Fantasy 1: Underneath The Mango Tree
Arnold Craven drove his rented BMW in the streets of London out to find that Madame Gypsy Rose’s address that his pal Johnny Olron gave him. He turned left to a narrow street called Dean driving slowly as he scoured the building establishments.
Finally he spotted the place. It was a jazz pub called Al-Grozo with Egyptian decor. Johnny said that he had to speak the password Umbop to the bartender. Once inside the joint, he sat on a barstool and ordered scotch on the rocks from the mustachioed Arab bartender. A motley crowd was listening to a fat woman onstage singing a Billy Holiday classic backed up by a group of middle-aged musicians. Arnold took a mental note of himself.
Arnold is six feet tall with some resemblance to Pierce Brosnan. Maybe the hair or the lips. At 51 his hair has been graying nicely, ever more making him a handsome executive in a communication company in the US. He told his friend Johnny, a bit older than him and a Jack Nicholson look-a-like that he couldn’t get it up anymore and his sex life has been a sorry note. Since his wife died he often had bouts of depression. He needed some fire in his gut. He knew Viagra but he was reluctant to try it. His mind is often times elsewhere that he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do. His pal Johnny Olron is always enjoying life, quite the opposite of him. Johnny is an absolute pussyhound. He’d had the best, he’d had the worst but still unaffected by any kind of sexual disease. But although he abhors his pal’s excessive womanizing, he still remains as his best friend. Son of a very wealthy man Johnny doesn’t need to work. Racing cars and chasing women have always been his prime passion. Recently Johnny gave him a gift card that says: ‘for the man who seems to have everything’—Madame Rose Claviére and below is the address. It intrigued him that one day he decided to take the plunge and wing to London.
Halfway through his drink, he called the bartender and leaned over close to the side of his face and murmured the password to him. The bartender looked at him briefly and while polishing a glass he inconspicuously instructed him where to proceed.
After paying for his drink, he left a twenty-dollar tip and set off to the direction he was given. He entered the door marked ‘unauthorized persons keep off’. Inside he walked into an empty, dimly lit hallway then saw to his left the stairs leading down. He went three plights down until he reached an alley and headed toward a gray double door and pushed them open. Alas! It was an entrance to a somewhat simulated mine tunnel with a bridge to cross. The overhead curve and the walls that looked like furrowed earth were seething with red glow like there was molten matter beneath. “Thank goodness it’s warm here than the cold weather outside,” he told himself. The bridge had a wooden plank wide enough for his two feet to stand and walk on. There were ropes on both sides to hold on to. The plank creaked and swayed slightly under his steps. He could hear gurgling sound of water beneath the bridge with steam rising above it giving a misty setting around. Cautiously, he staggered along recalling those Indiana Jones’ movies he saw in the 80s.
The bridge was terminated with a bend that was dimly lighted. While his eyes adjusted to the dark way up ahead a very tall, mummified figure carrying what seemed to be a scythe stopped him dead on his tracks.
Before he could utter a word, the mummy raised the scythe above to cut him off. Arnold stepped backward holding up his hands to shield his head.
“Hey, Please no I’m here to see Madame Rose,” Arnold managed to yell despite the horror that struck him. The mummy lowered the scythe and spoke in a deep voice, “follow me,” and turned his back on him and walked in a brisk manner. Arnold quickly calmed down and followed in his footsteps through the twists and turns in that tunnel stepping on little animal bones like a bat’s skull until they reached a metal door which looked like an old vault with a turning wheel. The door is lighted by burning torches hanging by its sides. The mummy steered the wheel back and forth and then pulled the heavy door outward after an unlatching metal sounded.
“Get inside,” the mummy ordered and he did so. The door closed behind him sounding as if he was locked inside. It was chamber with a bat cave décor, cobwebs hanging so that he had to cast aside with his arm to see what else was inside. He found a tribunal in front that is seen only clearly whenever an artificial lightning light flashes over accompanied by the sound of a distant rumble. Slowly he walked toward and saw a slab of stone raising up from the ground along with a high back stone chair making a sound like that of crunching gravel and a mild tremor under his feet. It stopped at the level a desk should stand. Behind the chair was a bluish curtain that turned brighter upon the lightning flash. He stood next to the slab and wondered what’s going to happen next.
What kind of a game is this. Am I going to be pinned down here and left for weird creatures to devour me? He shook his head forcing such notion from his mind. He touched the slab of stone, which was a cold marble with eerie streaks of veins. Suddenly strong incense wafted through his nostrils as smoke began emanating from below the curtains. He stepped back and covered his nose with the scarf around his neck so as not to be smothered by the smoke. When the smoke cleared up, a spotlight was thrown at the center of the curtain, which was parted by a tall, masked woman dressed sexily in a catwoman’s costume which displayed an impressive cleavage, narrow waist and curvy hips on shapely legs.
“This must be Madame Rose. Johnny didn’t tell me that she looked like this,” he mumbled under his breath. He thought she’s like some old witch.
“Good evening. Mr. Craven,” she spoke in a throaty bedroom voice.
“Um…good evening to you Madame Rose.” His bewilderment faded soon as she greeted him with a smile.
“The reception is quite enchanting,” he said.
“Certainly, my domain is enchanted. Welcome, Mr. Craven. I’m glad you didn’t have a faint heart on your way here,” she said and moved to take her seat.
“Oh, I believe that I still have a strong heart.”
“Good for you Mr. Craven, ‘cause that’s what you need here.
“You can call me Arny,” he said pronouncing it like horny.”
“Then Arny it is. Let’s do away with formalities and call me Rose.”
Just then he noticed that another masked woman appeared behind him pushing a chair for him to sit. She was clad in a cat suit all the same but with her beautiful tits exposed, pushed up and pressed together to make out a very fulsome impression. His whole body tingled pleasantly at the sight of the two women.
“Please sit down Arny,” Madam Rose said.
“Thank you,” he said and nodded his thanks to the woman with tits out. She made a little curtsy bow and disappeared in the shadow where she came.
Madame Rose went straight to the point. “Your friend have already taken care of the expenses but if you happen to have additional requests then it’s on you to decide and add.”
“May I know how much this whole thing had cost my friend?”
“One hundred thousand dollars. Down payment has been given, and if you are satisfied with the result half of the payment will be charged to your friend.”
“Oh,” he smirked. “This is something, huh?” A pause. “My friend Johnny is fantastic. He certainly knew something that I always didn’t know,” he informed her.
“He’s a regular client. Now tell me about your fantasy.”
“I’d like to be James Bond.”
Madame Rose nodded. “Of course, in a company of a beautiful woman.”
“Yeah,’ he said slightly blushing. “I feel like an old man and it’s funny why I should be doing this.”
“You oughta have fun. And you won’t regret this Arny. There is no age limit here. Most of my clients are much older than you. The only thing that is required is that you are willing to try this out with complete trust and by attesting to it you sign your name on this piece of paper.
He read the contents written in gothic letters and then Madame Rose pushed toward him on the desk a knife and a quill pen.
“Sign it with your own blood,” Madame Rose said.
