The clearing in the woods held an amazing variety of plant life. Underneath the tall pines were a large spread of ferns, laurels and a generous sprinkling of wild flowers. Birds chattered in the surrounding woods making the scene an idyllic and peaceful place for two boys to lie in the sun.

The nearby bushes were draped with their clothing set out to dry. Shirts, shorts, boxers and socks would in time lose their moisture. There was little they could do about the hiking boots. But that didn't matter to either Pat or Perry as they lay naked and drowsy after sharing some intense moments of emotional and physical play.

"What did you think when I kissed you?" Pat asked.

Perry was on his back as Pat leaned on his elbow, staring down at the boy and running a hand across Perry's chest.

"Shocked ... amazed ... it was as if you were reading my mind," Perry said. "I saw something in your eyes the first day we met and I was hoping this would happen."

"I'm probably the most reluctant gay boy you ever met," Pat said.

"Why would you say that?"

Pat rolled on his back and squinted up at the clear sky. "I didn't want to be gay, it just seems so difficult. Look at all the hell gay guys get at school. I don't need all that bullshit. I don't feel like fighting everyone."

"But that's the difference, you will fight and most won't."

"I'm Irish, I have to fight," Pat said. "But today changes everything ... you change everything. I'm not afraid to be gay when I'm with you."

It was Perry's turn to lean over and touch. Physically they were much the same, but emotionally Pat had been adrift in a sea of indecision. Perry had always felt like he was gay, for as far back as he could remember. It had not always been a comforting thought, look what had happened with Berger.

"I need to tell you about Berger," Perry said. "I don't want you to be mad at me later on if you find out."

Pat leaned back on his side and closed one eye to block out the sun. "I could never be mad at you."

Perry laid a hand on Pat's cheek and smiled. "I'll remember that." And then he sighed. "Berger isn't gay but he's so obnoxious that girls won't go near him. He's pretty oversexed and that seems to be about all he thinks about. But you know how aggressive he is, and I'm just the opposite.

"I'd say Berger raped me but nothing has ever been up my ass. Rape isn't always physical ... it can be an emotional rape too. But I like to get along with everyone and so when Berger became friendly with me I ignored my concerns about him and allowed it to happen. I should have known better."

Perry sighed. "I suppose it all started when I took Berger back behind the machines in the bowling alley. I was going to show him how the pins are reset, but he had other things on his mind. It's loud back there with all the balls hitting the pins and the machines cycling through the reset. Berger said something to me and I couldn't hear him, so I pulled him into the pin storage room to get away from the noise.

"He took my hand and placed it on his crotch so I could feel his erection. I tried to pull away but he grabbed my crotch and started rubbing. It all came out of nowhere, but I reacted and Berger saw that as proof I was interested. His hand went in my shorts and started jerking me. Our shorts came off and I returned the favor."

Perry shook his head. "I started something, but then I had nothing else going on so it didn't seem to matter. But I didn't realize how dedicated Berger was to sex play, he wanted it every day. Eventually we ended up at his house when no one was home, we stripped naked and that's when he said he wanted to fuck me, but I wouldn't allow it."

"I should have seen that was part of his plan, but he was pretty devious. I don't really think he would have fucked me. That was just the extreme threat to see how I would react. But I will say he was the first oral sex I ever had, and he started it. I returned the favor probably because it was better than getting screwed."

Pat saw the eyes appraising him. Perry wanted to know what he thought. Should he be disgusted since it was Berger? No, all this merely confirmed that Berger was a royal asshole.

"I didn't enjoy sucking his cock ... " Perry began.

"Enough about Berger," Pat said. "I understand."

"You do?"

"Yes, I thought about doing the same things with Barry. But he's better to me as a friend then a sex partner ... I think we both understand that. But I thank you for your honesty ... that took courage. But now I have to be honest. I saw you and Berger with that boy Neil down by the river."

"You saw ... oh," Perry said.

