Enlightenment Chapter 1 George's Basement "No, Mrs. Nishida, I haven't seen Naoko since I visited your house a few weeks ago. Why? Is something wrong?" George didn't bother to pay attention to the response, he already knew exactly what the problem was . . . "Oh, Naoko's been gone for several days and you don't know where she is? Oh god, that's terrible. No, I have no idea where she could be, but if I hear anything I'll call you immediately. I hope everything turns out ok. Call me if there's anything I can do for you, ok? Allright, bye bye." George hung up the phone and went back to his table to finish his breakfast. On a whim he turned on the TV thinking he might hear something about the disappearance of his next door neighbor's daughter. Of course there won't be anything on, it's been what, 3 days? There won't be any sort of news report for at least a week. He thought as he flipped through the channels. After a brief search with no results, he turned off the TV and popped the last bit of toast into his mouth. He picked up his plate and threw it into the sink, already full with weeks worth of unwashed dishes and went to gather his things for work. Somebody should clean this place up, he thought to himself while stuffing various papers into his briefcase. His wrinkled suit and unkempt hair belied the fact that he was one of the highest paid lawyers in his firm. George just never had a head for style. Gathering all of his things, he started to walk out the front door but paused. After a moment he set his things down and went back inside. He had forgotten something but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Standing just inside his doorway looking around his front hallway, he rubbed his head while trying to recall what had just slipped his mind. "Oh" he exclaimed out loud as it came back to him. He walked through his kitchen to his basement door, a giant cold metal thing that seemed oddly out of place. A deep cold clang rang out as he unlocked the door and yanked it open. A flick of the light switch dispelled the darkness and he starting his way down the creaky old staircase. A smile touched his lips as he saw what he had forgotten the first time he went to leave. Bound to his wall was a naked college aged Japanese girl. "Hello Naoko. You're mother called. She's really worried about you." Naoko's scream was muffled by the duct tape covering her mouth. "I just wanted to make sure everything was allright. I'll be home at around 7 tonight, so just wait here." George chuckled at his joke as he climbed back up the stairs, switched the lights back off and closed and locked the door behind him. Now satisfied, he regathered his things, hopped into his car and set off for the days work. ---- George clammed the car door shut and tromped up to his front door carrying a mess of papers, his jacket and a briefcase with more papers sticking out of the cracks. He violently kicked open the door to his house and threw the mess of things he carried onto the ground. Seeing all the papers scattered everywhere angered him even further and he let out a scream of frustration. Through his anger he realized he needed to calm down in some way, so he made himself go to the kitchen and do what he always did at times like these. He cooked. Cooking was one of George's great passions. Even as a little kid George took a great interest in watching his no late mother whip up fantastic meals. As he got older, he found that cooking was the only way he could let off any anger or stress he was feeling. All the rage would go into the churn as he mashed potatoes, all his hatred would pour out into his mini crab tostadas, and all his frustrations would melt away as he made pound after pound of peppermint ice cream. Naturally, with no one around to eat all the food he made but himself, George manage to make himself a perfect candidate to play Santa in his local mall. In other words, George was fat. "But fat and happy" he would always say whenever his weight was pointed out by someone else. This night George was pissed off. He had nearly been fired from his job for mistakes that he had nothing to do with. George rarely ever made mistakes on the job, so being blamed for someone else's failures really got under his skin. But like always before, he dumped all his negative feelings into the gourmet meal he was preparing. After an hour and a half flew by, he had himself a real feast. Way too much for him to eat by himself. "What am I gonna do with all this?" he wondered out loud. It hit him all of a sudden, "Oh!" he exclaimed, raising his head. "Oh yeah." He turned around to face the giant metal door. "Naoko?" George called out. The Japanese girl bound to the wall with her hands straight up over her head looked up at the sound of her name. "You hungry?" he asked, holding out a plate of the food he had just finished making. The room was largely empty except for a closet door and a table in the center. George set the food down on the table and walked over to Naoko. "Let's get this tape off you so you can eat," he said. He began unwinding the duct tape from her mouth as she struggled against her bonds, body writhing furiously. "Now now, calm down," George said as he pulled the last of the tape off Naoko's head, whereupon Naoko started screaming a slew of insults and questions at him. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKING ASS HEAD. WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I'M GOING TO TEAR YOUR FUCKING EYES OUT AND BITE YOUR FUCKING NOSE OFF YOU PIECE OF SHIT. AAA-" A hard slap to her face cut her off short. "Quiet." George said. "I will explain everything to you while you eat." "DON'T YOU FUCKING HIT ME YOU FAT FUCKING WHO-" Another hard slap cut her off again. "We can do this all night if you'd like. Or you can calm down and eat some food. You haven't eaten in a few days, I'm sure you're hungry." George said with infinite patience. Naoko, feeling the sting on her face from the slaps, eyed George ferociously but said nothing. "Good. Now I'm going to unbind you from the wall. Hold still." George undid the hooks that held Naoko's feet and hands to the wall, only to be kicked in the groin. He doubled over in pain as Naoko ran past him to the stairs. "Wait!" he called out through a haze of pain. Naoko paid no attention and headed straight for the exit without a word. However upon reaching the door at the top and finding it locked and no visible means of opening it, she screamed again and ran back down the stairs. "LET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE YOU FUCKING FAT ASS!