18 - A Mission

Just a quick note, I don't normally write anything like this. EVER. However a friend of mine (who shall remain unnamed... he knows who he is) challenged me to write an erotica with specific parameters. The gauntlet was thrown, challenge was accepted. This is the result. It's my first erotica, ironically a gay one, and it will probably be my last. Since it is a rarety I suppose it must be shared. Enjoy and don't be too harsh. 

Emford was a good Mormon boy. He’d observed all the laws and followed every instruction. He had fought to keep sin out of his life and had channeled all his energy to doing his Mormon duty. So it was with no trepidation that he set out to fulfill his duty by going on a mission. In fact he was excited, terribly excited when he heard that he was to go to the far flung and clearly uncivilized land of Hong Kong.

Oh how uncivilized it was. It might have been a shining beacon from the sky, but nobody it seemed wanted to be saved. People ignored him with a firm finality that convinced him that he was invisible and door after door was sternly slammed into his face. When a word was spoken, it was harsh and often unintelligible.

Still, Emford persisted. He persisted even when the brother that had been assigned to him gave up, pleading headaches and nausea. He persisted alone.

It was alone that he knocked on one final door. It was getting late, far later then he was supposed to be out, but Emford felt deep inside him that this was the day that he would finally show someone the wonders of Jesus. He plastered on his most eager smile and knocked stoutly three times.

The door opened to reveal… an angel. At least that’s what Emford thought at the first sight of the man behind the door. He was shorter then Emford by several inches but with a firm lithe body. The face looked earnest and entirely innocent, with wide dark eyes, and straight mouth that stared up at him like a schoolboy awaiting instruction. He clearly was a man but there was a youthful sweetness about his face that confused Emford.

“Yes?” said the man. Emford found that his mouth was dry. He forgot what he was here to say. Then he remembered and began his speech.

“Have you found Jesus in your life?”

“I didn’t realize I’d lost him,” said the man with a sweet grin. “Come in and help me find him.”

Despite the insult of blasphemy, Emford was so delighted to have finally found a way in, he followed eagerly into the small apartment, taking a seat on the couch when it was offered and pulling out his bible. He was about to start with his next speech when his host turned around and he realized that the man was wearing a furry tail.

Odd, but this was a foreign country after all. He kept his eye on his book no matter how much he wanted to follow the tail and instead started to talk about the angel Moroni. It was only halfway through the speech he realized that he didn’t know his host’s name. He asked bashfully, hoping that his rudeness would not reflect badly.

“Antonio,” replied the smooth faced man in front of him. “Here have a drink.” He handed Emford a glass with something.

Emford took a sip and coughed in surprise, feeling his throat warm as the liquid dropped. He had never consumed alcohol in his life and he knew it was a sin. “Is this alcohol?” he asked.

Antonio waved his question away. “Tell me more about Jesus,” he said instead.

Emford felt suspicious but he couldn’t ignore the invitation so he did, he explained all about the blessed union and the messages brought by the lord savior. He talked so much he had to sip from the glass and the more sipped the more he felt his head swim until his words trailed away into nothing.

At this point, Antonio began to rub his thigh and Emford distantly thought that this was probably not right. Closer to the surface however, he marveled that the sensation was quite nice.

He was still staring at the artistic fingers that were gently roving over his leg when suddenly he felt something hot, wet and insistent against his lips. The fist gasp surprise drew him back and he stared into the dark eyes that simply watched him, giving away no secrets of their own.

“What… what are you doing?” he stuttered.

“Helping you find Jesus,” came the hushed reply which was then followed by another clasping of lips against lips. Emford didn’t fight it this time, he’d always wondered what a kiss felt like and he relaxed, tensing only when the mouth against his opened. He paused then opened his mouth, unsure of what it meant but tense when he felt what was obviously a playful tongue.

He would have complained, he told himself he should, but the tingles started at his mouth and burned down his body to further places that twitched and suddenly woke up. His body ached and burned for things he didn’t know of. He actually felt disappointed when the lips pulled away and he opened his eyes to stare at Antonio watching him with a mischievous grin.

The impish expression was gone the instant he saw it leaving Emford to wonder if he imagined it. He had no time to wonder on it as Antonio filled his glass and began to talk of people he knew.

“I’m having a party tonight, I’d like you to stay for it,” he said. And Emford nodded sleepily. A party sounded nice. He loved playing card games.

“My friends are all bringing someone religious and really I was stuck, so it’s a miracle that you are here.”

Emford again nodded. He was a miracle. He liked being described as a miracle. It was only a moment later that he wondered what Antonio meant by religious people. Still Emford found that he just liked to listen to the voice that washed over him though he had stopped registering the words and he liked sipping from the glass.

Emford wasn’t sure when he dozed off; apparently he was tired, only realizing when he was woken by a loud moan. It was harmonised by other softer moans, hushed gasping breath and odd dull smacking sounds.

Emford rubbed his eyes until they focused on what was clearly two bodies writhing together. Naked. Sweaty. Emford instantly turned his gaze but found himself looking directly at a man with his tongue deep inside another man’s. Another turn of his head and he was watching someone being whipped lightly.

Emford sat up straight, his heart beating, his conscience trying very hard to scream at him to leave. Then he saw it. Antonio standing in the doorway to his kitchen, a catholic priest leering down at him, with hands fiddling with the tail. As he watched, the older priest, put his hands on Antonio’s head, as if to bless him, then firmly start to push downwards… towards what was obviously the open fly of his pants.

For the first time in his life, Emford felt the hot urgent flare of jealousy. It hadn’t been that long ago that Antonio had been staring down and fondling him! Now he was with the priest?! Emford had a mind to leave, but his jealousy aroused more than anger, he had a stronger urge to save Antonio.

The apartment was ridiculously small. It only took him three strides, well four counting the large one he took stepping over the writhing figures of what looked like two people to reach Antonio and the leering priest.

Emford felt aggression rise as he shoved the priest away into the kitchen where in the back of his mind, he realized three figures were each trying to take up one space on the counter one of which a Middle Eastern man was in the middle. The priest looked as if he was going to object but Emford didn’t want to fight. Wouldn’t have known how, so instead he locked his lips on Antonio’s instead, showing the priest that this choir boy was his.

Hours could have passed, perhaps eternity though it was not long enough before Antonio pulled away, the impish glint in his eyes stronger. “Come on, lover boy,” he drawled, taking Emford’s hand and leading him to a closed door.

Emford was very aware that the priest was staring at them both looking angry and yet also as if he wanted to follow. Emford was worried that he might try to come after them, but instead, he saw the hand slip rather subtly into his own fly.

Emford had felt like preening himself as he followed Antonio but he deflated quickly when he realized that he was entering the bedroom. There lay the bed, taking up most of the room. The bed itself was so inviting, the colours warm, and the pillows lush. But still! “Wait,” said Emford, his voice betraying his nervousness.

“For what? You want to find God don’t you?” asked Antonio gently. He pushed Emford on the bed and silenced him with a kiss.

“I saved you,” he muttered against the hot urgent lips that were so insistent on staying against his.

“I know, saved me from the filthy debauched catholic priest! Excellent! I hope you have much worse planned for me,” drawled Antonio. Emford opened his mouth to say something towards the negative but he was silenced with another kiss.

His head was swimming so much; he didn’t realize when he’d lain back down with his arms above his head until he found he couldn’t pull them down! Panicking slightly he struggled until Antonio shushed him. “It’s alright, been waiting all night, you can show me Jesus, and I’ll show you God.”

“Why not have the catholic priest show you?” asked Emford after a stray thought.

“That stodgy priest? Nah, I’ve already played choir boy plenty of times, now I’m up for a different role,” he whispered.

Suddenly, Emford heard a muffled cry from the closet. It sounded like a person who was trapped. “What is that?”

“Oh that, just my gimp.”

“What?!” Emford didn’t understand.

“He’s my Westboro Baptist Church gimp. He’s just in training,” Antonio shrugged.

Emford wanted to believe him, to sink into the warm embrace of those hot hands that tickled and teased but he couldn’t let it go and he said so. Antonio sighed and got up, walking to the closet and opening it, revealing a blond man with frantic eyes inside a cage. He had a red ball in his mouth, secured with leather and he was wearing a rather fetching leather suit.

Emford was shocked and he cried, “you kidnapped him too?!”

“Kidnap? Hell no, he loves it. Don’t you my widdle fuzzy poo,” Antonio continued to make sickening little cooing noises at the man who looked up at him, eyes burning. As if Antonio knew that Emford would not be convinced, he slipped the gag off and instantly the man began frothing.

“Oh please master, take me next. Me I want to be next. Not him!” Antonio let him ramble for a while, smiling at Antonio as if to say ‘I told you so’ then slipped the ball gag back on.

“Not yet…” he mumbled as he closed the closet door and went back to Emford.

“I don’t understand, he yearns for you.” Emford found it difficult to keep his eyes away from the closet door.

“I know but he’s terrible in bed. No stamina. Tiny dick. You are way hotter.” Emford burned with the compliment and he couldn’t help smiling.

