak, "Lie down little one" he whispered. She did as he asked and closed her eyes, uncertain of what was to come next.

As she lay on her front, she could feel herself drifting into a warm calmness. Almost imperceptibly the man began to stroke her skin, his hands were slippery with a spicy scented oil. First he ran his hands around her neck, gently but firmly easing away the tensions that she had not realised still remained there. He worked his way steadily down her body until he reached the soles of her feet, all the time his fingers chasing away any little knots in her muscles. When he had finished he leaned over her and with his lips almost brushing her ear said "Turn over my sweet one". She turned over and opened her eyes, his stare was deep and knowing. Closing her eyes she relaxed once more and felt him start again, first her neck and then slowly and steadily all the way down to her feet.

When he had finished gently calming her body she felt almost as if she were floating. She lay there with her eyes still closed, not wanting to risk opening them and maybe breaking this magical spell she was under. She felt the mans hair fall against her and his lips gently kissing her forehead. She felt him begin to trace lines around her face with his fingertips. As his fingers gently moved down to her neck, she felt him kiss each place he had stroked. Gently he continued to kiss her, first her face and then her neck and slowly, all the way down to her feet. Occasionally she had tried to put her arms around him, to hold his body against hers, but each time she had done this she had heard his soft voice again "Lie still my angel, let me lead you where your heart desires".

After he had finished kissing her, she felt him lie next to her, his skin felt hot against hers. She turned to face him and opened her eyes to look deep into this mans dark gaze. She put her arms around him and held his hard body close against her. This time he did not resist her touch. She turned her face up towards him and closed her eyes. She felt soft lips on hers, kissing her as his arms closed around her. She held him close to her and kissed his face, slowly moving downwards until she buried her nose in the softness of his neck. His skin smelt of the incense she had smelt earlier. She laid her head against his shoulder and sighed softly as she felt his arms release a little and his hands exploring her skin once more. Kissing his neck she whispered into his shoulder, "Where will you take me strange man"? "How do you know where my heart desires to go"?

The man did not answer her, he rolled away from her and knelt up beside her. "Close your eyes my child, for I know your deepest desires" She lay there for some time, her eyes closed. She felt the man leave her and thought she could hear him moving away from her. She started to drift off into a dream. Sometime later she heard the man return, she felt the warmth of his body as he sat down by her feet. "Trust me my little one" she heard him whisper. He took her ankles and moved them apart, he took her arms and put them above her head, "Do not move" he whispered. She felt as if she should feel vulnerable like this, but strangely she did not. A warm tickling sensation ran through her body as he began to kiss the soles of her feet, he ran his tongue between her toes sending shivers of pleasure throughout her. He gently ran his tongue around her ankles and then kissing and nibbling her flesh worked his way up her legs.

As he reached her thighs she could feel the tingle of anticipation growing between her legs. She wanted to reach down and grab hold of his hair and guide his tongue to where she wanted to feel it most. After an eternity, his tongue reached the spot where she had been longing to feel it, he gently flicked the tip over her until she felt faint with pleasure. "Concentrate" he said, "Tell me what this is". She felt his tongue move again, this time in one straight firm stroke. "I?" she said. "Correct" whispered the man. Again and again she felt the man trace letters against her, after the 'I' came an 'A', and then an 'M' and then 'H','I','M'. "I am him" she whispered. "Correct my sweet one" said the man. "Yes, but who?" she asked, again, the man did not answer, instead plunging his tongue deep inside her. The waves of pleasure running through her body made her forget the question.

When he had finished licking and sucking her he moved his body over hers, she let out a deep moan as she felt him enter her. He felt hard and so good. She moved her hips against him, rotating them around until he touched every place inside her. She felt that she should lower her arms and hold him close to her, guide him as to how she liked to be made love to. After a while she realised that there was no need for her to guide him, he was anticipating her every need almost before she had even realised it herself. As her breathing quickened he moved harder and faster, again and again she reached an orgasm only to find that the man carried on. She pushed her hips hard against him, never wanting this to stop. She could hear a moan starting to come with each breath of his, she felt his body tense and his arms tighten around her as he started to come inside her. The throbbing of him inside her and the warm rush as he came excited her so much that she reached yet another orgasm, more intense than any she had ever known before. She lowered her arms and pulled him into her, wrapping her legs around his back. They lay entwined together as their breathing slowed once more and taut muscles relaxed again.

All night they continued to make love, each time as gentle and sweet as the first. As the dawn broke and the birds started to sing they fell into a deep dreamless sleep, she with her head laid on his shoulder and her arms around his waist, he with his arm around her shoulder, holding her gently to him. Sometime during her sleep she was aware that the man had pulled the animal skin over her to keep her warm, she snuggled closer and drifted back into her deep peaceful sleep. Hours later she woke, she had no idea of the time, it was always dark inside the cave. The fire had burned low and there was just a gentle glow left. Her eyes were used to the dimness now, slowly and carefully she lifted her head to look at the sleeping man. He had a beautiful face, strong features and golden skin. His hair was dark and shiny. As she watched his face, his eyes slowly opened and looked deep into hers, he smiled and reached up pulling her to him, he kissed her lips and held her close. They lay together for a while, gradually shaking off the slumber of the night before.

When they were fully awake the man got up, he wrapped his cloak around himself and fetched her dress. "Come here my dear one" he said. She rose from the platform and crossed the room to him, he slipped her dress over her head and held it while she put her arms into the short sleeves. He put his arms around her and fastened the buttons. He held her tightly once more and kissed her forehead. "Time to leave my angel" he said. Like a child, she obeyed.

She took his hand as he led her to the doorway of the cave. Once outside in the sunlight she saw how far she had come to reach this point on the hill, surely she could not have walked so far in one night? She held tightly to the mans hand, she didn't want to let go. This man had taken her to heaven and back. "Let go of my hand" the mans voice said, she felt sad, she wanted to stay. Suddenly she remembered her question of the previous night, "Who are you?" she said, "You know who I am" the man replied. "But how will I ever find you again" she asked. "I am with you all the time" the man replied, "I am a man you have always known in your heart, I am the one who can exorcise the ghosts of your past and awaken you to the beauty of your future, for I am the guardian of your soul".

As she started down the hill a tear ran down her cheek, "Do not look back" the man said. When she was halfway down the hill she turned, she had been walking for hours. Startled, she realised that there were no rocks at the top of the hill, she had been walking for far longer than necessary to be only this far down the hill. She wanted to run back to the top, to search for the rocks and the doorway. As she started to cry she became aware of a voice within her head, "Do not cry my child, I am still with you, I will never leave you, for I am a part of you", she listened as the voice carried on, "Your future lies within your hands, I have shown you what bliss there can be if you choose it to be there, now go and let love find you."