Cthulhurotica

Andrew Scearce THE LAKE AT ROOPKUND

“What do you mean I can’t come with you?”

“Jas, don’t be upset. Heather said she wanted to meet alone. What can I do?” Isha nervously brushed a few dark strands of hair out of her eyes.

I spotted a stray thread on the bajot and brushed it off into my hand. “It’s because of what you two did in college, isn’t it?” I opened the cupboard and carefully let the thread fall into the trash.

“Absolutely not,” Isha said, tucking her sewing kit into a sequined pouch. “Like I said, it only happened once. It was stupid. God, I should have never told you.”

I looked past my wife to the photograph of Heather and Isha on the wall. They were wearing matching Misk-U sweatshirts–cut to reveal their midriffs; Heather had her arm around the subtle curve of Isha’s waist, her fingers bent, pressing into Isha’s fair, but darker skin. “Sure,” I growled.

“Whatever. You’re in my light.”

I grumbled and stepped aside.

Isha held her mother’s sari to the light and squinted.

I leaned in. “She’ll never know,” I said, tracing my finger over the microscopic irregularity in the weave.

“Of course she will. Mother never misses anything. But it’s the best I can do,” Isha said. She carefully folded the sari and laid it in the box with both hands.

“Just remind me not to be here when she picks it up.”

Isha cringed. “Oh, God, I’m sorry Jaswinder.”

“Sorry about what?”

“Mother is coming over at six. I completely forgot to tell you.”

“You’re kidding me, right? At the exact time that you’re meeting Heather? You planned it that way, didn’t you?”

“Enough of this,” Isha snapped.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and stared out the window. “You know how your mother pesters me about having grandchildren. Maybe I’ll just tell her the truth this time.”

Isha slammed her fist on the table. “You will do nothing of the sort, Jaswinder! I will not be the shame of this family!”

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the glass. “Fine,” I breathed.

After Isha left I picked up the college photograph and stared at it. They were in their dorm room, a pair of unmade bunk beds and a mirror slightly out of focus behind them. As I studied it I noticed something that I hadn’t seen before. Reflected in the mirror, on a dresser, next to the camera that had taken the photo, was a device that looked remarkably like a vibrator.

A chill ran up my spine.

I dumped the sari in the hallway then ran out and hailed a cab. I told the driver to take me to Kathgodam station, and offered him double the fare if he didn’t pick up anyone else.

We got there in ten minutes.

There were a few people outside the station, including a couple of boys who were talking about a dead jackdaw they’d seen on the tracks–but no sign of Isha. I checked the electronic schedule: the train from Moradabad was scheduled to arrive at 18:05. That left me with thirty minutes to kill, so I crossed the street to the bar and took a seat by the window.

Isha arrived a few minutes later in a taxi full of people. After the car drove off, she turned her head a few times, looking around, then took a seat on the platform.

At 18:09 the train rolled in. The conductor stepped off and put a wooden box in front of the door, calling for the passengers to exit. An old woman, accompanied by a much younger man–probably her son–stepped off first. A pair of hikers with massive backpacks followed, stopping to point at the mountains and stretch their arms.

A few moments later Heather stepped off the train. She wore a tight white tank top and a pleated red skirt with matching heels. Her hair was shorter than it was in the picture, cut just below her chin, and she’d dyed it black with blond highlights. The old woman snarled at Heather as she walked by, then looked to her son for agreement. He nodded his head disapprovingly, but glanced at her bare legs a few more times just to make sure he was thoroughly disappointed.

Heather didn’t seem to notice. When she saw Isha, she squealed, dropping her suitcase, and threw her arms around her neck. Their muffled, excited voices were audible even inside the bar. Heather pulled away, looking Isha up and down, then retrieved her bag. Then the two of them made their way across the street to a little outdoor restaurant and sat down.

I threw a couple of bills on the table and went outside, concealing myself behind a row of street vendors next to the station. The girls ordered drinks and talked for a few minutes until the waiter returned with two glasses of white wine. After he was gone Heather placed her suitcase on an empty chair, unzipped it, and lifted the lid just enough to let Isha peek inside. Her eyes widened. My wife touched Heather’s hand briefly and smiled.

I clenched my teeth, picturing her college photograph in my head.

I bolted across the street.