Then suddenly he jumped up and started to undress, revealing for the first time the smooth chest and then the strong legs. The tail, it became obvious, was not attached to his trousers because it swung playfully even when Antonio was almost naked.

Seeing that tail swing did funny things to Emford’s head and also sent disturbing feelings to his more private regions. All of it was so unfamiliar but Emford was beginning to guess that what he had assiduously avoided all his life was now happening. Emford felt conflicted. He wanted to leave, he had to protect his soul but he also wanted to stay, to feel Antonio’s lips on his again. His brain won and Emford sat up to leave when Antonio pounced on him and subdued him with a kiss.

With a groan, Emford relaxed and let Antonio take over. Only when he pulled away did he remember to say, “No, this is a sin, we will burn in hell!”

“We’ll burn in this bed is more like it. Don’t worry Emford even if we burn in hell, it’ll be worth it,” drawled Antonio. “Now, I’m almost naked but you are far too dressed for the occasion.” Antonio began to unbutton his shirt and Emford found that he wanted to be revealed.

“So you Mormons do wear magic underwear!” he cried with a laugh and Emford found himself wishing that the earth might swallow him up. Yes he wore the sacred clothes that would have protected him but even he had thought that terribly unflattering. When Antonio asked if he could take them off, Emford paused then said, “rip them off,” then hid his face praying silently to God that he be forgiven.

Antonio wasted no time to rip the thin cotton, then “Wow!” Said Antonio with wide eyes. “Who’d have thought Mormon boys were so well endowed?” Emford had his eyes firmly shut at that point. No one had ever seen him naked and he prayed under his breath. He felt Antonio lay beside him, fingers playing lightly on his nipples. The rush in his head grew stronger, his breath catching. It built and built as those hands dipped lower until…

His entire body tensed and writhed and he let out a groan he couldn’t stifle. An explosive release, which passed to reveal Emford’s utter shame. It lay in a congealed mess right there on his belly. Antonio laughed, “So you were a virgin I take it! That was hot. Let’s try again shall we?”

“Wait,” Emford breathed. “This is wrong. Sinful. We will go to hell!”

“Oh, honey you called out to God just a moment ago, don’t tell me you don’t remember. Perhaps I’ll help you remember,” Antonio rose up on his elbow and pushed himself down.

Emford was trying to remember when he might have called out to god when he felt a hot, wet … something enclose over the most private part of him. “Oh GOD!” he breathed and looked down. Antonio was devouring him, his lips encased around the tip of his… he fought with himself to even think it… penis.

He watched the spent bit of flesh start to grow again, Emford had never seen that part of his own self look quite so eager. And to see those soft warm lips tease and caress was almost too much. The sight was excruciating but the feeling, Emford groaned, loudly then felt his face grow hotter with shame. Then the shame was forgotten in how Antonio was making him feel. Emford struggled against his bonds but felt all the more better for it. He heard himself now, chanting “oh God, oh God.”

Oh how was he to know that his cock had a direct line to every nerve ending in his body. One flick of Antonio’s tongue had him reeling in ecstasy. This must have been what heaven felt like. Nothing could be better. Not even if God himself appeared.

This time when his head exploded, he was aware that his cock throbbed in time. The waves went on longer this time and when it ended, Antonio’s face was above his. “Find God again?” Emford he nodded dumbly. “Well, I think it’s my turn,” whispered Antonio.

Emford wriggled then said hoarsely, “release me.”

Antonio shook his head, “no dice. Pulling a Joyce Mckinney is really hot.”

Emford didn’t understand at first but then he remembered the story, whispered among the other brothers. A tale of kidnap and debauchery. A woman who taken a Mormon and did unspeakable things to him. Was this what happened to the Mormon brother who had been kidnapped by Joyce Mckinney? If so, her victim had complained far too much.

“Let my hands go,” Emford said more earnestly, looking at Antonio’s underwear. Antonio paused until he added, “I’ll show you God.”

A quick pull at a line and Emford felt his arms free. Instantly he sprang up and pushed Antonio down on the bed and began to pull his underwear down. (disclaimer, if you don’t want to read about my fanciful descriptions of cocks, block ears or stop reading aloud the next paragraph)

Emford stilled. He had never seen another cock besides his own and he had worked very hard for years to not look at his own either. Now he had another in front of him, he stared opened mouth at the smooth long organ that throbbed just below his face.it lay slightly throbbing on Antonio’s flat stomach, darker skinned and lightly adorned with curling twisting veins. Emford glanced down at his and couldn’t help comparing them. Similar sized but he realised that he had a slight bend while Antonio’s was just rigidly straight. His was also surrounded by slightly unruly, crisply curling blond hair. He looked down and noted that no hair hid the wonders of the organ that throbbed achingly just below him.

“Just try it,” whispered Antonio, his innocent eyes briefly revealing that naughty side he knew lay just underneath. Emford complied and was rewarded with the most delicious sound of a very satisfied sigh.

It was a strange feeling, the skin so smooth on his tongue, yet the entire thing so hot and hard. It tasted strange as well, the skin sweet but the tip dropping little hints of saltiness. However once he got over that, it was like playing an instrument. He followed the gasps, moans and little hiccups of delights from above, taking confidence from them and finding that he loved the feel of cock in his mouth.

He was wondering how much more to go when he was rewarded with a terse “oh JESUS!” because Antonio exploded in his mouth. The unfamiliar warm and salty goo made him uncomfortable. But he couldn’t complain about the taste so he swallowed it.

There was a low aching groan at the door; Emford turned his head to see the priest with a pained expression, staring at Emford while simultaneously holding his cock, manhandling it roughly.

The priest stormed in and stuck his crotch into Antonio’s face, as if he couldn’t wait and had gone mad with longing. Emford was not happy and he pulled at the priest’s shoulders aggressively.

“Boys, boys, plenty of me to go around,” drawled Antonio sitting up. He stared at Emford and pushed him back until Emford was sitting at the edge of the bed. Then Antonio leaned down, taking his cock again in his hands. Emford looked down, feeling his own flesh quicken and harden again and watched with wide eyes at what Antonio was doing with his wicked tongue.

Emford leaned his head back and revelled in the ecstasy when he felt something far better. Antonio had groaned, the vibrations at the back of his throat sending shivers through the rest of his body. Emford groaned in delight as well and opened his eyes to look… at the priest kneeling behind Antonio lifting tail and sliding himself in.

Emford didn’t know what to think. He did not like the priest all that much, but he did like that Antonio was enjoying whatever was being done to him. Another low moan in the back of Antonio’s throat and he stopped caring.

The room swam and was filled with the cacophony of moans from all three of them. The tension built, the voices rose until the crescendo broke, first with the priest, who obviously lacked real stamina, then Emford. When his head cleared and he was able to sit up, Antonio was not in the room.

Emford left the priest still gasping on the bed and walked out to find Antonio in the kitchen. The three writhing figures were gone, though a glance outside at the frame showed the a dark skinned man tied up this time with a blond slightly built man with glasses expertly torturing him.

The air in the bedroom and living room was hot and thick, but it was cooler in the kitchen. Antonio was drinking a large glass of something when he pulled Emford around and kissed him.

This time the kiss was cold. Antonio had taken an ice cube in his mouth. The cold made the rest of his body burn. Antonio pulled away and carefully pushed Emford to the kitchen counter. “I haven’t christened the counter, how about we do that now?”

“Christen?” he whispered with just a hint of nervousness. “How?”

In answer, Antonio reached behind him and pulled a bottle and shook in front of Emford with that same impish look. Emford was confused and his face must have shown it but Antonio gave no explanation, just opened the cap and poured the contents all over Emford’s bare chest.

The subtle scent of olive oil rose up to Emford’s face, but before he could react, Antonio began sliding his hands all over his body, rubbing the slick oil over his skin. The slippery smooth sensation was too much as the heat of his skin warmed the oil and when his hand dipped down to the most eager part of him, Emford couldn’t hold back a loud groan.

The sound seemed to attract attention from outside the kitchen. Emford opened his eyes to see two naked figures standing at the doorway.

The slightly taller brown haired man came in first and immediately slicked his hands on Emford’s chest to slick up some oil then pulled Emford away from the counter to slick his hands down his back. Antonio’s hands did not pause for an instant and sandwiched between them Emford found his knees growing weak. He had to hold the counter with one hand; the other clenched and unclenched with the need to grab something.

Antonio started in front but after a few moments he moved to behind Emford and firmly pushed him down on to his knees. The protestant moved back and then around and stood apparently waiting as Antonio reached around with one oily hand to push Emford’s head around.

Antonio kissed him urgently at first then pulled away to whisper in his ear, “time to christen the kitchen, just like we christened the bedroom, you me and the priest.”

Emford blushed as he remembered what had happened then tensed, “wait, what do you mean? Are you playing the role of the priest?!”

Antonio answered only with the most innocent expression Emford had seen yet. He was not fooled for a second but he didn’t resist when Antonio pushed him down to his hands and knees. He didn’t resist when he felt something tease and poke behind him but he did tense when it felt it push.

“No this is wrong,” he cried.

“I know but doesn’t that make it more fun?” said the man in front of him.

“Who are you?” cried Emford confused.

