Chapter 8

When Barbara Sloan awakened the next day, she remained very still so as not to awaken Steve. She stretched and sniffed the air, smelling Karla’s marvelous fragrance that permeated the room. Then she looked over at her female bed partner and smiled. As the girl slept soundly, her face in repose was childlike in its innocence. Gently she squeezed her hand that was resting on her upper thigh. The instant she did, Karla’s eyes opened slowly, then with a start as she realized where she was. As she was about to jump out of bed, Barbara formed words without speaking and communicated, “Rest easy, Baby Sister. I just wanted to look into your lovely eyes.” Then with a grin she added, “I guess it’s time for my morning torture...”

Karla returned the grin and whispered, “You poor thing! More sexual abuse. Another rape of your tender femininity... Quelle domage!”

Having already awakened Steve by gently squeezing his hand over her tit she whispered, “You have no appreciation of the tortures I suffer every day at Steve’s hand. Just look at me! Am I not the picture of the abused female... ?”

Steve cut short her speech when he rolled over to get between her legs after she rolled over to be on her hands and knees. “Slave, move between my legs. I’m tired of flooding the bed.” Over her shoulder she said to Steve, “Wouldn’t bumfucking be nice this morning, for a change?”

Instead of entering her vagina, Steve placed his cock against her sepia ring. Feeling it there, Barb just relaxed and moved back against it, forcing it into her anal cavity. “Oh, Steve! That feels so good ... And it’s been such a long time...”

“The day before yesterday,” Steve reminded her.

“That’s the trouble with men, and particularly engineers,” Barb grumbled. “They’re always so damned technical!”

Then she screamed as her first orgasm overtook her. In the meantime Karla had wriggled under Barb and had her mouth under her hairless slit. When the first flow of juices gushed out, her mouth was there to drink them. When Steve finally let loose his load twenty minutes later, both girls were nearing exhaustion. He gently withdrew, then curled up under the covers that he had pulled up over his head. Barb had passed out and collapsed on top of Karla.

When she came to, she found her face was over the girl’s golden bush. Moving downward slightly, she began gently to run her tongue over the gash that bisected the girl’s clitoris and slit. Disregarding the pain it caused, Karla gently oscillated her pelvis and savored the attention. With a few licks and a very gentle bite on her wounded clit, Karla came in a flood. When she did, she whispered, “Thank you Big Sister! I loved it.”

After sorting themselves out on the bed, Karla found her head resting on Barb’s shoulder. Only then did she become aware of Maria who was kneeling beside the bed. “Are you ready for your morning coffee, Mistress?” she asked. When Barb eagerly nodded her head and reached out her hand, Maria gave her a mug and then poured another for Karla. Then she said, “Ken and Andy have already left, Mistress, and the other two are still asleep. But I will awaken them instantly if you wish.”

“How are they?” Barb asked.

“Mistress,” she replied, “never has a woman been hurt the way I hurt Paula yesterday. But if you go into the room you will find her lying on her back with Anna’s head on her left tit. Or where her left tit was before I almost cut it off her body!” The girl was crying as she continued, “I had to literally sew the pieces of it back together. I beat her while she was on her back so there was no give. Her body absorbed the total impact of the whip — every stroke! Yet she’s lying there awake just gently caressing Anna’s face. It’s the only part of Anna that isn’t cut to pieces, for that matter.” Then with a visible effort of will Maria regained control and asked, “What’s on for today, Mistress?”

“Today, Karla and I are going to visit some children in a hospital. You would be going, too, except there aren’t any clothes for you to wear. You’ve already lost weight and will lose even more, so I don’t want to spend money on clothing for you just yet. And I don’t think Anna or Paula are in any shape to do anything. Do you mind staying here and caring for them?”

“Of course not!” Maria exclaimed. “But what about our exercise?”

“Let’s go!” Barb said, clambering over Karla’s body. The girl’s reactions weren’t as fast as hers, nor did she expect Barb’s instant reaction. Minutes later all three were working out. After showers and massages, Barb went into the room where she found Paula and Anna still in bed. Anna was still sleeping while Paula was gently caressing her face. The younger girl’s face wore a wonderfully happy smile even though she was still asleep.

Trying not to disturb the sleeping girl, Barb lifted the covers on Paula’s side to get a good look at her body. After seeing it she almost fainted. Then she whispered, “My God! This woman is being held together with sewing thread!” Turning to Maria she said, “You really did a job, didn’t you.” Then she smiled and added, “Thank heavens I didn’t have to watch!”

It was already a warm day in Prague, and it looked like it would become even hotter. Moreover, the heat was coupled with humidity from the river and smoke from the antiquated factories beside it. Indications were that the atmosphere would become thoroughly oppressive before sundown. Barbara selected a yellow sleeveless dress for herself and an identical one in white for Karla.

