Chapter Thirty-Three
WM: My Brother, this is to teach you that should you ever meet a member of the human family, especially a Brother Masons, in a like destitute situation, it would be your duty to contribute to his relief as liberally as his necessities might require, and your ability permits.
WM: As you are now clothed as an Entered Apprentice I present you, emblematically, the working tools which are the Twenty-four Inch Gauge and the Common Gavel, and are thus explained. The Twenty-four inch Gauge is an instrument used by operative Masons to measure and lay out their work; but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time. It being divided into twenty-four equal parts, is emblematical on the twenty-four hours of the day, which we are taught to divide into three equal parts, whereby are found eight hours for the service of God and a distressed worthy Brother, eight for our usual vocations, and eight for refreshment and sleep.
The Common Gavel is an instrument used by operative Masons to break off the corners of rough stone, the better to fit them for the builder’s use; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life, thereby fitting our minds, as living stones, for that spiritual building—that house not made with hands—eternal in the Heavens.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon, conduct the Brother to the Northeast corner of the Lodge.
WM: My Brother, you there stand an upright man, a Mason, and I give it to you strictly in charge ever to walk and act as such before God and man. I also present you with a new name, which is caution. It is to teach you to be cautious over all your words and actions, especially on the subject of the Masons, when in the presence of its enemies.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon, re-conduct the Brother to the place whence he came, invest him with that of which he has been divested, and return him to the Lodge for further instruction.
WM: My Brother, salute as you have been instructed.
Aaron stood erect and drew her right hand rapidly across her neck. The salute reminds the Entered Apprentice of the penalty of the Obligation, of having their throat cut if ever violated.
WM: * Brother Junior Warden.
JW: (Shows the Duegard sign.) Worshipful Master.
WM: Call the Masons from labor to refreshment, to resume labor at the sound of the gavel in the East.
JW: ***
JW: Brethren, it is the order of the Worshipful Master that you be now called from labor to refreshment, to resume labor at the sound of the gavel in the East.
JW: *
Entered Apprentice Lecture:
WM: *
The forms and ceremonies of your initiation may have seemed to you light and frivolous, if not absolutely unmeaning; yet it may with truth be said of the Masons that all its forms and ceremonies have emblematical meaning and those through which you have just passed will now be explained to you.
You were first prepared to be made a Mason in your heart; next, in a room adjoining the body of a just and duly constituted Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons.
You were prepared by being divested of all metallic substances, neither naked nor clothed; neither barefoot nor shod; left knee and breast bare; hoodwinked, and with a cable-tow about your neck in which condition you were conducted to a door of the Lodge and caused to give three distinct knocks, which were answered by three within.
You were divested of all metallic substances for two reasons; first, that you might carry nothing offensive into the Lodge; second, at the building of King Solomon’s Temple, there was not heard the sound of axe, hammer, or any metal tool. The question naturally arises, how could so stupendous an edifice have been erected without the sound of axe, hammer, or metal tool?
The stones were hewn, squared, and numbered in the quarries where raised; the timbers felled and prepared in the forests of Lebanon, conveyed by sea in floats to Joppa, and thence by land to Jerusalem, where they were set up by the aid of wooden instruments prepared for that purpose; and when the building was complete, every part thereof fitted with such exact nicety that it resembled more the handiwork of the Supreme Architect of the Universe than that of human hands.
You were neither barefoot nor shod, agreeably to an ancient Israelitish custom adopted among the Mason. We read in the book of Ruth concerning their manner of changing and redeeming, that, “To conform all things, a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor.” That was testimony in Israel. This, therefore, we do, testifying thereby in the strongest manner possible the sincerity of our intentions in the work in which we are engaged.
You were hood-winked and with a cable-tow about your neck for three reasons; first, that your heart might conceive before your eyes beheld the beauties of the Mason; second, that as you were in darkness, it was to teach you to keep the whole world so respecting the secrets of the Masons, except to such as were justly entitled to receive the same as you were about to become; and third, had you not conformed to the ceremony of your initiation, thereby rendering yourself unworthy to be taken by the hand as a Masons, you might, by aid of the cable-tow, have been led out of the Lodge without having beheld even the form thereof.
