Finally, the head monk set a day for Julia’s test, which would be in three months. He reminded everyone that as well as being completely malleable into any physical position, she would also be tested on her ability to control her breathing. Julia insisted that the monks who were assisting her with her training every day, should push her limits even further than they had done before. She asked them to train her as hard as possible, taking each position to the extreme and beyond. Even if she should cry out in pain, which was unlikely given the mastery she had achieved over her ability to tolerate pain, they were to continue. Slowly her previous limits were surpassed and still the monks continued their labour. They installed a tank of water into her cell so they could develop her breath control. With a week to go before the test, Julia asked the monks if they could work in rotation with her, so that even while she slept, if indeed sleep was possible, they would continue to stretch her around the clock, apart from the one hour meal break. Finally the day arrived. Julia was led into the main temple chamber behind all the monks who had helped in her trainer. It was early morning and the sun was low in the sky, its rays picking out tiny particles of dust in the air. As had become her custom, she had been stretched throughout the night by the monks so had no need to warm up. The head monk greeted them with a solemn bow. The temple was filled with other contortionists and their monk trainers and everyone else who lived in the temple, eager to witness the test of the latest novice. The head monk raised his arm to call for silence. He explained that Julia would be tested to see if she was worthy of becoming one of the temple contortionist oracles. He explained that should she fail the test, she would have to leave the monastery immediately. But that if she passed, she would immediately pass into service of the temple. Julia nodded and bowed low before the head monk to indicate her acceptance. The head monk announced that there would in fact be two parts to the test. For the first part, she would have to lay on her back on a narrow bench, which was brought into the chamber by two of the monks. Her legs would t hem be spread out on either side in a middle split. To pass the test, Julia would have to be able to get her oversplit to 300 degrees and hold it for 15 minutes! There was a quiet murmur around the chamber indicating that this was a difficult first test. Julia positioned herself on her back on the narrow bench and her trainer monks tied her in position. She lifted her feet straight up and pointed her toes towards the ornately decorated ceiling. Then slowly she moved each leg out to the side, dropping first into a 180 degree split and then sinking further. Under their own weight, her legs stopped at about 220 degrees. Her trainers took up positions on either side of her, two on each side. They gradually began to lean their weight and press down on her legs to widen the split. Slowly they increased her split to about 270 degrees. They then called for ropes and pulleys, which they attached to Julia’s ankles and to a ring in the floor under the bench. Other monks began to pull on the ropes and Julia legs slowly split further apart. The head monk watch closely, admiring Julia’s determination. Eventually he was satisfied that she had reached the required 300 degree oversplit and started a clock to time 15 minutes. Julia could sense the pain in her hip sockets and every part of her legs but she had trained for five years for this and was certainly not intending to fail the test that would enable her to fulfil her ultimate ambition. She used her mental skills to shut out the pain as far as possible. The head monk announced that the 15 minutes were up and everyone in the temple began to applaud. But rather than allow the monks to release her from her extreme position, Julia called the head monk over and announced that she would like to take the test further, to 350 degrees in fact. The head monk was somewhat surprised, knowing how hard getting to 300 degrees was. He reminded Julia that if she accepted this harder test, and failed, she would have to leave the temple. She nodded her ascent. Julia’s monk trainers were looking a little nervous as they had not progressed to 350 degrees in her training. But at her request, they began once more to press down on her legs and pull on the ropes. At first there seemed to be no extra movement, and then suddenly the stretch began to widen. The monks could see that Julia’s hips were now dislocated. Julia noted the excruciating pain but once more used her techniques to shut it out. Gradually her legs moved onwards and downwards until finally somewhere below her bottom on the bench, her feet were about 30 centimetres away from each other. The head monk motioned that she had reached the 350 degree split. Once more he set the timer. But to everyone’s surprise, he announced that Julia would have to stay in position for 30 minutes! There were a few gasps from the assembled crowd. No-one had ever seen this amount iof oversplit achieved, and with dislocated hips they knew it would be agony for Julia to