The headmaster surveyed the room of students, faculty, townspeople, and, most importantly, wealthy benefactors, all seated at round tables. The evening looked quite promising. He raised his hands to quiet the guests.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us for a unique and exciting fundraiser for the Excelsior Academy of Magic. As you probably know, I am Orpheus, this fledgling institution’s headmaster and chief wizard.” He gestured to a line of marble pedestals on the stage. “Tonight, we will auction off ten volunteers to the highest bidder. I will then use petrification magic to transform them into marble statues. The transformations will remain in effect for a fortnight, at which time they will turn back to flesh and blood.”
Orpheus nodded toward a young man in the audience. He stood up and made his way among the tables, joining the wizard on the stage.
“Our first subject,” Orpheus began, “is Collin Loftus, a senior at Excelsior. Please give Collin a round of applause.”
The guests clapped as Collin stepped onto the first pedestal and faced the crowd.
“I will start the bidding at five gold,” said Orpheus, surveying the room.
A man in the back raised his hand. Orpheus smiled.
“We have five. Do I hear ten?”
An older woman near the stage raised her hand.
“We have ten. How about twenty?”
The bidding continued for another minute before reaching its conclusion.
“The current bid is forty-two gold. Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman in the back.” Orpheus smiled. “And now I will create your prize.”
The wizard turned and nodded to Collin. The young man struck a pose on his pedestal and waited. Orpheus raised his arms and uttered the incantation.
“Petra tempora!”
The color began to drain from Collin’s skin and clothing as he took on the appearance of marble. Within a few seconds, he was solid stone. The guests clapped and cheered.
“Our first statue, ladies and gentlemen!” Orpheus nodded to a young woman. “Our next subject is Natalia Potemkin, a graduate teaching assistant at Excelsior…”
Orpheus continued to auction off the volunteers until a line of ten newly minted statues stood on the marble blocks.
“And that concludes our auction,” he announced. “Congratulations to those with winning bids this evening. Our staff will arrange transport for your statues. And please remember, the effect is temporary, so you’ll only have them for a fortnight.” He paused and smiled. “Your generosity has yielded 714 gold, enough to fund our institution for the coming year. Thank you, and good night!”
As the guests stood to leave, a young woman bounded onto the stage.
“We’re not finished!” she yelled. “There will be one more statue to bid on!”
The people looked at each other, stared at the woman on stage, and then turned their attention to Orpheus. He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m sorry, young lady, but the auction has ended. If you wish to be a statue, please volunteer for next year’s event.”
“No, thank you,” she replied, locking her gaze on the wizard. “I want to become a statue now.” She pointed to a young man in front of the stage. “And my fiancé, Pavel, will join me.”
Orpheus glanced at Pavel and then back at the woman. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Tatiana. We live just up the road from the Academy.”
“That’s lovely,” Orpheus replied, “I’m sure you’re splendid people, but the auction is over.” He turned to the confused guests. “Good night, ladies and—”
“I’m afraid I must insist,” Tatiana interrupted.
“I see,” Orpheus replied, his eyes narrowing. “Very well, then. If you insist, let us bring in an extra pedestal. It will be, after all, an additional donation to the Academy.”
Tatiana smiled and nodded. “I’m glad you’ve agreed.”
Ten minutes later, the eleventh pedestal stood on the stage before the row of statues.
“All right, everyone,” Orpheus began once again. “We’ll start the bidding at twenty gold.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention something,” said Tatiana.
Clenching his fists, Orpheus turned to face his young tormenter.
“And what is that, Tatiana?”
She flashed a devilish smile. “We’ll be petrified while nude.”
Orpheus raised an eyebrow once again. “I beg your pardon.”
Tatiana continued. “It means we won’t be wearing any clothing.”
The wizard turned red. “I know what nude means, young lady. I simply find it inappropriate at this—”
He was too late, though, as the two lovers were already disrobing and tossing their garments aside. Moments later, they stepped naked onto the pedestal and faced Orpheus.
“There’s one more thing,” said Tatiana.
Orpheus rolled his eyes. “And what might that be?”
“We want the transformation to be permanent.”
The wizard’s jaw dropped. “Permanent? You cannot be serious.”
“Oh, I’m quite serious. Our families disapprove of our betrothal and have vowed to separate us. If we’re statues, we’ll be together forever and beyond their reach.”
“That is a touching story,” Orpheus replied, “but I refuse to grant your request. And even if I agreed to your ridiculous demand, permanent petrification is impossible. The best I can do is three weeks.”
“That is not true,” said a female voice from the back of the room.
The wizard turned to find a hooded figure facing him. At this point, Orpheus was trembling with rage. He did not appreciate being contradicted.
“And who are you?” he asked with thinly veiled contempt.
The woman pulled back her hood, and the crowd gasped. The wizard’s jaw dropped as he tripped over his words.
“Lady Esmerelda! I had no idea. Please forgive my rudeness. If I could perform such magic, I would do so at your request, but it is impossible.”