“I’m Aaron, I’m Protestant,” replied the man with a grin.

It was wrong, so terribly wrong but he didn’t resist even though he felt something push firmly against him. The flare of burning pain mingled with a more pleasurable sensation. This was a sin, a terrible sin. What would his brothers in the church say? What would the elders say?! Emford tried to lean back, to get up and stop Antonio but then he felt Antonio’s long hard length slide in, slick with oil, and all he could do was moan in surrender. For a few seconds, Antonio stayed still and Emford was rewarded with the delicious sensation of pressure in places he didn’t realise he had. Then there was movement.

Emford was happy enough the way he was but apparently the protestant wasn’t. He stepped forward then and got on his knees, presenting his own cock in Emford’s face.

For a second Emford felt a mild disappointment that the one he had in front of him was nowhere near as impressive as Antonio’s but he chided himself. It shouldn’t have mattered. Feeling a measure of guilt, he took it deep in his mouth.

The movements from behind started slow but began to speed up and the man in front began to follow suit. Emford couldn’t complain as wave after wave of pure gratification washed over him. He didn’t even complain when he heard a slap above him as Antonio murmured, “Eiffel tower!” Emford didn’t know what it meant though at that moment, he disengaged himself from the man in front, keeping the engorged organ in his hand and turned his head to look behind him.

Antonio had a look of concentration, sweat sliding down his face and chest. Emford followed the line of sweat down and then realised that the furry tail was swinging from side to side.

That was too much. The sight of that naughty tail, the sounds of flesh hitting against flesh, the hands that gripped his hips and then suddenly more hands taking his face and directing it back to the dick he held in his hand. Emford understood command and he was good at obeying. He continued with his duty, doing his best to service the man in his mouth while trying so hard to stay focused when the man behind abused his body so delightfully.

The hard thrusting hit a sweet spot repeatedly and he found himself moving back, wanting to be penetrated deeper. The pressure everywhere built, the sounds rising to a crescendo and Emford felt his body writhe and twist with pleasure just as Antonio groaned and he felt his host’s release inside him. A moment later, the protestant cried out and Emford for the second time felt a rush in his mouth and down his throat.

Afterwards he collapsed on the kitchen floor, his chest heaving and his body just a pliant puddle on the ground. Antonio was sitting behind him with his knees bent and the protestant in front slightly more prostrate on the ground.

Antonio chuckled and mumbled, “Great, now I have to clean up Santorum from my kitchen floor.”

Emford didn’t know what it means; only that Santorum was a senator. He didn’t really care either.  He only cared about one thing. “When is it my turn?” Emford hushed out between breaths.

“Your turn for what?” asked Antonio equally breathlessly.

“To do what you did.”

Antonio laughed, and Emford felt the vibrations of his laughter through his hip. “Oh honey we can arrange that. C’mon,” he stood unsteadily and playfully slapped Emford’s hip.

Getting up was hard but he found that when he drank the cool glass Antonio handed to him he felt much better. He followed his decadent host to the living room where several figures lay prostrate on the floor and couch in various stages of exhaustion. On a chair sat a man, breathing heavily but eyeing the two men now standing in front of him.  

“Muslim” whispered Antonio to his ear.

The man was dark skinned with thick lashes around his dark eyes. He had a dark scraggly beard that wasn’t long enough to be unruly but still more then could be found attractive at least by Emford. Antonio apparently had no problems; he went right up to the man, offered the glass and then struck up a short quiet conversation.

The conversation was very short as it wasn’t long before the darker skinned man was almost aggressively pushing his host back into the chair, devouring his mouth as if that was his salvation. Emford felt the now familiar flare of jealousy but this time something more. Watching the ardent way the two figures tried to seemingly melt into the wall was inspiring.

He looked down at his own flesh, surprised that it was swelling slightly even so soon after the last explosive release. He was so busy looking down he didn’t notice the short man timidly approach from behind until hands were rubbing over his hand and then his chest.

“Who are you?” asked Emford quietly.

“Joshua,” replied the man with a small smile. “Jehovah’s witness.”

Joshua apparently couldn’t get enough of touching Emford’s back and chest. Emford was so busy watching the tentative hands going over him he didn’t notice Antonio until his name was called. He looked up to find Antonio against the wall with the Muslim man now paying homage to Antonio’s cock.

Emford gave the Jehovah’s Witness an apologetic smile then went over to his now favourite host. He knew what was expected of him and it only took a little manoeuvring to take his now extremely hard self and do to the olive skinned man, what Antonio had done to him only minutes ago.

He was nervous, not sure and it took eager sounds from both his current lover and his former one to keep going. Then he got into his groove, found his rhythm. It was almost too tight, too hot and Emford wasn’t sure he could keep it up but he wanted to try. It helped when the timid man behind him came back and continued rubbing his hands over Emford’s body.

He looked up and saw Antonio’s face, mouth slightly open and those dark secretive eyes were now alight with carnal knowledge with all trace of innocence gone. The choir boy face was now bright with impish glee, lower lip clasped naughtily. As he watched, Antonio raised a hand, inviting it to be slapped. Tentatively he did and was rewarded with, “Eifel Tower!” it was then he understood. Their bodies were shaped like the monument.

Suddenly they were all just one figure, a mass of bodies, slick and hot, moving in soft gyrating motions and crying soft hushed moans and gasps. Emford was barely away of it but the movements gained momentum. The voices slowly grew louder and Emford couldn’t tell who was crying out the most. the hands rubbed more fervently, the hips more forcefully. Muscles tensed and relaxed and their cries raised up until Emford felt the most powerful burst of pure pleasure he had ever felt in his life.

He wasn’t in his body anymore, just a formless mass that fused into everything he touched. Maybe he had died and that was alright with him.

When he came too, he found he was on a hard floor, now sticky with oil and sweat and his limbs tangled with the limbs of three other figures. He crawled just enough to detangle himself and leaned against the wall beside Antonio who lay with his eyes closed, his face no long innocent, just entirely sated.

“So,” breathed his host. “How was that?”

Emford contemplated his predicament. “I came here to save your soul. You tricked me. Tied me to your bed. Ripped my most sacred beliefs from me. Basted me in olive oil, defiled every part of me and now you ask me how it was?” Antonio nodded.

Emford started laughing. “I think I might have lost Jesus.”

“It’s ok; we can keep helping you try to find him.”

“Ok.” Emford smiled, “whenever you want.”

17 - No Wedding and Maybe a Funeral

Hung Hom was a terrible place to end up. He was 84 years old and had trouble remembering some things but he knew that his life had been extraordinary. He'd survived... well many things, it was just hard to bring them up. He did rememeber those simpler days when life was not quite so rushed, and things were not quite so noisy. It was harder to remember specifics. He did remember his children and what they had done to him.  He remembered when he did not think about funerals everyday because of his view out the window.

It was a horrible state of affairs, to be abandoned by one's family in a place such as this. It was billed as an old people's home though it hardly felt like home. What was the world coming to when one's children had no concept of their duties to their parents, to the people who had given them life and sacrificed so much. To be left to rot in a home with all those other lost parents whose children had abandoned them.He was not a happy man and life was now devoid of all joy.

The knowledge that being on a ventilator and needing constant care had been too much for his daughter did not lessen the sting. No, back in his days, children cared for their sick elders. It was the sons who would marry and bring home suitable daughter in laws who would cook, clean and generally do all that the elders now could no longer do. His son had not married. His daughter had married all right and had a son of her own, but instead of staying home to care for her child and her father, she continued to work and while she had hired a foreign made to care for her child, the same consideration was not extended to her own father.

He growled under his breath as he stared out the windows. The home was not terribly unpleasent but most of the elderly were treated with a sort of cold efficiency. The caretakers were polite but terribly brisk. He did not like to consider them too much. One could not become friends with those who cleaned out his bedpan.

His children came, bringing bags of biscuits and some chocolates. His grandson was not with them. "he had to do his homework" was the excuse. He was not happy and he threw the chocolates at his children for their inconsiderate disrespect. They left after only a little while and he was left looking out the dreary windows again. Hung Hom was a terrible place to end up. From his window, he could see the little flower shop. It was not just any flower shop. They only sold flower arrangements for funerals. Behind this stall was the tall imposingly beige building of the funeral parlour. He had gone there before, he knew he had. It was hard to remember how many times. One thing he did know, the next time would be the last.

***

He wasn't sure how long he'd been here now. He could recognise most other elderly living here and knew that he was no longer the newest one. There was one new face and it was not elderly. She was a new nurse. It seemed she'd been hired fairly recently and she was put in charge of taking care of him.

It was understandable really, he did have quite a few little problems. His ventilator's tubes often could get clogged, he couldn't quite hold his bladder through the night, his diet needed managing now. He had more pills then were worth counting.

His previous nurses had done their duties but nothing more then that. This new nurse smiled at him as well. His old heart would flutter.

She was a lovely girl, much younger then him obviously though he couldn't tell exactly how old. She had no wrinkles but the slightly tired eyes of someone who wasn't exactly that young. She was rather short and plump, with hair shorter then he thought fashionable but she also had dimples.

