The Echo of a Distant Tide

And no one showed us to the land

And no one knows the wheres or whys

But something stirs and something tries

And starts to climb towards the light

A few days ago, mouse was searching through the closet, looking for a missing napkin. Now, let's be honest, mouse is a bit on the short side, compared to Master, and she was jumping up to reach to the top shelf, where the napkin was. It was half off the shelf and mouse jumped grabbing it and whatever was under it, which fell like confetti. It's never simple mouse muttered to herself and began picking up all the stuff that had fallen, as well as the napkin which she threw on her shoulder like a towel.

Some loose photographs and a card she'd given Omega years ago. Not really paying much attention, mouse was turning the photos around, it's something that people do, right? There, in the small bundle was a picture of very young mouse and her former Owner. It must be one of two or three photos that exist. At first mouse was studying it trying to figure where it was taken but the setting didn't look too familiar. It was a living room photo, then mouse noticed a very small kitten in the picture. It was taken at his house, probably just after we found the kitten, abandoned. He had taken it in, partly because of mouse.

On every level mouse knew we'd never be together long. His former life was complicated. You might say we had a shelf life, sure it lasted longer than mouse thought it would. It was still never going to be forever. This was the same person who got mouse into the lifestyle. This was before the internet, email was still more than a few years away and when we'd get it, it was  closed system. You could only email co-workers.

Much later, mouse showed the photograph to Master, he looked at it for a moment, and said, "You look like your in love." Now, mouse didn't see that. Sure she looked happy, but Master pointed out that he was looking at the camera but mouse was looking at him. Starry eyed mouse.

Suddenly mouse recalled the whole thing and looked at the picture again wondering where it came from, because she hadn't recalled seeing it before. Master said the Owner had it amoung his things, and then reminded mouse that he had taken the photograph. There wasn't much else to say so mouse excused herself and returned to her evening tasks. Still she kept chewing mentally on the young girl feeling the first blush of slavery and so very enamored by her Master. What happened to her?

Sure, as mouse wrote earlier she always understood that dynamic had a shelf life, especially early on. Owner had started mouse on many things aside from slavery, and remained indebted to him for her career. When mouse came to him she had a meager job, a very small savings account and nothing else. Essentially she entered his life nude and willing to be his slave with nothing else to her name except her car and very few other possessions. It was because we had a shelf-life that he did that. It was something to fall back on when slavery ends. He couldn't leave her money or a house, but he left her with something more although she didn't see that until years later. In a very short time, the girl in the photo would be placed on a path that at times seemed difficult or even insurmountable and yet managed it.

How many start down this path of slavery knowing that it will end and what do they take with them? Master said once he would often find suitable Dominant types for the girls he kept when it was time to move on. Sometimes the girls would reach out (with his blessing) to another Master to continue their journey. The only other thing Master offered was that many were married today or in permanent relationships. While mouse has never really considered herself lucky, it did leave her wondering if those former slaves were as fortunate as she has been. That was a completely new feeling.