The one to haunt her dreams (cbelle02)

[Purifier]

Even in times when the studies of ancient languages were no longer highly valued, and the majority of students preferred much more practical subjects like engineering, law or economics there were always some so fascinated by the writings of long gone civilizations that they chose to forgo all considerations of a profitable career.

But even among those romantic minds who loved to spend their days over dusty old books, deciphering long forgotten languages, some classes where more popular and others less. The class called „Morphological analysis of speech patterns and gender roles in ancient Sumerian religious scripts of the early pre-Akkadian period,” rather fell into the later field.

It was supposed to be held by a new member of the faculty, a foreign professor called Ned Buscuni. And it might have been only curiosity about this stranger that drew at least a few students to register for his class. Professor Buscuni had not been spotted on campus yet. But he had send out a reading list by e-mail, marking a number of rather complex books as mandatory. This caused a number of his students to already reconsider their participation before the class had started.

One of the books on the list was especially hard to get a hold of, as it was placed in a section of the library that contained the most valuable old books, and students who gained access of this section had to agree to be locked in there for as long as they were researching, to make sure they didn’t smuggle out any of these precious artifacts. Would a print out of the professor’s reading list be enough of a reason to convince the old librarian to let someone into this inner sanctum of the library?

One student now was about to find out…

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah Young trudged up the stairs of the university library, perusing the list of required books her professor had sent out. She always had an intense thirst for knowledge and was excited to start the class. She'd never heard of the professor but from the list he sent out, she had a feeling he could be tough. That only pumped her up even more. Rebekah liked a challenge. But even for her, this list was a little ridiculous. One book was only accessible at the library, in a special antique area kept under lock and key. Class hadn't started, but she wanted to get a head start on the reading.

She walked up to the front desk, showed the list to the librarian who reluctantly agreed to allow her in the back section, though she had to leave her book bag at the front desk to discourage theft. The librarian walked her to the back of the library and down a couple flights of stairs. The area smelled dank and musty, like old books but much more than that. It felt as if it were being absorbed into her skin. The librarian unlocked a door and allowed her inside. Soon, she was alone.

She perused the dusty shelves, fascinated by all of the ancient titles, brushing her fingers along their spines as she looked for the book she needed. She finally found it and pulled it gingerly off the shelf. But as she did so, another book caught her eye. A large tome, leather bound, golden spine. It looked old, but held together well as if it had barely been touched. Her insatiable curiosity got the best of her and she pulled the book down. Strangely, her fingers seemed to tingle as she touched it, but she brushed that aside.

Finding a table, she sat down and placed both books in front of her. She opened the required text first, but found herself unable to concentrate on it, being pulled toward the other book. She pushed it aside and pulled the strange tome toward her. The cover was heavy, but the pages looked pristine. It seemed to be about ancient languages and practices and religions. Flipping through the pages, she read a few of the words out loud but was fascinated by the ornate pictures. As she flipped though, the depictions began to get more and more salacious, debaucherous, and even ghastly, all forms of sexual acts.

Rebekah bit her lip, unable to pull herself away from the book as she turned yet another page.

 

[Purifier]

The Kodex of Shuruppak was supposed to be one of the oldest books in existence. Created in Mesopotamia in the earliest days of human civilisation by a sect devil worshippers that engaged in the wildest orgies of sexual debauchery. There originally must have been more than one copy of it, but later civilisations had tried there best to destroy each and every version of this book. They managed to destroy all but one copy of it, one that was buried in the ruins of ancient Shuruppak until it was unearthed during the time of Alexander the Great’s campaign into the region, and given to him as a present by a local priest of Baal.

After the death of Alexander, the book had been in the hand of many of the Hellenistic kings, creating courts of legendary debauchery; the empires of Alexander’s successor falling apart in orgies for frantic revelries, conquered by a people with a more ascetic and military spirit: Rome.

But that would soon change as the book fell into possession of the conquerors, and was supposedly seen at the courts of Nero and Caligula, Caracalla and Elagabal. With the fall of Rome it was taken to Constantinople, where it was bound in human skin, and used in secret and unholy rites. After that city fell to the Turks the book disappeared for a while, but was later the most prized possession of the most wicked of the Barbary coast pirates whose lustful appetite for female slaves of all creeds and colours lead them deep into the heart of Africa and up to the windswept coast of Iceland. It came into the possession of the library after it was discovered in the 19th century by an Englishman in the most notorious brothel of Cairo. Or so it was believed. Said Englishman had been the great-grandfather of Professor Ned Buscuni. His great-grandmother on the other hand had not been of this world…

But all this backstory must have been unknown yet to Rebekah, who now was lost in the bizarre eroticism of this wicked book, so lost that she didn’t seem to notice the man standing behind her, studying her with interest, his dark eyes taking in any reaction of hers to the lewd and blasphemous scenes she looked at. He smiled as she opened up the page where the rape of a young virgin by a multitude of demons was depicted in drastic detail, the creatures a pack of lewd abominations with curved horns, forked tongues, and absurdly huge genitals.

