The Secrets Of Grey Street

I.

“Laila Soledad Ariti, what is the vow of virginity you must follow?” the priestess asks me as I stand in front of all the women, who are worshippers of the goddess of purity, in other words, the goddess of virginity.

We are all dressed in white peplos dresses, standing inside the temple built for the goddess, next to the altar. This is our place of worship. I am at the center of everyone, surrounded by all the women. An apprentice stands next to me on the right, and another on my left, and the rest of the worshippers surround us. The priestess, Melodia, stands in front of me with a chalice cup filled with pure water.

I have already received teachings and classes about the vow of virginity, and I know all about it. I know what is expected of me, something I learned from the day my mother brought me here and introduced me to this religion.

The reason I am being asked about my vows today is because I will be leaving for school in a week, something I have been fighting my mom hard for until she agreed to let me go. She never saw education as important, especially higher education. As long as you know how to read and count, that’s all you need to survive.

However, what persuaded her to let me go to college, far away from home, was some legal battles she faced, with the town trying to claim half of the property we own. The temple stands on this property, where my mom and I live. The old temples from centuries ago are now ruins, and they wanted to turn it into public property leaving us with only the space with the new temple that is 100 years old at least. Believing that the goddess resided in the entire land and would not be happy with unholy people having access to this place, we fought hard until the pursuit was dropped. We had a good lawyer backing us up, which is why we won. So, I told my mom that it would be good to have someone in the inner circle as a lawyer so that we wouldn’t have to go outside looking for help in case something like this ever happens again.

Luckily, she agreed.

She just wasn’t thrilled about me living outside the holy temple and going into the outside world where there are so many sins waiting to tempt me.

She was very paranoid about me attending a local school in town, just a few kilometers from home. I can only imagine how she feels about a school in the city, far away from home. She doesn’t want me to live in the temple with her just because I help take care of it and its surroundings, but I know that’s a bonus. She wants me around because she is afraid of the outside world and wants to shield me from it. However, I just turned 18 and can take care of myself just fine now. I hope.

“One that states that I am making a commitment and vow to myself, my family, and my goddess, that I will abstain from any sexual activity until my last breath. I will keep my body and thoughts pure, trusting in the goddess’s perfect plan for my life. This vow is for me to maintain my purity and innocence until my last day on earth,” I confidently answer the priestess, looking at the goddess statue and then back at her.

All the worshippers of the goddess have been women since the dawn of time, and they have all followed this rule. I, too, want to ensure that I do.

The priestess, as unbelievable as it may sound, is my mother. Melodia is not my biological mother; she adopted me when I was very young. She never married, so I never had a father. She only adopted me for one reason: so that one day, I could take her place and become a priestess of the goddess of purity. She never explicitly told me this, but I figured it out. I know she loves me, for sure. However, the fact that I am a girl and have shown dedication to this religion is what has made me earn more of her love.

My mom is very pleased with my answer and smiles at me. She then hands me a cup filled with pure, blessed water, which I take from her hands, holding it with both of my hands and drinking the entire contents.

The apprentice takes the cup from me, and my mom hands me a long white fire torch, paving the way for me by stepping to her left. Knowing what I have to do, I walk up the stairs of the altar while holding the torch, standing in front of the holy fire on the altar. I look at the giant goddess statue standing in the middle of the altar and smile.

Carefully holding the white torch stick, I light it in the holy fire on the altar. With the torch lit, I hold it close to me and bow down to the goddess statue respectfully. Then, while holding my fire torch, I start walking around the temple walls, touching each pillar along the way. It’s hard to contain my excitement and happiness right now. Although I am sad that I won’t be attending my religious classes at the temple for a while, it doesn’t beat how happy I am about this new experience.

I will be staying with a family friend whose daughter will also be attending my school. Her name is Jasmine Sullivan, and she is my age, just a few months older than me.

She is the second child of Mr. Henry and Mrs. Marilyn Sullivan.

My mom mentioned that they have an older son named Jackson Sullivan, who is only a year older than Jasmine.

That was pretty much all my mom told me about the Sullivan family. I wanted to ask if the son was also in university or enrolling, but she didn’t seem inclined to share more information, simply saying, “You’ll meet them and get to know them soon.” I don’t think she knew much about them either.

Marilyn was her childhood friend because Marilyn’s hometown is here. This is where she grew up before leaving for college in the city and settling there after getting married. She and my mom kept in touch, but my mom never left the temple, so she never visited Marilyn where she currently lives. According to my mom, I met Marilyn when I was a child, but just I don’t remember. Regardless, I am looking forward to meeting all of them once I am in the city.

My mom prefers me to stay with a trusted friend rather than in the university dorms filled with people from different places and backgrounds. She feels less anxious this way, so even though I truly wanted to experience living in the school dorms, I decided to go along with my mom’s plan to prevent her from checking on me daily to ensure I am fine and staying true to my religious beliefs and teachings. She says she trusts me, which is why she is allowing me to venture out into the world by myself, but I am not entirely convinced.

As I touch the last pillar of the temple, I make a promise to myself to honor my vows as I anticipate returning here during the holidays. I turn back to look at my mom, the priestess, and walk over with a smile on my face. Whenever I see my mom, I envision myself one day following in her footsteps and becoming a priestess of the goddess. I know that day is not too far off, and I am eager for it to arrive.

♦

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April 1st 2024. Tuesday.