The Cursed Doll

Chapter 13

Meridion was deep in thought as we answered his summons to his library. Bryn and Marc were already there, and Bryn shrugged to indicate they had no idea as to why we’d all been summoned. As we joined them, Meridion nodded, and indicated we should sit.

“As I have long suspected, the curse that afflicts you, and will afflict you, Bryn and Marc, is part of a much, much longer story, but it seems that you are its conclusion.” Studying his hands, which I now saw rested on a very thick and very ancient book, he continued, “You are all related to those who reside in the crypt. It seems there were sixteen friends, but only twelve were afflicted. The other four were hidden in our parallel world, and were prevented from returning. Ceran’s younger brother was one, Merthyn’s half-brother another and two Apprentices sent to protect them, named Llwellyn and Geraint. The four of you are their descendants and must take their places in order to release all of you from the curse.”

“Take their places, Uncle?” Trefor’s voice showed his doubt.

“In a manner …” Meridion tapped the book. “The curse cannot be reversed, but it can be brought to an end. For that to happen it seems that you four must place yourselves under it, taking the places of those Merthyn hid, inadvertently preventing any hope of releasing any of them from it.” With a sigh, he opened the book. “It is here. When he learned the means to end the process and release all those trapped in their doll form at the end of their life spans, he went in search of the four, and could not find them — partly because, being himself afflicted by the curse, he found it nearly impossible to remain human and not reveal his rubber form — which would have been possibly fatal in that society.” Meeting their gaze, he continued, “In the end he was trapped there, though fortunately perceived as a display dummy. The difficulty is that those he hid there eventually died, but left descendants who, if they had ever returned to this realm, would have suffered your fate.”

“So that’s …” Trefor paused. “But then I would have been turned into this … without ever wearing that damned hood.”

“It would, I suspect, have been long delayed, at least until you reached the age of your ancestor, Hayden, Merthyn’s half-brother. Even then I think you would have been drawn to wear it — such is the strength of this curse.” Meridion turned to me. “You, as the descendant of Ceran’s brother appear to have been key to unlocking this for several reasons, but first let me address the reason Bryn and Marc must join you in subjecting themselves to the curse. The twelve you see in the crypt were ten of the group of fourteen who stood against Cerdic, and sacrificed themselves to protect Merthyn and Ceran and restore them at each full moon. They triumphed, but Cerdic’s supporters were equally determined and cast an additional binding on them all — that they could only find release from being perpetually bound to their rubber bodies when the four that Merthyn and Ceran had hidden returned and joined them.” Anger flashed across his face. “They never intended to allow anyone to do that, and separated each of them, hiding their rubber forms in widely separated places, even sealing them into tombs and hidden spaces.”

“How did you find them?” I asked.

“It has taken a very long time, Aled. A very long time.” Meridion stopped, his gaze unfocussed. “Merthyn rescued me from an evil Mage as a boy, and set me on the path of becoming a Mage myself.” For a moment his face softened. “I studied under some of the greatest — thanks to him — and when I became a Mage, I made it my quest to discover what had happened to him and to those who had protected, guided and encouraged me in his train. The more I learned of their fate, the more determined I became. I found traces, and then the means … One by one, I found them, and brought them here. Ceran himself was the last, before Trefor … and he brought you, Aled.”

Glancing at the others, I asked, “What became of Cerdic and his supporters?”

“They ceased to be.” It was a statement. After a pause, he added, “Cerdic was Merthyn’s twin, but, as light is to dark. Cerdic used his power to bring misery and gathered around him people with a similar mind.” Leaning back in his chair, he steepled his fingers, staring at the window. “You have noticed that Merthyn’s codpiece is — unusual? Cerdic’s was even stranger, the result of their anger at each other. Where Merthyn acknowledged his foolishness, Cerdic refused to do so and took his anger out on any who dared show any reaction to his … deformity.” Meeting our shocked gaze again, he added, “My own family were casualties of the strife that flowed from Cerdic’s anger, and I am not entirely unscathed either.” 

For few minutes were all silent, then Bryn asked. 

“If we end the curse as you say, will we all return to our human form?”

“If Merthyn is right, no. But you will no longer remain trapped forever in the rubber form when you reach the end of your lives. At present when your human body ceases you do not ‘die’, you continue — remaining in your form as a living doll, but without the ability to move.” He paused. “What will change is your ability to elect which form to adopt, except at the full moon when you will be dolls, but fully aware and functioning as you do now … until the end of your life span, at which point your body will become simply a rubber doll, and your spirit will be freed of it.”

