Fragment 7 - Posted 27th December 2014

When Mistress' business and social obligations were fulfilled, there remained two weeks until the end of the licence, and Mistress declared a free-for all. In theory this meant that the running of the house went on as normal, but any of the staff could make use of White Ghost during any free time, if the custodians permitted. We asked the Mistress if she had any recommendations how we go about this. "I do," she said. "This specimen seems polite and friendly. I think you should let him off the leash during the mornings, and take him off to the park for recreation in the afternoons. No need to watch too closely – one of you on duty should be enough. He may need to rest in the afternoons." When the word went out, the house bubbled with a carnival atmosphere. Pairs of giggling young women were forever moving swiftly through parts of the house where they were not normally to be found. Rooms were found unaccountably locked for short periods. Cupboards resounded with squeals and strange thuds. Flushed maids tripped hastily back to their tasks, and Ma Chao was continually yelling at kitchen staff to wash their hands. Once I even caught Ma Peng pulling down her skirts with a twinkle in her eye. Through all this, White Ghost stumbled and reeled as if in a daze. No-one approached the custodians for permission. How their faces fell when we clipped on the leash and set out for the meadow! The atmosphere turned sombre when the day arrived that the licence expired. Breakfast was something spicy – I forget what – which was unusual. Faces were pale in the kitchen, and one girl fled into the courtyard in a fit of tears. Ma Chao had a set look about the face, and looked as though she had been crying too. She set a bowl before White Ghost and hastily turned away. No-one had much appetite, but we ate determinedly. It took longer than usual, but in time all the bowls were empty. White Ghost could see the mood was odd, but ate heartily. We knew to make ourselves scarce for the morning. As we opened the gate to the lane, Ma Chao appeared and wrapped her arms around White Ghost in a great hug. Without a word, she ran back to her kitchen. By the time we reached the meadow, White Ghost was showing signs of discomfort. We settled him under the trees and moved away. We were torn. Both of us wanted to stay with him, but neither of us wanted to watch. We crouched in the far corner of the meadow, gripping each other's hands and listening to groans and yells. As the sun rose higher in the sky we could see the maids approaching, carrying the stretcher, and we made our way back to White Ghost. He was pale – stark white – and sweating in a frightening way. He had emptied the contents of his stomach, and was still alive. We looked at each other in a mixture of relief and fear. "Now What?" asked Shrr Li. "Take him back, I suppose," I guessed, and that is what we did. There were four of us to manage the stretcher, and White Ghost moaned every time the stretcher shook. When we set the stretcher down in the servant's courtyard, Ma Chao came to look. When she saw he was alive, she ran for some cold water . We helped White Ghost to sit up to drink it, and that seemed to help. Ma Chao ran back to her kitchen and returned with some plain rice in a bowl. He did not want to eat, and vomited once or twice. Ma Chao encouraged him by eating some of the rice herself, and finally he consented to swallow some. We brought him into the garden courtyard, and set an awning over him for the heat of the day. By afternoon, some of his colour had returned. We had no idea what the Police would say. It was the same policewoman, and she was unperturbed. "This sometimes happens," she said. "The law is lenient in these cases. You have three days to arrange things, and after that it becomes a police matter. Three days' grace, three days' leeway." We left the gate of the servant's courtyard open that evening, which I thought was ridiculous. Everyone studiously looked away, but White Ghost ignored it quite much as they did. White Ghost had no notion of the hints and opportunities that were offered to him. Shrr Li wondered how he could be so stupid. "This is the only home he knows here, " I pointed out. "Why is he going to walk away from that? In the state he is in he won't be able to go far anyway." Nobody had any better ideas. We talked to Meng Chu in her study. Ma Chao was apologetic. "I followed the instructions to the letter, Mistress," she swore. "what was in that bowl would have felled an ox." "Have you any more of it?" Meng Chu inquired. Ma Chao looked sour. "Yes I do," she replied smartly, "but don't ask me to use any more on this poor creature, because I won't. You can call the police if you like but I won't do it." "Be easy, Ma Chao, " Meng Chu assured her, "The responsibility is mine. All we can do is leave this to the police." That was my cue. "There is something else that could be done, Mistress," I said. "It may not work, but it is worth a try." Mistress heard me out and considered for a while. Then she gave her consent. "We lose nothing by this. The licence has already expired. The police may consider you culpable, but that is the risk you run. You had best begin as soon as possible."