"I took photos with my little camera and I still have the pictures. But I cropped you out of them and left Berger in. If I passed that around he would be dead meat. Look, I'm sorry I did it ... and I'm not. It allowed me to see a side of you I never would have known."

"And so you came looking," Perry said.

Pat nodded. "I saw you in all your glory ... can you imagine how intense that was for me? I've been looking and wondering what it means to be gay, and there you were."

Perry leaned over and kissed him. Again it was the eyes Pat saw before their lips touched, only this time they were filled with tears. He felt a surge of happiness far beyond the lust that had followed that first kiss. The lust they had consummated just a short time before in the first oral trade off Pat had ever experienced. This was different.

The kiss ended and Perry slid into his arms. Pat held on tight, secure in the understanding that Perry wasn't angry about the photos. He was just happy that they had opened this door.

"What are you going to do with the photo of Berger?" Perry asked.

Pat stroked Perry's head before he replied. "I showed all of them to Barry, including the ones of you. But as for Berger, I'm going to leave that up to Barry to decide. Perhaps he'll just give a copy to the jocks at school and let them deal with it."

"Berger will be at White Oak this fall," Perry said. "You saw that boy Neil? Well, he lives up the street from me and I imagine Berger is chasing that tail now. I've been too busy to hang out with him. At least that's what he thinks. "

"But he's not gay?" Pat asked.

"No, bisexual maybe. But he's like over the top with the sex thing and I almost warned Neil not to hang out with him. I feel guilty about not saying anything, but if Berger is busy with Neil then he'll leave me alone."

"If Berger says anything bad to you I want to know about it," Pat said.

Perry grinned. "I know you'd defend me, but I think the best thing we can do is ignore the jerk. He'll get his one of these days and we don't need to be involved."

Pat sighed. "I agree. Besides I have something else to think about, and you'll be at White Oak this fall."

"I should have been there last year, except I started school late. My birthday is in December, the school board wouldn't let me start kindergarten until I was six."

"So you're not fifteen, I thought you were older," Pat said.

"Fourteen until December I'm afraid," Perry replied. "Too young for you?"

"Hell no," Pat said. "You look older, you act older. I'll be sixteen in August and maybe I'm too old for you?"

Perry smiled. "Never too old. I haven't felt like a little kid since my mother died. I had to stand up and take care of things at home, at least the things my Dad couldn't handle."

Pat ran his fingers across Perry's cheek. They came together and the world went away. Theirs was a passion born from so many years of repressed feelings. The first sexual encounter had been dramatic, this time it was slow, expressive and without reservation.

Pat knew he could love this boy. Hell, maybe he already did. But there was no pretense about these feelings. This was so new to them both and only time would allow them to declare that love. This was more sex then Pat had ever experienced in one day, and it left him starving.

They moved the blanket out of the sun and ate lunch. P B & J sandwiches, an apple and a handful of cookies later Perry decided their clothes were dry enough to put back on. But first they stood and admired one another.

"I thought we were the same age when I first saw you down by the river," Pat said.

"What were you doing down there in the first place?" Perry asked.

"Just looking for something," Pat said. "And look what a treasure I found."

"You're sweet. Does any of this frighten you?"

"No, I haven't stopped to think about tomorrow, except to realize you better be there for me. Do you think it's scary?"

"A little, but then most new things worry me. It comes from making my own decisions most of the time. My Dad trusts me to do the right thing. He knows I don't like girls."

"Your father knows you're gay?" Pat asked.

"Shocked?" Perry asked. "I've never kept secrets from him, why should I? He's concerned like any good parent, but he knows that being gay isn't a handicap like his being mute. Perhaps that's why he's so understanding."

"My parents would never know unless I told them," Pat said. "I don't think I can at the moment because it would create another family crisis. Fortunately their attentions are focused on my little brother and I should be thankful that he's such a little screw up."

"You should make peace with him," Perry said. "He'll probably be the first one to know you're gay."

"Oh great, that's all I need," Pat said.

"He probably just wants attention. Give him that, do something nice for him and that will win him over. Try it, you might like the results."

