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Benjamin had a head of thick black curls that reminded Lara of waves because of the way they rolled off his head. He was cold like water too, to the touch as well as in his speech. He matched the cold weather of Spellwood, a small town tucked away on the northern corner of England. Lara was married to Benjamin but she was not his wife; she was pale, but this fact was overlooked by her rosy complexion and ringing laughter. She was a tall woman, about the same height as her husband and one could almost say that she was slim. There was a silent bewilderment among friends, even up to Benjamin and Lara themselves, that they had produced a child. Cold as he was, and tender as she was, Aleister was neither. He was 9 years old and anything but cheery. Though choosing a more reserved lifestyle Aleister was never cold, just indifferent to the world around him. He chose to explore the depths of his own imagination by himself on daily excursions to the creek behind his home. As a family they did not know each other.
Benjamin let his hand venture out of the sheets into the cold world to turn off the alarm clock. It was dark out and Lara was still asleep. Benjamin got out of bed slowly and methodically tucked the edge of the blanket back under Lara. Benjamin watched her rosy chest slowly rise and fall as she breathed. He moved quietly not so much as to not wake Lara, but more because it was his nature. He walked to the bathroom naked, stopping to view his upper half in the mirror. His face gave no indication of taking any pleasure or disgust in what he saw, only slight interest as if he had never seen his body before. He entered the shower, turned on the water, and began to systematically wash himself. He was in front of his closet choosing his clothes as Lara began to stir. Lara stretched and her naked leg hung off the bed as she relaxed and slowly opened her eyes. Without turning her head, she looked out the window and saw the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. Benjamin picked out a pair of khaki pants and a brown leather belt, both somewhat identical to the clothes he had worn the day before, and slipped the first leg into his pants. Lara shifted quietly then sat up, sleepily looking around the room. Benjamin picked out a powder blue button up shirt and a navy blue tie to go with it. Supporting her torso up with both arms pressed into the bed, Lara heaved a very audible sigh. Benjamin stopped for a second when he heard his wife sigh, furrowed his brow, and then resumed putting on his clothes. He watched each button on his shirt find its hole as he listened to Lara’s movements behind him. Slipping on his loafers, Benjamin entered the hallway to the sound of a lost good morning and made his way down the stairs.
Lara took her waking slow and eased out of bed. She breathed in fast as her feet touched the cold floor, lifting them up for a second, and then letting them fall back down, wiggling her toes as they went. As Lara walked to the bathroom she looked back longingly at her pillow, smiling and silently cursing herself for ever leaving it. Dropping off her nightgown (one that was far too short for a woman of her age) onto the bathroom floor, Lara avoided glancing at herself in the mirror and entered the shower, turning the water to hot and enjoying the sensations of each drop. It was a casual day; jeans, sandals, and a plum blouse each found their way onto her body after the shower, and Lara reveled for a moment in their softness. She then proceeded to glide out of the room and down the stairs to prepare breakfast.
Four o’clock in the afternoon found Aleister naked, sitting in the crotch of a tree by the water. As he dangled his legs over the moving current, Aleister closed his eyes and listened to the trickle of the creek. It was a Sunday and Aleister knew his father must soon be getting home from church and his mother wisping about the house, lost in the music of her own thoughts; she was a spritely being for 45. Aleister’s father went to church for appearances rather than piety. He sat in the back row, face flushed, as hymns rose from the mouths of those around him. Aleister had been to church with his father only once. He had enjoyed it and wanted to return but his father refused as he had only brought Aleister that one time to prove to a person, long forgotten, that he had a son. Aleister knew the quiet of nature and he could tell when it was being disturbed. A twig snapped in the bushes near the creek as he hopped out of the tree. As his feet hit the ground, he could just barely make out the footsteps of one trying to run quietly. Whoever it was had gotten lost in the shadows of the trees surrounding the water and though Aleister had not been able to make out a distinct form, he knew it must be his father lurking again. He pulled his white t-shirt over his head and struggled to get his arms through the sleeves. After slipping on his underwear and denim overalls, he made his way through the brush to an open field.
As he broke through the bushes Aleister looked up the long expanse of gold to his house at the top of the hill. On impulse, he began to run to his house. He felt almost desperation to make it to the door and be safe once more. His imagination began to run wild with every step he took in the golden field. As he ran, Aleister heard stomping behind him and he looked back. Out of nothingness appeared a rhinoceros, charging at full speed. He smiled and picked up his speed, keeping his focus on the front door of his house. Arms pumping as he hit the hill Aleister slipped and fell forward onto all fours but, keeping with the pace, he bounced back up and kept on running. Finally making it to the door, he flung it open leaving the door to bounce back and slam shut on its own. As the door banged shut, the rhinoceros disappeared back into his mind in a puff of smoke. Frozen in the position he had been in when he entered the house, Aleister stood there breathing heavily and grinning. He placed his suspended hands onto his knees as his breathing returned to normal. The day’s adventures had tired Aleister and he decided to take a nap before dinner. As he ascended the staircase he took the steps two at a time, despite his fatigue, and found his room, plopping down on the bed and looking out of the window for a few seconds before dropping off to asleep.