You were caused to give three distinct knocks to alarm the Lodge and inform the Worshipful Master that a poor blind candidate craved admission. The three knocks allude to a certain portion of the Scriptures which reads: “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
You found your circumstances in Masons at that time verified by that passage as follows: you asked the recommendation of a friend to be made a Mason; through his recommendation you sought initiation; you knocked, and the door of the Mason was opened to you.
You were received on the point of a sharp instrument piercing your naked left breast, to teach you that as it was an instrument of torture to the flesh, so should the recollection thereof be to your mind and conscience should you ever reveal the secrets of the Masons unlawfully.
You were conducted to the center of the Lodge and caused to kneel for the benefit of prayer, for before entering upon any great or important undertaking; we ought to always to invoke the aid of Deity.
You were asked in whom you put your trust, agreeably to our ancient laws, as no atheist can be made a Mason; it was therefore necessary that you express a belief in Deity; otherwise no obligation would have been regarded as binding.
You were at the right hand, ordered to rise, follow your conductor and fear no danger, for as you were in darkness and could neither foresee nor avoid danger; it was to teach you that you were in the hands of faithful friends, in whose fidelity you might with safety confide.
You were conducted once regularly around the Lodge that the Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brethren might see that you were duly and truly prepared.
You were caused to meet with several obstructions on your passage around the Lodge, because this and every regular and well governed Lodge is or ought to be a correct representation of the ground floor of King Solomon’s Temple, which had guards placed at the south, west and east gates to prevent any from passing or re-passing except such as were duly qualified and had permission from King Solomon; it was therefore necessary that you meet with these several obstacles and at each of those stations be duly examined. You were caused to kneel on your naked left knee and not your right or both, because the left side has ever been deemed the weaker part of the human body; it was therefore to teach you that you were taking upon yourself the weaker part of the Mason, it being that of the Entered Apprentice only.
Your right hand and not your left or both, rested on the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses, because the right hand, by our ancient Brethren, was deemed the sign of fidelity. The ancients worshiped a deity named Fides, sometimes represented by two right hands joined, at others by two human figures holding each other by the right hand. The right, therefore, was used in the great and important undertaking, testifying thereby in the strongest manner possible the fidelity of our purpose in the work in which we are engaged. You were presented with a lambskin or white leather apron, because the lamb, in all ages has been deemed an emblem of innocence. The lambskin is therefore to remind you of that purity of life and rectitude of conduct, which is so essentially necessary to your gaining admission to that Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides.
A demand was made of you for some metallic substance, to teach you that should you ever meet a member of the human family, especially a Brother Mason, in like destitute situation, it would be your duty to contribute to his relief as liberally as his necessities might require and your ability permits.
You were placed in the north-east corner of the Lodge, because in the erection of all public buildings, especially those of Mason form, the first stone is, or ought to be placed in the north-east corner; you were therefore placed in the north-east corner of the Lodge to receive your first instruction, whereon to build your moral and Mason edifice.
This brings us to the third and last section of the degree, which explains the manner of constitution and the proper authority for holding a Lodge. Here, also, we learn where Lodges were anciently held, their Form, Support, Covering, Furniture, Ornaments, Lights, and Jewels; how situated, and to whom dedicated, as well in former times as at present. You are taught, by the aid of impressive symbols, to discharge with propriety the duties that devolve upon you a man Mason.
The word Lodge is analogous to that of church, referring not so much to the place of meeting as to the persons assembled. A lodge may therefore at this time be defined as a certain number of Free and Accepted Masons, duly assembled, and furnished with the Holy Bible, the Square, and the Compasses, together with a Charter, or Dispensation, from some Grand Body of competent jurisdiction empowering it to work.
