A Literation: Winter 2013 by Literation Publications

Author:Literation Publications [Literation Publications]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781624887123
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2000-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Some Boys Are Made To Be Kissed In Full

by R.A. Casilao

It wasn't too late to turn around so we did. We took off our jackets and shared a smoke in the porch before we shut the door against the rainfall and the greenery. His saliva had soaked the cigarette filter before it touched my mouth, so I sucked on it more than usual, trying to taste a dream. Inside the cabin, my heart raced as he stared, the kind of gaze that didn't need words or warnings. Our lips touched, candle and night, and I let him press his tongue on mine briefly before shoving him away.

A decade later, I was being led to a special room where second chances were sold on plates.

“Summer on porcelain, Midnight in a mug…” began the pamphlet handed to me a week ago during my Tuesday run. Page two said the booklet had been given to me because I needed it, that it presented a choice that very few people got the privilege of ever having. It also said that the instructions in subsequent pages must be followed without deviation. Page three stated clearly that if I told anyone about the tract, the map on the last page would lead me to a cemetery. I wasn't sure how literally they meant it.

That I believed what I read, provoked by loneliness maybe, was apparent in the way I clung to the booklet.

The manor, as it turned out, was a breeze to find. It was a B&B, and the woman who welcomed me at the door immediately led me to a miniature version of their dining room. There were no other guests in sight, but I could hear the chatter of the other diners come from across the hall.

“How much will this cost me?” I asked.

“That's entirely up to Fate, sir.”

The woman wore a black gown that glittered something silver when she moved.

“The prices aren't much if you consider what we're offering,” she continued. “The cost could be anywhere from your childhood to a sliver of your soul, or a year off your life, or all of your laughter. The only downside is you'll never know.”

“I think if you took my spleen, I'd have an idea.”

She smiled. “Fortunately, it doesn't work that way.”

“I'm free to go anytime before I commit?”

“Yes, sir.” Another smile. “But not before you have a cup of our famous tea.”

I nodded and told her I would stay.

A covered bowl of soup was set before me. The woman uncovered it. I raised my nose towards the smoke and smelt the blossoms of my past. They unfurled and bloomed, ready to be plucked.

I took the spoon and sipped. The woman and the house disappeared. With each mouthful, I felt the bygone years open like doors. I opened one and walked into the rain.

“Hey, Jeff,” Samuel called out from behind me. He had to speak up because the downpour was loud. “I don't think going to the waterfalls under this soaker is a good idea.”

“I don't mind going back.

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