When Isha saw me her mouth dropped open. But before she could react, I’d grabbed the lid of the suitcase and thrown it open.

I gasped in horror at the thing inside.

“What the hell?!” Heather screamed.

“Jaswinder! What are you doing here?!”

Heather immediately slammed the lid.

I stood there, breathless, as Heather frantically zipped up the suitcase.

“I’m so sorry,” Isha told her. “This is my husband.” She turned to me. “Jaswinder, what in the world do you think you’re doing?”

“What is that horrible thing?”

“You are out of line,” my wife hissed.

“It’s okay,” Heather said, exhaling a deep breath. She set her suitcase on the ground. “Jaswinder, why don’t you have a seat?”

Isha looked at her, a confused scowl smeared across her face.

“It’s fine, Isha. Please, Jaswinder.” She gestured toward the chair.

A few patrons at the restaurant were staring. I sat down.

“Good,” said Heather. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jaswinder,” she added, touching my hand.

“What was that?” I said.

Heather looked at Isha and smiled. “That is my gift to you and Isha.”

“That thing? I don’t want it!”

Heather laughed. “Listen, Jas… Isha has told me about your trouble conceiving.”

I scowled at my wife.

“What you saw in my suitcase is nothing to be afraid of. It’s a fertility idol. I’m here to help you and your wife have a child.”

I looked at Isha. “Is she serious? Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Heather leaned in and answered for her. “I wanted to discuss it with your wife first. I didn’t mean any harm.”

I frowned. “What, so we have to put that thing in our house?”

“No. The ritual has to be performed outside. Once we’re done you’ll never have to see it again.”

“Good. It’s horrible.” I folded my arms across my chest and stared at the table.

Isha touched my hand. “Heather would like to perform the ritual tonight. She’s hired a helicopter to take us to the site.”

“What site?”

Heather smiled. “Roopkund.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “Skeleton Lake?”

“You know the story?” Heather asked excitedly. “Not just the recent history, but the myth behind it?”

“Everyone knows that old story,” I said. I paused for a sip of my wife’s wine. Heather stared at me expectantly. I rolled my eyes and continued. “Roopkund was a gift from Shiva to his wife, the goddess Nanda Devi. It was her favorite possession. The legend says that during a pilgrimage in the 16^th century, Nanda’s sister, Rani Balpa, gave birth on the shore of the lake. Nanda considered this an act of desecration and retaliated by summoning a hailstorm so large that it smashed the heads of everyone present.”

“Over six hundred people,” Heather said.

“Something like that.”

“And the bodies weren’t found until a park ranger stumbled across them in 1942. A lake completely filled with bones. Pretty creepy.”

I glanced at my wife. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Isha nodded. “If Heather says that’s the place, then that’s where I’ll go.”

I glanced at the two of them, drumming my fingers on the table. “I’m coming with you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Heather replied, finishing her wine. “We leave in two hours.”

I had just enough time to run back to the apartment and gather a few things before the helicopter left. I brought a heavy coat, boots, camping supplies, and a bag of dried fruit. Cooking wasn’t my specialty, and I couldn’t waste any more time than necessary. An hour later I met the women at the airfield. Just as Heather had said, the helicopter was waiting, rotors twisting languidly.

I stared out the window and watched as we drifted over the foothills and slowly climbed into the mountains. It wasn’t long before the great peaks of Thrishul appeared on the horizon. The pilot banked and dipped into the misty valley below, descending through the haze until Roopkund, like a frozen, crystalline eye, blinked into existence.

Heather touched me on the leg. “This is it,” she said.

The helicopter landed on a plateau about a hundred meters from the lake. We unloaded our gear and said goodbye to the pilot, then headed down to the shore.

Roopkund was small, frozen, and littered with human bones. They were everywhere. Skulls, arms, legs, ribs–it looked like a slaughter. Some had been sorted or assembled into full skeletons by tourists.

We picked a relatively flat spot on the south shore of the lake and made camp. We worked as the sun set behind Thrishul, casting a long three-pointed shadow over the valley.

After we’d finished the three of us crawled inside and zipped the flap.

“This will help with the cold,” Heather said, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from her suitcase.

“Is this part of the ritual?” I joked, taking a pull from the bottle.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Isha said.

“So when do we start?”

“We’ve got a few hours. We can’t start until midnight, so we might as well get cozy.”

