Stormy Eye by Longshot (f, qs) Karen awoke on a strange island, washed up on the beach. She tried to remember how she got here but kept drawing blanks. She looked at herself, a tattered white evening gown which was very tight and now extremely short, white pantyhose which had a few holes in them but seemed otherwise okay, no shoes. Karen stood up and brushed the sand off her wet clothing. She noticed immediately that her dress barely covered anything, it had been low cut to begin with, and now it was torn off barely an inch and a half below her waist. It clung to her as well, and had it been any longer walking would have been difficult. She sighed softly as she plucked a few strands of seaweed from her shoulder length, coppery red hair, and looked over her surroundings. She seemed to be on the beach of a tropical island of some sort. She began to wonder what she was doing all the way out there. Karen began walking and nearly tripped over a large piece of wood. She looked down at it and noticed some writing on it. "USS Titanic II" "That explains a lot," she said to no one in particular. "I must have been aboard this boat when it wrecked, and probably floated on this piece of wood to shore," she surmised, although there was no one around to hear her theory. She scanned the beach and then the sky in hopes that maybe there were more survivors and that perhaps one of them had called a rescue plane. She had no such luck on either count, as the beach was empty save the sand, and the sky had a few clouds and a lovely sun. Deciding that the beach was not the place to stay she headed further inland. The sun seemed to be doing a wonderful job of drying her off with its warmth, and by the time she'd trekked across the half mile of beach that lead to the jungle beyond her clothes were mostly dry. Karen walked into the jungle and was immediately surprised to find a path a few yards to her left. She decided to follow it in the hope that she might find civilization of some sort. After another half mile she did find something, although not quite what she had hoped. She walked around a corner and almost stumbled into two rather large tanned men with spears. They didn't seem overjoyed to see her and jibbered in a strange language that she didn't understand. When she could only respond to their words with a blank stare and a hopeful smile they each grabbed one of her arms, despite her protests, and lifted her off the ground, carrying her through town. She looked around and noticed that many of the natives seemed to be dressed similar to the guards, in animal skin loin cloths, and the women had some sort of bikini tops also made of animal skin. As they saw her they all seemed to stare in amazement and all said something similar. "Grang toob!" was yelled which was accompanied by excited yells and pointing. Karen could only hope that this meant something good. However before she had any real time to think about it, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck, and everything faded to black. Karen woke up apparently some time later as it was dark now. As her eyes adjusted to the light she could make out the features of a cell. Stone walls, some bars in front of her, and some straw which had to be the bed, which she was lying on. She also quickly noticed the shackles on her wrists and ankles which pretty much prevented her from getting too far. She had about an inch of give on the chain. She sighed softly as she realized escape wasn't a possibility. Her shackles were too tight to slip out of as a few moments of struggling told her, and with them on she wasn't going to get far. She didn't have to wait long before her cell door was opened and she was dragged roughly to her feet. Another of the burly looking guards that she'd seen patrolling the halls occasionally since she's been lying there, picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She was carried down a hallway, up some stairs and to a large chamber. There were torches on the walls, which seemed to cast more shadow than they gave off light. She was sat before a large tanned man who was sitting in a throne and then forced down to her knees. The man who she presumed to be the king waved the guards away. Once they had left he began to speak to her, in English. She was a little stunned at his first words, but seemed slightly pleased that she could understand someone here. The king began to speak. "It has been a long time, probably ten years since I've seen another person who could speak my native tongue. Of course I was thrilled to hear that one had arrived, until I learned that she was the promised one, as the natives call you." Karen seemed confused and began to speak. "Promis-" She was cut off by harsh snapping words "Silence! I did not give you permission to speak." His tone dropped back to it's normal calmer, soothing tone. "Because of your Stormy Eye as they call it, the one grey eye you have, they seem to think that you are some sort of Goddess, sent to lead them." Karen thought a moment and realized that her contacts must have fallen out. She had been born with one blue eye and one grey one. Eventually she'd bought contacts that made both of her eyes blue, because she'd always been ridiculed about it as a child. Her thoughts were interrupted as the man began to speak again. "I of course have no intention of giving up my place as the ruler of these primitive people and have convinced them that, if you truly are a Goddess, that the other God that is worshiped here, the God of the earth, would not accept you as a sacrifice as the Stormy Eye and the earth god are supposed to be the rulers of the universe. You of course would rule the sky, while your counterpart Eteron rules the earth." Karen sat and took all of this in, still not quite sure what any of it had to do with her, and before she could ask the king he interrupted her again. "In the morning you will be taken to the sacrificial pit of the earth God, and of course if you are the Goddess they think you are, and we both know that you aren't, you'll