The Mask, Page 1
By Leslie Schmidt
I stumbled down the alley toward my flat, the rain made me cold. Stopping at the bottom of the flight I dug for my keys...and dropped them. They clattered off the side into the dark next to the wooden steps. Cursing, I leaned down to fumble in the dark for them-that's when I saw the masks.
I picked them up, inspecting them in the rain and dim light-one dark, one light. Again I leaned down, this time coming up with the keys. Somehow I made it up the stairs and pushed the key into the door. I remember that a string of Mardi Gras beads caught the door knob as I pushed it closed and broke, scattering little pink balls in the foyer. Up two floors and more fumbling with a door. As I crashed on the sofa in my wet clothes I peered through a drunken fog at my watch, the phosphorus hands read 3:15.
No one is expected at work on time on Ash Wednesday in New Orleans-I took the whole day off. It was around 11 before I woke up, around one before I was conscious. It was as I made my way out of the kitchen, coffee in hand, that I noticed the masks on the floor next to the door. They were pretty typical Mardi Gras masks-these made for children. Openings for eyes, a covering for the bridge of the nose, leaving the lower face uncovered. One was a purplish-red, the other white. They both had feathers of the same color rising like horns from each side. They were in new condition and clean, despite the time they had spent in the gutter.
That's when I remembered the witch. She had accosted me in the crowd, jumping out of the shadows on Bourbon Street. I immediately recognized her as Emma, the housekeeper.
"The masks are your's, Billy Boy," she cackled, running a sharp fingernail down my jaw. "A gift from me."
Then she disappeared back into an alley. How did she know I'd find them in the dark?
I really didn't think about them, they just sat on an end table for two days until I noticed them. Actually, it wasn't me that noticed them, it was Emma's little girl, Suzy, that saw them.
It was a warm afternoon, just a taste of what spring would bring in another month, and I had the windows open and some Coltrane on the record player. Suzy had come in with her mother but, as wasn't uncommon, had stayed behind after Emma finished her routine of emptying the trash and sweeping the rug. Suzy kept puttering around the place, no doubt hoping I'd stop reading and turn on the TV.
"Kin I'z see yo maskt Mizzer Royal?" she said.
"Sure honey."
She picked up the white one and slid it over her forehead, the white plastic making a sharp contrast against her black skin. I watched with some amusement as she started to sway with the music, proving that black people have a talent for dancing.
As she smoothly moved around the room, swaying and turning, I had to put my book down and watch her, a lovely nine year old being uninhibited and free. I smiled when she, in a perfect pantomime of the strippers in the clubs, pulled one of the straps on her shift over her shoulder. My amusement turned first to surprise, then to shock, and then to unabashed lust-filled wonder as she worked the other strap down, then slowly pulled the shift down, stepping out of it, still dancing in her flowered panties.
The whole time, she never looked at me. She seemed totally unaware of her surroundings, certainly not concerned that I was watching her. As she danced she started to run her hands up and down her body, from her thighs, over her hips, then up her ribs and finally across her completely flat chest. Her fingers paused to rub back and forth across her dark nipples Then, each time she moved her hands back down, they came closer to the center until, once, her fingers moved across her sex and pushed into the dark gap between her thighs. On the next cycle, first up, then down, one of her hands slid under the panties and she leaned forward, obviously a little overcome by the sensations she was giving herself.
She squatted down, her knees sticking out at angles, still fingering herself underneath the cotton, then fell back on her butt and lay back on the floor, her knees bent. This whole time she seemed totally oblivious of her surrounding as she worked herself up. She pulled her panties down around her ankles, providing me of my first view of her pussy. Her slit was quite small, just a crease that barely made the turn up in front. She was now on her back, moving her fingers up and down her slit, then she pushed one of her fingers deep into her preteen pus. At the same time she groaned. Over the next minutes, her movements became more desperate, one hand provided the fingers to push up inside while, with the other, she shivered her burgundy colored clit from side to side. She was on her back, lifting her ass off the floor as she madly masturbated, humping into the air on her feet and shoulder blades.