Heather unzipped her coat and stretched her arms. “Bottle please.”

Isha passed the whiskey to her and she took a long drink.

“Careful!” Isha laughed. “We’re not in college anymore!”

“Oh God,” Heather grinned. “This girl could drink in college, Jas. You have no idea.”

I rolled my eyes and took a sip from the bottle. “I’ve heard the stories.”

Heather shook her head. “Oh I don’t think you’ve heard them all.”

“I may know more than you think.”

Heather’s eyes widened. “Isha, did you tell him?”

“Unfortunately,” Isha replied, unzipping her coat.

“Scandalous!”

I nodded, smirking.

Heather grabbed the bottle and pulled. “How much did you tell him?”

Isha glanced at me. “Just about the one time we kissed.”

Heather burst out laughing. “Oh, the one time! Girl, I’ve had my fingers inside of you more times than I can remember.”

“What?!”

Isha groaned and snatched the bottle from Heather’s hand.

“I knew it!” I yelled, grabbing the bottle away from her. “Liar.”

Heather bit her lip. “You’re upset by that?”

I upended the bottle and filled my mouth with the harsh liquid.

“Jaswinder?” Heather said.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “I don’t care what you two did ten years ago. I just want an honest wife.” I glared at her.

Isha looked down. “You don’t think what we did is wrong?”

I drummed my fingers on the bottle. The tent was beginning to spin. “No,” I said. “I don’t think it was wrong.”

Isha exhaled loudly. “I was sure you would hate me if you found out. I thought you would think it was… immoral.”

“Lying is immoral,” I said. “What you two did isn’t immoral. In fact, it’s kind of…”

“Hot?” Heather interrupted.

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“Hrmm.” Heather brushed the hair out of her face and straightened her back. “Jaswinder,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “Would you like to see?”

Isha’s mouth dropped open.

“See what?” I said, leaning back.

“You know… me and Isha.”

“Heather!” Isha said, squirming.

I waved my hands. “Absolutely… not.”

Heather giggled. I looked at Isha. “I almost thought he was going to say yes, Ish. Then what would we have done?” She leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “For old time’s sake.”

Isha rolled her eyes.

“Alright, enough of that,” Heather said, reaching for her suitcase. “There’s something I want you two to see.” She pulled out a large, leather bound book with an ornate brass clasp, and brushed her palm over the cover. Isha’s eyelids fluttered with excitement.

I capped the bottle and put it away. “Is that the ritual book?”

“In the flesh.” Heather popped the clasp.

“What’s all that weird writing?” Isha asked.

“Arabic.”

“You can read that?” I asked.

“Some,” Heather replied, turning the pages. “But I had the fertility ritual translated so we don’t miss any steps.” She stopped turning, tapping a page with her finger. “Here it is. Recognize that?”

I bent over. On the page, drawn in red ink, was an image of a winged beast with a bulbous head, hateful, narrow eyes, and a nest of tentacles dangling from its jaw where a mouth should have been. Between his legs was an erect, double-headed phallus.

“That’s the thing in your suitcase,” I said, shivering.

Heather pulled the idol out of her suitcase and held it up for Isha and me to see.

“Ugh, get it away,” I said, shielding my eyes.

“You’re such a prude, Jas,” Isha quipped.

“Why does it have two penis heads?”

Heather turned the statue around and stroked the golden phallus. “I dunno. Wouldn’t you?”

“I’m fine with just the one, thank you.”

Heather cocked an eyebrow at me. “Isha has told me as much.”

I glared at my wife. “You told her about my penis?”

Isha cringed and hid her face.

“Aww, you’re both prudes. Well, you better relax, because this ritual isn’t for the faint of heart.”

Heather grabbed her coat and shrugged into it. “Now, I’ve got some preparation to do. You two stay warm, have a few more drinks, and I’ll be back before midnight.”

“Wait, we have to do it out there?” I said, pointing at the tent flap.

Heather smirked. “We didn’t come all this way to do it in a tent.”

I must have passed out because I suddenly realized that I didn’t have any clothes on.

“What’s going on?” I said, propping myself up on my elbows.

Isha was removing my socks.

“Let’s go, Jas. Heather wants us to put on these robes and meet her outside.”

“Just robes? Nothing else?”

“That’s what she said. Now come on, we don’t have much time.”