hold the position for that long. But hold it she did and finally to great applause and cries of appreciation she reached 30 minutes and was released from the bench. The monks helped snap her hips back into her sockets. The narrow bench was removed and monks now brought in a glass sided tank about 1.5 metres long and 60 centimetres wide and deep. Then large pitchers of water were brought in, slowly filling the tank. When this was complete, a board just over a meeting long and half a metre wide arrived, complete with various straps and a wheel attached to a long screw threaded bar. The head monk then announced the second test. Julia would be strapped onto the board in a triple fold. Her ankles would be fixed and her wrists would be strapped to a bar attached to the screw thread. The wheel would be used to tighten the bend by pulling her arms further through her legs. She would have to stay in this position for 1 hour, with the monks tightening the wheel every fifteen minutes. At the end of the hour, she would be placed underwater in the tank for fifteen minutes. After that, she would be removed from the tank and the whole process repeated again a second time. Julia adopted the familiar position and was strapped in. The wheel began to turn, increasing the stretch. She focused inside her mind and endured the extreme stretch. Every fifteen minutes, the monks turned the wheel as much as they were able, tightening the bend and increasing the pain that Julia was enduring. Each time, she focused back into that inner space and continued. After an hour, the head monk motioned to the monks to lower Julia into the tank of water. Before going under, Julia took as big a breath as her contorted position would allow. She tried consciously to slow her heart rate and prepared herself to stay submerged. After fifteen minutes, the monks raised her from her watery prison. Julia was pleased to be able to breathe again. But her relief was short-lived as the monks once more turned the wheel to increase the tightness of her bend. Her trial continued and the bend deepened so that Julia’s shoulders were well past her legs into a Ruppel bend position. And still the monks continued to tighten the wheel every fifteen minutes. Her next fifteen minutes under the water came and went and she was lifted up out of the water to applause from the assembled crowd. Julia again asked for the head monk to come over. She requested that the trial should be extended. She wanted to continue for the rest of the day, with the monks still trying to turn the wheel at 15 minute intervals. But she asked that her time under water be increased by five minutes each time. The trial would continue until dusk. The head monk again explained that if she could not achieve this additional challenge, then she would fail her test. But Julia insisted that she wanted to continue to demonstrate her devotion to the temple. And so the cycle continued – one hour on the surface and then 20, 25, 30, 35 and finally 40 minutes underwater before dusk fell. As she was lifted for the final time from the water, a hushed awe fell over the temple. The head monk congratulated Julia for passing the test and motioned for the monks to release her from the extreme triple fold that she had now been in for 10 hours. But Julia interrupted. She asked the head monk if she could demonstrate her devotion to the villagers outside the temple. She asked to be left strapped in the triple fold and placed in the town square for the whole night. The head monk explained that it would fall to freezing overnight but Julia insisted that she remain naked. The head monk agreed and the monks dutifully carried her out of the temple, through the streets and set her on a table in the main square. A crown quickly gathered. The villagers were used to seeing amazing feats from the temple contortionists, but rumour had quickly spread that Julia was something very special. Two monks stood watch all night and although the villagers in the crown huddled together or around fires for warmth, few made their way home. As the first rays of the morning sun began to pierce the dawn, Julia’s golden hair was picked up by their natural spotlight. The villagers began to cheer and the applause and shouts grew ever louder. It was fifteen minutes before the monks were able to respectfully lift her, still strapped to her prison board, and parade her once more back through the streets to the temple. The head monk greeted her warmly and explained that not only had she endured the most challenging trial ever, but that she had managed to earn the respect of the whole village. Julia thanked the monk for his kind words and spoke of her honour to serve the temple. But before she was released, she asked for one more favour. She asked that she would be taken into the head monk’s own personal chamber, placed underwater in his bathing pool, and that he should have tantric union with her and only release her afterwards. The head monk was pleased and honoured with this suggestion but he told her that tantric union would last for an hour or more and wanted her to be sure she could hold her breath for that time. She assured him she would. (To be completed, maybe.)