live ... well otherwise ... I hope you haven't made any travel arrangements." Karen gasped and before she could respond the guards were already there, followed by a sharp pain to the base of her neck, and blackness. Karen awoke standing up. She was still groggy as she felt her stocking feet begin to slip off something and quickly woke herself. After barely managing to regain her footing she looked around at her current situation. Her hands were above her, chained by the wrists to the top of the cage she was in. Around her bamboo poles about an inch apart made the bars of her cage, and oddly there was no floor, except the sand below. She barely got a glimpse of what she was standing on. A small block maybe an inch wide that she could barely reach with the tips of her toes, which made balancing on it a chore. She also noticed a rope that led away from the block that was held by one of the guards. The king came into view in front of her, and began to speak. "Good Morning, so glad you decided to join us. Welcome to the test of the Goddess ... which incidentally you will fail. I'm sorry that you couldn't have stayed with us. You are a very lovely young lady. It's a shame to have to waste you in such a manner, but ... well, rules are rules." Karen watched helplessly as the block was pulled out from under her feet and she dangled helplessly for a moment above the sand. She wondered for a moment what exactly this was supposed to accomplish, then she saw the first part of it. Her weight was pulling on the top of the cage, which was pushing the bars into the sand which was lowering her to it. 'Kinda pointless, once I reach the sand I'll stop,' she thought. Her stocking feet touched down on the sand, and it felt strange, soft and wet, and kinda mushy. It didn't bother her until her feet didn't stop at the surface of the sand and instead went into it. She watched in horror as her white stocking clad ankles, and calves began to disappear into the slowly rocking sand below her. She realized exactly how this trap worked and she immediately felt sorry for anyone else that had been subjected to this torturous death. The sand would slowly claim the victim, while this happened the victim who was chained to the top of the cage would bring it down with them, which pushed the bars into the soft sand. Effectively shrinking the cage, and adding to the weight of the victim. It was fiendishly evil and, as far as she could tell, inescapable. Karen helplessly watched her knees and then her thighs slide into the shifting wet sand. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she silently accepted her fate. She silently wished she was the Goddess Stormy Eye, then at least she wouldn't have been spared the shipwreck to die a much more hideous and cruel way. Karen felt her waist slide into the sand, and she wanted to scream, but held it back. She looked over at the guard who had been assigned to watch her. The look in his eyes was hopeful, probably that she was the Stormy Eye and she would free them from that vicious bastard that ruled them now, or he could have just been hopeful that she didn't escape. Maybe he liked the guy that ruled them. Karen's thoughts were interrupted as she felt the sand beginning to claim her breasts. It was getting harder to breathe as the air came in short gasps now. She looked over at the guard. He'd sat down to see her better. Karen sighed softly and mumbled to him, "At least I get an audience for my death huh?" She was surprised when the man spoke back in English, however crude. "Me not believe you die Stormy Eye. Eteron spit you out, just like in prophecy." Karen shook her head and despite herself had to laugh. Although it was quickly cut short by a fit of coughing and gasping as she tried to regain the little air she had used. "Why you laugh at Marbon? Marbon speak truth. Stormy Eye to come and save us from evil king. Evil King try kill Stormy Eye by feeding her to Eteron, but he spit her out, and she defeat evil king." Karen tilted her head back as she listened. The quicksand was beginning to crest her chin and she wheezed "I ... wish I was ... the Sto ... rmy Eye ... then ... I might live ... through this." Marbon looked at her oddly.. "You not know legend? Stormy Eye forget she Goddess, when she almost die she remember. She left long time ago, but legend say when we need her, she be reborn as forgetful woman. When time right, she remember." Karen closed her eyes and gave a silent prayer that there was some more fact than fiction to this legend, as the quicksand claimed her. Marbon watched in silence as the top of the cage disappeared into the mire several minutes later. "Hmm ... Stormy Eye, it time come out now. You should remember now." Nothing happened. "Stormy Eye? Why you no come?" Still nothing. "Maybe king right, that just woman, not Stormy Eye." As Marbon turned to leave the quicksand began to bubble, then a quicksand covered form burst out of the pool and landed on the ground a few feet away gasping for air. Marbon smiled "Stormy Eye come, and now she help us." Karen stood, amazed she was alive, and yet now somehow felt different, powerful. She waved her hand, and all the quicksand fell away from her, revealing native dress. "Cool, I could get used to this." Marbon blinked in amazement. "She shed her brother's skin, she is the one!" he cried and then began to kneel down and worship her. Karen smiled. "I have a date with a king, and a score to settle." A few hours later the king awoke, to find himself waist deep in quicksand and chained to the roof of a cage, sinking to his doom. Of course the legends say, that Stormy Eye condemned the evil king to spend the rest of his days trapped in her brother's belly, and taught the people to lead themselves. The legend also says that any outsiders that come to the village are either the agents of the Stormy Eye or the evil King, should they be minions of the king, they too must be cast down into Eteron's belly, as that is their punishment of all who seek to hurt the people of the Stormy Eye.