 

[cbelle02]

The book deeply intrigued her. She wasn't exactly a prude, but some of the pictures were starting to become quite disturbing even to Rebekah. She began to feel a strange feeling as though she weren't alone. But that was ridiculous as she hadn't heard anyone come in, and the lock to enter was loud and creaky.

She turned the page, gasping aloud at the scene in front of her. A young girl, obviously in intense pain, surrounded by creatures she could have never have even dreamed up. Grotesque, evil, beastly creatures raping and torturing the poor girl in such vivid depictions. She couldn't help but run her fingers over the page. It was disgusting beyond imagination but still oddly impressive.

Abruptly, she jerked her hand back from the page as if burned and slammed the book shut, feeling a sudden sensation of dread. As entranced as she'd been moments before, she wanted to be far away from it. She stood, pushing her chair back and turned, crying out in shock at the man standing before her.

 

[Purifier]

No one ever remained calm after seeing the blasphemous acts of sexual perversion depicted in such drastic detail in the Kodex of Shuruppak. It was so much more bizarre then any sane human mind could fathom. Yet still he was surprised by the intensity of her reaction. It was if he was witnessing the inner struggle of two sides of her. The ‘good girl’ restrained by the stiffening yet futile conventions of society. And the wicked one, the unholy, insatiable slut. Did she even know what potential was slumbering inside her, what forces she could awaken, what lust she could feel once she was unshackled from the chains of morality?

A violent slam interrupted his musings. Alas, for now the good girl had won. But for how long? He was sure it could prove just a Pyrrhic victory for her moral self. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said putting a sufficient amount of feigned guilt into the tone of his voice. “How thoughtless of me to not announce myself in any manner. I just didn’t want to interrupt your studies. It is so rare these days to find a student so immersed into their reading.” A gentle smile curved his lips, his voice sounding sincere and free of irony

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah finally got a look at the man before her. Strikingly handsome. And as he spoke his voice was smooth and deep. Regaining her bearings, she cleared her throat. "You startled me. I didn't hear you come in." She said softly, glancing toward the entrance. His eyes twinkled as he smiled apologetically, and she found it strange that she couldn't place their color. But she forgot about that when he spoke again.

"Uh...yeah." She glanced back at the two books on the table, a blush creeping into her cheeks. The book she'd been reading looked harmless now despite the contents it contained."I just wanted to, uh, get a head start on reading for my class. I think it will be a tough one. I was just about to go though."

 

[Purifier]

“Students always claim that my classes are tough ones”, he said, a little smile curving on his face. Those piercings she had. They were interesting. Not quite fitting her model student attitude in a way. Did she get them as a sign of rebellion, or did she just like the pain. Another hint towards the true her he was planning to unravel.

“I don’t necessarily agree with that claim. With a little work and the right mindset they aren’t that hard to complete successfully. And you very much seem to be on the right track.” He now reached out his hand to her, “You might have guessed it already, I am Professor Ned Buscuni. And I am already proud to have a student with such a vivid interest in ancient Sumer in my class.” He put just a tiny bit more stress on the word vivid, knowing that she’d notice it. “It’s really rare to see someone your age immersed in such a dusty old tome.”

 

[cbelle02]

"Oh!" She exclaimed, realizing the man before her was the professor that would be teaching the class she spoke of. Of course he was. It seemed to make perfect sense now that he would be here. She blushed again as he complimented her dedication. "Very nice to meet you, Dr. Buscuni. I am actually really looking forward to your class. I just wanted to make sure I was prepared." And it was true. She didn't like the feeling of going in blind and having little control over the outcomes of any situation. A little pre-research would help her be ready for whatever the class threw at her.

She took his hand, her flesh seeming to tingle under his touch as his large hand engulfed her smaller one. Well, even if this would be a hard class, at least the professor was something to look at!

 

[Purifier]

Looking into her eyes he shook the girl’s hand, Professor Buscuni for a moment seemed to look right into her soul, his dark eyes fixed upon hers like those of hypnotist. But that effect was very briefly and ended as soon as his hand – surprisingly strong for that of a scholar – let go of her petite one.