I growled and sat up. “This is nuts.”

Isha handed me a black, hooded robe, a length of rope, and a pair of black slippers. I put them on and followed her outside.

“It’s freezing!” I said, too loudly.

Isha grabbed my hand and pulled. “Come on!”

The moon was nearly full, basking the valley in rich pale light. Heather was waiting about fifty meters from the tent on the west shore of the lake. We hurried over, trembling.

She walked toward us and smiled.

“Step inside,” she said. “He’s waiting.”

She gestured toward a wide circle of more than a hundred skulls on the ground. Candles burned freely in the circle, seemingly untouched by the wind. In the center of the circle was a bed of blankets covered in red silk and two matching red pillows. The idol and Heather’s book were placed on the center of the bed.

I narrowed my eyes. “What is this?”

“Go,” Isha demanded.

I grumbled and stepped over the skulls.

The frigid wind stopped abruptly, replaced by a pocket of fresh, warm air. I shot a look at Heather, who quirked her eyebrow knowingly. The headache I’d woken up with simply vanished, and every minor discomfort I’d been feeling over the past few hours, as well as those I’d felt for years, instantly slipped away.

Isha followed me in. She immediately gasped.

“How are you doing this?” I said, staring at my hands.

“So many lost their lives at this place,” Heather said as she stepped across the line of bones. “Men, women… children.” She swept an open palm toward the skulls. “Their loss is our gain.”

A euphoric grin melted across Isha’s face. “That’s beautiful,” she said.

I nodded dumbly, as a wave of bliss crashed over my mind.

“Come here, Jaswinder,” Heather said.

I moved toward her. Heather loosened my belt and pushed the robe from my shoulders, smiling. She turned to Isha then removed hers as well. I licked my lips as her robe fell to the ground.

Heather removed her own robe and stepped out of her slippers. My mouth hung open as I stared at her body. Feeling uninhibited, I started toward her.

“Not now,” she said, gently pushing my hands away. She glanced at the bed. “This way.”

Heather took our hands and laid us down on either side of the idol. “Relax for a moment,” she said, kneeling in front of the idol. She picked up her book, and began reading.

I put my arms around Isha and kissed her gently on the lips. I felt her tongue pass over mine, and a tiny bolt of energy flowed into my mouth.

“Wow,” I said.

Isha kissed me again. “I feel like I’m floating.”

She ran her hands over my chest, and a flood of warmth surged into my body.

Each touch felt electric, each caress I felt with all of the nerves in my body. As Heather spoke, her words flowed over us, through us. The language had no meaning, but I felt her voice pouring into me, feeding me. I stared into Isha’s eyes. I felt her entirely. I knew her.

Heather closed the book.

“We will begin,” she said, handing me the idol.

I took it and turned it over in my hands. “It’s vibrating,” I said.

“Yes. We all are, Jaswinder. Do you know what to do?”

“I–I do,” I told her. “I don’t know why, but I do.” As I held it, the idol’s phallus swelled and grew. “Amazing,” I gasped. I gently separated my wife’s legs and slid it inside of her. Isha arched her back and a wave of pleasure instantly crashed over me.

Heather slid her arms around my chest and put her mouth to my ear. “You can you feel it too, yes?”

“I can feel everything.” I moved the idol faster and faster inside of Isha.

“Now let it do the work,” Heather whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Let go.”

I relaxed my hands and the idol began moving on its own. Isha shrieked in response, clawing at the idol, wrenching it closer, begging it to go faster.

Heather pulled me away.

“Just you and me now,” she said, crawling on top of me.

“Is it okay?” I asked, reaching for her breasts.

“This is how it’s done.”

“Yes. This feels right,” I said, filling my mouth with her flesh. Heather slid her hands between my legs and grinned devilishly.

“I can’t wait,” I said.

“Are you sure?” She said, biting her lip.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Heather smiled as she slid down on top of me. I gasped as she flicked her tongue over my teeth.

“You like?”

“You feel amazing,” I moaned.

I glanced toward Isha. The idol had grown into a massive winged creature three times her size. Snake-like tentacles stretched out from its jaw, encircling her body. The creature wrenched her into the air and Isha howled with pleasure.

“I hope it’s a boy,” I said.

Heather sneered and grabbed my throat. “Isha and I will raise him well.”