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" George stood up gingerly. Naoko stood naked before him in a defensive stance as much to hide her nudity as to protect herself from an attack. "You can't get out without the key." George said, still sounding as patient as ever. "Just sit down and eat some food and I will possibly forgive that earlier transgression." "FUCK YOU. Give me the fucking key or I beat the living shit out of you and take it myself. I'm a black belt you piece of shit." She had an athletes body, and she clearly carried herself like she knew what she was doing. "I have been patient so far. My patience does have a limit, and you are starting to test it. Sit down before I make you sit down." George raised his voice, not cowed by the threats. Naoko launched herself at George with an expert flying kick aimed at his head. But George was light on his feet despite his appearance. He dodged to the side and caught he leg out of the air. Using her own momentum against her, he swung her around and let her fly. Her body crashed into the wall and then crumpled on the floor with a cry. George wasted no time. He walked over to Naoko's naked crumpled form and picked her up by the hair. "I told you to sit down three times. Now SIT." He yelled and threw her down into the chair. Naoko cried from the pain of being thrown into the wall. The first tears brought the reality of the situation crashing home and she started crying in huge wracking sobs. She suddenly felt very naked and weak and afraid. "Why are you doing this to me?" she managed to say between sniffles. "I told you, I'd explain everything while you ate. I just spent a lot of time cooking, so eat it while it's still warm." Naoko still couldn't think of eating in her present condition, but the smell of the food filled her nostrils reminding her that she had not eaten for 3 days. Hungrily she grabbed at the food in front of her with one hand while trying to cover herself with the other. The food was truly excellent. As soon as it hit her mouth she began greedily shoving in more with both hands, as hunger overpowered her shame at her nakedness. "That's a good girl. Eat as much as you'd like." George watched her shoveling the food into her mouth with a small tinge of pride. Maybe it was silly considering that the girl hadn't eaten for 3 days, but still, it felt nice to have someone appreciate his cooking. "You're wondering why you're here, right? Of course you are. Well, I guess I'll just come right out and say it." Naoko slowed her furious eating pace to listen. "You are now my experiment. I plan to awaken you, Naoko. The same gift was given to me years ago, and now it's time for me to pass it on. Every day you will be beaten and tortured in various ways. Other times you will be required to perform humiliating tasks. Eventually, you will begin to awaken to the fact that you do not exist. I've been a practicing Zen Buddhist for 30 years now, and I believe that there are many paths to the ultimate enlightenment, pain being one of them. If all goes as planned this is what I see happening. You will be caused great pain every day, pain to the extent that you will be left with only two choices. One, two give up on life and let yourself die, or Two, you will turn inward, realize that there is nothing there, no Self to be humiliated, and you will emerge awakened, enlightened. Of course I'm hoping for the latter, but a lot of it depends on you." Naoko stopped eating altogether. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked. "No. This is not a joke. No one knows you're here. I'm a good friend of your family, so no one will ever expect that you're here. There is no way to escape except through awakening. Once you have awakened, you will be set free, not merely in body, but more importantly, you will be free from the suffering caused by believing that you have a self. On that day you will thank me, Naoko. I'm sure of it." Naoko jumped at George's throat hoping to catch him by surprise, but George was prepared. He caught her hands and yanked her forward, pulling her flat onto the table. And held her pinned that way. "You will learn quickly that you have no choice other than to obey. It's useless to struggle. Struggling will only prolong your suffering. You have to give into the pain. Release yourself from your fears." Naoko struggled to get free, but she could feel her body getting sluggish. "What did you do to me?" she cried still wriggling under George's grip. "I put some sedatives to make you fall asleep. When you wake up, I will begin your first day of training." Naoko screamed and writhed, but she could feel the blackness overtaking her. She thought she heard George laugh just before she passed out. --- When Naoko came to, she was strapped spread eagled to the table. She tested her bonds, but they were too tight for her to wriggle even a tiny bit. She lifted her head and Saw George sitting at her feet reading a book. "Oh you're up. Good, let's get started." George said cheerfully as he set down the book. "Let me offer you a few words of advice first. You are going to experience pain that you didn't even know existed. Pain is going to become a way of life for you. But learn not to run away from it. Avoiding pain is not the goal. Only rather, try to realize that the physical pain you feel is only temporary. The pain is only a marker on the path to an awakening." "Fuck you!" Naoko yelled defiantly. George brought the riding crop in his hand down on her stomach before the words had even finished coming out of her mouth. The last bit of the "you" turned seamlessly into a fierce scream from the shock of the pain. Her body tensed and her arms strained at their bonds to no avail. "You will learn with time." George said with a smile as he raised