Pat shrugged. "Okay, he just wants someone to hang with."

The clothes were still damp, but they packed up and threaded their way through the woods back to the front of the house. Perry wanted to see him draw and so Pat sat at the table and pulled out his sketchbook. He focused on the roofline today, and the two chimneys that sprouted up through the copper sheathing.

"Do you know about the house I live in?" Pat asked.

"No."

"The girl that drowned in the lake lived there, the Hudson family."

"Oh ... does that freak you out?" Perry asked.

"I think I'm in her room. At least the clues tell me that," Pat said. He went on to explain about the attic and the paintings. He could tell that Perry was intensely curious and finally he let it out.

"I wouldn't mind seeing the paintings," Perry said.

Pat laughed. "Why on earth would you want to do that? They might give you nightmares."

"You mentioned the symbols on her body ... I might know what they are."

Pat dropped his pencil. "How could you? I don't think they mean much beyond the strange fantasy that girl had in her mind."

"I've studied mythology and witchcraft," Perry said. "I know, it sounds weird, but then I read about a lot of things."

"You are just full of surprises," Pat said. "Okay, I'll show them to you. We ought to arrange a sleepover."

"We could do that, your place or mine?"

"Mine would not allow any overt activity," Pat said.

"Then you better come to my house," Perry said.

"In that case my parents will want to know who you are. What shall we tell them?"

Perry smiled. "Tell them you're going to spend the night with your boyfriend."

But they said no such thing ... although Pat was overwhelmed by the fact that Perry wanted to declare a relationship so soon. He understood since they had both been waiting such a long time. Instead they packed up and headed back to Pat's house.

"Mom, this is Perry Long. His father runs the bowling alley up at the shopping center."

"Nice to meet you, Perry. My goodness, I've seen that sign a hundred times and never went in there. My husband and I met in a bowling alley. We both used to be pretty good back then."

"You should come give us a try," Perry said. "We have an adult league on Tuesday and Thursday nights."

"Oh, I don't know ... maybe."

"Perry and I are going spend the night at his house since he has a great movie collection," Pat said. "If that's all right with you."

"Sure, just leave me the phone number," Pat's mother said. It was a done deal.

Pat changed clothes and added a few things to his backpack. He reached under the mattress and pulled out the roll of paintings which were only slightly crushed.

"I'll carry those," Perry offered. "Um, do you have those photos handy?"

Pat laid a hand on his pack. "I've been carrying them around with me. Not sure there's a safe place to keep them with my snoopy brother around."

Perry smiled. "Good thinking."

The bike ride to Perry's house was uneventful, if just a little confusing. Pat had never been into the Hillandale neighborhood before but decided it was much like his own. Perry led him through several turns and twists until they reached a long quiet street lined with maples.

"That house on the corner belongs to Berger," Perry noted. They rode several more blocks before Perry pointed once again. "The green one over there on the left is where Neil lives and that yellow one over there is mine."

A two-story Colonial with a side porch, driveway to the back and a detached garage, just about what Pat had envisioned. There was an addition off the back with a sun deck on top and a staircase leading down into the yard.

"That's my room up there," Perry said as they parked the bikes.

He led the way up the stairs and across the deck to a storm door. He fished out his keys and unlocked the door which led right into his bedroom.

"Wow, this is convenient," Pat said.

"Yeah, I can go sit on a lounge chair and do a little naked moon bathing at midnight."

"No way, you don't?"

"I do, at least I have," Perry said.

Pat looked around the room, noticing there was only one large bed, but that was just fine. There were two of the little race cars sitting on the top of a dresser, some trophies and a woman's picture sat there as well. Pat didn't have to ask, he knew that was Perry's mother.

There were several posters on the walls and Pat gazed at them with curiosity. A little old man sitting behind a spinning wheel in a dusty room. A young man sitting on an old motorcycle in front of a barbed wire fence. Who were these people? Perry seemed to understand the thoughts and explained.

