The manifestation of lust.

Desire. It’s a passionate trap that ensnares our senses, and captivates our minds. The simple gesture of another’s touch, the subtle hints through soft, seductive tones, and the display of affection that imprisons our hearts. Binding our souls to another that should not have been, entwining our flesh, attaching ourselves to another in our displays of weakness. To the simple, what looks delicious is enticing. To the foolish, the beauty of another is enough to lead astray. Such folly leads unwitting men into the grave by the deceptive intentions of the promiscuous woman. Into the very pits of hell, where death becomes their shepherd.

It started with a day deep within the forest. The sunlight clearer then it ever could have been, and the skies displayed the gayest blue color it had in quite some time. Despite the storms that had come in the weeks prior, and the downcast that lingered within the hearts of men, it was a day of bright expectations, and love seemed to bloom within the hearts of all. It was indeed the time for love to blossom, and the young men and women were at their prime. There seemed to be a multitude of young men and women within the forest realm eager to find their hearts desire!

A young man chopped trees deep outside his forest village, eager to finish his work. “Alas, this work is tedious. I’m thankful that I sharpened my axe prior to this task. Better to be all the wiser, then to pay the price of lingering here aimlessly,” the Young man stated. “Are you still toiling, Kevin?” A soft voice noted. Kevin’s ears noted the familiar female voice, and smiled as he turned to notice a beautiful sight. Black hair flowing like the feathers of a raven, eyes as blue as the rushing waves as the sea, always shrewdly gazing with a serpent’s judgment, but a heart as pure as gold. White skin toned by the sunlight, and a posture ever unsteady, motivated by her pleasure or disdain. “So blunt and observant, Arinya. I would have thought you to be more subtle in your approach,” Kevin lightly teased. Arinya chuckled lightly at his jest. “We’ve been friends since childhood. I see no reason to hide anything from you,” Arinya stated longly. “And yet, you still have secrets, don’t you?” Kevin asked. Arinya’s eyes looked up, and dilated. A subtle gasp of her breath due to breathlessness revealed her heart, bare and exposed. “Perhaps,” Arinya hinted. Kevin took note of her gestures and held back. “I have to get back to work. We should meet later. Does that sound fair?” Kevin requested. Arinya’s eyes dodged as he turned his back, but then immediately responded. “I’ll see you later after the sunsets and darkness overtakes the skies,’ Arinya stated. “Very well,” Kevin stated.

Arinya drifted away slowly. Kevin turned around to find Arinya vanished, without a trace. He wiped his brow with the backside of his left hand, as his right hand firmly held the handle of his wood axe. He turned to face the tree he had been chopping, his arms and hands positioning to make a strike. “Argh!” Kevin screamed as he slammed his axe into the center of the tree. The rumbling of an incoming calamity from the heavens creaked as the behemoth at long last, stumbled and fell onto the ground. The sound of birds flocking into the sky hastefully sounded off in the air.

Kevin gazed at the destruction that followed suit. “Such a shame that the forest must suffer such damage. My work resumes, nonetheless,” Kevin noted. Kevin’s positioned himself to the right side of the tree with his axe raised high into the air. His ears caught a lovely sound of despair, reaching his ear. The tender voice of a heart in mourning, seemingly desperate for the aid of her, champion.

Kevin was mesmerized by the sound of the maidens call. The voice in question captivated his heart, with subtle, mysterious feelings of remorse. His mind unwittingly following the song with both intrigue, and desire. Slowly falling with each step he took, swaying any bushes that came before him, and what he sought. Out into the air, a tune was sung, traveling through the breeze, the notes aroused his ears.

