When I walked away from the original nine women, gathered
at the end of dungeon Four East corridor, I only thing I knew for sure about
what they were thinking, was that they were thinking. I doubt there ever was a
time before, or since I made that speech, when the silence held so completely,
for so long. Not that I'm saying women can't keep their silence, they can. The
testimony to their ability to keep silent is the complete absence of rumor
about our Underground Railroads location.
I've absolutely no idea if the speech I made that day,
had anything to do with the total secrecy our smuggling operation enjoyed until
we disbanded, but I can't help thinking it at least sowed the seed which grew
into that complete blackout of information about our operation. I doubt the
threats I made on those original women's lives impressed them so greatly as to
have commanded such a depth of loyalty.
I am absolutely certain however, that the promises I made
those nine, and by extension, all who followed them, had a large impact on the
ability of so many thousands of women to keep the secret completely. It may
have helped that less than one of every thousand women to pass through our
dungeon hideout, ever came, or went without being blindfolded, and led a
circle, and even after they arrived, until they departed never saw any more of
our location than could be seen from their location in their cell.
One of the requests for passage through our pipeline was
the willingness to place total trust and dependence on us for every aspect of
their survival, until they were at last in the compound under that long rock
face in the wilderness. Once there they were released from their bonds and
blindfolds. Once they were there, in the middle of a wilderness, they were
finally allowed to feed themselves, wash, walk without escort, and in fact
enjoy the social company of any who were there.
It must have been frustrating to know that as soon as
they found a male companion to leave the rock camp with, they were again
blindfolded, and bound, and carried away as total prisoners into whatever life
or location their male companion chose to take them. Despite the degrading
treatment they were advised they were to undergo on their journey, and the fact
that once the process began, it could not be reversed, the waiting lists were
always filled to the arbitrary capacity, ten times the number of cells in our
hideout.
We had forty two holding cells. The waiting list was
therefore Four Hundred and Twenty names long. In all the time our pipeline
operated, there was never a voluntary scratch. No one. Not ever.
*** *** *** *** ***
The inspiration for our system came from the first five
Clients, and in particular, Stella. The system was instituted with her, and
refined by her four companions. Ten women came into our hideout with the sight
and freedom of movement, only five ever left without blindfolds, and it was
those same five who had any freedom of movement when they left. No other women
ever came or went without total dependence on one of those five, or myself, for
their every need, or want, ever.
They came blindfolded and bound, waited for departure the
same way, and traveled all the way to the rock face the same, helpless way.
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Chapter 78 | Chapter 80
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