Fragment 6 - Posted 8th December 2014

"She was terrible! They were both terrible!" Xu Xan uttered, in a hoarse whisper. I don't know why she was whispering. No-one was likely to hear us. We were strolling around the meadow, while White Ghost was asleep in the shade of some trees. "She wouldn't stop squealing!" I admitted. "My ears are still ringing!" complained Xu Xan. This was some days later. We had had the three formal nights with Meng Chu, followed by two days recovery. Then work began in earnest. This was Dai Yan, the first of Meng Chu's business acquaintances to have accepted the offer of a night in the Good Fortune suite. I don't know what she had expected, but it was clear she had never seen a White Ghost at close quarters before, and nor had her maid. We had massaged her and relaxed her, but as soon as White Ghost showed his interest, she started to squeal and her maid ran away and hid herself. "He did make a brave effort, though." I felt I ought to stand up for White Ghost. "He did his best to introduce himself." "I think she went into spasm. It was sheer hysteria. It would have taken a chisel to get past that one. I would have given up, if I were a White Ghost. I'm not surprised he left her alone. No chi for her, then." "Oh, didn't you see?" "See what? I was trying to settle Mrs Scream-down-the-ceiling!" "Meng Chu managed to catch the chi in her mouth, and deliver it where it was expected." "Wretched woman didn't deserve it! Would that even work?" "I have no idea. I thought it was very resourceful of Mistress, though." "I wonder if Dai Yan would have brought a legal case against Mistress if nothing had happened properly?" "How could she do that? She behaved like an idiot! If it came to a court case I would have given her a red face. And that pathetic maid of hers. " "I know. Me too. But the threat is often enough to bring some kind of settlement." "That sounds like blackmail!" "Yes. That's business for you. Fortunately there's no chance of that now. The others are social acquaintances, aren't they?" "So I understood. They can't be as bad as that, can they?" "I certainly hope not. Did you know the maid wet herself?" I rolled my eyes. "Remember when we said this was a sinecure?" Xu Xan laughed. "White Ghost looks thinner," she remarked. "Speaking of which..." I started. "Waistband a little tight?" Xu Xan suggested. I nodded. "Mistress seemed to think it was the case for her, immediately. Can it be so quick?" "Based on the evidence, it seems so. All three of us. Do you feel any ill-effects?" "Not really. Although..." I hesitated. "What is it?" "I yearn to take an interest." Xu Xan looked at me seriously. "We can hardly wake him up. Plus Mistress would notice if there was any failure in his performance. Perhaps this is something we could take care of between ourselves? I confess I feel much the same." "That is certainly worth a try," I agreed. It was some time later that I said, "I think we succeeded." "Respectful Greetings," said White Ghost. "Oh good, he's awake," said Xu Xan. "He's been watching us," I giggled. "How do you... ...I see what you mean," Xu Xan muttered. "Oh well, a kitten can look at a queen." "So sorry, White Ghost, but you must conserve your strength for later." "I told you he likes to look at people." "Well, he will have someone new to feast his eyes upon tonight. Come on, let's get back to the house." Our guest, Li Sza, surprised us by arriving without an attendant. She was a unremarkable except for her piercing dark eye. She was of a rounder figure, but not soft, as Dai Yan had been. Li Sza was firm, and well kept-up. The lack of an attendant was enough to put Meng Chu on her alert, and discreetly she asked if there was anything special that Li Sza required. "I want to be beaten," she announced. Xu Xan and I caught our breath, but Meng Chu did not bat an eyelid. "It is the duty of a hostess to accommodate her guests," she replied sweetly. She directed us to bring out the stocks, and the leather saw-horse, which had puzzled me. Lis Sza removed her robe. We fastened Li Sza into the stocks, by means of her neck and wrists, for which she had to crouch, as the stocks were low. We were to put the saw-horse under her hips, which raised her hindquarters and left her helpless. Mistress then opened the mysterious cupboard, and removed a long