While dressing her, Barb ran her fingers very lightly across the bright red welts that crisscrossed the girl’s body. Although the slightest touch was still very painful, the Czech girl neither made a sound nor acknowledged her pain in any way. When they were both dressed, Barb found that the edges of some of her cuts showed at the neckline of Karla’s dress, but decided it couldn’t be helped.

Having earlier called for her car, the two emerged from the cool hotel interior into the rising heat of the day. Looking upward, Barb made a moue when she saw the sun as only a yellow ball through the smoke and haze. Again the valet was standing beside the open car door, but refused the tip she tried to give him saying that he and his colleagues had received far more than enough the week before. When she got in, Barb noticed that Karla had fastened her seat belt harness even though its shoulder strap ran right over the collar bone and shoulder that had been so cruelly ravaged, yet again she gave no sign of the agony she undoubtedly felt.

Pulling up to the main entrance of the hospital, there was a doorman and valet waiting for them. Only then did Karla remember that this visit had been in the original plan for the Sloans’ visit. She also remembered that it had been arranged at the Sloans’ specific request. Although she had only known Barbara Sloan for a week, she knew it must have been her idea. They were taken by the hospital administrator to the children’s ward.

When he opened the door, the girls were confronted by a sea of shining young faces who, on signal, said in unison, “Good morning, Mrs. Sloan. Welcome to the Czech Republic.” The greeting was in English. Obviously, a great deal of time and effort had been spent teaching and rehearsing the children.

Barbara smiled warmly at the children, then asked the administrator if she and Karla could be left alone with them. He immediately agreed and withdrew along with the nurses who had been on duty in the ward.

Most of the children were sitting on the floor in a semicircle, but some were still in their beds. These, obviously, were the ones in the worst condition. Barb whispered to Karla to spend her time with the larger group arrayed on the floor while she visited with the others. Shrewdly guessing that the administration would want the children to look their best, Barb made her way to the back of the ward. There she found a young girl, only about six years old, lying in bed. Going up to her bedside, Barb softly said hello.

The little girl’s eyes were closed, but hearing the greeting they opened immediately. They were a vivid blue, but Barb could see the red fire of pain burning deep inside. “Hello,” she repeated.

“Good morning, Mrs. Sloan,” the girl said by rote. “How are you this morning? I feel fine.” The little girl beamed at her accomplishment while Barb smiled down on her. The girl’s platinum-blonde hair was neatly arranged in two pigtails and she was beautiful, except she was very pale.

“What’s your name?” Barbara asked. The little girl just looked up at her, puzzled. Clearly, Barb’s question had not been on the short English phrase list the child had memorized. “What’s your name?” she repeated, this time in her fluent Czech.

Beaming with delight at finding she could communicate with the beautiful woman beside her, the girl replied, “My name is Katrina.”

“How are you this morning?” Barb asked quietly.

Apparently at that instant the little girl felt a flash of pain because tears came to her eyes. Then the flow of tears increased. Barb instantly sensed that the first reaction was to her pain, while the increase in her tears came from embarrassment at upsetting her very important guest. Reaching out, Barb took the girl’s small hand and held it gently in her own.

The moment she did, the girl put her other hand on top of Barb’s and ever so gently stroked it. “Your hand is so nice,” the little girl said in a pain-filled voice. “Thank you for coming to see me.”

“Katrina, have you prayed to God? Perhaps he would help.”

“How do you pray?” the little girl asked. “I don’t know how.” Then her brow furrowed and she added, “But it takes lots of big words to pray, doesn’t it? And I don’t know any.”

Hearing the little girl, tears came to Barb’s eyes. At the same time she heard a rumble like thunder, but it came from inside the large room.

“No, darling,” Barb responded, “you don’t have to use big words. All you do is talk to God. I’m sure he’s listening. Isn’t there something you would like very much? Why don’t you ask God to give it to you?”

“Would you help me?” Katrina asked. “I’ve never done this before.” Barb just nodded and tried to smile. “God,” the little girl said softly, “please help Gunther in the bed next to mine. He’s in such terrible pain, and he’s so good. But at night I hear him crying because his pain is so bad. Can you help? Thank you, sir.” The little girl paused a moment and then added, “My name is Katrina, sir, and I’m six years old.”

“Isn’t there something you would like to ask God for yourself?” Barb prompted. “Anything at all?”

“Oh, dear! There sure is!” the girl replied. Looking up again she added, “God, I almost forgot. When I’m gone, please help Mommy and Daddy. They feel so badly about me. But when I’m gone, God, with your help they’ll feel a lot better. And please bless my sister, Cammy, and my baby brother, Johann.” Looking up at Barb she said, “Thank you, Mrs. Sloan, for reminding me.” Then again looking up she said, “God, I forgot to say, ‘Amen’ and I guess that’s a part of every prayer, isn’t it? So Amen.” Then she smiled and added, “And please bless Mrs. Sloan for teaching me how to pray. It’s really neat!”

