Author’s warning

Miranda

Matthias and I are travelling together to the next town over to be married. It’s just he and I, a test of our discipline to wait until our marriage night to consummate our relationship for the first time, as is the tradition of our people. The journey should take three days. Today, day two, we find ourselves tempted by a shortcut.

Our path winds around a small hill, but there is a river at the foot of the hill and the path takes us well out of our way to get to a crossing. It seems much quicker to go over the hill.

“But we were warned not to wander off the path,” I remind him.

“But there is no one here to see.”

“I don’t think that was part of the test, just travel advice.”

“There’s no dense woodlands on the hill, let’s give it a go, if we lose sight of the path, we’ll come down.”

Vine

In my cave, so deep and old, where shadows shift I dwell. In the the dark I wait, I wind; a darksome force, a creeping vine. The earth is cool. The air is still. My cave’s entrance hidden by a hill. Around the hill a path does wind, where humans are warned to follow around.

But humans can be tempted.

In silence I wait for those who stray, for those who wander, those who dare to take the way less travelled. When they do, I reach my tendrils far and long. I sing a soft and silent song. A noiseless song that lures the wandering mind, to lose the path, to seek and find.

I whisper like honey, calling lost souls from afar, to take the shortcut, to enter my lair.

Today, a pair of lovers have come. They’ve walked the path, hand in hand, on the way to the abbey for their pairing. Three days hence they plan to wed and vow. But I have other plans for them now.

The sun is low, and the evening neigh as I call them forward with my silent song. With tendrils like silver, I weave my spell. I dance my dance of enchantment. I promise to tell of wonders within and mysteries untold. I hide the truth; the truth is cold.

-Come hither, dear mortals, taste secrets I hold,
In this haven of marvels, stories unfold,
A glimpse of the forbidden, a touch of the wild,
Just step into darkness, in my grip be beguiled.-

Miranda

We stand at the foot of the hill. Matthias puts a foot off the path and squeezes my hand.

“Come, my dear, no one is near. Nightfall is not far off. If we hurry, we can make it to that rock before nightfall. It would make a nice camp.” Matthias points to a rock jutting out of the side of the hill. The ground around is flat, and a beautiful tree shades the spot. It does look nice. I smile back at him and follow him off the path.

Vine

And so the mortals stray from the well-worn track not knowing they will not turn back. As they approach my silent voice is sweet. My music lures them; a dance of deceit.

-See the treasures I’ve gathered, the dreams I bestow.
Just a step closer, and all you will know.-

Miranda

We start to climb the hill. It’s a little steep and I begin working up a bit of a sweat. The night must be coming in more quickly than I think because a soft breeze chills my skin and I feel much colder than I had minutes ago. But it hasn’t gotten much darker. Gooseflesh prickles my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“Matthias, I’m not sure. Something feels ... wrong,” I say.

“It’s not as late as I thought, there’s still plenty of daylight and we’re halfway to the rock,” Matthias answered. But his voice wavers, like he too is uncertain.

Vine

I smell their presence as they near. Their scent of life, I taste their fear. Yes, fear.

For all who enter my domain must play my game, must share my pain. Through a sense almost lost the humans can nearly see the danger ahead.

Matthias, love, this place feels wrong,” says Miranda, so sweet, with golden hair. “The air is cold, the day too long.” She shivers in the gathering dusk as shadows creep and crawl.

“Do not fear,” Matthias gently speaks. Yet in his heart, a dread is stirring. For he too senses the chilling breath of something close, of lurking death. So I weave my web of tendrils tight. I sing my song to steal their sight. To encourage them to continue in the growing gloom and remain unaware of their impending doom.

-Come closer, dear mortals, to secrets concealed.
In my cavern of wonders, your fate is revealed.
Knowledge of the unknown, a taste of desire.
Just step into darkness, your soul I require.-

Closer and closer the mortals do come. Stronger and stronger I sing my song. Sooner and sooner ‘til they meet their fate. There’s no turning back, it’s now far too late.

Miranda

Though we paused, uncertain, halfway to the rock, we continued our journey.

Now we’ve reached the rock, and are inspecting the area for a possible campsite. The climb was steeper than I thought it would be and I’m tired and thirsty.

“I’m parched,” Matthias says, “But look, there is a spring, up higher. Let us climb a little further.”

“I don’t know...” It’s not dark yet. We’ve come all this way, but can we consider going back down to the path?

Vine

As they come nearer, stronger I sing, my melody weaving a perilous ring. -See the treasures I offer, the dreams I provide,
Take a step closer, with me, forever abide.-

Miranda

My throat feels dry, and so we are pulled to climb further to quench our thirst and refill our water bottles from the fresh spring higher up. It isn’t a hard climb and soon we are at the spring, drinking deep. It’s a good place to stop, but it’s windy here and the chill of the evening is starting to settle in.

A little away there is what looks like a small cave, more of an overhang of rock than a cave, for it doesn’t seem more than a few feet deep. It’s overgrown with a vine, deep, dark and green, twisting its way around the entrance.

“Why don’t we pass the night there?” Matthias asks. The cave does look inviting, so I ignore the gooseflesh which springs over my skin again and follow him in.

Vine

I spread my tendrils soft and slow, around their feet, above, below.