quirt of light-brown leather. She smiled when she saw our anxious expressions, and flicked the quirt in the air to test it. At the whistling sound of the quirt, Li Sza moaned. "Are you ready?" asked Meng Chu. "I am ready," Li Sza gulped. Looking us mischievously in the eye, Meng Chu put a finger to her lips and waited. "I'm ready, I'm ready," Li Sza repeated, and without reply, Meng Chu raised the quirt and struck her repeatedly on the legs and buttocks with a violence that shocked me. Li Sza cried out, in pain, as I thought, but the repetition began to sound more like gasps of pleasure. Meng Chu stopped to draw breath, and I touched her arm to quietly ask her if it was wise to show so much vigour in this beating. Meng Chu smiled, and replied "I would be a poor hostess if my guest did not receive the best beating I could muster. And if she deceives herself in asking for a beating, do I not show my kindness in making her understand the error of her request?" As Li Sza was already raising her voice to ask for more, I had no answer to this argument. Mistress threw off her robe and let the quirt fall with an arm unhampered. I realised that Meng Chu enjoyed this, quite as much as Li Sza, and myself began to find a pleasure in the sight. Xu Xan, too, showed a heightened colour, when I turned to look. White Ghost stood beside her with an expression I could not read. Mistress continued her work until she saw that White Ghost's interest had been raised. She threw the quirt on the divan, and grasped White Ghost by his interest, and drew him towards her victim. Her private place was clear to view, and the scent told that pleasure was on her mind. Meng Chu stepped aside saying "Please," which White Ghost now understood very well. Placing his hands on Li Sza's hips he introduced himself, and set the saw-horse rocking with a rhythm of his own. Meng Chu stole behind White Ghost, and waiting until the rhythm paused, struck two fierce blows on his backside. All three yelped – perhaps it was all five – as the matter was concluded. White Ghost gasped, and turned to find Mistress with the quirt in hand. She proffered the weapon to him, and bent over the divan in submission. He waved the quirt experimentally and returned her injury, blow for blow and no more. Then turning to Xu Xan and me, made to chase us. We darted around the room, but knew that this was amusement only. I bent over the divan as Meng Chu had done, and took my two blows with more delight than pain. Xu Xan submitted to her punishment, and the quirt was discarded. Mistress retrieved it and checked to see if Li Sza was ready to be released from the stocks. Apparently she was not. Meng Chu's face darkened, and she strolled to the sideboard and poured out the liqueurs. She passed two glasses to Xu Xan, and explained that one was for her, the other for her to give to Li Sza while she remained in the stocks. White Ghost took a glass, and reclined on the divan, watching Xu Xan helping Li Sza to drink. It was not easy, given the angle at which she was fixed. Mistress beckoned me to the far corner of the divan. "Li Sza wishes for attention to be paid to her other place." "Her other place!" I echoed. "Will White Ghost do that?" "I will not allow White Ghost to do that. It is unhealthy and can lead to disease. I will not put my property at risk. Nevertheless, the wishes of a guest are paramount." "What is to be done?" "I need your assistance with this device. " She led the way to the ornate cupboard, and took from it a v-shaped object hung with straps. She handed it to me to hold while she closed the cupboard, and I looked at it closely. It was like the two great interests of two White Ghosts, fixed base to base. "It is called a feign," she explained. "...because it feigns interest?" I suggested. Mistress smiled and nodded. "What is it made of?" I could not help but ask. "That one is made of wood. There is another of ivory." she answered. "What is ivory?" I wondered. "A hard substance like bone," she replied. Her answer made me smile. "Now help me here," she ordered. Her private place swallowed one half of the v. The effort made her gasp. One strap went around her waist. One went around each thigh, and she could not easily fasten them alone. The last strap went underneath and secured to the belt. "Is it firm?" she asked. "I think