"That's Steve McQueen from the movie The Great Escape. He died of cancer years ago but he was always my ideal of a handsome man. And that is the incredible Mahatma Gandhi, one of the wisest people who ever walked the Earth. He led the pacifist movement in India. A great man, Pat, one to be admired."

"You do have strange tastes. I never saw either of them before."

"I told you, I'm a reader," Perry said. "Let me show you."

He walked over to a door on one side of the room, opened it and turned on the lights. Pat stuck his head in the door and almost gasped. The room had probably once been a walk in closet, but now it was filled with books on shelves that ran from floor to ceiling. There had to be hundreds of them, maybe even a thousand.

"Jeez, have you read all of these?" Pat asked.

"Most of them," Perry admitted. "I've been collecting since I was little. I inherited my mother's library. Her books were heavy on the para-normal, what you might consider witchcraft. But I have a whole section on mythology and some of those books are quite old."

"I'll be damned. Does anyone else know about your interests?"

"Nope ... who would I tell? It's getting on towards dinnertime so let's go see what we have to cook," Perry said.

"Oh no ... you cook too?"

Perry laughed. "If you're going to be gay then you better know how to feed yourself. Not like there's ever going to be a little woman to do the chore."

Pat grinned. "You got me there."

Perry explained his father would be home from work around four, eat dinner at five and go back to the bowling alley for the evening session of adult bowling. They both knew how to cook but Perry always made dinner on the nights his father worked. More and more Pat was discovering that this boy was very much in control of the life around him.

Mr. Long shopped twice a week, using a list that they prepared together and planned meals in advance. Tonight Perry would bake some fish, toss together a salad and microwave some potatoes for the meal. Pat felt useless until Perry made him set the kitchen table. He had just finished that chore when Mr. Long arrived home.

Pat could not imagine how difficult life would be if he couldn't talk, but then that wasn't an obstacle between father and son. Eli Long and his wife had both attended Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the source of advanced education for so many speech and hearing impaired college students in the area.

One of the first things Perry had learned while growing up was ASL, American Sign Language. A complete vocabulary of letters, words and gestures, it allowed those with a hearing or speaking impairment to communicate. For those without a handicap it was a way of joining in the lives of their family members, and Perry had learned it well.

"Hey, Dad ... this is Pat, he's spending the night," Perry offered.

Mr. Long smiled at Pat and shook his hand. Then he offered a series of gestures to Perry.

"He says hello and that you must be brave to eat my cooking. Hey, I resent that remark," Perry said, but he was laughing. "How did the day go?"

More signs, some laughter and Mr. Long shrugged as he sat down at the table.

"Someone dropped a bowling ball on their foot and demanded an ambulance," Perry explained. "We'll probably get a letter from a lawyer next week."

"You're joking ... how could they sue you for that?" Pat asked.

"They can't. That kind of cra ... nonsense happens all the time," Perry said. "But some lawyer will agree to write us a letter to make his fee and Dad will send him an article we have about frivolous lawsuits, end of case. At least they didn't damage the lanes ... so you ready to eat?"

Pat thought the dinner might be a quiet affair but it wasn't. Perry told his father about their visit to the mill house and falling in the water. And then quite casually he mentioned that Pat was now his boyfriend. None of that seemed to concern Mr. Long who nodded quietly and smiled at Pat.

The food was delicious, and Pat knew he would have to learn to cook. He would never get any time in his mother's kitchen, but perhaps Perry would serve as a teacher in the pots and pans department. When dinner ended Mr. Long went up to his room to shower and change while Pat helped clean up the dishes.

Mr. Long returned, signed a few thoughts at Perry and then gave his son a hug. He turned for the door and then stopped, walked back over to Pat and hugged him as well. He signed something else to Perry and then left.

"What was that all about?" Pat asked.

"He wants me to welcome you to the family. He's like that."

"Aw, that was so sweet," Pat said.

That single gesture made Pat realize that this was all so very real. He had a boyfriend now and had been accepted. In all the time he had wondered about himself and the strange feelings inside, nothing had indicated that life would allow him to feel this wonderful. There was no way to express what he was feeling, but Perry seemed to understand.