The Holy Bible, Square, and Compasses have been partially explained to you; the Charter has not. This is the one in possession of this Lodge. The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Oregon was pleased to grant this Charter to Oregon Lodge No. 3488. It empowers us to confer the three degrees of the Mason, which powers we are this evening partially exercising. It is signed by the Grand Officers, with the seal of the Grand Lodge attached, and contains all the necessary instructions for retaining the same.
Our ancient Brethren held their Lodges on high hills or in low vales, the better to observe the approach of cowans and eavesdroppers, ascending or descending.
Lodge meetings at the present day are usually held in upper chambers—probably for the security, which such places afford. This custom may have had it origin in a practice observed by the ancient Jews of building their temples, schools, and synagogues on high hills; a practice, which seems to have met the approbation of the Almighty, who said unto the Prophet Ezekiel, “Upon the top of the mountain, the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy.”
The form of the Lodge is oblong, in length from east to west, in breadth between north and south; as high as heaven, and as deep as from the surface to the centre. A Lodge is said to be thus extensive to denote the universality of Freemasons, and teaches that a Mason’s charity should be equally extensive.
A Lodge is supported by three great pillars; Denominated Wisdom, Strength and Beauty; because there should be wisdom to contrive, strength to support, and beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings. They are represented by the three principal officers of the Lodge; the pillar Wisdom by the Worshipful Master in the East, who is presumed to have wisdom to open and govern the Lodge; the pillar Strength by the Senior Warden in the West, whose duty it is to call the Masons from labor to refreshment, superintend them during the house thereof, carefully to observe that the means of refreshment are not perverted to intemperance or excess, and see that they return to their labor in due season, that the Worshipful Master may receive honor, and they pleasure and profit thereby.
The covering of a Lodge is no less that the clouded, or starry decked heaven, where all good Masons hope at least to arrive by the aid of that ladder which Jacob in his vision saw extended from earth to heaven, the principal rounds of which are denominated Faith, Hope and Charity, which admonish us to have Faith in God, Hope in Immortality, and Charity to all mankind. The greatest of these is Charity for our Faith may be lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends beyond the grave, through the boundless realms of eternity.
Every regular and well-governed Lodge is furnished with the Holy Bible, the Square, and the Compasses, together with a Charter or Dispensation. The Holy Bible is dedicated to the service of God, because it is the inestimable gift of God to man, and on it we obligate our newly made Brethren; the Square to the Master, because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office; and the Compasses to the Mason, because by a due attention to their use they are taught to circumscribe their desires and keep their passions in due bounds with all mankind, especially the Brethren.
The Ornaments of a Lodge are the Mosaic Pavement, the Indented Tessel, and the Blazing Star.
The Mosaic Pavement is a representation of the ground floor of King Solomon’s Temple; the Indented Tessel, of that beautiful tessellated border or skirting which surrounded it.
The Mosaic Pavement is emblematical of human life, checkered with good and evil; the Indented Tessel, or tessellated border, of the manifold blessings and comforts which constantly surround us, and which we hope to enjoy by a firm reliance on Divine Providence, which is hieroglyphically represented by the Blazing Star in the center.
A Lodge has Three Symbolic Lights, situated East, West and South. There is none in the North, because King Solomon’s Temple was situated so far north of the ecliptic that the sun, even at meridian, did not dart its rays into the northernmost parts thereof. The North, therefore, we, in the Masonic, term a place of darkness.
A Lodge has six Jewels—three movable and three immovable.
The Immovable Jewels are the Square, the Level, and the Plumb. They are so termed because they are appropriated to particular parts of the Lodge, where alone they should be found—the Square to the East, the Level to the West and the Plumb to the South. Although the Brethren occupying those stations may from time to time be changed, still the Jewels will always be found in their respective stations in the Lodge.
The Moveable Jewels are the Rough Ashlar, the Perfect Ashlar, and the Trestle-board. The Rough Ashlar is a stone in its rude and natural state, as taken from the quarry; the Perfect Ashlar, one prepared by the workmen, to be adjusted by the working tools of a Fellow Mason, and the Trestle-board is for the master workman to draw his designs upon.
