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prairiesongserial · 3 months

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23.6

“What is this place?” John asked.

The chatter from the dozen or so children looking down on them from the balcony had grown louder. Without answering, Cassidy began to steer Percy by the shoulders toward a spiral staircase.

“Be a dear, toss Ephraim over,” Cassidy said over their shoulder. “Come on, boys, don’t look so grave. It’s only school.”

John did not toss Ephraim over. ‘Ephraim’ was clinging to his leg. Percy managed to duck Cassidy and make his way back over to John and Gawain. Percy bent over to whisper in Gawain’s ear.

“I think it’s all right,” he said. “Mr. John and Mr. Val brought us here, and there are a lot of kids. Let’s go up with Cassidy.”

Gawain shook his head and clutched John’s leg even tighter. Cassidy stood at the banister, waiting for the boys. Forced to wait, maybe they would also be forced to answer John’s question.

“What is this place?” John asked again.

Cassidy sighed and scratched the back of their neck.

“This is where I’m from,” they said. “I spent seventeen years in this tower. It’s the best you lot can ask for–three meals a day, and I seriously doubt anyone is going to come to little Baveldertshtet looking for those two.”

“But what is it,” John pressed.

“It’s…a yeshiva?” Cassidy said, then launched into what sounded like a prepared speech: “The tower is a school of study on the Torah, Rabbinic literature, and philosophy. Each floor represents a year of study. Every year during finals week, all students have the opportunity to test themselves against the master of their floor. If they pass the floor master’s examination, they will be allowed to progress to the next floor and begin a new course of study in the new year.” Cassidy paused. “So…let’s go? Boys, come now.”

Percy and Gawain were looking at John to answer for them. John looked back at them.

“I suppose, ah, we should get on,” Percy said. He didn’t move. “It’s a touch nerve-wracking, not speaking the language. But one must carry on, Gawain.”

John began to peel Gawain off his leg. In the meantime, Cassidy had been pulled back into conversation with the children on the balcony. They spoke animatedly, with a hint of argument in their voice. The other children openly stared at the two boys, whispering to each other.

“I’ll go with you,” John said to Percy.

Percy nodded several times. He chewed his lip. Gawain exchanged his grip on John’s leg for his hand.

“Ah-ah-ah, what is this?” Cassidy said. “I negotiated for two little children, not two little children and a big scary man.”

“Renegotiate,” John said. He started up the stairs with Percy and Gawain pressed close. Cassidy followed on his heels, pleading their case to the other children in fast-spoken Yiddish as they approached the top.

“Er heyst John…uh…”

The children on the second floor landing scattered as John reached the top of the stairs. Most of the area was taken up by large tables. On the tables were open books. There were shelves of books as well, none taller than hip-height, which made it awkward for the children trying to hide from him.

John stepped deeper into the room. Percy had taken his other hand at some point on the stairs. Around them, there was another shuffle as hiding places were exchanged.

“Baruch dayan ha'emet,” came a little, fervent voice.

Behind him, Cassidy burst into laughter.

“Who are you saying that for? Who has died? If you’re saying that for yourself, at least say the whole thing.” They switched to Yiddish to repeat the question.

Finally, someone came out to meet them. It was still a kid, but an older one, fourteen or fifteen. She had dark skin and two orderly braids that ended just under her ears. She blinked at them from behind large glasses.

“Zey nisht redn eydish?” she asked.

“Nit daytsh, nit frantsoyzish, nit holendish…” Cassidy explained. They spoke for a little while. John closely chaperoned Percy and Gawain’s hesitant exploration. A sharp laugh drew John’s attention back to Cassidy. They had turned away from the girl, an annoyed look on their face.

“The rabbi doesn’t come down during finals week,” Cassidy explained. “But the floor master won’t let us go up without testing. Ridiculous waste of time. They’re going to make us test out of every single floor.”

John kept one eye on Percy and Gawain, who had finally let go of his hands. Percy had wanted to look at the books more closely, and Gawain didn’t want to be more than a few feet away from him.

“So?” John asked.

“So, I hope you’re excited for me to school these kids on Rabbi Akiva. Eight floors should only take, oh, all night.” Cassidy stretched their arms out over their head with a loud yell, then rolled their neck. “Okay. Greyt?” They made eye contact with the older girl, whose expression turned serious. “Gebn mir di kashye.”

John watched Cassidy go back and forth with the girl. The test looked like an argument. Percy and Gawain stood around awkwardly until one of the kids poked his head up from behind the bookshelves.

“V-v-vi heyst du?” he asked.

“He asked your name, Menasche. Make a friend,” Cassidy said over their shoulder, then returned to their conversation with the floor master.

Percy stuck his hand forward. “I’m Percy–or, er, Mena…Menashe. I’m sort of on the lam. This is my brother, E…oh, um.” He looked to Cassidy for help.

Cassidy again interjected, translating for Percy. “Menashe, why don’t you ask him ‘vi heyst du,’ hm?”

John crossed his arms over his chest and watched Cassidy hold two conversations at once, translating both sides of Percy’s conversation while talking to the floor master. At a certain point they mixed up what to translate into what language. Instead of bothering to keep track, Cassidy began to narrate everything in an endless stream of English and Yiddish.

“So to answer your question, Sarah,” Cassidy said, “Why do we say ‘Blessed is the true judge’ when we learn of someone’s passing? This is because we should thank God for the bad as well as the good. ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all of your means.’ What is the meaning of ‘all’ in this scripture–’all’ your heart, ‘all’ your soul, ‘all’ your means? ‘All’ means ‘complete’–one must love the Lord, your God ‘completely.’ Now, Sarah, consider the commentary by Rashi…”

Little heads began to pop up as Cassidy continued their speech.