“What will happen if we don’t accept being …?” Marc took Bryn’s hand. 

“We do not know whether the others can still be released — or whether you can escape the curse if you remain here.” Meridion held up a hand. “But Merthyn and the others are clear — they do not wish you to accept the curse unless you do so because you desire it. Not because you feel you must.”

“He’s right.” Trefor interjected. “I had no choice. Once I put that hood on …” Taking my hand, he squeezed it. “Aled chose to join me and neither of us expected to be released from it. You have that choice. Choose for yourselves, not because you think you must for our sakes.” Standing he drew me to my feet. “Uncle, Aled and I will visit our friends in the crypt, summon us if you need us.”

The crypt was still as we entered, but the atmosphere had changed. Now it seemed to be filled with happiness and we immediately noticed that all the figures were now embracing their respective lovers. Taking Trefor’s hand, I turned to him and smiled.

“Shall we join them, my love?”

“My thoughts exactly,” he replied, his arms slipping round my waist as our mouths met in a kiss and our bodies changed to our rubber form. 

Now we really felt to change of atmosphere, and it took us a few minutes to separate our mouths and then disengage, both of us recognising the strength of the curse at the height of the full moon that now surged through us. Despite the strength of it, we managed to regain control as we ‘heard’ Merthyn.

“Welcome, Trefor and Aled. You have done so much to undo the harm my brother and I brought upon us. I thank you.” A ripple of agreement sighed through our heads. “Approach me and remove my codpiece. It is time you understand why my brother, Cerdic, was as he was, and why he was driven to such hatred …”

Moving slowly, our rubber bodies resisting our control, we moved toward Merthyn and Ceran. I tried to reform my mouth to speak to Trefor, but it refused to change, remaining the open O as did his. It was difficult to focus my thoughts as we finally stopped in front of Merthyn, with Ceran stood beside him, his arm around his lover’s waist.

“The curse is trying to prevent your learning this, I see, but you must overcome that. Aled, remove my codpiece. Reveal the result of my brother’s hatred and his rage …” Merthyn’s ‘voice’ sounded sad. 

The resistance in my doll body was enormous, and it took all my concentration to make my hands move slowly and awkwardly to grasp the strangely shaped codpiece. It vanished immediately and I drew my hands back, revealing what it had covered.

“Look well.” Merthyn ‘said’. “You see the result of stupidity. Mine. As a foolish boy I played a trick on my twin, giving him genitals like a goat. He reciprocated and we fought — then, when we fought over his claim I had stolen Ceran’s affections, he trapped Ceran, and laid a further trap for me.” He sighed. “It led to deep enmity between us, and ultimately to war when we both lost all caution. My genitals are his parting gift, and his are too large for any human partner. Cerdic chose to become a Dark Mage and take his revenge on all who chose not to follow that path. In the end he fled, and I and my friends live under his final curse — as you now do.”

“How can we release you all?” Trefor ‘asked’.

“Once we are all present in this form it will be possible to end that part of it which condemns us to eternity here and in this form. But it needs all sixteen of those originally subjected to the curse, or their willing descendants, to be assembled. Your friends, Glynn and Marc, are the descendants of my faithful apprentices. Had they ever set foot in this realm, they, my half-brother, and Ceran’s brother would have been captured by the curse as well. If your friends accept the curse, we will be complete. If they do not we will have to wait until their related descendants — and there are some — elect to join us.”

Movement was becoming difficult as he finished ‘speaking’. 

“Why are we feeling constrained in our movement? It is as if it were the full moon …” Trefor asked. 

“The curse does not wish to release any of us …” He sighed. “Aled, kneel and take my penis in your mouth, Trefor, enter his anus …”

With difficulty I obeyed, feeling my rubber body resisting every movement, as I positioned myself, my open mouth filling with his strange animal penis as I achieved the required position, then Trefor’s dildo penis slid into me from behind. What felt like an electric charge passed through me, and suddenly movement, feeling and thought was restored.

“It will not release us easily, but if you trust us, we can all resist it’s ability to restrain us.” The ‘voice’ paused. “Go now, Trefor, Aled.” He chuckled. “At least you may enjoy the years that lie before you in complete freedom for now.”