Barb found a chair and sat down at the girl’s bedside. While still holding the girl’s hand she bowed her head and said softly, “Please, dear God, transfer this poor girl’s pain to my body.” At this point Barb lost control and started to bawl but still prayed, “Never have I seen such unselfish behavior. Katrina prayed for the little boy in the next bed, for her parents, and for her sister and baby brother. Not a word for herself. Please, God! Give me her affliction...”

“No!” the Voice thundered in her ear. “There’s already been more than enough of that already!” Then in a quiet voice He asked, “Katrina, how is it that you hear Gunther crying in his sleep? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

To the little girl the disembodied Voice was not surprising. She replied, “I guess because my pain is keeping me awake. But I found that if I bite my lip hard enough, it drowns out the other pain and keeps me from screaming, too.”

The next instant through her tears Barb saw the little girl’s lips compressed and a small teddy bear appeared on her chest. Then normal color reappeared in her cheeks and the girl who had been wasting away was suddenly vibrantly alive, although now in a deep recuperative sleep. There was the most beatific smile Barb had ever seen on her lips. Looking up, she saw the same process repeated with the little boy in the next bed. And he, too, had a small teddy bear in his arms.

“Now that I’ve started, I suppose I have to finish the job, don’t I?” the Voice grumbled.

“Oh, pooh! It’s not so bad and it isn’t even very hard,” Barb commented unsympathetically. Then in a loving voice she continued, “And thank you, merciful God, for hearing my prayers.”

“Barbara Sloan, if it hasn’t yet registered in that pea brain of yours, I’ll give you another clue: I have to hear your prayers in the same manner you have to breathe. Now am I making myself clear?”

After a pause the Voice continued, “In case you might wonder, Katrina won’t remember anything other than learning how to pray. And no one else here heard anything.” Then after another pause He grumped, “When are you going to ask for something for yourself, Barbara Sloan? I’m waiting.”

“So wait!” Barb responded tartly. “How can I possibly ask for something when I already have everything imaginable?” Then in her normal warm tone she said, “And thank you, dear God, for all of your blessings.”

Rising from the chair, she looked down the line of beds. In every one in which a child lay, there was a teddy bear and a beautifully sleeping healthy child. Then she rejoined Karla who had been teaching the children who were out of bed how to sing a ronde. She had divided the children into three groups and had taught them a little song. Now they were going to sing it as a ronde. The first group started, then the second, and then the third. Karla was on her knees in the center leading the singing.

To Barb, it sounded wonderful, and the children were having such fun and were so proud of their new accomplishment. When they finished and applauded their effort, Karla looked up with a question in her eyes.

Barb stood beside her and said to the children, “I learned this morning that some of you don’t know how to pray. How many of you don’t? Please raise your hands.” About three-fourths of the hands went up.

Then to a little girl who had not raised her hand she asked, “Honey, how do you pray?”

The little girl began, “Our Father, who art in Heaven,...” completed the prayer, and looked up at Barbara.

“That’s a wonderful prayer,” Barb commented. “It is one composed by Jesus Christ, Himself, in response to a question, ‘How should we pray?’ But there are other ways to pray, too. You can just talk to God. You just tell him things you want Him to know, ask Him questions, and ask for special favors or blessings. Did you know that?”

The little girl with her eyes now wide replied, “No, ma’am, I didn’t know that. Does that mean I can pray for my friends to get better?”

“Yes, honey, it does,” Barb replied. “But you can also pray to get better yourself.”

The little girl just shook her head and said, “I couldn’t do that. That would be selfish. Besides, I’m too far gone, anyway. The doctors say it’s only a matter of a week or two.” Then she brightened and added, “My mommy told me that if I’m very good and say the ‘Our Father’ and the ‘Hail Mary’ every day without fail, I might see God and be with him forever and ever. Isn’t that neat?”

“What’s your name, honey?” Barb asked. “And how old are you?”

“My name is Karla,” the girl said proudly. “I was named after the bravest woman who ever lived, Karla Kosta. She suffered terribly for our country. I pray for her soul every day, but I’m sure she’s with God in Heaven, anyway. She was so good! My daddy saw her tortured to death when he was in prison.” Then the little girl added, “I’m four years old.”

When she heard the little girl, Karla folded up at the waist until her forehead was resting on her thighs. Barb could hear her crying. Standing beside her, Barb took her arm and lifted her to her feet. “Karla, this beautiful girl is Karla Kosta, and she certainly is not dead.”