She was diligent about making sure that he was getting enough oxygen and checking his vitals. He pretended to make a fuss when she tried to make him take his pills just so he could hear her calmly wheedle. He created a bigger fuss when she tried to make him wear adult diapers but he didn't put it against her because she didn't push the issue too hard. He smiled silently when she cut his overgrown toenails and made comments about his horrible feet and the best part of his day was when he would ask her to change the channel on the TV after he'd hidden the remote. She would bend over and her little uniform would stretch quite snugly over her bottom. Luckily for him, someone else was tasked with giving him a bath.

***
His birthday was almost forgotten, but his special nurse had remembered. "Would you like to take a stroll outside?" she asked. He hadn't been outside except for hospital visits. "Just until your family come of course. I'll have you back in time!"

He nodded enthusiastically of course and though it took time to sort out the logistics of taking a portable oxygen tank and making sure he was warm and covered, soon enough he was wheeled into the industrial sized life, carefully lowered down the steps and out the front door. Another one of the orderlies tried to walk with them, but he angrily waved him away. He wanted to be alone with her.

For the first block or so they were silent but after awhile she began to ask him about his family. He didn't want to talk about them but he did because he was having trouble thinking of anything else. She was an attentive listening but it wasn't long before he couldn't quite remember things. It might have been uncomfortable but she began to talk about her life. This was much more fun.

She told him about her family at first then things she liked to do. She talked about her favourite foods, abalone being a particular one. He was enthralled. Instantly, he decided that he liked badminton as well and he must have always liked abalone. It went on and on until they reached the small playground area that stood as a park. Not much of a park, some wilty plants and ugly benches near a small slide and something else made for kids.

She was now talking about someone. Some she was almost complaining about him but with a smile on her face. "he's very messy and sometimes he can be very grumpy." He wondered who she was talking about. "He's a little older then me but I dont think that is a big issue." She went on about this person's faults but did so with a smile. Clearly this was someone she care about. He began to imagine and wonder and suppose. His ears weren't listening too clearly when he started to imagine that maybe she might care a little bit about him like he did her. It was no great leap from caring to love so he blurted out, "Please marry me!" just as she said, "my boyfriend..."

There was an awkward pause. It went on forever. His nurse wasn't smiling anymore. Then the moment passed. "Don't be silly," she said. She tucked his blanket around him but wouldn't look at him. He wanted to say something, pretend it was a joke. He couldn't think. She mumbled about the cold and said "lets go back."

She continued to talk as she wheeled him along, this time going back another way but he was not listening. Instead he was scowling at the flower stalls making funeral wreaths, at the little stores selling paper goods to be burned for the ancestors. He scowled at the hearths that passed them on the road and scowled at the clicky noises that signalled they could cross the street from the funeral parlour to the his building.

When they got back to the Old people's home, his nurse made sure everything was taken care of, put him at his window and said, "They will be here soon." she meant his family, but he was looking out the window at the men unloading another casket. "Yes, they will," he mumbled scowling.

16 - Art and Muse

Life had become so dull and dreary and devoid of all delights. Worst of all, inspiration had dried up leaving an empty void of non-activity and stagnation. For an artist, this was the worst circle of hell and Fred was close to another breakdown. He did not want to be admitted, not again so instead he went back to the outpatient clinic.

His old psychiatrist was there in the neutral colored office wearing earth tones in front the neat desk. Fred sat with the coffee table between them, staring at the unoffending box of tissue and the coasters laying perpendicular on the surface. A wastebasket half filled with used tissues testified to the teary client that had come before him and Fred felt a twinge guilt that he was taking up his doctor's time when there might have been others who were more emotionally distraught, then he thought of his empty sketchbook and suddenly all guilt disapeared.

His doctor listened in compassionate silence, nodding appropriately and making soft noises at just the right points. It made him feel better until he was asked about his meds. He hated taking his meds. He had stopped. It may have been the cause of his lack of inspiration. He did not tell his therapist.

"Try doing one thing different everyday," said the deep voice across from him.

"Like what?"

His doctor considered, looking up at the ceiling as he made a soft noise in his throat, "like walk home on a different path one day or... go to a different cafe or maybe just even order a different drink. Just one thing. It might help with the inspiration." The therapist smiled encouragingly.

It sounded so silly. Fred was disapointed slightly but it didn't stop him from trying it. The next day he woke up, and followed his old routine until he went out for his coffee. Instead of his usual place, he went across the road. He didn't order something different though.

The coffee tasted about the same but this cafe was definitely different. The tables were lower, the couches and chairs more worn yet the whole place had a homey atmosphere. Fred rather liked it but he still felt anxiety. Until he saw her.

She was sitting at the window, the sunlight illuminating half her face. She had light brown hair, glinting gold slightly, pale skin with a hint of freckles and brown eyes. She was wearing a modest sweater and baggy jeans. Her shoes were almost too sensible. Everything about her was so clean and neat. Her hair was in a neat ponytail. Her table was perfectly clean, everything on it perpendicular to each other.She was sitting ramrod straight, eating what looked like breakfast with a cup of tea. Her movements were precise and careful, each seemingly planned out and done with perfect execution.

Fred was enchanted. It wasn't that she was particularly pretty but she glowed with the mystery of everything unknown that Fred needed to know. Fred pulled out his sketchbook and began to sketch. The way the light was falling on her at this moment was perfect. She had to be drawn. The girl didn't seem to notice. She only looked out the window, her face just slightly melancholy. He was so engrossed in shading and perfecting his drawing that after awhile when he looked up, she was gone.

 ***

Amelia was not having a good day. Her anxieties were worsening with with them her moods. Her meds had been adjusted already but they didn't seem to have helped. If anything she felt so much worse. She could hardly concentrate with her eyes alighting on everything that was messy and dirty. The need to adjust and clean and the fear when she couldn't was becoming overwhelming.

She went to her outpatient clinic to see her Psychiatrist. He suggested she wait, the meds sometimes took longer to take effect.

Amelia left feeling worse but she had to soldier on. The trip itself had been hard, she had to follow a routine. The next day, to make up for it, she was extra vigilant to stick to her comfortable ways. Wake up and brush teeth the exact number of times. Turn the light switches exact number of times. Wash her hands afterwards, the exact number of wringing. Go to her favourite cafe and order the same meal. Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with no butter and a cup of tea with no lemon or sugar. She liked lemon, but it was impossible to find two slices there were the same size and it had been easier to give it up.

She sat at her table, made sure everything was neat, clean and perfectly perpendicular and tried to just enjoy her meal.

***

Fred didn't forget the girl. He went to the cafe the next day and the day after. She was always there. He tried to be subtle but he had to draw her. He worked fast and was able to do several sketches. He started to sit at different tables to get different angles. He worked manicly with silent enthusiasm, loving the way his hands could not stop, the way he could not stop. As if creativity had taken over and his body was just a vessel.

When he got home, he still couldn't stop. He would paint. His work until now had been pretty plain, he used to just do stills of life, like pictures but the mystery of the girl who's name he didn't know was haunting and he painted what he tried to imagine she might be like. What might be her thoughts, her feelings. He created worlds in minutae in the backgrounds, used colours to create her voice. His sketches were his basis, but on canvas, he brought her to life.

Fred painted and painted, stopping only to sleep and eat and occasionally go out to buy more materials. He used the last of his savings to buy bigger canvases and continued to paint and create. He had no idea how much time had passed but when his creativity finally waned, his energy almost spent he had created an entire series of paintings all around this one girl.

The next step was to call some galleries, try and get them shown. It wasn't easy. He had been almost forgotten but his work had to be shown and through sheer obstinacy and possibly the obsessive enthusiasm in his voice won them over. A gallery would show his work.

***
Amelia was feeling as if everything was conspiring against her. It was not just her OCD, she was at a point in her life where she was really truly beginning to consider her future and finding it so terribly bleak. It stretched out before her as an endless parade of hours in the toilet washing her hands. Hours organzing items, hours spent catagorizing, and adjusting and checking. Hours spent on things she herself knew was just a waste of time. Hours that could have been spent living life was instead spent trying to scratch that itch in her mind. That urge that promised that if she failed, only the most horrible of horrors would occur.

Amelia kept going to the cafe only this time she noticed that there was a new regular. A thin wiry sort of man with tussled blond hair. His hands were usually clean, but he often had specks of paint on his arms and on his shirt which was always worn and old. He was not her type. She had to have neat in her life, and this man did not seem neat, but her eyes would frequently wander over and while part of her brain catagorized all the things that she wanted to fix, the other part sighed at his pretty hair, his long artful fingers and most of all, the earnest almost yearning look in his eyes.

He was always working on some notepad of his. Perhaps he was a student or something. She didn't know and didn't have the courage to find out, but she did know that he frequently looked up at her. Each time, she was careful to avert her eyes as if she didn't notice. She was so afraid he might come to talk to her. She wished so much that he might one day.

That thought kept her awake. She imagined what it would be like. The smiles, the easy conversations. She imagined them on a date, talking together, walking in the park. She imagined holding hands with him. Then she imagined the shudder she would betray looking at his scuffy shoes. Worse she imagined him watching her washing her hands obsessively, his face not showing eagerness anymore but disgust.

