Memoirs of Kitty Siam Ch. 40

Diya was helped from the altar and while her friends and family were busy helping her down, the villagers were once again were facing the floor in prayer I opened the hatch to the stairs and quickly dropped the medical kid on the top step then sealed the hatch. I had not planned to show my human form to the people of the village but then Diya and her family were really good people and there was no way that I was going to let her die or suffer brain damage. My first thought was to make a quick escape down the stairs behind the altar but I had no idea what else was down there or if there was a second way out. I knew that I had to find out but today was not that day. There would be time for that sort of exploration another day.

I was looking for a graceful way to make my exit. I knew that if I tried to make my way through the villagers I would probably be mobbed. I looked toward Jobu and my eyes met his and it was as if he knew my predicament because shortly after he got to his feet and made his way to the alter. His gait was strained from age and bad knees, but he still moved well for his apparent age. He took me by the elbow and as he did so apologized for touching me without permission, and then begged me to accompany him. He led me across the back of the altar and around the stone walls that partitioned the altar off from the rest of the shrine's plateau. We made our way down the back steps of the shrine. Several of the villagers noticed us leaving but did not follow or alert the others. It was bad karma to leave the shrine before the monk had made his exit, and even worse karma to cut your prayers short before the psalm or verse was finished. That custom allowed us enough time to make our escape.

Jobu did pretty well moving on the level marble floor of the shrine but was slowed as we hit the steps. His knees just would not bend properly and it was then that I apologized as I put his left arm around my neck and hoisted him off his feet. He smiled at me as he realized my intent and without a word being said I carried him down the steps to the street.

In his day Jobu would have stood around five, eight but age had ravaged his body and left him weak and bent and perhaps about four inches shorter. It was only through his love for the village and its residents that he did not retire and hung on to life given the extent of his ailments. Oh, and the lack of a replacement also figured in to his decision to stay on. His hut was close to the shrine and it did not take us long to get there once we cleared the stairs. He introduced himself to me as Monk Jobu and I introduced myself as "Maew" with no title or honorific. I did not need add the honorific as he always addressed me as "Priestess."

I tried to get him to be less formal and call me Maew but his training, experience, and formality would not allow him to do so and after a while I began to understand why and accept that he and the villagers would continue to address me in this manner. I had decided to go with the "Maew" designation as it was an Annu name and being that some of the local language was derived from ancient Annu, it would be better accepted and understood than the foreign sounding English word "Kitty."

Jobu was a good host to me once we entered his hut. He closed and barred the door knowing that the villagers would be arriving soon. He was not worried about violence as it was forbidden in the village and it was rare when it had occurred. If a violent act did occur it was usually someone from outside the village that was the cause... like the Captain from earlier in the day. On a side note, I did learn that the captain was given nine public lashes with a rattan cane and was banished from entering the village or the port for life. His crew and his ship could enter but he was banned.

I assisted Jobu with making tea for the two of us though he often protested that a Priestess should not be serving a lowly monk. I did my best after that to help out but also was very careful not to do anything that would cause him to lose face or to feel that he was not up to the task at hand. I did learn later that one of the duties of the girls assigned look after the shrine was to tend to Jobu and his hut as he was in no shape to do such things for himself.

As we had our tea we enjoyed a pleasant conversation about the village, the shrine, and the local customs. The UT was up to about 70% so our conversation went well but at times I had to ask him to fill in several verbal gaps that the UT could not translate. He knew that I was not from the village having witnessed my transformation from Temple Cat to Priestess. Fortunately he was the only one that had and when I asked him to keep my secret he responded that he would do as I command. I suddenly realized where I was in the rank structure of the village after hearing that reply.

As we talked the villagers began to mill around outside Jobu's hut. Most returned to their duties as the dinner hour was approaching but those that had completed their tasks for the day assembled outside and waited for word from Jobu as to what had happened with Diya. They also started the Rangatira chant on several occasions until finally Jobu had to step out amongst the crowd and explain that as of today the shrine had a new Priestess sent from the Great Maker. He also asked the villagers to spread the word that he would introduce me at the shrine before the dinner hour. This took me aback as I had never intended to be the new Priestess of the Pa'u. I knew that I had to figure a way out of this that would not harm the culture of the village, and would not lose face for Jobu, but I also knew that I could be helpful while I was here.

Jobu was wise so I went along with his decision to introduce me to the villagers. Before dinner was placed on the tables, the villagers gathered on the shrine's plateau behind the altar and as Jobu and I topped the back staircase the villagers dropped to their knees and began the dinner prayer. I had heard the dinner prayer many times and joined in the chant at Jobu's insistence. We made our way to the altar and then following Jobu's lead I joined him in kneeling before the crystal pylon with our backs to the villagers.

When the prayer was concluded the villagers straightened up and rested on their haunches in a kneeling position and Jobu led me to stand beside him at the altar. He introduced me as Priestess Maew and informed them that I was sent from beyond to do the bidding of the Great Maker and look after the needs shrine and the village. Jobu went on to inform the village that his health was fading and that he knew that he would pass beyond soon to join his ancestors beyond the vail.