By the Rough Ashlar, we are reminded of our rude and imperfect state by nature; by the Perfect Ashlar, of that state of perfection at which we hope to arrive by aid of a virtuous education, our own endeavors and the blessing of Deity; and as the operative workman erects his temporal building in accordance with the designs laid down upon the Trestle-board by the master workman, so should we both operative and speculative, endeavor to erect our spiritual building in accordance with the designs laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe in the Great Book of Nature and Revelation, which is our spiritual, moral and Mason Trestle-board.
Lodges are situated due east and west, because King Solomon’s Temple was so situated. Moses, by divine command, after having conducted the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, through the Red Sea and into the wilderness, erected a Tabernacle to God, which he situated due east and west, to commemorate that miraculous east wind which wrought their mighty deliverance. King Solomon’s Temple is said to have been a representative of that Tabernacle.
Lodges were anciently dedicated to King Solomon, as he is said to have been our first Most Excellent Grand Master; but modern Masons dedicate their Lodges to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, and since their time there is represented in every regular and well governed Lodge a certain point within a circle, the point representing the individual Brother, the circle representing the boundary line of his duty to God and man, beyond which he is never to suffer his passions, prejudices or interests to betray him on any occasion.
This circle is embordered by two perpendicular parallel lines, representing St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, and upon the vertex rests the book of Holy Scriptures, which points out the whole duty of man. In going around this circle we necessarily touch upon these lines as well as upon the Holy Scriptures, and while a Mason keeps himself thus circumscribed, it is impossible that he should materially err.
The principal tenets of our profession are three-fold, including the inculcation and practice of those truly commendable virtues, Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
By the exercise of Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the whole human race as one family—the high, the low, the rich, the poor—who being created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, ought to aid, support and protect each other. On this principle, the Mason unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.
To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men, but particularly on the Masons, who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with them in their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries, and to restore peace to their troubled minds is the great aim we have in view. On this basis we form our friendship and establish our connections.
Truth is a divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue. To be good men and true is the first lesson we are taught in the Mason. On this theme we contemplate, and by its dictates endeavor to regulate our conduct. Hence, while influenced by this principle, hypocrisy and deceit are unknown among us, sincerity and plain-dealing distinguish us, and the heart and the tongue join in promoting each others welfare and rejoicing in each others prosperity.
My Brother, in order that you may better understand what is to follow, I will ask the Senior Deacon a question.
WM: Brother Senior Deacon.
SD: Worshipful Master.
WM: How may I know you to be of the Mason?
SD: By certain signs, a token, a word, and the perfect points of my entrance.
WM: By Brother, signs, grips, and words have been particularly explained to you, but the perfect points of your entrance have not. They are four, the Pectoral, Manual, Guttural and Pedal. They represent the four cardinal virtues, Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice.
Fortitude is the noble and steady purpose of the mind whereby we are enabled to undergo any pain, peril or danger, when prudently deemed expedient. This virtue is equally distant from rashness and cowardice, and should be deeply impressed upon your mind as a safeguard or security against any attempt that may be made, by force or otherwise, to extort from you any of those valuable secrets with which you have been so solemnly entrusted, and which was emblematically represented upon your first admission in the Lodge, when you were received on the point of a sharp instrument piercing your naked left breast. This, my Brother, is the first perfect point of your entrance, the Pectoral.
Prudence teaches us to regulate our lives and actions agreeably to the dictates of Reason, and is the habit by which we wisely judge and prudently determine on all things relative to our present as well as our future happiness. This virtue should be your peculiar characteristic, not only for the government of your conduct while in the Lodge, but also when abroad in the world. You should be particularly cautious in all strange or mixed companies, never to let fall the least sign, token, or word whereby the secrets of the Mason might be obtained ever bearing in mind that solemn moment while kneeling at the Alter of the Mason, your left supporting, your right resting on the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses, you solemnly promised to conceal and never reveal the secrets of the Mason. This is the second perfect point of your entrance, the Manual.
