“Connection”

Writer’s Note: I would like to thank the artist Lewdua for allowing me the pleasure of experiencing her character, Nessie. None of this would have been possible otherwise. Please enjoy this collaborative effort.

Perhaps it could be said that the most difficult hurdle when traveling was the severely truncated window in which to form meaningful relationships. At least, that was the impression I had always clung to. It was rare for me to spend much time in any single location, opting instead to flutter with the wind, searching for whatever might bring me closer to my goals. Nevertheless, I had maintained the habit of at least trying to observe what I considered to be ‘ the locals,’ especially those who engaged in customs far more exciting than the ones of the backwater town where I grew up.

It wasn’t as though I had never been on trips as a child, but extra-curricular activities normally required that students walk around in groups, making it harder to reach out to anyone we didn’t know. Once I graduated from high school and started my first year of college, I told myself that I wanted things to be different.

I remember vividly the randomness of that time, of opening myself to the freedoms I never had the chance to experience before. Some days were spent meandering from group to group on something of a whim, and some nights had me roped into the role of designated driver for house parties hosted by people whom I had never even met. If a party was not going on, then a few of my closer acquaintances would hit up the nearby 24-hour restaurants, and I would ride along with them simply because it seemed fun at the time.

All of it was rather whimsical until the day I got a notice that my aid had been cut prematurely. Returning home at the end of term, I realized that the memories of my time there had faded rapidly – almost as rapidly as the speed in which they had been made. These days, it’s impossible to remember the faces of the people I had attended classes with, much less their names.

“Crystallize: Part Two”

“You were… expecting me…?” Tightly gripping the strap of my bag, I fought to remain standing as every fiber of my being screamed for me to run. It didn’t take long to realize that his outfit was one I had seen quite often on a variety of fetish websites, nor did it really bother me to witness it up close on his body. No – what terrified me was that he had somehow picked up on my fascination for this kind of taboo, and now he was exposing me to it as a sort of litmus test to see how I’d respond.

He obviously expected me to follow him inside. If I ran away now, what would it accomplish? Would anyone even believe it if I suddenly accused him of trying to seduce me? Because I approached him, he had full control over the situation. Any claims would therefore be struck down, and he would be free to drop me from his course without a second thought. The bottom line was that following him was my only option.

Though if I did follow him, what would happen? Would we have sex? Would he propose to dominate me? Was that his overarching goal? At eighteen, was I even ready for this type of thing? Thoughts ricocheted haphazardly across all corners of my mind, and I soon found myself barely able to focus. Leaning against the door frame, I tried desperately to calm myself down.

“Malleable Spirits”

In spite of a hot summer, or perhaps because of it, the bar seemed empty to Karla on this particular Wednesday evening. Of course, she had no true point of reference for she had just recently turned twenty-one, and tonight was but a third or fourth time entering such a venue. A few eyes centered on her as she walked through the door, to which she nodded timidly and tightened the grip on her shoulder bag before sitting down on a stool completely at random.

The bartender, a man in his early thirties, had a shaved head and a large gauge ring in his left ear. A black T-shirt bore the bar’s emblem, and Karla could make out a few tattoos edging out from beneath the sleeves. He looked tough, perhaps stereotypically so, and it seemed to quell some of the woman’s anxieties in a rather roundabout way. The man approached her, carrying a beer glass which he cleaned dutifully – again, in a quite stereotypical manner.