He gave a short homily about the need to continue in the traditions that were taught to us by our parents and their parents before them before dismissing the villagers for dinner. Jobu bid me to go and meet the villagers and get to know them, but asked me not to wander off too far as he wished me to join him at his table for dinner. I agreed and moved off among the assembled villagers to personally introduce myself to as many of them as I could.

One of the first villagers I came to was Diya and her aunt. They were both very thankful for my treatment of Diya's injuries and asked what I would accept as payment for my services. I smiled and greeted them warmly then suggested that they give a little extra attention to Jobu as he had more need of their care and gracious company than I did. They gladly agreed and as I attempted to move toward Jobu my way was blocked by the village Chief who smiled and offered me a warm greeting. I was better able to size him up now that I stood before him in human form. While most of the women of the village were about six to nine inches shorter than the males, I stood even in height at five foot nine with the Chief. I could tell that he was not used to dealing with women that were his equal in height but he was kind and deferred to my position as Priestess and I in turn greeted him as my Chief. He introduced me to his wife and his daughters and I could tell by the way he acted toward them and me that he was a good man and that things would be good between us. The Chief escorted though the rows of dinner tables on the main street, he did his best to introduce me to every villager that we passed. I estimated that there was between three and four hundred people living in the village and from his introductions, the Chief seemed to know every one of them by their first name, which really impressed me.

Of course I did not meet everyone, there just was not enough time, but I vowed to myself that if I were to fill this position for a while that I would use the Chief as an example and get to know as many of the villagers as I could. We milled about with the villagers for a while then the Chief took me back to Jobu as the food was about to be served. The Chief insisted that Jobu and I move in front of him in the food line and as we moved along the tables and filled our plates Jobu introduced me to the women who had prepared the food. I have to admit that I was cheating and using my internal PDA and its installed facial recognition software to catalog the villagers and their names. There were just too many of them for me to remember in such a short time.

The evening was uneventful and pleasant including being introduced to Sneha and her brother Raffa. I so wanted to tease Raffa and ask him if he still wanted to know who I was, but thought it better to just thank them both for taking such good care of "Kitty" the Temple Cat. Hearing this exchange brought a suppressed snicker from Jobu, as he was the only one in the village that knew that Kitty and Maew were the same entity. His snicker brought a warm smile to my face and I could not help but to look at the aged cleric and wink.

Just like the Chief, most of the villagers were taken by my height and when I stood to greet them during and after dinner many took a minute or so to look me over. Even Raku and Palu paused for a moment to ogle when I first met them in human form. I do not think that either of them had ever met a woman that could look them in the eye without standing on a chair, crate, or small ladder. I had a delightful chat with both of these handsome and very muscular men, and as the conversation went on I could see that some of the younger women of the village were getting a bit annoyed at the attention I was getting from the Alpha and Beta of the village. I could see that Sneha was a bit perturbed as well, but I have to say that the conversation was innocent and mostly related to what my position would be with the shrine and in the village. I assured both men that I only wished to help in any way that I could, and would do my best to care for Jobu until he passed into the care of the Great Maker.

Sneha and her friend Sosha politely interrupted our conversation and reminded Raku and Palu that it was time to retire to the river for a little bathing and socializing. Which meant that Sneha wanted to have some naked time with Palu and perhaps Sosha wanted to do the same with Raku. Not wanting to interfere or delay the aquatic shag fest I excused myself and attempted to make my way back to Jobu but the two young men had other plans and invited me to join them at the river. I could see by the expression on Sneha's face that she was not at all pleased by this but yet she knew her place and did not object even though I could see that she wished she could. Sosha was equally grim but like Sneha, she remained silent.

As we made the trek to the river I stayed back behind the two couples and tried my best not to be the cause of any drama between them. Along the way Diya and her aunt caught up to us and I was so relieved to see them. At least I knew that I could hang out with them at the river instead of causing grief for Sosha and Sneha. Along the way we had a nice conversation about their family business and the events of the day that had almost killed Diya. Her aunt was still offering me thanks for my intervention at the shrine, and even though I knew that she was truly grateful, the endless thanks and praise was starting to get a little boring. I was so thankful when we came to the river and the three of us split up. Diya went with me to the river while her aunt met up with some of the other older women from the village. As I stood on the bank looking out over the river my UT alerted me that the language file it was building for the Pa'u had reached 90%. It seemed that my interaction with the villagers today had a secondary benefit.

Diya and I disrobed and entered the water a little ways up river from Sneha, Palu, Sosha, and Raku. Raku being the Alpha was the first to have the attention of both girls and being that this was their tradition, Palu was content to wait for his girlfriend to finish washing his older brother. Once Raku was done the four paired off and Sneha tended to the washing Palu in private. I think there was more than a little washing going on behind those rocks and bushes. Between Diya and I the washing was mutual. Diya tried to take a submissive role in the bathing ritual but I would not allow it. I was tired of all of the day's formalities and just wanted to relax and enjoy the water and some good company. That is not to say that I did not enjoy Diya's strong hands working their way over my body. Her strong hands would have been the envy of any Earth masseuse or masseur.