My cock was rock hard across my hip, straining the fabric of my jeans and I couldn't help but rub it through the denim as the little girl, wearing nothing but the white mask, madly fucked herself on the floor in front of me. She never looked at me as she built, her fingers wetted from her pussy, her head turning side to side. Her tiny nipples were sticking up, little half-marble sized bumps on her dark chest. She grunted and roughly jammed two fingers deep inside herself as her skin developed a sheen of sweat. As I watched the preteen shudder with her self-administered orgasm, I spugged in my jeans, feeling my sticky cum wet my hip, a dark area spreading on my jeans.
The little one calmed down, letting her butt fall back to the carpet, breathing hard, her fingers still inside her. Her legs fell out, her knees still bent, into a frog-like pose as she continued to pant-still seemingly unaware of my presence. We both calmed. Just as my cum filled pants started to cling and a slight itch started on my hip, the child moved. She sat up, still wearing the mask and looked around. Without seeing me, she lifted up her panties and pulled them on, then stood. She picked up her shift and stepped into it, covering her lovely little body back up. Smoothing it down she seemed to look around, getting her bearings. Then she pulled off the mask, looking at it with a confused expression. She dropped it, turned and went out the door, never saying a word.
For the rest of the day I had trouble believing what had happened. When I saw her as she and her mother were leaving she just said, "Bye Msa Royal," just as usual. Her mother smiled, "See you tomorrow Billy."
"Have a nice evening, Emma," I responded-feeling a little uncomfortable.
Over the next couple of days the whole incident seemed to become more like a dream. I went back to work on Thursday, the place was cleaned as normal-Thursday dusting, Friday the kitchen and bathroom. The Landlord, Mrs. Malcomb, insisted that we use Emma for maid service. An extra $50 a month in the rent but it kept the 5 flat building clean and mostly free of vermin. Some of the other renters grumbled but I didn't mind.
The masks spent the next two days on the coffee table as I went back to my routine of working and drinking. Then, on Friday afternoon I came home in a slow rain. I fried some ham and potatoes, then sat and watched TV. Maybe later I'd go out but, for now, I was content to sit and watch a game show. Later, Ed Sullivan would be on, then I'd go out after.
As usually happens, it wasn't long before there was a quiet knocking at my door. Leslie, the landlady's little girl usually found an excuse to come over when she heard the TV. In those years, they were still a bit of a novelty.
"Can I come in and watch TV Mister Royal? Mommy says it's OK." Leslie is a really cute 10 year old blonde. Her curly corn silk hair was in a pony tail that reached half way down her back. She was wearing a one piece jumper, yellow with buttons in the front down to a red ribbon waist band. The bottom was shorts that ended just above mid thigh. The little girl hung around as much as her mother would let her, her father had been killed in Nam two years ago.
Walter Cronkite came on and, while I watched, Leslie sort of puttered about the apartment. There was a knock on the door.
"Bill, it's Mary. Is Leslie in there?"
"Door's unlocked Ma'am," I called, standing up.
Mary came in, her daughter walking over to her.
"Honey, I got to go to the Alter Guild, get the church ready for Sunday."
"Awe, Ma, do I have to come?" the little one whined.
"Come on honey. Doin' the Lord's work 'ill do your soul good."
"She can stay with me," I said...then I realized the offer really wasn't welcome.
"Pleeese Mommy."
Mary looked up at me, her face calming as she realized that she'd get some time to gossip without "little ears" around. "You sure it ain't too much trouble? I'll be 'bout an hour."
We went through the usual pleasantries and Leslie was admonished "not to pester," but in just a few minutes Mary was out the door and Leslie was settling down again to watch TV.
By now sports was on and her interest quickly waned. That's when she took a close interest in the masks.
"Can I try one on?" she asked.
My heart started to beat faster. "Sure, honey."
This time there was no music playing. She pulled the pink mask over her head and turned to watch the TV, sitting on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table. At first, I thought I was going to be disappointed but, after a couple of minutes I noticed some rhythmic movements of her shoulder and knee.