“It is always good to be prepared indeed,” he agreed, “being prepared gives us the illusion of being in control of our destiny. And being in control of your destiny means to be in control of the universe.” He smiled for a moment and slightly shook his head, as if he deemed impossible what he just had said.

“This book”, he placed his hand on the tome she had slammed shut just a few minutes ago, his finger brushing over the old leather gently, almost as if caressing a dear friend or even lover. “Is a quite interesting one. It is one I usually only recommend for the most experienced readers as it contains quite sensitive material. I hope though it didn’t scare you too much.”

 

[cbelle02]

For a moment Rebekah felt it impossible to tear her eyes away from the professor's and she felt strangely exposed. But then she blinked and all was normal again.

"I guess...the universe is a pretty big thing to control." She laughed hesitantly, stepping aside as he reached for the book. She felt her face flush as she realized the professor knew exactly what she'd read and seen in the book.

"Oh...um...I got the first book on your list.' She nodded toward the book she hadn't even opened. "and...I thought that one looked intriguing. I had no idea...I mean...it's just a little intense." Mentally she laughed. A little intense? That was the understatement of the century.

 

[Purifier]

Hearing her call The Codex of Shuruppak a little intense, he smirked. If only she knew. How many saints this book already had corrupted, how many countries thrown into turmoil, how many civilisation destroyed by inciting decadence and debauchery.

“I hope you will still find yourself in the right mindset for your studies”, he remarked, then pointed at the book she was supposed to read. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell this already, but I am planning to make this wonderfully detailed and knowledgeable book on of the most important test subjects.” He was fortunate that he was a rather good actor, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to hide his sadistic pleasure as he made that statement. The treatise on Sumerian history on his reading list was a horrible book, but horrible in a much different sense than the Codex. It was written in a horribly complex, convulsed language. Sentences running on for pages, in an English that already was outdated in the 18th century when this book was written.

No one on this world, no human, no fiend would enjoy reading such a book. No one, not even the brightest genius would be able to concentrate on it for long. But, and that was what brought him such cruel pleasure, it was placed in right next to the codex. So every time she went to the library to study the book on the reading list, trying to make sense of its utterly pretentious language, its shameless over use of loan words from Latin, Ancient Greek, Hebrew and Persian (and at least a dozen other languages), she would be exposed to the Codex and its lure, tempted to open this wicked book of pure sexual evil again.

For a moment he let his eyes wander over her, envisioning her as the maiden in the book, raped by a host of the most vicious demons, their clawed hands and forked tongues all over her body, taking her in the most rough and remorseless ways. He smiled inwardly, knowing that sooner or later she might find herself in exactly that position. Would she give in to it, revel in the infernal pleasure? Or struggle and scream in vain.

But his musings didn’t last for long, then he looked her in the eye again, smiling, “If you have any questions regarding this book, or any other on the reading list, don’t hesitate to ask anytime. You’ve got my e-mail.”

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah nodded, making a mental note to return to the library often to study the book she hadn't gotten around to today. She knew one thing for sure, though, she wouldn't be taking down that other book anytime again soon. The Codex of Something or Other. She would be perfectly fine not setting eyes on those lewd images again, despite the fact she'd felt a strange stirring in her loins at some of them that was in direct contrast to the disgust she felt otherwise.

"Thanks for letting me know." She said. "I'll definitely make sure to study it closely. I should put these back and get going though." She picked up the two books, the Codex feeling oddly heavy. He was talking again as she put them away and she turned back to him.

"I definitely will. You might have to deal with a lot of questions from me. I tend to bombard my professors sometimes. I find it helps me really understand the material." She smiled up at him. "Just a fair warning."

She glanced back at the shelf of books. Was there a slight glow there? She shook her head and looked toward the door. She was definitely imagining things. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Dr. Buscuni. I need to get back home, though. I will see you in class next week!" With that, she turned toward the door.

 

[Purifier]

Hearing her ‘promise’ to bombard him with e-mails, he rolled his eyes but nodded and smiled. “Of course”, he replied, “these are matters that require intense study to reach a deep understanding.” He looked back at the books on the shelf then turned his head towards her again. “There is so much wisdom in those old books”, he said, “for those who have the will to unravel it. Not many have it anymore.”

He paused for a moment then continued, “may I ask what brought you to study the ancient Sumerian language?” Often he asked this question to his students, and most of the time he was met with silence at first, then some unconvincing stammered feigning of genuine interest. Or they were honest and admitted they only joined the class because it was required, or because no other class was open anymore.