Diya was just a few inches shorter than me and enjoyed the same firm full figure as Sneha. Why she was still single was beyond me as she was pleasant, well mannered, well built, and very pretty. One thing that the girls of the village had in common was their long flowing black hair, and once we were done with the body washing, Diya and I turned to washing each other's hair. As we tended to each other's hair I began to get the feeling that this would be what it would be like to have had a sister in a normal family life had I not been constructed to serve the Drax Corporation. It was at this point that my mind flashed back to the image of Neko and I standing naked in the black rain on Anora Prime.

Diya and I finished our washing and before returning to shore we took a quick swim across the river and back. While I did not swim as fast I was capable of, Diya did well to swim beside me. We returned to the shore and just as we left the water Chief Pramukha and his wife were there to greet us. I think that the Chief spent a bit too long ogling the two of us, which got him a playful swat to his chest from his loving wife. The Chief informed me that he had a hut set aside for me to stay in as long as I wished to stay in the village. My new temporary abode was located next to Jobu's residence next to the shrine; this made things pretty convenient for the two of us since I figured to be spending a lot of time at the shrine. This was a better option than sleeping in feline form under one of the shrine's benches.

I thanked the Chief for his kindness and as I was doing so his wife took hold of his arm and gave it a good tug as a suggestion that they should be moving along. In reality, she had caught him staring at my private parts and was giving him a warning that she had had enough of his ogling. Diya caught on to this too and giggled as we parted company with this Chief and his wife.

We were about to get dressed when I noticed that Diya's sarong was still stained with her blood from earlier in the day. In all the commotion she did not have a chance to get back home to change. Diya was a bit embarrassed as it was not proper to be seen in public in a soiled garment. The sun was beginning to set when she took the sarong from me and turned to head for the river to give it a quick washing. As she took her first step I called her back to me and asked her to give me her sarong. I held out my hand and she was a bit sheepish as she placed the garment in my hand with the stained side facing up. She was not sure what I had planned and watched me carefully. With her sarong in hand I activated the wardrobe device and the sarong quickly digitized and disappeared. Faster than the human eye could blink her stained sarong was replaced with a brand-new sarong made of the finest Japanese silk.

Diya looked at me in awe as I presented her the new sarong and as she put it on she remarked how soft the new fabric was against her skin and how well it fit. I politely cautioned Diya to keep this little bit of modern magic to herself, which caused her to smile and nod. Of course I did not tell her that her sarong was replaced by the finest wardrobe technology that the Drax Corporation and the Annunaki had available. As Diya watched I did the same with my white sari but instead of the fresh dress appearing in my hand, I instructed the wardrobe device to dress me as it normally would. As I watched Diya's eyes as I used my wardrobe device for the second time I could tell that I had just gained myself my first disciple. Because of this realization I had to suppress my sudden urge to giggle.

On our walk back to the village I had a nice long chat with Diya about the village, its customs, the village elders and what would be required of a Priestess. She escorted me to my hut then we parted company for the night. The hut inside was Spartan but it did have the basic creature comforts. I used the wardrobe device to slip out of my white silk sari then stretched out on the bed on top of the sheets that had been provided for me. The day had been long and filled with drama and it did not take long for me to fall fast asleep.

In the morning I was up with the sun and dressed quickly. I knew the routine of the village and being that I was now part of the village I wanted to do my part. I thought that maybe I could help to set up the tables since I was not sure how to cook food that the locals would enjoy. Not every one enjoys a good pizza for breakfast. The men of the village bowed and offered me a greeting comprised of them clasping their hands together then pulling them in toward their chest with their fingers extended. I politely returned their greeting before I was ushered away from the tables. It seems that setting up tables is a man's job here in the village and not a proper duty for a Priestess.

My next attempt to get involved was to join the villagers who had been tasked with sweeping the street. I attempted to grab an unused broom when a muscular hand respectfully took the broom from me and suggested that such manual labor was beneath the station of a Priestess. I turned and was about to protest and before I could open my mouth my eyes met with Raffa's as he now stood before me holding my broom. I really had to fight my urge to kiss him, but as we made eye contact he quickly set the broom aside, clasped his hands together and bowed saying, "Good morning Priestess."

I so wanted to whisper, "Do you still want to know who I am?" into his ear but once again I held my tongue and had to suppress the giggles that were threatening to burst forth from my mouth. I returned his gesture of respect and once that custom was satisfied he properly went back to his sweeping and I went off looking for some way to contribute. I made my way back to the area where the tables had been set up and as I tried to squeeze my way into the line of women carrying the food to the tables Jobu approached me, took me by the arm and led me away from the tables.

We had a polite chat and he cautioned me that the duties that I was attempting to perform were beneath the station of a Priestess and that I should always try to conduct myself in a proper manner. I began to question him as to how a Priestess should behave, because it was not like I was parading around like a cheap tart in a spaceport bar trying to get a free drink from some lonely pilot. I had no one to set an example for me, nor was Priestess 101 a subject that was taught at the Osaka Eugenics academy.