so," I said. "Tighten that one," she directed, "and then flick the end." When I did it made her catch her breath. "That will do." she decided. She waved the quirt before her, but her reach did not satisfy her. "This thing gets in my way," she sighed. "You and Xu Xan will have to beat her, and keep White Ghost out of the way." "Now?" I squeaked, as she handed me the quirt. "In a minute. Finish your liqueur first. Let her get a little impatient. Anticipation is part of the pleasure." So we finished out drinks in comfort, as Li Sza fretted and twisted and fumed. Xu Xan brought the empty glasses, reporting, "she's really getting angry." I readied myself and stood waiting. "What's taking so long?" she cried, but the last word was lost in a yelp of surprise, as I followed my instructions. It is a pleasure to give pleasure, and it is a pleasure to give a beating, so the enjoyment was doubled. When my arm tired I passed the quirt to Xu Xan, who took over with enthusiasm. I stepped back and moved against White Ghost, considering how best to occupy him. If I could hold his interest to begin with, then perhaps kneeling against the divan would satisfy us both, and allow me to watch the activities. Xu Xan was producing a steady lash, as if beating a drum, but Mistress could see that the moment had arrived, and waved her to one side. She pressed against Li Sza, who squirmed uncertainly. She drew the tip of her feign to the other place, and pressed home. White Ghost pressed home behind me. Li Sza moaned, and I bit my lip, not wishing to draw attention. Meng Chu moved and Li Sza moved with her, and I could see that the device was having its effect on both women. I wondered what Li Sza would think if she could turn her head, but her neck was fixed. I laughed and felt White Ghost's hands grip tightly on my hips. LI Sza howled and Meng Chu howled, and I howled too. As White Ghost withdrew, so did Meng Chu, and she and he stepped into each other's places. Mistress nodded at Xu Xan to release our prisoner. She twisted her neck to ease the stiffness, and her eye glowed with understanding as it lit upon Meng Chu and me. "I wondered what else was going on," she admitted. "Meng Chu, I did not know you took recourse to such things. Tell me, girl, does this satisfy you?" "Very much so," I declared, glancing at Mistress as demurely as I could. Li Sza's lip twisted, which made me smile. White Ghost was amused by the feign, and peered at it closely. He made to touch it, and Mistress prevented him, directing Xu Xan to fetch a cloth and some white spirit from the cupboard. Xu Xan set about cleaning the exposed parts of the feign. I raised a hand to undo the straps, but Mistress waved me back. "Don't bother," she said. "Once it is on, I keep it on. Throw away that cloth when you are finished." Everyone was interested in the feign and gathered around it. Now that it was cleaned, White Ghost tapped it and made a face at finding it solid and hard. Mistress turned him around as if to use it on him, but he hastily turned back and sat down. It made everyone smile. "Is it uncomfortable?" we asked. "A little," Meng Chu admitted, "but it is pleasant too. It is more cumbersome than uncomfortable." She could not sit straight, but had to recline, resting her weight on her hands. "You bump into things," I remembered. She thought about this, and answered slowly. "It is more that I am afraid I will bump into things. I don't really walk about much while I am wearing it." "Perhaps you should," we suggested. "Just for practice." Meng Chu smiled politely, a hostess indulging her guests, stood, and walked about the room. Her step was shortened by the straps around her legs, but it was clear, after a few steps, that the feign was having an effect. The more she moved, the more her breath shortened. Her colour rose, and she waved for Xu Xan to lend her an arm. Xu Xan helped her to the divan, and invited her to lie down. Mistress lay, but gripped Xu Xan's hand. Xu Xan understood what was wanted, and straddled her at her chest. She lowered herself onto the feign, and lowered herself onto Meng Chu. They set themselves to rocking in a rhythm to please them both. I looked back at White Ghost, to see how his interest was showing, to find that Li Sza was bending forward towards him. She was going to keep White Ghost docile, in the