It always ended awfully, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. It started a dream then became a nightmare. Oh how she wished she was different. That she was normal.

***
Fred's gallery opening was imminent. It was making him nervous and he rushed back to the outpatient clinic to see his Psychiatrist. They talked about his artwork and his inspiration. Fred talked about his muse.

"Perhaps you should talk to her," suggested his psychiatrist. "Perhaps even invite her to the gallery."

The idea was so fantastic and so awful at the same time, it stuck. It didn't help that as Fred left his psychiatrists office and walked out the door, a figure passed him. Hunched over, staring at the ground, careful to avoid the cracks on the sidewalk. Fred almost missed who it was. It was the girl. He was so excited he almost stopped her there to talk to her, but the moment passed and he watched as she turned into the outpatient Mental health clinic.

Fred wanted to wait for her, perhaps even follow her, but people did not like to be bothered when about to meet their psychiatrists. He understood that.

Fred thought about talking to her, telling her about his art, inviting her to his gallery. What if she hated it? Some people might have felt it invasive to be the subject of an entire series of artwork without having been asked previously. Fred was worried but he hadn't thought about it. He had just followed his creative impulse.

At least talk to her. At least... introduce himself.

The next day at the cafe, he watched her come in, sit at the same table and order the same food. He stood to walk over and just at that moment, she looked up and glanced at him. The look on her face was not curiousity or eagerness. It was fear. Fred turned his tracks and walked out instead.

Fear? Because of him? Or something else? He couldn't know really. Only that it had spread to him. He went home and chastised himself instead.

The gallery was that evening and was a raging success. Everybody loved his work. He suddenly found himself being pursued for interviews. His work was photographed, to be published in a well - known art magazine. It gave him courage. He could not be enjoying such success without giving appropriate due to his muse. At the very least she had to know.

He went back to the cafe.

She did not come that day or the next or the next. This was strange. He went to his psychiatrist and tried to ask about her.

The psychiatrist listened carefully and looked sad. For a long time he was silent. Then, "Normally i have something called confidentiality. You understand that right? I could never talk about one of my patients to you."

"But I know she's a patient.. right?"

"There are two other doctors working here," sigh, "I think maybe you might want to know. Her name was Amelia."

"Amelia," Fred sang the name in his head then stopped. "Wait, was?"

"She had OCD and depression. She's been struggling with her anxieties and moods for years. It became too much for her. She had no close family, no close friends. She committed suicide just a few days ago." His Psychiatrist was tense and unhappy. So very different from what Fred was used to seeing. Fred hardly registered the words.

"She had noticed you... said she had seen you here and at the cafe. Said that you had given her a dream that was so lovely that reality became too terrible to bear because she knew that the dream could never come true."

Fred sat in utter stillness and did not move for a very long time. 

15. Cats be crazy

Goddesses deserved the most reverent and constant of attentions and her lowly human had neglected her. One could not expect the divine to take care of themselves, that was what worshippers were for. Humans, however, were woefully poor at it despite their aposable thumbs. Princess Miaowser Fluffyngton's claws had grown uncomfortably long. She might have yowled and clawed a little whenever her human trimmed them, but that was just Godly divinity asserting her dominance. Her human could hardly have assumed that she need not do it.

Princess Miaowser Fluffyngton, or Fifi as she was commonly called did not like having exceptionally long nails. They were uncomfortable and broke easily. She needed to have them filed and shorted. Her human, willfully ignorant as she was, did not keep a scratchpost nearby. So Fifi had to resort to scratching things nearby.

First, she tried the smooth leather of the bright blue coach bag her human had left beside the bed. Then she tried the bedposts. Finally she tried to curtains. All of them helped, the curtains especially.

Fifi liked her newly shorn nails but even she had to admit that her artwork on the curtains were not exactly in line with latest modern art. Fifi of course kept up with the trends. The work on the bag was better so she touched it up a bit.

Still, she thought her human should be compensated for the tacky work on the curtains, so Fifi went in search of a gift. Humans loved gifts. So did cats of course but that was neither here nor there.

Fifi prowled around the apartment. She checked under the tables and bed. She prowled above the bookshelf. She knocked over a vase and jumped a little when it crashed, causing her to run into a neat stack of CDs which also fell down. Fifi didn feel a little sorry about that but not about the vase. It had been ugly.

She found no suitable gift until she went into the kitchen. There, just in front of the sink was prey. It was small, dark brown with long feelers and rather spiky little legs, but it was the best she could find, and as far as cockroaches went, it was quite big.

She stalked and prowled, coming carefully closer. As a descendent of a long line of Divine hunters, Fifi was confident of her hunting skills. This was her superpower. It was easy enough to catch her prey. Her newly sharpened claws made it so much easier and her fangs, oh how proud she was of her fangs. They sank right through the tough outer shell to the mushyness within.

She was carrying back to the bedroom, fully intent on laying it on her human's pillow as a lovely little gift when she tasted it. A foul, noxious, vile taste. The taste of something poisonous and distinctly chemical. Oh, lowly ignorant humans, laying about poisons to kill small critters. This poor cockroach had obviously either stepped in it, or ingested it. It had probably been close to death anyways. Now Fifi might had inadvertently swallowed some.

She only just made it to the corner when she couldn't hold it back. Up, up, up it came. All the contents of her stomach. It was so humiliating, so shameful. Oh Fifi did not feel like the suave, sleek beautifully Godly creature that she was but she had no choice.

Afterwards, she sat, curled up, her tail tickling her nose slightly feel utterly small. This would not do. She had an image to upkeep. She was unique. She was special. She was Godly. She was a cat!

This thought was uplifting. She first went through a thorough grooming. Image was important after all. Then she decided that her original thought was a good one. She would bring a gift for her human. This human after all, was good with the cuddles and most especially with the food.

There were no more cockroaches, so Fifi resorted to her secret exit. The upper window in the toilet was always kept slightly open. Outside among the jungle and maze of alleys, pipes and boxes, Fifi found a rat. It was a small rat really, but suitably plump. Rats are harder prey then cockroaches sometimes, but Fifi was a fantastic hunter.

Coming back in with her fat little rat was a little harder, but Fifi managed it so well, even she was pleased. She lay the rat on her human's pillow, even taking care to artfully arrange it in the best way possible then curled up on the windowsill.

The sight of her messy puddle, complete with the dead cockroach still in the middle upset her. She was so upset, she had to groom herself again. That cause her to feel that unsettled feeling again except this time she only brought up a furball. That actually made her feel more confidence. Fullballs and vomit sometimes went hand in hand. Her human would never know.

When her human came home, Fifi made sure she was out of sight. IT had to be a surprise. She stayed under the bed, in the darkest corner and listened to the yowls and shrieks. She especially liked the high pitched squeal she heard when the rat was discovered. It filled her heart with joy.

She stayed under as her human did her routine of yowling over the curtains and other surprises. Her supper that evening was only tinned food, none of the anchovies that Fifi liked so much, but her human must have been tired out by all the excitement to forget. She only had to miaow quietly, turning round eyes up at her and her human melted.

Two anchovies appeared in her dish. Fifi smiled. Yes, the human had accepted that it had been her own fault. IT always was of course. Fifi was exonerated and her status as Goddess of the home restored.

14. Leper Gnome

There was a leper gnome inside his head. Nobody believed him, but Shawn knew it was true. This leper gnome was a gnarled and twisted created. It lived inside his cranium, wandering around wreaking havoc with his thoughts. In a week, it might dance the macarenha deep inside his amygdala making his body pulse with anxiety or play the maracas  near his prefrontal lobe making his thoughts oddly distorted or perhaps take a nap, leaving his mind free to be optimistic. Shawn was absolutley sure his default state would have been preppy optimism had he not had his extra headmate. Worse were the days this gnome merrily chiselled his skull. The thuds reverberating into painful throbbing headaches.

Shawn at first kept silent about his strange condition, being picked on at school already for his low grades didn't help. In adulthood, he tried to ease the symptoms and after meeting a curiously interested and seemingly understanding doctor, he told the truth. Suddenly he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder or some suggested schizophrenia. "But i dont hear voices!" he insisted which was true enough. the Gnome didn't talk to him, but it did happily send him lots of images and thoughts, usually of the self-loathing and irritatingly repetitive variety.

Months of therapy and haze inducing medications later, Shawn was able to convince his doctors to treat him as an outpatient. He wasn't  dangerous and as far as delusions went, he was able to convince them that they had receded. They weren't delusions of course but he could lie if he needed.

Life back outside seemed to go on as usual except he had Xanax to dull the worst moments when his leper gnome decided to have a solo party inside his head.

Meanwhile, Shawn had no idea that he was indeed being watched. Not by government agents or spies or stalkers or ex-girlfriends (he didn't have any) but by aliens. For years, an alien species had been observing earth, curious about the planet but more importantly gathering intel for a possible invasion and subsequent enslavement. Humans might have been squishy but they seemed to be a fairly hard working species, attaining civilisation in a relative short span of time.

These aliens had for years been carefully abducting and experimenting on various specimen of the human species and now they had their sights on this short flaxen haired male called Shawn.