Temperance is that due restraint upon our affections and passions which renders the body tame and governable, and frees the mind of the allurements of vice. This virtue should be your constant practice, as you are thereby taught to avoid excess or the contracting of any licentious or vicious habits, the indulgence of which might lead you to disclose some of those valuable secrets which you have promised to conceal and never reveal, and which would consequently subject you to the contempt and detestation of all good Masons, if not to the penalty of your Obligation, that of having your throat cut across, you tongue torn out and with your body buried in the sands of the sea, at low-water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours. This is the third perfect point of your entrance, the Guttural.
Justice is that standard or boundary of right, which enables us to render to every man his just due without distinction. This virtue is not only consistent with divine and human laws, but is the very cement and support of civil society; and as justice in a great measure constituted the really good name, so should it be your invariable practice never to deviate from the minutest principles thereof; ever remembering that while standing in the northeast corner of the Lodge before the Worshipful Master, you were informed that you there stood an upright man and Mason, and it was given you strictly in charge ever to walk and act as such before God and man. This is the fourth perfect point of your entrance, the Pedal.
Entered Apprentices should serve their masters with freedom, fervency and zeal, which are represented by Chalk, Charcoal, and Clay. There is nothing freer than Chalk, the slightest touch of which leaves a trace; there is nothing more fervent than Charcoal, for to it, when properly ignited, the most obdurate metals will yield; there is nothing more zealous than Clay, our mother Earth, for it alone of all the elements has never proved unfriendly to man.
Bodies of water deluge him with rain, oppress him with hail and drown him with inundation; the air rushes in storms and prepares the tempest; the fire lights up the volcano; but the Earth, ever kind and indulgent, is found subservient to his wishes. Though constantly harassed, more to furnish the luxuries than the necessaries of life, she never refuses her accustomed yield, spreading his pathway with flowers and his table with plenty. Though she produces poison, still she supplies the antidote, and returns with interest every good committed to her care; and when at last we are called upon to pass through the “dark valley of the shadow of death,” she once more receives us, and piously covers our remains within her bosom, thus admonishing us that as from it we came, so to it we must shortly return.
WM: This, my Brother, concludes the ceremony of your initiation, and if you will rise I will repeat to you the Charge.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Aaron rose and waited for the Charge.
WM: My Brother, as you are now introduced to the principles of the Mason, I congratulate you on being accepted into this ancient and honorable Fraternity. Ancient, as having existed from time immemorial; and honorable, as tending in every particular so to render all men who will be conformable to its precepts. No institution was ever raised on a better principle or more solid foundation; nor were ever more excellent rules and useful maxims laid down that are contained in the several Mason lectures. The wisest and best of men in all ages have been encouragers and promoters of our Art, and have never deemed it derogatory to their dignity to level themselves with the Fraternity, to extend its privileges, and to patronize its assemblies.
There are three great duties, which as a Mason, you are charged to inculcate: ***, To God, to your neighbor, and to yourself. To God, in never mentioning His name save with that reverential awe which is due from a creature to his Creator; to implore His aid in all your laudable undertakings; and to esteem Him as the Chief Good. *
To your neighbor, in acting upon the square and in doing unto him as you would that he should do unto you; and to yourself, in avoiding all irregularities and intemperance, which may impair your faculties or debase the dignity of your profession.
As a Mason, you are to study the Sacred Law, to consider it as the unerring standard of truth and justice, and to regulate your life and actions by its divine precepts. A zealous attachment to these duties will insure public and private esteem.