Those amazing eyes bored into his thoughts and Perry gave him a long and very welcome kiss. Then he took Pat's hand and led him up the stairs. No way, Pat thought, they could not have the strength to share their bodies yet again, but they did.

Perry was such a gentle lover, very much in keeping with the peaceful human being he declared himself to be. It was those feelings that wrapped themselves around Pat's thoughts as they sought to please one another. It was sex to further the goal of some deeper emotion that seemed to swell up inside them both.

There had as yet been no mention of penetration by either of them. Pat certainly knew he wasn't prepared to receive such attention, but perhaps Perry had no experience either. But the third orgasm of the day left Pat feeling depleted and yet so very satisfied.

"You ever think about anal sex?" Perry asked.

Pat giggled and then started laughing. "Damn, boy ... you're reading my mind."

"Just asking."

"I know ... but I have no idea what it would be like," Pat said.

"Same here, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't think about it."

"You think it's a requirement to be gay?" Pat asked.

"No, but there must be something to it if so many guys do it," Perry said. "I have a book, let me go get it."

Perry climbed out of bed and went into his library. Pat was prepared for some sex manual with graphic pictures, but he was wrong. Perry came back with a slim volume and opened it at a place between the pages where he had placed a bookmark. He sat cross-legged on the bed and began to read aloud.

"I can feel his heat inside of me. That hard pressing ardor of his manhood which seeks to conquer my inner core. He plumbs the depths of my being, his flesh inside of my flesh until I feel possessed. My nerve endings aflame, he begins to thrill that one spot inside of me where lovers go to make passion reign.

"I feel him rub that which sets my body alight and causes my jaw to slacken as I groan in expectation of our mutual orgasm. He seats that pulsing flesh so deep that I feel my gut must rend asunder, and then he begins to feed my body with his seed. I feel the gush, the blast within, and I am with him in lust and in love as I release my offering to his prowess and the gods."

Perry closed the book and nodded. "Now that sounds like a good fuck."

"Damn ... damn, where did you get that book?"

Perry turned the book to show Pat the cover. "The Greeks knew all about men loving men, and they wrote some of the greatest stories about such things. This is a modern interpretation of some of those old writings by a gay author.

"But along came the Romans and Christianity and they destroy much of that writing as offensive to God. Now of course we know better, the church in Rome just buried it in their basements and kept the practice secret.

"I am not a fan of any organized religion. At least I don't follow any one of them. But I've read about religious history and mythology, and so I am not at all surprised when we have these scandals over what they call deviant sexual behavior. Hell, the practice is as ancient as humanity. We just choose to ignore the details in history. So speaking of deviant sex, you want to show me those paintings?"

Pat climbed out of bed and retrieved the roll of canvas leaning against the wall. He spread them out across the bed and stood back to allow Perry an unobstructed view.

"Okay, did I say Wow before?" Perry asked.

He gave each of them a careful glance before picking up the one Pat saw as the devil and the girl.

"Hmm, this Hudson girl had some deep, deep thoughts. She must have been very bright in a weird sort of way," Perry said. "You know what this is?"

"Some kind of devil?" Pat said.

"Close to it. The beast is a man with a bull's head. A creature they called the Minotaur in mythology. This figure appears in many cultures throughout the Mediterranean Basin. But he, as the story goes, was the offspring of a bull and a Queen in Crete, one of the islands in Greece. He was a fierce beast who devoured men, so I guess he could be considered a devil. But it doesn't end there, the people of Crete saw him as the Sun God."

"Sun God? I thought that was an Egyptian thing," Pat said.

"Ra is the Egyptian sun god, but that deity exists in many cultures, including Christianity," Perry said. "There's a lot of thought that says Sun God is synonymous with Son of God as Jesus ended up being in the Bible. But that was long after the Minotaur was described in Ovid ... now look at this."

Perry pulled over the self-portrait painting of Jenny Hudson on the pier. "Notice anything about this?"