“Yes, let’s rest here,” Matthias says, “I’m tired and we’ve walked all day.” But little does he understand that here, within, I have command. Miranda steps inside the cave.

So innocent.

So pure.

So brave.

She looks around, her eyes so wide, and in her heart she feels the tide. The tide of something pulling deep.

A call to stay; a wish to weep.

I wrap them gently, like a kiss. A whisper soft, a breath of bliss.

-Rest a while my little sweets,
And feel the warmth beneath your feet.-

They sit, they sigh, they close their eyes. I begin my woven lies.

-Dream a dream of days long past,
of love that was, that could not last.
Dream dreams with showers of delight,
of passion, joy, of endless night.-

Amongst my vines Miranda stirs, a small frown forming on her brow. Amongst her dreams a shadow creeps. A darkling thought while she sleeps. But though she stirs, she does not wake.

-Ah, Miranda, I’ve woven dreams so sweet,
that even fear can not compete.-

I do not walk. I do not crawl. I do not walk on feet at all! Perhaps I creep. Perhaps I slither. But in a moment, my vines are with her. And now I take her! Arms, legs, body, I have her.

Now I will see what I have caught.

Slowly I send one of my vines. Gently I snake a tendril out and up her leg I glide towards her most sensitive spot.

She stirs.

I pause.

She does not wake.

I continue.

Her skin is smooth as new growth and I snake along her tender thigh with a touch as soft as a whispered sigh.

Upon her mound, there’s a darkened veil of curls that guard the sweetness within. But a veil is no barrier to a vine, all within this cave is mine. Gently, I part her lips with care and stroke with touch so light, she’s unaware.

I’ve caught a virgin.

In human ways, they wait to breed in bonds they call a vow, and the first act of breeding a sacred part of their wedding night. Catching a virgin is not such a rare delight, but not all virgins have an intact hymen. The human hymen, fragile, often torn, but this one’s whole, untouched— it’s mine. Of course, I need not find a virgin pure, any human of breeding age is sure to serve my needs. But I do so enjoy being the first one to fuck them. Along my tendril I let my healing serum flow. This will strengthen what lies below the veil of dark curls and between her soft little lips. This healing touch is unable to rebuild a hymen, I’ve tried, but it can make it thicker, stronger. Make it much, much more pleasurable to break.

I retreat.

I’ll fuck her, but not yet.

For now I let them sleep. Unaware of the darkness which creeps and waits for them in shadows so deep.

Miranda

...

“What is ... mmm...”

Vine

And when at last they’ve rested enough, I wrap myself around Miranda. I lift her into the air, spread out like a flower in bloom. Matthias, too I take. I shift my vines upon the floor to bring them down into my lair.

“Come to me, my children dear,
For in the dark, there is no fear.
The world above is cold and bright,
But here below, there’s endless night.
Come to me, and feel the earth,
Where life is death, where death is birth.
For in the soil, all secrets hide,
And in the vine, all souls abide.”

And now they both begin to stir.

Fighting.

Struggling.

Twisting.

And Writhing.

But hope for them was lost a long while ago and I tighten my hold. My grip like iron. A grip so cold. They try to move, to break my chain, but my grip is firm however they strain. They both struggle hard. They try to break free. But now their souls belong to me.

Miranda

I wake into a nightmare.

Tight ropes hold me. My arms, my legs, every part of me is held firm by ropes which twist and bind. I struggle this way, I struggle that, but there is no escaping.

“Miranda!” Matthias calls. He is suspended across from me, trapped the same way, as we are pulled down into a cavern in the ground.

The ropes start to move, sliding along my skin, under my clothing.

“Miranda!” Matthias calls again, “We’ve been caught by a vine!

I know about vines, of course. I’ve been warned about them my entire life. They are cannibals, we are told, they capture people and devour them. But there are whispers this isn’t quite the truth. Rumours of other things, tales told of those who were captured and freed. But such stories are not allowed to be told. Still, they were told under the cover of darkness they were whispered. I was not allowed to listen. Still, I listened.

Before me, Matthias is held up, encircled with vines, twisting and holding him. His clothing falls away and he is naked before me. It’s not the first time I’ve seen Matthias’... thing. I’ve peaked before. So help me God, yes, I’ve peaked! But the other times it was smaller, softer. Now it is big and hard, curving out from his body like it is seeking me.

This must be my punishment. I’ve listened when I shouldn’t. Looked where I mustn’t. I’ve had improper thoughts and desires and wished all manner of things. And now, captured by a vine, this is my punishment!

Vine

A tendril firm around his nether member, I squeeze and stroke, willing him to surrender to my touch. And though he struggles and tries to remain guarded against me, he grows big and firm and hard. With delight, I taste the flood of hormones which rush through his blood, but far from sating my hunger, it only drives me for more, more, more. Which I’ll taste from another.

Miranda.

Miranda, with her golden hair, deserves a little more special care. After all, she will be here in my lair much longer than he. But ah, my little maiden fair, if only you knew what awaited.

Once freed of her coverings, my tendrils seek her lips below, crawling up her thigh with the slow enjoyment of one who knows that time is on their side. She feels my approach, and presses her legs together, attempting to hide her sweet treasure therein, but she cannot. I am vine. All within this cave is mine.