In the State you are to be a quiet and peaceable citizen, true to your government and just to your country. You are not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion, but patiently submit to legal authority and conform with cheerfulness to the government of the country in which you live, yielding obedience to the laws, which afford you protection. In your outward demeanor be particularly careful to avoid censure and reproach, and beware of all who may artfully endeavor to insinuate themselves into your esteem with a view of betraying your virtuous resolutions or to make you swerve from the principles of our institution. Let not interest, favor or prejudice bias your integrity or influence you to be guilty of a dishonorable action, but let your conduct be uniform and your deportment suitable to the dignity of your profession.
Above all, practice benevolence and charity for these virtues have distinguished Masons in every age and country. The inconceivable pleasure of contributing to the relief of our fellow creatures is truly experienced by persons of a humane disposition, who are naturally excited by sympathy to extend their aid in alleviation of the misery of others. This encourages the generous Mason to distribute his bounty with cheerfulness. Supposing himself in the situation of an unhappy sufferer, he listens to the tale of woe with attention, bewails misfortune, and speedily relieves distress.
The Constitutions of the Fraternity are to engage your attention. These consist of two parts, oral and written communications. The former, comprehending the mysteries of the Art, are only to be acquired by practice and experience in the Lodge; the latter include the history of the Mason, the lives and characters of its patrons, and the ancient charges and general regulations of the Mason.
A punctual attendance on the duties of the Fraternity we earnestly enjoin, especially in that assembly in which your name will be enrolled as a member. There, and in all regular meetings of the Fraternity, you are to behave with order and decorum, that harmony may be preserved and the business of the Mason be properly conducted. The rules of good breeding you are never to violate by using unbecoming language in derogation of the name of God or toward the corruption of good morals; neither are you to enter into any dispute about religion or politics, nor behave irreverently while the lodge is engaged in what is serious and important. On every occasion, you are to pay a proper deference and respect to the Master and presiding officers, and diligently apply to the work of Freemasons, that you may the sooner become proficient therein, as well for your own credit as for the honor of the company with whom you associate.
Although your frequent appearance at our regular meetings is earnestly solicited, yet it is not meant that the Mason should interfere with your necessary vocations for these are on no account to be neglected; neither are you to suffer your zeal for the institution to lead you into argument with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it.
At your leisure hours that you may improve in the Mason knowledge, you are to converse with well-informed Brethren, who will always be as ready to give, as you will be to receive instruction.
Finally, my Brother, keep sacred and inviolate the mysteries of the Order, as these are to distinguish you from the rest of the community and mark your consequence among Fellow Masons.
My Brother, there is a lecture in connection with this degree that it will be necessary for you to commit to memory, and on which you must pass a suitable examination, in open Lodge, or as provided by our Oregon Code, before you can be passed to the Degree of Fellow Mason. I will appoint Brother Gordon Gibson to instruct you.
Gordon came up to Aaron’s side. Taking Aaron’s elbow Gordon steered him around to face the Lodge. The Worshipful Master proceeded to close the Lodge and all filed out of the Temple.
Gordon took Aaron back to the preparation room. Aaron’s mind was reeling. After all the research she did on the Masons, she would have never believed the charge to the new enrollees were so benign—loyalty to your country, to your Brothers, and to the Mason. Be a good citizen; show temperance in your drinking and be a decent, peaceable example for the rest of the world. She felt sick and light-headed. Maybe Tim had been right after all. Maybe these were just peaceful, law-abiding citizens meeting once a month to remind themselves that they need to be good people. She rested on Gordon’s strong arm and was glad he was there beside her. She hated to think she had changed her life so dramatically on some insidious rumors about the Mason.
Gordon looked at her and said, “I understand. Not exactly what you expected was it?”
“Absolutely not what I expected. There are a lot of rumors,” Aaron started.
Gordon interrupted her, “Yes there are. But you will know the truth.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Gordon and Aaron walked back to her apartment in silence. Gordon walked the stairs with Aaron and followed Aaron into the room. “Are you going to be all right? You’ve had quite a lot of information thrown at you tonight.”
Aaron dropped her keys on the desk. She turned to Gordon looking very tired and haggard. “This is the biggest thing I have ever done. To say I’m not a little concerned would be to a lie.”