Turning to her she said, “Sis, what do you think?”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was so choked up she could barely speak. “My darling Karla, I’m overwhelmed! To think that a little girl, suffering the way you are, would think to pray for me is incredible. But, honey, all I can do is thank you very much. And I’m certainly not the bravest woman, but you may be.” Then she picked the little girl up, held her in her arms and kissed her with all of her love.

When Karla’s lips met hers, the little girl felt a flood of love, grace and joy. When she ended the kiss and looked into the child’s eyes, she found they were glistening with happiness. “Now my life is complete!” the girl exclaimed. “I’ve been kissed by the best person alive in the whole world!” Then she looked deeply into Karla’s eyes and added, “If I get to Heaven, Karla Kosta, I’ll continue to pray for you for ever and ever! I can hardly wait.”

The girl’s little speech caused Karla to begin to bawl again. Now she just held the girl tightly against her body and could feel the warmth of the little girl’s. For her part the girl just nuzzled her face against Karla’s neck and wriggled her tiny body in delight. It was obvious that she would cheerfully spend the rest of her short life being held in Karla’s arms.

Then Karla whispered in her ear, “My darling Karla, thank you. But don’t be in such a rush. Your whole life is in front of you. You’re going to recover and grow to be a beautiful young woman. And I couldn’t be more proud than to have a lovely girl like you named after me. It is truly a great honor.”

Hearing her words, the girl lifted her head and looked deeply into Karla’s brilliant blue eyes. When she decided that Karla wasn’t teasing her, she sighed lovingly and again dropped her head back on Karla’s shoulder. Very gently Karla returned her to her position on the floor.

Then Barb suggested that the children all bow their heads and close their eyes. This they did while Barb asked God to help them, too. In moments, a transformation occurred. From being at death’s door — and in many cases, including baby Karla’s, only being out of bed because of massive doses of pain-killing narcotics — they were the pictures of health. And each child had a brand new teddy bear.

After Barb nodded to Karla, the girl left the room. A few minutes later she returned accompanied by food service personnel pushing carts with ice cream and cake. The hospital staff was so preoccupied with the service they didn’t notice the incredible change in the children.

However, when Barb saw Karla returning with them, she also saw lines of red appearing on her white dress. She was certain that holding little Karla tightly had caused some of her cuts to open up and start bleeding again. Taking her by the hand she said softly, “We’re out of here!” and then nearly dragged the protesting girl out toward the entrance.

“What did you do that for, Big Sister?” Karla pouted when again they were in the car and headed back to the Ritz. “The party was just starting.” She paused and then continued, “Besides, I never even learned little Karla’s last name! And she’s named for me, too. The least I can do is send her a birthday card once in a while, or something.”

“Look down at your dress and you’ll see the answer, Little Sister,” Barb responded. “And you can always get Karla’s information from the hospital. But right now I’m getting you home, cleaned up, and in bed where you belong!”

“Maybe I ought to take care of this right now,” the Voice said from between them. “Just imagine!” He continued, “You got to meet a little girl named after you: the foremost hero in the independence of your country. Why ... it’s like Barb getting to meet George Washington.”

“You will like hell!” Karla exclaimed, reacting to His first comment. “I absorbed the punishment, and I’m enjoying it.”

“Young lady, you’re getting to be as bad as your sister! First, you order me around the same way she does. You both should know by now that I’m not used to being told what I can and cannot do. Second, the expletive you use is one we don’t use up here for rather obvious reasons.”

The two girls thought back to Karla’s words and then both howled with laughter at the same instant. “Would, ‘You will like heaven’ sound any better?” Karla asked innocently.

At that they heard a sound that was almost like the rumble of thunder but then they realized it was laughter. Then the voice responded, “It would be better, but still not be very good.” Then to Barb He said, “Take care of her, please, Barbara. She’s the very best there is. Or the very best after you, but that’s pretty close. And I love the idea of Karla being your sister.”

When they got back to the apartment, Barb eased the dress off Karla’s body as carefully as she could. But still she opened up a few more cuts whose scabs had embedded in the dress fabric and were stripped off when the dress was removed. Getting a small pan of water and a stack of sterile surgical sponges, Barb gently washed the blood off Karla’s body. As she was about to apply antiseptic to the cuts, Barb saw a plaintive look in Karla’s eyes.

Knowing instantly what the girl wanted, she put down the antiseptic and began gently to kiss and lick her wounds. With her mouth on the girl’s skin she could feel as well as hear her sounds of joy and peace. “That feels so good, Big Sister,” she sighed as she wriggled her body on the bed, ignoring the pain she created on her back and ass whenever she moved. Barb continued and as she did she could feel her sister’s breathing become regular and deep. Then, instead of applying the ointments, she gently covered the girl, darkened the room and withdrew.