(thanks to everyone who commented last chapter. I appreciate everyone of you !!!) The second Interlude. An intimate look into a disturbed mind. Proceed with caution. Teaching. He was being taught…Was he learning…? Watching. Waiting. There should be a sign. Some clue. Was he learning? No outcry over the full bodied paint. A gift to one who deserved no gift. No acknowledgment of intrusion. Had the gifts been found? Was the effort wasted? Was he too stupid to learn? Now, when my beloved one slept, there was time for teaching but the dark hours of the morning were not a time for lessons but a time for mercy. The large lessons were easy, they came so willingly. Eager for the warmth of the automobile, for food, for real pleasure. Rare gifts in their days of horror and torment. And then they slept. Some, one or two, saw the truth of their sleep in my eyes and had wept. It didn’t matter, in the end they embraced me. They embraced the dream. And they helped me teach. Were the lessons learned? Waiting for a hint…a suggestion that he was beginning to see. There was nothing. My beloved. The pain must be eased. He must not know. He must sleep his sleep of innocent peace. The next lesson was not ready yet. The gentle sweep of the cloth will purify the skin. This one was not a lesson. This one who now dreamed. Dreaming is better than life. In dreams there is no pain. Wash gently. Feet, buttocks, back, arms, shoulders. He had drained. That was good. It was much better when they had been cleansed and the mire of their lives emptied from them. Clean the tile. Clean the drain. He could not be defiled again. He was pure. Careful or all is lost. Let him down. Slowly…slowly... Slight drainage as he settles on the tiles. Not on him. Into the drain. It was good. He sleeps and has been made pure. Unbind him. Sorrow over the marks left by the chains. Do not linger. Necessary. There must be purification. Clean the tools and set them aside. In their places. Carefully. They must not be damaged. Not a lesson. He would not be kept. The bag. Lay it out. Carefully, unzipped. Cradle him. Gently he must be loved. He sleeps still. Caught in the dream. He rests. A final nest. The hour is late. My beloved must not know. Eyes glazed. Staring. Thankful. Lids closed. Cleansing a final time. Clean hair…clean ears…now undefiled. Lift. Carefully. Kiss the sleeping brow. Sweet one now dreams. Placed carefully. Yes. It is done. The pure one is whole. Drained and pure, swept away in dreams. Close the bag. Sad that he must go. Away. Far from here. He is not a lesson. A secret angel. He cannot be found. My beloved one can never know. A country road. Dank earth. Musty leaves. A final bed. Eternal dreams. Beautiful. Dark skin. Pale skin is for the lesson. Hands lowered for modesty. Such pleasure he had known. Now he dreams. Eternal pleasure. Thick wavy hair. Perfect. Lift. careful. Respect. Now he is whole again. Leaf blanket. No one comes here. Soon he will be gone. The circle completed while he sleeps. He is caught in the dream. Sharing his sleep. This dark wooded place where no one ever comes. I could not remember how I had found it. I did not know how I understood that my secret would not be discovered here. There were many boys here sleeping. I had helped them all and they returned always to the soil. The ground under these trees was a rich loam now. Soon this one would be a part of that plan. I regretted the ones cut out of the circle. But in the end they would be a circle of their own. My beloved one was in pain. They were ignoring the lessons. I would try again and we would see. I did not have to worry about that tonight. The boy was caught in his eternal dreams now… I had helped him. The circle was complete. The bag zipped and folded I carried it back to my car and put it under the seat. It was always the last thing to be put away. Everything else was cleansed and put tidily into its place. I would begin the search tomorrow for the next lesson. He must be perfect. I remembered the shirt I had tucked away for this lesson and felt content. It would be a good one. Perhaps there would be no need for any others. Perhaps this would be finished and I could return to my real purpose. I remembered the red and the orange. That was also a circle of sorts and it would remain unfinished if the next lesson was the end. That thought was unsettling. I did not like things to remain unfinished. I would not worry about that now. I would know. I always know. The house. Darkened drive. Put away the car. Put away the bag. My beloved must not know. He is sleeping. So beautiful. Press a kiss to the perfect brow. He dreams. Sweet dreams of the beloved. “Brian.” The name falls from his perfect sleeping lips with longing. Pain. Gut wrenching. Pain. My beloved one dreams. He dreams of him. The peace of the circle falls away. The need is there. The lesson will be taught. It will be taught. It will be learned. Etched in pain and drawn in blood. He would learn. He would learn. Trembling. Hate. Fury. Born of pain. My beloved one stirs. Wakes. “I am here.” Lying down. Bodies touch. Mouths kiss, “I will make it better.” Bitter promise in the dark. The story will resume in Part 12 Comments eagerly awaited