“Why not just change into your robe and I will sit with you until you feel more comfortable. Go on, now,” Gordon steered Aaron toward his room. Aaron showed little resistance to his prodding. She was very tired and she welcomed Gordon’s company. She didn’t want to be alone right now.
“OK, friend, wait right here and I will return.” Aaron disappeared into her bedroom to strip her clothes and put on a robe.
Gordon was sitting on the sofa when Aaron returned. She had on a soft open-front terrycloth robe tied around her waist. She kept her Balls-In-A-Brief on just in case her robe happened to drop open unexpectantly. She flopped down in the chair beside the sofa. She put her feet up on an ottoman and let her head sink into the seat back. Aaron didn’t remember falling asleep. She didn’t hear Gordon slip out the apartment door and head for home. She didn’t realize she was alone.
While Aaron slept, a large winged beast came through the roof. He hovered over Aaron. His huge wings kept him afloat. The beast’s large clawed hands opened Aaron’s robe and raised her hips up to him, her legs falling open. One clawed finger slowly moved her briefs to the side exposing her to him. The beast’s wings moved slowly up and down keeping him hovering in place. His clawed thumbs opened Aaron’s cheeks to him and his wings help lower his member into her.
Aaron felt a searing heat in her rectum. Never in her life had she felt anything so painful. Her eyes snapped open and she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. Her hips were levitating in the air. Some grotesque horned monster was writhing in pleasure as he pumped himself into her. She screamed. The monster’s eyes popped open and he looked down at Aaron.
Aaron struggled to free her from the monster’s grip. She continued to scream. The monster smiled at Aaron, showing large canine teeth, dropped her body to the floor, and using his wings flew backwards out through the ceiling.
Aaron scrambled to her feet. She could feel warm liquid running down her legs. She opened her robe to see blood everywhere. She ran to the bathroom and stripped off her briefs. They were full of blood. She was trying to comprehend what had just happened to her, but it was unbelievable. Aaron staggered to the bathroom sink and filled the basin with cold water. She put her Balls-In-A-Brief in the sink instantly turning the clear water cardinal red.
She took a towel from the clothesbasket and put it between her legs. You didn’t need to have been raped to know that is what had happened to her, but with such a horrible monster. What was it and where did it come from? At first she thought she was dreaming, but all the blood. She couldn’t explain all the blood.
Aaron rushed to the telephone to call Gordon. Gordon answered the phone on the second ring. “Gordon,” was all she could get out. He could hear the alarm in her voice.
“Aaron, calm down. It will be OK.”
“Calm down! Gordon, I have just been raped. Raped by a horrible monster. How do you expect me to calm down?”
“I’m coming over,” he answered. “I will try to explain.
“No, don’t come over. I’m a bloody mess. I’m going to take a shower,” Aaron said sadly. “Did you know about this, Gordon? You don’t seem to be surprised.”
“Aaron, I need to talk to you in person to explain things to you. Jump in the shower and I will be there in a few moments.”
“No, Gordon. I don’t want to see you or anyone else right now,” she said as she slammed down the phone. So he knew something was going to happen. He knew. Aaron started to cry as she went into the bathroom. She turned on the shower to the hottest possible water temperature. She stripped off her clothes and took out the towel from between her legs. She could imagine that she was ripped from stem to stern down there. Tears continued to flow.
Aaron emptied the entire hot water tank trying to erase the monster from her mind and body. As the water started to turn cold, she reluctantly turned off the spigot. As she reached for a towel, she heard a knock on her front door. “Aaron,” said a muffled voice outside the door. “Aaron, let me in.”
Aaron recognized Gordon’s voice. Great, she thought. Gordon is knocking at the door and my balls are soaking in the sink.
She yelled at Gordon to wait a minute and shut the bathroom door. She tied her towel around her waist leaving her chest exposed as any normal man would. She drained the sink and quickly rinsed and wrung her brief out. She placed the Balls-In-A-Brief inside a towel and rolled them up.