“...This brings us to Rabbi Akiva.” Their gaze snapped to the children watching over the top of the bookshelves. “Berachot 60b,” they said, and the children scattered. Cassidy waited until the sound of pages turning finished. “The great sage Rabbi Akiva was traveling and came upon a city. He looked for a place to stay, but no one would have him. ‘No matter,’ he said. ‘All that God does, he does for the good.’ So Rabbi Akiva camped out. He had with him only a candle, a rooster, and a donkey. In the night, a wind blew out his candle. A cat ate his rooster. A lion ate his donkey. Rabbi Akiva still said, ‘All that God does, he does for the good.’”

Cassidy caught up to themself in both languages, then paused for breath before continuing. “The next day, Rabbi Akiva learned that the city was beset overnight by marauders, and everyone was captured. Only Rabbi Akiva was spared. Without his candle, the marauders did not detect any light. Without the rooster and donkey, no noise attracted their attention.” Cassidy clapped their hands together. “What, Sarah, does this have to do with the bracha ‘Baruch dayan ha'emet’? I will tell you. From this story, we learn that everything happens for a reason, although that reason is only for the ‘true judge’ to know. That is why we say ‘Blessed is the true judge’ in the face of mourning, just as you children should say ‘This is also for the good’ in the face of unpleasantness and adversity.”

Sarah, the floor master, took a key from her pocket and led Cassidy to the far side of the room. Cassidy gestured for John and the boys to follow.

“Don’t bother asking them, their answers are the same as mine,” Cassidy said, gesturing between John and the boys. They peeked over their shoulder at the other children–the whole second floor landing was in an uproar. “Looks like we were the first to pass this year.”

Sarah said something to Cassidy that they didn’t translate. John detected a drop in their mood, although Sarah’s tone didn’t give anything away.

“Okay, okay, let’s go,” Cassidy said, waving the boys through the door. “One step closer to the rabbi.”

23.5 || 23.7

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racy-and-awkward · 2 years

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Teaser: Michael and the Uncanny Can

(Story appears in full at my literotica page)

The yokai was crouched backwards, head and shoulders facing away and lowered nearly to the ground, powerful legs and... ankles?... extended to thrust forward a pale white butt that split to reveal a single, large, beautiful, hazel eye. The white of it seemed to glow in the darkness.

I stood dumbfounded. This was impossible. A demon, here in Hondo, that understood me in Yiddish?

So I asked. “Tsi ir redn eydish?!”

“...Ya.”

"Well now I’ve seen everything. Tell me, Shirime-San, do you smoke?"

They did, in fact, smoke. I say "they" because, although I learned a great deal about Shirime, none of it shed any light to whether they were man, woman or neither.

They did possess what I thought were testes, small ones, nestled in a taut, smooth sack below the giant eye, although let's be honest it could have been any sort of bilateral vestigial sex organ; but no other sexual parts to be seen. I couldn't even see their mouth, although they'd managed to creak out a few hoarse words from somewhere, and they were puffing the pipe from roughly where one might expect a belly button.

It was evident they weren't about to vanish or run away, so, this being an increasingly chilly and windy night, I invited them inside. We stole hastily across the empty tavern to the rooms. I laid out some rice wine and leftover chicken broth, and beckoned for them to take a seat on the edge of the bed, since that's all there was. Comfortably perched, they cast about with their one eye, surveying the meager accommodations as they supped.

By way of yes or no questions, I learned a little about my guest. The locals seemed to have this idea that Shirime delighted in scaring or pranking people, but that couldn't have been more wrong. They were basically stranded on the island, lonely and friendless. They'd had another life somewhere else, although details were hard to get across. Now they lived in the woods and studied humans from afar.

They knew little of the wider world, although they did, oddly enough, seem able to comprehend any language, at least any of the four I knew. I asked if they'd like to hear a brief synopsis of the history of my own people, and was glad to impart it.

While we talked, the bottle of sake helped us into a state of profound relaxation, and the creature's pleasant company put to bed any notion of danger. I even broke out a tin of soybean oil for us to massage each other's weary muscles. In this lighting, I could see quite well how powerfully built Shirime was, how healthy their skin, how cutely dimpled their backside. Unbidden, I pitched a tent in my pants, one that they couldn't fail to notice. With a grunt they set down the wine glass and reached for me.

"What is it, friend? Oh. I guess there's no denying I find you handsome. Wait, wait."

They stopped and rested a hand on my knee. The eye gazed at me quizzically, or so I imagined.

"Shirime-San, are you asking what I think you're asking?" They nodded. "Well then my answer is yes. At least I'll try, friend. You may have to guide me. I've been with all sorts of people, but I'm not sure any of it has prepared me to please someone as special as you."

It turned out the yokai was quite eager to please, too, and they had plenty of ideas on the subject. Their four feet were intricately articulated, impressively dexterous, freshly cleaned at the washbasin, and eager to explore me.

"Oh! That tickles," I said, my butt clenching up as a finger grazed the rim. "I hope you weren't expecting to find an eye there."

Nothing fazed them, it seemed. In a moment I had rolled onto my back, legs spread wide. Shirime was sinking fingers (toes?) into me with one arm and massaging my stiff cock with the other. I caressed their butt cheeks with both my hands; they looked up, and we gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment.

"You're wonderful at this," I said, "but aside from appreciating your lovely muscles, I don't know what I can do to return the favor! Well, I suppose I could..."

I reached out and gently traced around what I took to be their scrotum. I heard a sharp intake of air.

#Monsterfucking #shirime #mythology #.

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