The abduction was meticulously planned. They waited for the cover of dark and used a drone to follow him silently. When he stepped out for his evening walk, they grabbed him, administering a quick sedative to control him.

It wasn't long before he was stripped and laid out on their table with their spirally and spinning surgical tools laid out beside him.

Unfortunately Shawn woke up just before they were to begin the vivisection. first he screamed wordlessly, then muttered and shrieked then laughed and cried. The aliens had never really seen one so vocal and awake and out of sheer morbid curiousity did not put him back under. Instead they turned on the universal translator.

"... What the fuck you guys? You aren't supposed to be in new york or LA or some major american city blowing shit up. If you want to abduct people, why aren't you in the mid-west like always? What the fuck man?! Why me? I'm fucked up! you don't want to probe me, i had a really bad burrito for dinner. seriously. you wanna rethink this, and hey .. hey... you can't go in my head, my Leper gnome's gonna get you bad!" Shawn droned on and the aliens began to tire. Truth was, they had heart similar from others abductees though non had talked of this "leper gnome".

The procedure went as planned except for a minor hiccupt when they probed him from behind, the resulting explosion was so dramatic and revolting, they wondered if this was some previously undocumented self defence mechanism. Fearing another posterior attack, the aliens switched to investigating his brain.

Carefully they sliced and drilled and finally opened his skull... and were attacked by a tiny little vicious creature. They had never seen anything quite so brutal yet tiny. It had claws and teeth and other sharp implements. It took three aliens to finally subdue this filthy monster and place it inside a specimen tube. They watched the creature writhe in bloody viciosness behind the glass. Clearly this creature had been a parasite living inside the head of this human specimen. They were well familiar with brain parasites. They were particularly susceptible to it. The fact that this human had survived so long and still was able to function seemed a good indication that they had underestimate this species. This was worrying news.

The aliens were apprehensive. They patched Shawn back up, microscopically stitching him up, putting him back in his clothes and plopping him back down on his porch before flying away. They took the gnome with them. They would have to report back to the mothership. Leave this planet alone. Brain altering parasites found.

Shawn woke up the next morning, groggy and slightly sore on his back end. He also had a very unpleasent dream concerning aliens. It was not until lunch that he noticed something astounding. He was not having to fight off intrusive thoughts. he had no headache. Of course it was many days before he began to think the gnome was gone but it would be weeks before he came up with a theory. Nobody believed him of course. Alien abductions and they took his gnome out, but this time he didn't care. All he cared about was that the gnome was done.

13. Sacrifice

The world was collapsing. Great rifts appeared in the sky. Astronomers reported the worrying fact that these rifts seemed to stretch on out inter interstellar space. Some tried to posit that this was just a trick of weather, or a new galactic phenomena that should not be feared neccessarily but the tears in the fabric of the universe were visible even at night, the frayed edges glimmering slightly but more worryingly, the gaping maw between even blacker then the blackness of space. Humanity had found a new template for fear.

Of course, the blame game started. Some blamed aliens. Some blamed technology. Some blamed religious people for not praying enough or eating pork or giving women the vote. The debates raged on underneath as above the fragmentation of the sky worsened. As more fractures appeared, most religious people united to blame the gays. It had always been the gays.

The gays responded with "We couldn't tear any kind of fabric," then added that with enough rainbows, the sky might not fragment. Indeed, it seemed that the more gays were allowed to fornicate openly and have fabulous parties in the open air, the slower the fragmenting seemed. However it didn't stop it entirely.

A secret enclave gathered in a secret location. So secret that even heads of state were not aware. The only ones invited where the most respected theologians and philosophers. Religious leaders from all backgrounds were flown in. Only a handful of scientists were invited, some physicist and a mathematician.

Instantly there was a chaotic scene right in the richly carpeted room where the meeting was supposed to be held. Religious leaders started attacking each other, accusing each other of improper faith, or apostasy or blasphemy or heresy. The shouting became unbearable and the scientists withdrew outside till it was over while the buddhists shook their heads.

When voices grew thin and reedy the shouting thinned and a small men with grey hair finally stood and called for attention. "We've gathered here... NOT to air out differences, but find similarities. It is upon our venerable shoulders, gentlemen, that we find a solution to our great problem." The hum in the room receded to a stony silence. "The end of the world is nigh, we must find out why our God is so displeased with us."

Instantly the evangelicals and a handful of cult leaders stood and chanted that this was heresy. If God wanted the world to end then so be it. They would be saved. Each argued against the other, insisting that only THEY were the chosen ones and continued to do so as they walked out.

In the silence after they left, a calmer more rational debate followed. The scientists were asked for their opinions, politely listened to then breezily ignored afterwards. The buddhists were preaching for calm acceptence of the inevitable. Mormons felt that everyone should marry multiple wives to stop the cracking of the sky. Rabbis debated with each other on the possibility that this was either a plague of sorts or a great tribulation to be endured.

They great texts were read, re-read and poured over. Hours passed where they tried to find answers in the ancient texts. In the meantime, the scientists played scrabble and solitaire, bored at the proceedings and wondering if their colleagues had discovered some new element to their galactic troubles.

Finally a grey old bishop and an Rabbi and an Mullah seemed to come to an agreement. They had found a common ground. They had discovered a repeating vein in many of their texts. A theme of sacrifice for attonement. They discussed it at length and came to the conclusion that perhaps God needed a sacrifice.

The Buddhists left first in a silent procession of grim silence. Violence was not their creed. The scientists left next in loud noisy outrage. The mathematician stayed out of sheer morbid curiosity however and listened as the theologians and philosophers debated. Several philosophers would leave as well as a handful of theologians. Two bishops tried to leave then ran back in, deathly pale reporting that a giant rift had appeared right above them. This only spurred the discussions towards the inevitable. They would find a suitable sacrifice and offer it up to God. If it worked, then they would save the world! If not, then well at least they tried.

Who the sacrifice would be was discussed. It was unanimous that the their sacrifice should be a girl and a virgin but they were divided on exactly which religious background she should be from. Some argued that she should be pretty, others that she should not be too young. Some suggested sacrificing one from each "Just in case, God wanted a selection." Luckily this idea was ignored. Everyone agreed that she should not be atheist. They only went to hell. It would be a sacrifice to the Devil, not to God.

Suddenly great noises were heard outside. A glance behind the door revealed that the rift above them was widening. New tears were forming and worse, seemed to be spreading down to the ground which heaved and shuddered.

There was a new urgency. They were running out of time. It was agreed that a sacrifice was needed. Now. There was just one problem, they were miles away from any town. There was no time to go find a virginal woman and bring her back.

"Lets sacrifice any woman!" someone cried.

Everyone looked around. There was no woman among them. Not even among their retinue. Not a single one had been invited. Fear gripped them until they spotted him. A lone boy standing beside a bishop in a choirboy robe.

He was a beautiful boy with wide innocent eyes, pale hair and the milky smooth skin of youth. He had stood quietly, close to the bloated mass of flesh that even now was slowly stroking that smooth head of tussled hair.

There was an uneasy murmer thrumming through the room, then someone said, "what about him?"

The boy seemed not to understand but the bishop behind him was nervous. "he's my pageboy, my uh... assistant," he insisted.

"Is he a virgin?" someone asked.

The bishop looked nervous, eyes darting here and there.

"Is he?" someone else insisted, this time with an edge in their voice.

"Uh.. yes.. of course.... he is... uh... only nine." The bishop was visibly sweating, his hands firmly behind him.

The murmer then grew more insistent. Some were not comfortable with the idea of sacrificing a boy, but what other choice did they have? They faced the boy, who now seemed to realise the danger he was in. When they began to close in, the boy fled.

Around the room he darted, sliding under legs and knocking fat ungainly priests and Rabbis out of the way. Unfortunately someone had had the forsight to lock the door and it wasn't long before the boy was caught, wriggling and writhing and biting.

A table was brought out and the boy laid out and firmly held in place. Then another problem. "how will we do it?"

"We should cut his throat. God clearly needs to see blood."

"No, strangle him, that will be enough."

"No we must do the proper rituals then behead him." The debates continued. They settled on throat slicing till they realised that they had brought no knife or sword.

"Fine, throttle him with a cord." Then another debate on what cord or rope to use exactly.

Finally, they were ready. Prayers were offered while others chanted. If anyone felt a smidgen of guilt, he suppressed it. If anyone was secretly thrilled, they hid that too. The little boy, wriggled and kicked, not entirely understanding what was too happen, he was just a small italian orphan with little schooling, but he did know that being held down was not a good sign. He'd been with his bishop long enough to know, men in robes were not to be trusted.

The rope was raised, the chanting grew louder and just as it grew to a crescendo, the doors burst open and a strong and very hot gust of wind blew in. Hair and clothese were scorched slightly but there was no one at the door except a voice.

"What on Heaven and Earth do you think you are doing?!" cried the great booming voice. It sounded neither male nore female but something in between. It was definitely not human. It had to be God.

"We... are... trying to apease you lord." whimpered a Bishop.

"Through Murder? Dear me, when I created you, I really must have been stingy with intelligence. Thousands of years of development and evolution and this is all you can imagine in a time of crisis?" The booming voice was decidedly peeved.