Aaron rinsed out the sink and took tissues to wipe out the bloodstains. She flushed the tissues and ran to the bedroom to put her roll between her mattress and box springs. She created a place for her stash of His ‘n Hers catalog and bonus gift. The bonus gift was a very large 9 inches long erect rubber penis. It had straps attached to it to secure the huge rubber member around a person’s hips. She laid her towel-covered balls and brief beside her bonus gift. She returned the mattress to its original position, sitting on it to smash everything down.
As she was about to return to let Gordon in, she heard a metallic click in the keyhole. Gordon was letting himself in. He had a key?
Aaron put on a sleeveless tee shirt and pulled on her sweat pants. Gordon let himself in and Aaron met him in the front room. She saw Gordon place the spare key back on top of the porch light. Gordon took one look at Aaron and walked over to her. He put his arms out in comfort. Aaron just stood there. Gordon advanced, took Aaron’s shoulders, and looked her in the eyes.
“You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?” Aaron asked Gordon.
“We never know. It is a divine plan that no one on earth can possibly know. Please, sit down and I will try my best to explain it to you.”
Aaron jerked her arms loose from Gordon and sat on the sofa. She was not sure she would ever be able to sit in the chair again. Gordon sat beside her.
“As you heard tonight, in your first degree of the Mason, you were told how to be a good citizen and neighbor. The first three degrees have basically the same charge to the member. Be a good boy and don’t make any waves. Most people never get beyond the Third Degree so they never have full knowledge of the Mason. Those people go along in life never knowing the deeper meaning of the Mason.”
Gordon paused for Aaron to absorb his words. He continued, “What you saw tonight, what you experienced, was not a monster. It was an angel—an angel from God. God sends an angel down to those Mason members he wishes to go on to higher degrees. We never know whom He will pick. I couldn’t tell you about the angel before, because I didn’t know if He would come to you. I didn’t know if you would be picked. But, don’t you see?” Gordon got excited. “Don’t you see the significance of this? You have been picked. You have been picked to go on to higher degrees, to come to a higher knowledge of the universe. It may not seem like it tonight, but it is quite an honor to be picked.”
Aaron stood up. She spat down at Gordon, “Honor? Honor??” She tried to keep her emotions in check. “I was not honored, Gordon, I was raped. I was raped by a hideous monster.”
Gordon stood up beside Aaron. He could smell the soap on Aaron’s body and he had to damper down the desire rising in him.
“Aaron, you cannot be expected to understand what happened tonight. But it will happen six more times.”
“What?” Aaron snapped back.
“You will be visited by the angel from God six more times--once after each of the first Seven Degrees.”
Aaron paced the room. “What if I don’t want to go on to higher knowledge? What if I don’t want to be raped six more times? Can I get out of this?”
“No, Aaron,” Gordon told her. “You took an oath, an obligation. Do you remember?”
“Yes, Gordon,” she spat back. “I remember.”
“As you were told in the lectures, the Mason takes these oaths very seriously. A short answer to your question of whether you can get out is no. No you can’t get out. God has chosen you to share ancient knowledge. With that comes God’s desire to be intimate with you. He sends His angels to do that. You and God have bonded in a way that only the Mason can understand. When you jokingly asked this evening if we were married now, you were very close to the truth. As married people consummate their marriage vows on their honeymoon night, so have you consummated your vows to God.
“As I said, you will not understand the full impact of this now. But, I can assure you that by the Seventh Degree, you will not only enjoy the intimacy with God, you will welcome it.”
Aaron sat on the sofa again. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She was in deeper than she ever realized could happen. Gordon sat beside her. “Why not lay your head on my lap and I will stay with you until you fall asleep.”
Aaron was completely drained. She laid her head on Gordon’s lap. “What does the password BOAZ mean?” Aaron mumbled.
“Strength,” Gordon answered.
Gordon stroked her back and bare arms. She thought she would never sleep again, but within minutes was sound asleep.