way O Mei had told us. It made me smile to think of her, and then a thought occurred to me. Surely Li Sza understood where White Ghost's interest had just been? I blinked in horror. His interest had not been where she supposed. Did she know that? She shot a sly glance at me, from below, which made me recoil. I could tell that she was deceived in her understanding, and this was deliberate, but she delighted, too, in my distaste. I watched in fascination. I wondered how this would taste and recollected that she was saved from that, at least. Perhaps she wished to use all three opportunities of her body to collect the chi. If that was so, I would choose to order the sequence differently, I thought. You shouldn't think that all our guests were odd or peculiar. There were graceful, accomplished women who entertained us with stories and poems, and those who danced, and those who sang, and even those who played on flute or pi'pa. Without being able to entirely reproduce the stories or the songs in detail, these would be empty narratives. I could list the attitudes in which pleasure was sought, and the pairings and triplings, but you would do better to imagine them for yourselves. I must tell you of one guest who was unusual. We were struck by the look of her as she arrived. She was thin, and had a curious look in her eye. I asked Mistress if she knew her well. She replied, "No. She is recommended by a friend of a friend, and I feel there is something not right about this person. By your question, you feel the same. Keep White Ghost away from her, and we will see how she behaves." White Ghost also seemed to find her suspicious, and politely kept his distance, to her obvious dismay. We sang songs and drank toasts, but did not encourage any serious activity. The guest, whose name was Chen Na, removed her robe and struck a pose that was clearly meant to be provocative. This, more than anything, convinced us that something was wrong. Out of sight, I assisted Meng Chu in attaching the feign. We managed this behind the painted screen. Chen Na's face fell when she saw the feign. Mistress announced that there was a procedure in these matters, and that the feign prepared the way. Chen Na leapt for White Ghost, who seized her around the waist. She moved against him, but his interest was low, and he dragged her from the divan. She struggled viciously, and even bit Shrr Li, but we trapped her in the stocks. With the saw-horse under her hips, she could only kick, and to no good effect. We held her legs as Mistress approached her. As her private place swallowed the feign, she went limp, as if defeated. This was unnatural. Mistress plumbed a little, explored gently, but there was no response, no reaction. She withdrew in some puzzlement. As the feign passed my face, I saw white scars on the dark wood. Mistress' face darkened. "Send a maid to fetch the police," she said. We ordered tea while we waited. The policewoman was the same woman whom we had seen before. She listened to the story and inspected Chen Na and White Ghost. "You must understand that there has been no crime here," she said. "Your property is unharmed. The damage to the feign is trivial. There may be intent, and there may not. Intent is a difficult thing to prove. A magistrate would not accept such a case." "Are we to let her go? This woman is dangerous," complained Meng Chu. The policewoman smiled. "There are other ways of dealing with these things." So far she had only examined Chen Na as to her external appearance. Now she bent and used her finger to explore her private place. Her expression changed, and when she drew out her finger it was torn and bleeding. We were horrified, but the policewoman smiled. "That is a serious assault against an officer of the law," she declared gently. We bound up her finger, which was badly cut. The policewoman produced a length of cord, and when Chen Na was released from the stocks, bound her thumbs together. A stiffer cord went around Chen Na's neck, and the policewoman used her drawn sword to urge her forward. She drove her prisoner forward through the double doors and began to descend the staircase. "Wait!" I said, "Let me get you her clothes!" "That won't be necessary," said the policewoman with a laugh that chilled us. They limped down the stairway. That was the last we saw of them.