"But... But, we read your texts.. we ... thought this was what you wanted," said a Rabbi prostrate on the floor.

"They were supposed to be allegorical. Metaphorical even. Not literal. You'd think you'd get that from the language used." The voice sighed, "I knew I should have let the lot of you drown before this."

"But then... what is it you want oh Lord of all? Why are you destroying our world?"

"Who said I'm destroying. Look at you whimpering like a bunch of feckless idiots. I'm trying to remind you of something you all seem to have forgotten!"

"Please tell us!" cried a Mullah loudly, looking firmly at the ground.

"God, what would the point in that be. I dont give out answers that easy." The voice became irritated, "What am i saying, my most backwardly evolved creation, apperently i do have to spoonfeed you everything."

"We evolved?! cried a Creationist priest who had been hiding in the back.

"Course you evolved, you pillock," snapped the voice. "You think i put dinosaur bones in the ground to fuck with your heads? What do you take me for? Some arsehole?!"

"What was thine lesson for us, please... tell us!" asked a Mullah reverently.

"To live each day as if it is your last. Why do you think I went with the tearing and ripping. I could have just willed you all out of existence."

"But.. how?!" cried the Mullah.

"With love, compassion and curiosity, oh for fucks sake. Screw the lot of you. I should have known you guys weren't worth my time when you started hacking bits off of your children in my name. You know what? I'm going to concentrate on my other planets. You guys are on your own." The voice was waspish.

"We are not your only creations?!" Cried the former Creationist.

"You guys really are arrogant tossers aren't you? Think you are the centre of the world. Well good luck with that. And let that boy go!" The boy was released instantly and he sat up and hopped off the table. "And seriously, you might wanna spend more time thinking about the wolves in your midst. Like that bishop over there. Stop fiddlng with children. Do i HAVE to spell out EVERYTHING?! you guys are like the universal equivalent of special needs kids. This wouldn't have happened if i left women in charge. Stupid me for thinking they had so much to deal with already I shouldn't give them more work... " With that the voice faded. Gust of air blew the other way and it became evident that God was no longer with them.

The emptiness that he left behind was just too much. Many were openly weeping, tearing at their hair, grieving for the smug confidence that they had no lost. Some ambled away through the door to begin their search for a new way of life. Some stood catatonic.

The little boy went to his bishop and kicked him squarely in the shin, smiling when the bishop began to cry. He then walked out the doors and looked up. The rifts were gone. No hint remained of what had been so evident just a few minutes before. All seemed to remain was an exasperated sigh lingering in the air.  

12. Babies

If there was one thing Teresa wanted more then anything in the world, it was her own child. A baby. All sweet smelling, cooing with their adorable disproportionate bodies and pudgy faces. She loved babies. She loved the way they looked, the way they giggled and the way they just made your heart melt. She loved children as well. Who couldn't, such sweet innocence and love. Oh how Teresa loved babies, it was just frustrating that she had to wait till she was married. She was not yet 17 so marriage was not the first thing on her boyfriend's mind.

She told her mom of course, just sharing her sudden desire. Mom said something about raging hormones then got a look on her face. The same look she got when she watched a horror film. Teresa wasn't quite sure why. She was however, sure that her mother didn't quite support her ambition.

Which was why she was very surprised when her mother suggested a two day sleepover at aunty Mable's house where she was to personally take care of Mable's two children. Joe who was still less then a year old, and Shareen who was five. Teresa was thrilled. She packed her bags and filled it with some toys and some games but mostly her enthusiasm and happily chatted all the way about how much fun she'd have.

"Mable and her husband are going to be there in the evening to help you, but you'll be alone most of the day," warned her mother. "you'll have to make sure Joe is clean and fed and happy and that Shareen is occupied."

"Don't worry mom! I love kids!" Teresa replied.

She was less enthusiastic when Mable showed her how to change diaper, but it wasn't really as bad as other had made it out to be. A little pee wouldn't faze her, though trying to make sure Joe was clean was harder. Mable seemed worried and repeated no less then seven times, her number, her husband, Peter's number and the number of the their pediatrician. Then she reminded Teresa about the emergency number as if Teresa was retarded. Finally she left for a day long "holiday" with her husband.

Teresa waved goodbye with a big cheery smile then closed the door, turning around to face the wide eyes of Shareen. "Where's mommy going?" asked the high pitched voice.

"Out for a small holiday with daddy," replied Teresa with a big smile.

"Why?"

"Everyone needs a holiday," Teresa replied walking into the living room where Joe was waiting.

"Why?"

"People like holidays," Teresa picked up Joe who cooed in her ear. He was heavier then she thought he would be, but she liked the way he smelled.

"Why?" Shareen was resolutely following her.

"Everyone likes holidays," said Teresa now with a hint of irritation. She braced herself and before Shareen could ask her question said, "would you like a snack?" Shareen nodded and followed her without asking why.

An hour later, Teresa was not smiling anymore. Shareen had started the questions again. Teresa tried to quell them with a game only to have to stop the game mid way as Joe was announcing his discomfort with loud wails. She tried to feed Joe again, some gloopy orange mix left by Mable but Joe was having none of it.

"Oh god, no wonder. This tastes awful," said Teresa as she tried a small spoonful. Joe continued to wail. "ok, ok, wait baby." She pulled out the baby bottle and filled it with milk, warming it just as Mable had told her. Joe accepted that with alarming swiftness and silently sucked on the bottle, making little tuck tuck sounds as well as the occasional sniffle.

Teresa went back to the game to find that Shareen had taken all the little plastic pieces that signified a win. "hey," she said patiently. "That's not right. You didn't have that many when I left."

"Yes I did, " said shareen confidently.

"No, you didn't," said Teresa patiently. "That's cheating."

"Yes, I did!"

"No,"

"Yes."

This continued on for abit until Teresa realised that shareen could happily say Yes for all eternity. She sighed. "Well how about we start again. This time, if you win, I'll give you a chocolate."

Shareen smiled widely and happily poured all the pieces back into the box while Teresa congratulated herself on her quickness. Halfway through this game however, Joe started to cry again. No amount of food offerings seemed to stop his crying and Teresa picked up him trying to comfort him. Thats when she smelled it. A pungent and incredibly unpleasent stench.

Joe quieted a little when he realised that his diaper was about to be changed. Teresa almost cried when she opened his diaper. Never, in her life had she ever imagined something could smell quite so awful. She suddenly understood why everyone hated changing diapers. She wasn't sure she could do it. It was not only disgusting, it was everywhere. Teresa imagined herself throwing everything away. the diaper, the mess, the baby. No, Mable would not be pleased. She steeled herself and completed the task, wiping away and powdering and wretching silently.

She had just finished and gone back to Shareen when she saw the all the pieces back in Shareen's lap. "hey, you cheated again."

"did not."

"did too."

"did not"

"did too."

This continued for about eight rounds until Teresa sighed and again gathered her patience. "if everyone cheated, the world would stop."

"why?"

"Because it's unfair."

"why?"

Teresa just didn't answer. "where's my chocolate? I want my chocolate," demanded Shareen with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Teresa was about to refuse until she saw the reddening of Shareen's face. She'd had enough of crying infants.

"ok."

"when is mommy coming back?"

"I don't know." Teresa felt a mild sense of panic. What if Mable never came home? oh god, the horror of having to take care of this stinky infant and his monster of a sister!

"why?"

Teresa felt something inside her drain away. "I dont know."

"why?"

"because i'm stupid."

"Why?"

"Because I am." She was, she really was. When had she ever wanted to have one of these things. Shareen didn't stop. IT was why why why why why why. Teresa began to make up answers, just to keep Shareen occupied. She played games and let Shareen cheat. When Joe cried, she gave him whatever he wanted. The entire time, her eyes were glued to the clock. Mable hadn't said exactly when she'd be home, but surely it couldn't be long.

The hands in the clock ticked as Shareen asked stupid irritating questions. It ticked as Teresa numbingly rolled dices and when Shareen became shrill, threw a chocolate piece at her. It ticked as Joe once again soiled his diaper, all that milk, and Teresa had to change it again.

Finally it became nine o clock. Shareen was still at full energy. Teresa was exhausted. She stood rocking Joe, trying to get him to sleep as Mable had directed as Shareen watched cartoons. That's when the door opened and Mable and her husband walked in. They looked so cheerful and calm, only a hint of worry.

Mable checked her children, her eyes only briefly lingered on the mess of game pieces on the floor, mixed with chocolate wrappers. It ignored the splatters of baby food on the kitchen table and floor. It made no comment on Teresa's zombie mien.

"thank you so much! you look like you could use some sleep," said Mable gently.

Teresa was numb. Utterly numb. An empty shell of a human being, devoid of anything except the desire to sleep forever. "I'd like to go home," she mumbled.

Mable nodded slowly. "ok, I'll get Peter to drive you home."

Teresa moved with slow precise movements. She did not see the scenery as it passed in the car. She didn't hear Peter thank her and then say goodbye. She barely saw her mother who welcomed her back and suggested she had a shower before bed. A missive she ignored.