Esmerelda’s lips curled into a smile. “Impossible on your own, but you know someone with the power to help.”
Orpheus opened his mouth to object, but then a spark of recognition flashed across his eyes as they widened. He shook his head in alarm.
“You can’t possibly mean—”
“Oh, I certainly do,” Esmerelda interrupted, “and I’ll make it worthwhile. I bid 7,000 gold for the permanent statue of these two brave young lovers. If I’m not mistaken, that will fund your school for ten years.”
The wizard’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my! That is incredibly generous.”
Esmerelda folded her arms across her chest and smiled. “Then I believe we’ve reached an agreement, Orpheus.” She gestured toward the nude couple on the pedestal. “By all means, please continue.”
Orpheus nodded, wiping sweat from his brow as he faced the models.
“Once I do this,” he began, “the transformation is permanent. No magic exists that can undo it. Your immortal souls will be bound to your petrified bodies for all eternity. Are you certain this is what you want?”
Tatiana and Pavel glanced at each other and back at Orpheus.
“We are certain,” Tatiana replied.
The wizard nodded. “Then please assume your desired pose.”
Pavel knelt with his right knee on the pedestal. Tatiana straddled his thigh and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself close as Pavel interlocked his fingers on the small of her back. The two lovers locked eyes and smiled at each other.
“None shall separate us now,” Tatiana said before kissing Pavel.
“Indeed,” Orpheus replied. “Please hold that position.”
The young couple stopped moving as they waited for eternity. Orpheus took a deep breath and spread his arms.
“I call upon the almighty power of Bellatrix, immortal sorceress of the seven lands of Ravenwood!”
The torches flickered and went out as a ghostly green light illuminated the room. Trembling, the wizard continued.
“I, Orpheus, your humble servant, implore you to work through me. Please allow me to channel your power to grant the wish of these mortals.”
The green light collected into a mist around the wizard’s outstretched arms. Sweat poured from his face onto his robe. The point of no return was at hand.
“Petra endura!” Orpheus cried, bringing his arms together to point at the immobile lovers on the pedestal.
The green mist streamed from his body, snaking along the floor before wrapping itself around the young couple’s ankles, eliciting a delighted shiver from Tatiana. The fog slowly rose, swirling around their calves, knees, and thighs. It caressed their naked bodies, transforming them from the ground up, fusing their feet to the pedestal, and converting their legs into solid marble.
Tatiana luxuriated in the tingling sensation of becoming stone. She cooed softly as her body calcified, never to move again. Her life as a young woman was already slipping from her mind like sand through her fingers as she gradually turned into an object. A piece of sculpture. A statue merely in the form of a nude woman.
The blanching effect flowed over their loins and abdomens before claiming their chests and backs. The calcifying wave paused at their shoulders, flowed down their arms, and solidified their tender embrace.
Tatiana managed a final sigh as her lungs solidified and her heart beat once more before hardening into dense marble. She didn’t notice the stunned onlookers or even the wizard who had initiated her journey to permanent inanimacy. She only saw Pavel. They gazed into each other’s eyes as the calcification entered its final stage.
With their bodies petrified, the transformation poured over their chins and mouths, sealing their lips in a permanent kiss. Their noses and ears turned to stone, followed by their eyes, which became blank marble orbs. The wave crested their heads and flowed down their tangled locks.
And with that, it was finished. Where Tatiana and Pavel had been moments before, an exquisite nude statue of two lovers now stood.
Tatiana suddenly found herself outside her petrified body, hovering in the air and transparent like a phantom. She naturally tried to fly away, but an unseen force pulled her back into her statue until she could once again see through her stone eyes. She felt Pavel’s soul caressing her own as they mingled and merged together as one. Tatiana had no regrets.
The mist dissipated as the torches reignited. Orpheus fell to his knees in exhaustion before extending his arms once more.
“Blessed Bellatrix, we thank you for bestowing your gift upon these mortals, thus granting them an eternity in stone. Their immortal souls shall remain entwined until the end of time.”
Esmerelda ascended the stage to inspect the new work of art. “Exquisite, aren’t they, Orpheus? I must say that Bellatrix does excellent work.”
“Indeed she does,” Orpheus replied, rising to his feet and wiping his brow.
“I’ll send the gold in the morning and a cart to transport this masterpiece to my home.” She smiled. “A pleasure doing business with you, Orpheus.”
“And you, as well, Esmerelda.” He turned to the stunned crowd. “And now I can say with some certainty that the auction is complete. Thank you again for joining us this evening. Good night.”
Copyright 2025 Olivia Zoe Quinn
Image by Víctor González from Pixabay
Story notes
This short story is inspired by an excellent series on DeviantArt called “The Auction” by OrdosTsceri. Of course, I put my spin on the concept, and this story is much shorter, but I must give credit where credit is due. I highly recommend reading that series!
Many thanks to tfinferno and cloudarray for their thoughtful feedback on a draft of this story.
Article Tags: Fantasy · Female · Male · Nudity · Statue · Stone · Volunteer