"Besides the fact that she's pregnant?"

Perry nodded and Pat stared at the markings on the girl's body which had always fascinated him, but he had no new clue about that they meant.

"The tattoos and marks must be symbolic of something," Pat said.

"This is what made me say the girl was bright," Perry said. "She must have studied mythology to discover the Minotaur, but if she did that she also came up with this image of herself. Notice how dark the painting is, with deep shadows behind the bollards on the pier. Does that suggest anything to you?"

"It must have been a cloudy day," Pat said.

"Good, the lighting is the clue, but this is night, long after sundown. She is lit with moonlight and the tattoos around her neck are the final clue. This is Europa, Goddess of the Moon. Same mythology as the Minotaur, all from Crete thousands of years ago. Now doesn't that give new meaning to the painting of them together?"

"Sun God about to have sex with the Moon Goddess ... sorry, I'm lost," Pat said.

"The mythology is one thing, and her fantasies are quite something different. For instance, the pentagram is a five pointed star, and in her case was probably meant to invoke protection. She probably knew the current association it has with witchcraft, but I think her usage was related to something more ancient.

"A five pointed star and the number five is significant. Five fingers and five toes, five senses and even the five elements. The modern view is that we have four elements: water, fire, air and earth, but the ancients also included the human spirit, something religious practice has quashed, of course. But I think she was looking at the five stages of life: Birth, childhood, coitis, parenthood and death."

"All right, Perry ... you're freaking me out here. How do you know all this ... and damn, how the hell would she associate all these things?" Pat asked.

"It might be easier than you think ... be right back," Perry said, and once again he dove into his library. This time he returned with a large book and Pat recognized the type right away, it was textbook.

"My brother used this at White Oak and he graduated the year before Jenny would have. This was what they used in tenth grade. I meant to use it when I got there but they've probably changed books by now."

Facts about the Ancient World, it was titled. Perry looked in the index of chapters and smiled, opening the book to the appropriate pages. He scanned the first few pages of the chapter and then handed Pat the book.

There it was, Mythology of Ancient Greece, and the first subject on the third page was a discussion on the Minotaur. Pat thumbed through the pages until he reached the end of the chapter and closed the book.

"So you think that Jenny just did her homework, and when the fantasies began she used that knowledge? I bet artists do that all the time," Perry said.

"I sure do ... .Wow, this settles everything," Pat said.

"I don't think so," Perry said. "The setting is another question for one thing. Why did she choose Parsons' pier? She chose the location for a reason which makes me wonder who the Minotaur represents. I'm missing something."

"Missing something? Damn, Perry, you've explained away all my questions."

"Okay, for now. I'll want to try something later, but now we need a shower and my bedroom smells like someone has been having sex in here."

"Imagine that," Pat said with a laugh.

Showering was fun and Pat added that to the list of things he loved about Perry. That list was growing with every hour they spent together, and this was only the first day. By the end of the week Pat expected to be overwhelmed, or madly in love. He decided he could deal with that.

They dressed in boxers, at least attempting to maintain some sense of propriety. Pat had told his mother they would watch movies without even knowing if Perry had any, he should have known better. The films were racked up in Perry's living room and it seems the hundreds of movies were his father's collection.

Pat sat in front of the shelves and selected a small unfamiliar cassette and showed it to Perry who shook his head. "That's a Beta cassette and we don't even have a player for that anymore. Skip the cassettes because some of that stuff is ancient. But Dad is slowly replacing all his old movies with DVD's."

"Any recommendations?" Pat asked.

"You find something, I'm going to get us some ice cream," Perry said.

"Ice cream? I need to come to this movie theater more often," Pat said.

He felt hands on his shoulders and looked up just as Perry leaned down. The kiss was affectionate. "You're welcome here any time you want," Perry said.

Pat watched Perry walk away towards the kitchen, admiring the shape of his ass through the boxers. He had never met anyone quite like Perry, this all felt so wonderful. Pat glanced through the shelves at the DVD's. So many titles, most of which he didn't recognize. Would it matter what film he chose?