"Here, honey, why don't you sit in the couch?" I asked.
She just ignored me but did turn sideways some and lay down on the floor. Now I could see that she was rubbing herself through her jumper, pushing her hand into her crotch, moving it up and down along her slit. Then, with her other hand, she started unbuttoning her jumper, awkwardly working the blue buttons loose, one by one. Then, leaving her pussy for a moment, she worked the jumper off her shoulders and, still laying on her back, pushed it down and off, taking her panties with it. She immediately returned to fingering herself, this time rubbing along her slit and then pushing a finger up inside her.
Without thinking, I leaned down and put my hand on her knee. She brushed it away like it was a fly, going back to herself. Again I reached out and rubbed the inside of her thigh. Suddenly she grabbed my hand, squeezing much harder than I'd ever thought a ten year old could.
"NO!!" she commanded-a remarkable vehemence in her voice. I pulled back.
She went back to pleasuring herself, seemingly unaware of me.
Les was a little bit chunky, her body looked soft and she had slight rises under her pink nipples, not breasts. Her pussy lips were thick and deep, her finger pushing along the furrow. Only occasionally did I get glimpses of the folds deeper inside. As she fingered herself she pushed a finger up inside her, spreading her legs wide with her knees up to help her reach. She must have cum three times in quick succession, each time squeaking a high, "Eh...eh....eh..."
She then calmed down, sinking back and seemingly going to sleep. I was desperate for my own release but just couldn't bring myself to jack off with her right there so I quietly got up and went into the bathroom. My cum splattered on the counter across from the shitter. When I went back out, Leslie was sitting cross-legged, fully clothed, watching TV. The mask was back in its place on the coffee table.
I had to work that Saturday on the docks, operating a boom unloading ships, then that night I spent getting totally wasted in The Quarter. I slept while the good people were at church, then stayed in the rest of the day. Monday was a day off.
Emma and Suzy were around that day, Leslie was in school (in 1966 New Orleans nobody cared if a little black girl went to school). Around 3:30 I heard the sounds of girl's voices chanting and looked out to see them both with a jump rope. They had tied one end to a railing and Leslie was swinging the rope while Suzy jumped. It had been threatening rain all day and, about that time, gray droplets started to hit the concrete.
The girls were running up and down the halls, making some noise. Twice I heard Emma call out a door to shush them. There was a light tapping at my door.
Suzy had always been more forward, "Mizza Royal, kin we watched TV?"
"Sure girls, come on in," my heart started beating a little faster as the two little ones came into my apartment. I settled them on the floor and tuned the set into some afternoon cartoons-Bugs, then sat down on the sofa behind them. I half watched TV, half watched the girls and pretended to be reading a book. The masks sat on the coffee table between us.
When Suzy saw the masks, she acted like she had never seen them before. "Kin I'z see that mask?"
"Sure hon," I said-my heart went a bit faster.
This got Leslie's attention and she looked to see what was going on-again she seemed to have never seen the masks before.
As before, Suzy went for the white one while Leslie took the pink one. They played for a few seconds, one holding the mask up to the other and giggled some. Then Suzy took the pink mask from Leslie and slipped it over Leslie's head. Leslie did the same for Suzy.
Both girls calmed down, there movements slowed. First, Leslie leaned forward and took Suzy's hand, then Suzy leaned in and the two girls started kissing. I couldn't believe it! After just the first rubbing of their lips, they opened their mouths and I could see that they were exploring each other with their tongues. Meanwhile, Les had directed Suzy's hand to her crotch where the black little girl was rubbing her blonde friend through the yellow cotton shorts-jumper she was wearing. Leslie reached up and started unbuttoning Suzy's dress opening it down to her stomach, then gently pulling it off her shoulders and down around her waist. Suzy was wearing a cotton sleeveless undershirt which Leslie pulled over her head.
