The Night the Stars Aligned
But not for me
It was the perfect night. Full moon, summer solstice, clear sky, and the evening air so warm and heavy it felt like silk on my skin.
Silky, with the fragrance of roses and honeysuckle as we Students walked down through the garden to the croquet lawn where the temple waited under the tall trees.
Nicole and I strolled together, enjoying the moment.
“When a wise man walks,” Sage was fond of telling we girls, “he just walks.”
That was the theory, and we tried to walk as if that was all there was in the moment. Try as we might, the evening was warm and soft and the light of the moon sent dark shadows across our path, and our senses were full of the physical world.
I felt the warm scented air flowing against my skin under the robe. The summer garments we had cut and stitched and sewn little patterns of flowers across the tops and down the sleeves. Tonight, the night of the ceremony, I was in a fey mood, and had chosen to wear nothing beneath. Between the garland on my hair and the sandals on my feet there was nothing at all but the linen of the gown.
Nicole was doing the correct thing, as per the instructions of Headmother, and I could see the lines of her underthings tight against the clinging gown. She had a fuller figure…