So rare were those who really wanted to get to the depth of things, who really strived for knowledge, wanted to unravel a long forgotten past. She seemed to be one of those though. But how deep was she willing to venture? How much of it was she willing to take? He would find out, for with the help of the Kodex would plunge into her mind, haunt her dreams, take her to a trip into a long forgotten world of untold blasphemies.

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah turned back again when the professor continued to talk, ignoring her efforts to leave. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of her, facing him. There was something about the man, something she couldn't quite put a finger on, that intrigued her. He was attractive, sure, but it went beyond that.

"I agree. There is a lot of wisdom to be found in ancient texts. I feel like a lot of people these days think we always need the newest, most updated version to get the most accurate information without realizing there's so much being missed by ignoring the old." She smiled up at him, finding it easy to talk to him. She'd never had anyone as interested in ancient literature and information as she was.

"I've always been interested in discovering how our ancestors thought and behaved. The past is very intriguing. History of language has also always fascinated me so that's why I was excited to see your class available. I want to explore and really examine this material, to learn more about our very nature, you know? I feel like we can learn a lot about our modern selves by studying the past and delving into the minds of our ancestors through their ancient texts. And the Sumerian language is one that I don't know a lot about so I'm anxious to get started with your class." She finally took a breath, blushing at her rambling.

 

[Purifier]

There was a vague, mysterious smile on his face as he listened to her words, his dark eyes studying her. “Yes this is were we come from, where our civilization started. And our ancestors still talk to us through these texts.” He really liked her curiosity, her eagerness to learn. If given the right incentives she would plunge right into the ancient darkness that she already had a vague glance into.

The blush on her face made his smile become a bit bigger even. How sweet. She liked him obviously. “I know you will be busy with a lot of reading, and we both should be heading home as it is late”, he said, now reaching for his briefcase, “but I see you have a genuine interest in ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.” He now held a slim manuscript of maybe twenty pages in his hand, written as it seemed by typewriter, not by computer.

“This is an essay I have not published yet”, he held it out towards her but didn’t release it from his grip yet. “If you like I you can have a look into it and tell me what you think. Its my latest research in this matter. But you have to promise to not share it with anyone. Like I said it has not yet been published.” The essay he was about to give over to her was titled ‘ Sacred Rapture - Magic and Sexuality in Ancient Mesopotamia with a Special Emphasis on Pre-Akkadian Sumer.’ And for the most part it was a treatise on the Codex of Shuruppak, describing its perversions in a scientific language that was disturbingly precise in its details. This essay would help to even accelerate her downfall into a whirling maze of debauchery.

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah liked that the professor seemed genuinely pleased with her interest and when he offered to show her the manuscript she was eager to read it. It excited her and even made her feel a little special that he was entrusting her to review it before anyone else. It would be a project exclusively between the two of them. Though she had no idea as of yet what it was about, she didn't think twice about accepting the offer.

"I would love to read what you've written!" She said, reaching for the manuscript. "I promise to take good care of it and return it to you as soon as I'm done." When he finally released it to her, she held it close to her chest, vowing to read it as soon as she got home. She still didn't bother looking at the title.

"You're right though, I should be getting home. My dorm is kind of far and I don't like to walk in the dark so I should get going while it's still daylight." She buzzed the front desk to be let out of the locked section and soon the librarian returned. "I'm really glad I got to meet you, Dr. Buscuni." She said as they walked out and back up into the library proper. "I'm looking forward to your class."

 

[Purifier]

It caused him great pleasure to see how much she treasured the manuscript, how she held it close, close to her breast. If only she knew what poisoned treasure she was about to take home….

“It was nice to meet you …” he paused realizing she had not yet introduced herself to him, then grinned suddenly as he added, “Rebekah…” He remembered her name from the registration list. Remembered there was only one student to reply to the reading list, to ask detailed questions about the required reading. He wasn’t completely sure it was her, but sure enough to make that guess.

“I look forward to teaching you. It’s always a pleasure to converse with those rare bright inquisitive young minds.” The door was opened now, and he picked up his briefcase to head for the parking lot. He was sure she would be reading tonight. And he? He had to prepare for a ritual. Make sure that everything was ready, everything prepared at the time she fell asleep.

Intruding into a sleeper’s dream never was an easy thing. But it was always a perilous, yet exciting matter. Soon he would find out how far he would be able to plunge into her dreams, how much he would be able to control them…

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah was all smiles as they parted ways. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she realized she'd never told the professor her name. Yet he knew. It unnerved her for a moment until she rationalized that he'd probably done some research of the class list. Then the fact that he'd remembered made her feel special again.