"No decision?" Perry asked, handing Pat a dish of ice cream.

"I don't know half of these titles," Pat replied.

Perry scanned the shelf and pulled out a case. "This seems appropriate, a romantic drama."

"Oh?"

"Romeo and Juliet," Perry said.

"We saw that last year at school," Pat said. "Leo DeCaprio and Claire ... ?"

"Danes, Claire Danes ... that was the modern version, this one is far older."

Perry started the film and they sat back. Pat had not read Shakespeare but he understood the story. The language was so different and it took a good deal of concentration. But then Perry was so close ... a welcome distraction. They were perhaps halfway through the film, at least after the big swordfight, when Perry sighed.

"I warn you ... I'm gonna cry," Perry said.

Pat slid an arm around Perry's shoulders. "I don't mind, this is a tragedy. Oh my ... "

"Yeah, this Romeo has a cute ass. Just imagine being in bed with him."

Mr. Long came home towards the end of the film. He took one look at the screen and quietly sat down to watch. Pat was torn between Perry who was leaning against his shoulder and realizing he was wearing only boxers in front of the boy's father. But Juliet dies and true to his word Perry cried.

The film ended and Mr. Long got up to go to bed. He laid a hand on Perry's head and then kissed his cheek good-night. He said a few things in sign and Perry nodded. Then Mr. Long leaned over the back of the couch and gave Pat a kiss on the cheek, a pat on the head and then he went over to climb the stairs.

"Hope you didn't mind, he asked me if you would accept the affection," Perry said.

Perhaps it was the film, but Pat felt a surge of emotion and pulled Perry into an embrace.

"You have the nicest family ... I love you guys," Pat said.

Perry put the film away and they climbed the stairs. It wasn't that late but the room was dark except for the moonlight pouring through the storm door.

"Ah, good," Perry said. "Now we can conduct our little experiment."

Pat watched as Perry picked up the painting of Jenny on the pier and carried it through the door onto the deck. The moon wasn't full, but even at three-quarters it filled the darkness with enough light to see the outlines of the chairs and tables on the deck.

"Let's see what we have here," Perry said, as he turned the painting until the moonlight shown directly on the canvas.

"Oh My God," Pat said. "What the hell is that?"

"That is Jenny Hudson's real message in the painting," Perry said.

Pat stared at the canvas and the flow of faint script that had appeared beside the naked body. "What is it?" He asked.

"A spell ... it seems she was casting a spell on her lover, the man she saw as the Sun God."

"Who is it, does it say?" Pat asked.

"No ... but it describes him: 'Tall and broad, muscles strong, he bears the fruit of love's passion like a beast.' Do we know anyone like that?"

"I don't think so ... how the hell did she write that?"

"The hidden words are probably due to some chemical she added to the paint. But it seems they can only be read under moonlight, that's the trick and it's very clever." Perry nodded. "You have to admire her skills."

"He bears the fruit ... the grapes," Pat said. "John Parsons maybe?"

"Never seen him so you'll have to tell me," Perry said. "Does he have a pair of horns and a huge cock?"

"How the hell would I know?"

"This was all a part of Jenny's fantasy, we don't even know if he was involved. Maybe we should just ask him?" Perry said.

"Like excuse me, did you turn into a Minotaur and have sex with Jenny?" Pat laughed.

"She was eighteen so if he did have sex with her it wouldn't be illegal, and he's not going to tell us if he did," Perry said. "But I wonder if he would tell us about how she drowned? He must know something, and maybe we can get a sense of how he felt about her on a personal level."

"You think they even met?" Pat asked.

Perry nodded. "I'm sure they did. He seems the logical choice to be the one who bears fruit."

"It's gonna take some big fruit to work up enough nerve just to ask him any of this," Pat said.

Perry smiled. "It sure will ... but I think you qualify. Let's go to bed and find out."

"Again?" Pat groaned.

"Always," Perry laughed, and he wasn't kidding.


On to Chapter Six

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