Next, seemingly by an unspoken command, Suzy lay back and, lifting her hips to assist, Leslie pulled the dress and white flowered panties down and off of the little black girl. Now, as Suzy lay on the floor, her legs comfortably apart (her position giving me a wonderful view between her thighs and up to her pussy lips), Leslie stood up and, looking down at her friend, pulled her jumper down and off but left her blue panties covering her girl charms.
For the next 10 minutes I watched as the white girl knelt next to her black lover, on her hands and knees and first kissed her, then slowly worked her way down, sucking alternately on one, then the other nipple. As she did this, she insinuated her fingers between her playmate's pussy lips and, after gently rubbing her clit, pushed a finger up inside, finger fucking her friend.
I simply couldn't stop myself. I had been rubbing my cock through my pants for several minutes, even sliding my hand down inside to position my cock up and to the side. But it just wasn't good enough and I unbuckled my belt, then loosened the snap and zipper, then pulled my pants down around my hips to free my dick. Now, with it free, I was able to stroke it properly as I watched the two preteen lovers on the floor in front of me.
Leslie moved down and ran her tongue along the dark brown lips. Instantaneously Suzy was rocked by an orgasm. She arched her back and lifted her ass off the floor, pushing her pussy into her playmates face. A guttural groan escaped her throat as she shivered in her climax.
When she calmed, Leslie straightened up, on her knees, her hips straight, her knees between Suzy's. Now it was Suzy's turn to give and Leslie's to receive. The little black girl sat up, her face at the level of Leslie's sex. She reached up and pulled the blue cotton panties down, uncovering her ass for me to see. Then she leaned forward and, from the arch of Leslie's back, her head being thrown back and her hissing intake of breath, I knew that the black girl's tongue was moving along the white lips of her lover.
From my vantage point behind Leslie, really all I could see was the blondes round ass below her long hair. Suzy's legs and knees stuck out on either side, her knees up, but the position looked rather awkward. Les started to lean forward, pushing Suzy down, back onto the floor. She was almost laying on her friend, then started to crawl up, and got back on her knees, lowering her sex on the black girl's face.
Leslie had her knees on either side of Suzy's head, her hands on the floor above her. I could see Suzy's chin nestled between the pale skin of Les' ass cheeks, her tongue moving along the child's slit. Meanwhile, Les had let her knees flop put to the side, spreading her pussy for me, and she was fingering herself, moving her clit in little circles and occasionally probing deeper into her sex.
By this time, I had my pants around my ankles and was madly jerking off as I watched these two preteens make love to each other. The pressure built and I let fly with a jet of sperm that landed on the floor, not a foot from Suzy. More slime ran down the back of my hand and dripped onto the upholstery.
There was a small whimper from Leslie, she shivered and pushed her open slit against her playmate's mouth. At the same time, Suzy pushed two fingers up inside herself, sinking them to the second knuckle, and lifted her legs off the floor as she mechanically humped against her hand.
Leslie fell forward, her arms folding, her ass in the air, pinning Suzy's head under her torso. Suzy seemed to sink down, again in a frog leg position, her hand slipping over her hip and onto the floor next to her, her other hand that had been squeezing the back of Leslie's thigh tight enough to leave red welts, relaxed.
Now Leslie rolled to her left and ended up sitting, her knees up and legs spread, her hands behind her, her reddened pussy opened for me to see. She looked around her with some confusion and Suzy also sat up, slowly shaking her head. I grabbed my pants and pulled them up, standing as I zipped, snapped and buckled. The girls seemed to be unaware of me, or each other, as they retrieved their clothes and dressed. In turn, each took off her mask and set it on the carpet next to her, then turned and started watching TV. The cartoons had progressed from bugs to Cash Cargo. A while later Leslie's mother called for her in the hallway and both girls scampered out, ignoring me.
The next week, I put in a lot of overtime on the docks, doing 12 hour shifts and crashing at home after a couple of beers. On Thursday, when I got home, I noticed that the place had been cleaned, you could tell from the pleasant smell at the door but it was Friday morning that I noticed the green mask on the end table with to two other ones. My heart started pounding when I saw it-it wasn't a child's, this one was full sized.