The next morning, her mother asked her how it went. Teresa scowled at her. "Never mention babies to me again," she hissed. Then she broke up with her boyfriend.

11. The Perfect Retreat

It would be the perfect spot. Just as he said it would be. Gwen was perfectly satisfied. She'd had her doubts, specially on the three hour drive up to this incredibly remote spot but all those promises were fulfilled. The house was small really, but it overlooked the lake and it caught a nice view of the setting sun. Beautiful trees surrounded the house, shading it from view. Gwen had been so irritated that she'd driven right past it on the dirt road unaware of it, but she forgave the trees instantly as she listened to the birds having their evening gossip.

Inside the house, she was utterly enchanted. A small fireplace, worn table and chairs and a bear skin rug. How very charming. She'd had no idea that Martin had kept this little secret to himself for so long. Nor had she known that he could be quite so generous as to lend her this little secret spot for a full week. He might have been the office weirdo with his dull eyes, boring haircut and clothes from GAP, but apparently he wasn't entirely a lost cause. Just looking out her window in the bedroom, at the shimmering water brought visions of the relaxation she needed.

The feeling unfortunately didn't last beyond the unpacking. She cooked a simple spaghetti dinner on the ancient stove and tried not to look out the window in the kitchen. The trees which had looked so earthy and wonderful before sunset, now looked eerie and frightening in the dark. That didn't stop her from going outside for a quick fag but the chilly wind crying through the forest had her going back in pretty quickly.

The night did not get any warmer or sweeter as she'd hoped. Music only seemed to echo through the house making it seemed emptier. All the lights on had her imagining predators drawing near. Finally exasperated at herself she drew a bath and smoked a fag inside while languidly trying to build bubble fortresses.

Sleep came to her a little easier.  Dreams of flying over dark forests until she woke to the distinct sound of a thud. A muffled deep sound of a heavy object falling down. In an empty house, one did not usually hear such a sound and Gwen sat up with heart in her throat. All else seemed quiet and Gwen tried to imagine what it might be. Perhaps an animal had gotten in. As scary as that thought was, when she imagined it rifling through her kitchen, she felt another welcome emotion, anger. Stupid creature, she thought.

The door was silent as she pushed it open, the air dry and cool. Faint light from outside made odd shadows along the floor. Gwen looked down the stairs towards the kitchen and jumped back with a gasp when a definite shadow morphed and shifted. It passed right in front of her at the bottom of the stairs seeming much to big.

Gwen stood to calm the thundering in her chest. She had never tried to imagine what a heart attack might feel like but she was doing a good impression of it now. That shadow had seemed huge but that was obviously a trick of the light. Light was quite unreliable in that way, making things seem large and misshapen. Yes, that was it. Though as Gwen considered it, something was odd. Her light was turned off and the only light should have been the stars and moon over the lake, streaming through the window in silvery beams. Except the light had a warmer hue and was coming from around the corner towards the living area.

Gwen had no choice, she carefully stepped with bare feet down each step, feeling the dry worn wood and holding up the ugly pajama dress that she liked to wear. The light, warm as it was, wasn't enough to illuminate and when she stepped off the last step, she stepped into something very wet.

Ew, was her was thought. This creature must have pissed in the house. She lifted her foot and tried to shake it off and continue towards the source of the mystery light. Rounding the corner she saw something so strange she thought it must have been a dream. There, on the ground, under the worn rug she had admired was a hidden doorway with more steps leading down. Below was the light, brighter now that she stared at it.

Carefully, Gwen walked towards the open latch and peered down. A shadow moved again but Gwen forced herself to be quiet and stepped down. What or who was this? No animal could open latches or turn on lights.

She took each step down, eyes firmly on what might be hidden inside. There at the bottom seemed to be a figure on the ground. An odd looking figure. A figure that actually might be somewhat familiar though strange at the same time. A figure that she could only see clearly when she reached the bottom.

It was her. There she lay, eyes unseeing and her ugly pajamas stained red. At that moment, Gwen looked down at her feet. That had not been piss she had stepped in. It was blood. Her blood.

Shadows apeared on the wall and Gwen turned to face... Martin! Except Martin didn't see her. He was standing, holding a knife but he did not look at her. Instead he was looking at.. well her body. He went to her and quickly, roughly ripped and cut away her pajamas mumbling "ugly pajamas."

Gwen was shocked and disgusted and then she felt her emotions fade into something duller. Now that she considered it, she realised that everything felt just a little bit more distant. That was why, she, the woman who would run away at the sight of spiders had had the courage to come downstairs in the dark.

Martin was now considering her body and Gwen focused on him. His face registered disgust. "Fake boobs. Hate fake racks," he mumbled.

"Hey, they cost me a fortune!" she found herself saying before she stopped herself. Martin didn't notice.He instead was inspecting her, as if she was meat. "Arsehole," she muttered.

"Dyed hair?!" He exclaimed looking at the nest of hair she could never bring herself to dye.

"What, you though that I was a natural blond?" She replied sarcastically.

"What other fake work have you done on yourself bitch?" he asked her dead body with disgust.

"Hey, I've had good work down. What, you think chicks like me come natural? Bitch please!" Gwen rolled her eyes. Honestly. "I'm not the hottest chick in the office without a lot of work you know!"

"Fuckin hell, she smokes as well," he cursed, leaning over her face. "What a waste of time."

"Waste of time?! Excuse me, I'll have you know I'm a fucking catch! And what work? What those occasional creepy smiles, that lame attempts to chat me up while 'borrowing me stapler'. Douchebag, Nobody fell for that shit," she scoffed. Well she supposed she had, in accepting his offer to use his lakehouse but she'd been insistent that she be alone. "You've been following haven't you? Freak! Were you here when I came?" No, that couldn't be. She'd left him this afternoon at the office. "God, how did I miss what a creep you are!"

She watched as Martin cleaned the blood off her body and then begin to position her limbs. "yea fuckwad, I had work done on my arms." He touched her stomach, and frown, "Tummy tuck." He moved down her legs, "lipo there too arsehole." Then touched her feet, "Yea surgery there too. You think normal women with normal feet can wear Manolos? I dont think so!" Gwen rolled her eyes.

Martin sat back. He looked very frustrated and angry. "Fucking bitch, is any part of you real?!"

"Nope. Yea I had work done there.. that place you thinking of right now. Yea, there too. Things gotta stay tight and pretty." Gwen smiled with sweet satisfaction. She enjoyed seeing him so frustrated and angry. "Dream on you psycho, really. Real women don't pop up like me. We're made not born!"

Martin seemed to be having a little temper tantrum. He picked up the knife as if considering butcherig her, "Dont even think about it you freak!" she shrieked and then sighed when he dropped the knife while punching the walls. His temper fit continued abit and Gwen had a moment to worry about what he would do. She did not want to watch any necrophiliac action.

Martin began to pound the floor. "Months of work wasted! On a fake whore?! Fuck! I knew I should have picked Ceci the receptionist."

"Nah, she's had work done too. I know,  referred her," drawled Gwen to an unhearing Martin. "What you gonna do now? Huh? Seriously, you do anything kinky with my body, and I swear to god I'll not only curse you, but I'll haunt you right up to the day you go to hell," she spat. "I suggest you just turn yourself into the police.

Martin calmed down and seemed to consider her body. Finally he just picked up the body and began walking up the stairs. "Dude, careful with my head! hey!" she screamed as she followed him. Martin didn't stop or pause, he went right outside to the lake where he lay down her body, disapearing round the back to repear with a length of rope. He tied her ankles together and then tied the other end around the rock.

"Dude, that is like, so cliche," she said sarcastically as he pulled a small rowboat from the reeds. She was a little upset that this was to be her last resting place but she followed him as he took her body and dumped it into the dark oily depths a dozen meters from shore. "Seriously? Someone's gonna find me." she said to him. "Or i'll float back up in like a day or two. That rope won't hold me."

He didn't answer. Just went back, stowed the boat away and went inside to clean up. An hour later, he walked out to his car and drove off. Gwen didn't follow. She couldn't. That's when she felt quite dejected. She looked towards the lake where her body lay beneath the dark impenetrable surface. She stayed there till dawn feeling... very little by morning.

It was hard to feel in her current state. She didn't really care about anything. She found that she didn't particularly miss life. Death was much simpler and if she was aware, she chose to just enjoy the sunrises and sunsets and pretty things. A small part of her thought that perhaps she was here because of unfinished business, but another part insisted that she had come to the late to have a holiday. Well she got one. Indefinitely.

Then about four days later, the police came. Dozens of them. They came with helicopters and boats and teams of forensics. They combed through the surrounding areas until someone found the secret room of horrors where the bloodstains had only been cursorily cleaned. Then the helicopters found her body floating in the lake.

Gwen smiled as she listened to the police talk about Martin. They talked about someone who went fishing and saw her floating. She heard how easy it was to figure out hat the murderer was probably Martin. She heard that she was not the first, something like the fourth. That made her sad. Then she heard about how he was going to be arrested. She smiled so much she didn't notice herself fading away. When she did, she did not care one bit. Her purpose was done it seemed. This was not too bad a holiday because it would never end with another day in the office.