Hours later, Lara found her son still asleep on his bed, fully clothed and curled up for warmth. She let out a deep breath, shook her head and her face became flushed as she walked over to Aleister and began undressing him. She deftly fitted him with his pajamas while he slept and pulled the covers over the huddled boy. At feeling the warmth, Aleister rolled onto his stomach and lay straight out. At this movement Lara smiled and kissed her son on the cheek, leaving a wet spot, before leaving the room. She stopped in the doorway as she heard a single drop of rain hit the window behind her. Lara looked back even though she knew it was only rain, brushing back a hair from her face while she let her other hand linger on the door frame. She headed down the stairs, skipping the last two at the bottom, and entered the kitchen to prepare for her dinner guests.
A knock on the door told Lara that company had arrived and she whisked herself out of the kitchen to answer the door. Her seemingly inert sense of propriety awoke and Lara slipped on a pair of shoes on the way to the front door. She opened the door to the grinning face of her husband’s associate, Arthur, and his wife Alice. Though Arthur was smiling, a night breeze had spoiled his wife’s mood and she had all but fought off the impulse to pout. At the table, time was measured in drops of rain falling slowly from the gutter, making a metallic sound that seemed to count the seconds of silence between those sitting. They all sat around an impersonal surface that harbored a simple lace covering. Benjamin was the only one not sending awkward looks across the table between spoonfuls of soup. He seemed preoccupied and though his face didn’t show it, he was anxious. His lone outstretched index finger stroked the spoon sitting next to his untouched soup as his eyelids began to close. The crunch of a crouton on Lara’s left molars, coupled with a smile, brought Benjamin back to reality and found him apologizing gravely to Arthur and his wife, promptly excusing himself from the table. As if a rotting corpse had just been removed from the room allowing everyone to retain regular breathing, Alice began to speak about a dress she had seen on her neighbor’s wife that she coveted while Arthur stared at the miniscule flower patterns on his plate. Although not completely enthralled by the subject, Lara made head gestures and sounds of awe inspired affirmation. She knew Alice could talk for a while but Lara felt she could survive it.
The weather had gotten worse; it was coming down so hard that almost nothing else was audible except for the rapid contact of rain on roof. A flash of lightning lit Aleister’s room for a split second. It wasn’t followed by thunder, but it gave Benjamin a clear view of his son’s room. The light only lasted a second, but that was all Benjamin needed to see the path he would take. Tentative steps, now punctuated by thunder, took him closer to his sleeping son. With each breath that he took he felt his heart pounding. The hard rain faded into the ambience and all he could hear was his own heartbeat. With each beat he could feel his heart slowly rising into his throat and each breath made it tingle. Almost choking on his rapidly beating heart, Benjamin stopped to collect himself. He made his hands into fists and found his palms to be sweating. Wiping his palms on the fronts of his pants, he began to step forward again. Another flash of lightning revealed the boy lying face down, uncovered by his blanket, and in his pajamas on the bed. Benjamin was now right over him and stared hungrily at the boy on the bed. He held his breath as he leaned forward and began to run just the tips of his fingers lightly over his son’s bottom. Aleister was a heavy sleeper so his father’s hand did not wake him. Benjamin’s mouth was full of warm saliva and he quickly swallowed. It left his mouth hotter than usual and he began to breathe deep to cool himself. He then placed a hand on the far side of the boy’s body and a knee on that side too, hoisting himself up on the bed so that he was on all fours with Aleister below him. Putting his face near Aleister’s head, Benjamin took in the scent of a boy’s hair. Enticed by the smell, he plunged his face into the boy’s hair, breathing in deeply. Feeling the pressure upon him, Aleister woke up and at this Benjamin began to press his face hard into the pillow. Benjamin fell upon the boy and lay directly on him, using one hand keep the boy’s face in the pillow so that he couldn’t scream. He left his face in Aleister’s hair with his mouth open wide, inhaling and tasting the boy’s aroma. Benjamin was now breathing hard as his heart rate began to rise. He felt his son’s body squirming beneath him and it excited him and between fits of ecstasy and stuttered breaths, he began to smile. The continued movement of the boy under him caused Benjamin to breathe harder as he became more and more aroused. Aleister managed to turn his head a bit and got half a breath, but his face was quickly turned back into the pillow by his father’s unforgiving hand. Benjamin’s breath stuttered for a second, he pushed up on his hands and lifted his torso off of his son. He grunted and his face contorted and almost showed pain instead of pleasure. Then he let the air out and fell back down as he climaxed. The rain left the realm of ambience and came down at full volume again in Benjamin’s ears. The slick wetness in his pants began to make a moist spot on the front of his crotch as the contents were further smeared against Benjamin while he lay there on top of the writhing boy. Aleister stopped moving. Benjamin noticed the lack of struggle and let go of his son’s head. The face was blue and his mouth was hanging open, his face stuck in a look of pure terror. Curiosity got the best of him and Benjamin let his tongue search between Aleister’s cold lips. As he breathed out, Benjamin pulled away, tearing the line of saliva that connected their faces. He lifted himself off of the body and sat on the edge of the bed, sweaty and shaking. Lightning flashed again and Benjamin could see the path he would take leaving the room. He slowly rose and took two steps forward, only stopping as he felt the remnants of his pleasure dripping down his leg. He bent down and pressed his pants against the drips, then continued walking. As he reached the doorway, Benjamin placed his hand exactly where Lara had earlier and looked back only to see blackness.