the crop into the air again. "NO!" Naoko screamed knowing what would come next. The riding crop came down across her breasts and she let out a scream even louder than before. She pulled at her bindings as hard as she could, attempting to shield herself from the riding crop, but there was nothing she could do. She watched as he raised it a third time, feeling the panic well up inside her. Her wrists hurt from her constant involuntary tries to lower her arms. She squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of the blow. But it didn't come. She opened her eyes to see George smiling at her. "You really are beautiful, you know that?" he said. He loving ran his hand over her breasts and down her stomach. "You have the most sexy body I've ever seen." Naoko recoiled at his touch almost as if it were the riding crop. "I hate you." She yelled out. "The shame your feeling now. Where does it come from? It's a fake emotion, put in your head by the society you grew up in. There is no self. When you realize the truth of this, you will no longer feel shame because there will be no 'one' to feel it." George brought the crop down on her breasts again. "Pain and shame are one and the same. Notice the pain. Notice it as it arises, and notice it as it goes away." George whipped her from the side, causing another heave. He alternated between gently caressing her body and violently lashing it in various places. Each stroke fell on a previously untouched piece of her skin, bringing with it a new sensation of pain. Naoko screamed endlessly, choking on pleas for him to stop, but to no avail. The blows rained down for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the endless stream of hits ended. Naoko's body shivered as she cried, still bound as tightly as before. George stood back to admire his work. The bright red welts covering her from head to toe only served to intensify her extreme beauty in his eyes. He felt a tinge of sorrow for what he knew she must be feeling, but it was all for a greater good he told himself. "I'm sure you hurt all over now. Don't run from the pain. Just be aware of it. Realize that it is temporary and will pass." George continued to run his fingers up and down the length of Naoko's body. Her shivering gradually slowed down until she was almost breathing at a normal pace. No more tears fell from her eyes, but she held them shut tight, not wanting to acknowledge the situation. "That's a good girl. Calm down. It's just pain. That's all it is." George began to un bind Naoko's hands and feet as he whispered reassuring words to her. When he finished with the last bond, Naoko curled up into a ball on the table, holding herself in a protective fetal position. George patted her on the arm, and helped her stand up. Naoko was still reeling from her beating, so no thought of escape or resisting crossed her mind. She just did as he directed. "Good good. Over here. Grab hold of this bar. Yeah that's the way, good." George clicked a metal cuff over her wrist, pinning her right arm to one side of a large metal frame. At the sound of the bond being reattached, Naoko regained her previous fighting spirit and began to frantically wave her one free arm in an attempt to drive George back away from her. However, weakened from being whipped, she was easily overpowered and George fastened her other arm to the other side of the metal frame. Once again bonded in a spread eagle position, this time upright, Naoko began to shake with fear. "Why me?" she asked. "Why?" "Because I think you deserve to be free, Naoko. Because I wanted to give you this gift." George replied dead seriously. "I don't want it. You can't do this to me." She cried. "No one knows they want it until they already have it. You will see when the day comes." George fastened her ankles to the bottom corners, and tested them for the proper tightness. "You need to experience to know what it's like. And believe me, once you know, you will understand that it was worth every second of pain you felt to get there." Naoko pleaded for him to stop as he walked away from her back to the closet. The closet door was just like the door at the top of the stairs, giant, cold metal. George took out his key and unlocked and opened it. He disappeared from Naoko's view for a moment as he went inside to find what he was looking for. "Here it is!" Naoko heard George cry out. He emerged from the closet holding an odd sort of machine like thing. Naoko had no idea what it was, but she was sure she wasn't going to like it. "This is a generator. It will generate electricity, which will run through to this electrode at the end of this wand here." George pointed out all the details of how it worked to Naoko as he set it all up. He walked around to Naoko's back, out of range of her vision and continued explaining. "I'm going to shock you. It will hurt, a lot. The machine can vary intensities, so I'll start small, just to warm you up. Eventually, I will be letting you have it full force, so there will be a gradual increase in your amount of pain. You might lose consciousness, but try not to. You can't progress toward enlightenment if you're not awake." Naoko was swinging her head side to side trying to see what George was doing behind her when he entire body convulsed from a shooting shot of pain coming from the middle of her back. Her throat contracted so no scream came out, but she instinctively arched forward, trying to stretch away from the pain. George pulled the electrode away and Naoko fell limp, hanging from her wrists. "Are you awake?" George inquired. He walked back around front to look at her face. Her eyes were shut, and she appeared to have passed out. He touched the electrode to he nipple to test her. Her body lightly convulsed, but that was just the involuntary contractions of muscles being hit with electricity. Naoko had passed out. "That quick? Huh." George stepped back wondering what he should do. "You've got a long way to go." He said to Naoko's unmoving form. "I guess I'll call that a night then." He started to pack up his tools, and laughed as a thought came to him. "There's always tomorrow."
Review This Story || Email Author: Call me Sam