She made it back to her dorm before dark. Her roommate was out with her boyfriend for the night so she had the place all to herself. Good. She was anxious to get started on what the professor had given her to read, as well as some of the other readings for his and the rest of her classes. She dropped her backpack on the bed and hopped up, sitting crosslegged in the middle.

She pulled the manuscript out and finally read the title. Sacred Rapture - Magic and Sexuality in Ancient Mesopotamia with a Special Emphasis on Pre-Akkadian Sumer.

Well...that was a mouthful. She flipped to the first page and settled back to read.

 

[Purifier]

The essay that Rebekah held in her hand now began with a short explanation about how important magic was for the daily lives of the inhabitants of Ancient Sumer. Within their cities, the priests reigned supreme. The ziggurat was the center of each of these city states. Magic and religion were inseparable parts of the daily lives of these ancient people, and influenced each aspect of it – including sexuality.

After this introduction, the essay listed a number of known uses of sexual magic in Sumer, describing how - by means of the right ritual and appropriate sacrifice – the priest was believed to be able to control his subjects dreams and desires. Making the women lustful and fertile or frigid and barren. Another power of him was to invade his subjects’ dreams, fill them with dread or desire. This practice though was believed to be a dangerous one, only safely done by the most powerful priests.

The tone of the essay was academic, yet conversational enough to be easy to read from someone with a little knowledge in these matters. The language became more colorful when it came to the description of particular rituals, as shown in the Codex of Shuruppak. The first example was a story of the corruption of a virgin by a malignant priest. Describing how the priest drove her wild with awakening her sexual desires, visiting her dreams, urging her to touch herself at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places, driving her insane with raging desire. The essay cited from the codex in detailing rituals with which the priest was able to manipulate and stimulate various regions of a woman’s body from afar, each zone being connected to a special rite.

While Rebekah was reading this, the professor had returned home after a short stop at a local organic greengrocer. He carried into his home a shopping bag full of fresh vegetables, spices and fruits, their fragrances filling the room. He needed fresh ingredients for his ritual, only the best and most pure would do to for what he was about to do. The young woman he was about to control might be inexperienced in the matters of sexuality, as he had been able to tell by her reactions. But she was intelligent, ambitious, disciplined. It would not be an easy task to gain power over her dreams. He began to place the candles now, drew the ritual circles, while his most important paraphernalia rested on a small silver tray – one of Rebekah’s hairs, skilfully snatched from the back of her chair.

 

[cbelle02]

Rebekah became quickly engrossed in the manuscript. She thought it an unusual choice of subject matter, but that only intrigued her and gave her more respect for the professor that she already had. She didn't believe in magic. Not even as a kid. She'd always been to academically inclined to entertain such supernatural nonsense. But she couldn't put the paper down. Whether or not she believed in magic, she always loved reading and learning about the folklore. She would explain it away by natural phenomenon, but the stories were fascinating nonetheless. As was the professor's manuscript. Did he believe this stuff or was he just fascinated by the history as she was?

The paper was entirely academic, but made no mention of the falsehood of magic. Still, a lot of the imagery took her back to the book she'd been looking at earlier. Though not nearly as graphic or lewd, the manuscript brought back the pictures fresh in her mind. Rebekah didn't look up from the paper until she'd finished it. She closed the last page and looked up, almost surprised by her surroundings she'd been so unaware of for...hours? It was well past her usual bedtime now. Where had the time gone?

She sat the manuscript aside and reached for her light. She couldn't fall asleep right away, thoughts of the paper whirling in her head. But finally, she dozed off into a restful sleep. For now.

 

[Purifier]

Drawing the ritual circles correctly always took some time and precision, For even the slightest mistake could have disastrous consequences when you are messing with the powers of hell. Professor Buscuni was aware of all if this and even though experienced in infernal lore he never took these things lightly.

The candles were alight now, and in small trays he placed his sacrifices, her hair in the centre, and around it a few dates, and figs, cedar needles, and a few sprinkles of dried human bone. He began to chant his incantations as he lit the sacrifices aflame, and they slowly started to burn, their aroma filling the room.

The professor spoke in the Ancient Sumerian tongue, conversed with the demons of the great abyss, to gain access into the mind of the student. He had to wait though, because she was still awake, her mind occupied, agitated. Keeping the flames burning, not stopping his incantations, he had to wait until she was completely asleep.

Then finally, he allowed his mind to separate from his body, traveling into the realm of her dreams. At first he would just watch and observe, see what he would find there, how he could agitate and manipulate this young woman, learn about her secret fantasies and desires. Only the careless would strike prematurely, for the dreams of each sleeper were a world of their own, and one had to thread lightly until one knew the terrain.