Traveling, traveling, down the waters stream,

Venturing, venturing, all throughout the dream,

An aroma of admirable pleasure, a young and gorgeous sight,

The heart that longs for its treasure, the apple of his delight,

Yearning, yearning, yearning for the one to stay,

Hoping, hoping, for one at least, to stray,

A longing deep within me, a burning, inner fire,

The ignition of passion, a longing for desire,

Come close to me, oh you handsome men,

You fitting suitors to claim,

Come traveling into my den,

You’ll find me hard to tame…

A young enchantress was perched atop of lily within her portion, the softest and highest pitch lightly fluctuating their final notes. Kevin stared at the young maiden with awe, and mystery. “What is such a beauty doing in this place? A fair maiden, singing such a beautiful song?” Kevin asked in his thoughts. Curiosity lurked like a hunter in the long grass, only waiting… Patiently.

Kevin lurked unwittingly into the enchantress’s garden, a fountain gushing with water at his right side. The young maiden covered in a green tunic, as she sat upon a large lily. Her flowing blonde hair as a golden river, eyes a color of bright amber that radiated with light, and a mouth that spoke of intrigue, without saying a word. A wandering squirrel sat there looking at Kevin and just thought to himself, “You really are a macho dimwit, aren’t you?” the Squirrel thought to himself! Even the Squirrel knew better! Even the squirrel!

The Enchantress gazed at him with a coy and playful look. He looked into her eyes, longingly. “Such a fine young man wanders into my grove. Tell me, what brings you here?” the Enchantress asked lightly. Kevin looked for the right words to say to her, but at long last could muster only one. “You,” Kevin answered lightly. The Enchantress gave a rather bashful look, blushing a bit while leaning back in a coy manner. “Surely you don’t mean that, do you?” the Enchantress lightly teased. “Yes,” Kevin stated.

The Enchantress looked at him with a sly and shrewd gaze, Kevin gazing at her absent mindedly. “You know, I don’t let go once I have claimed what belongs to me,” the Enchantress stated. Kevin responded thoughtlessly. “I understand,” Kevin responded. The Enchantress approached him as she looked up into his face, her arms reaching over his neck and her hands wrapped around his neck. She placed her lips slowly onto his, and began kissing. Kevin became so focused on the kissing, that he started caring less as to what she would do. The Enchantress began draining his energies as she increased the speed of the kiss. Kevin finally realized his lack of strength a little too late.

Kevin started limping to his knees as he attempted to maintain strength. Gasping for breath as the enchantress watched him fall to his knees. “You’re going to be kept for my own, personal needs,” the Enchantress stated. The Enchantress raised a hand as vines came and wrapped themselves around Kevin’s weakened body, securing it tightly. The light dimmed as his eyes started to fall asleep.

…

Arinya’s heart began to flutter. “He was supposed to be here by now! I’ve been waiting for him this entire time! Where are you, Kevin?” Arinya thought in her heart. Arinya sat near the edge of the village’s exit, but she continued to worry. “Hey! Arinya! What are you doing out here?” A female voice asked. Arinya turned and saw another woman walking towards her. “Hi Matilda. I’m worried about Kevin. We agreed to be here tonight, but he’s not here! I’m worried about him! He shouldn’t be taking this long!” Arinya worried. Matilda looked at Arinya with a bit of concern.

“Arinya, why don’t you go look for him? Maybe he was hurt in the forest, or maybe something happened to him when he was chopping logs!” Matilda thought. Arinya’s heart became troubled, but she started to consider Matilda’s words. “Kevin’s never this late, and I know him. He wouldn’t set up a date like this just to bail out. Something’s clearly wrong,” Arinya noted. Arinya started to run in the direction of the forest. “Arinya, where are you going?” Matilda asked. “I’m going to go find Kevin! If anyone asks, say I am just going for a walk!” Arinya declared.

Kevin awoke as the Enchantress looked down upon him. “Where, where am I?” Kevin asked. The Enchantress chuckled. “Oh, here in my tender care. Drink,” the Enchantress ordered. She offered him a cup placed next to his lips. “Why, why am I so weak? What did you do to me?” Kevin asked. The Enchantress grinned at him wickedly. “I feed off energy. So long as I have supply, I can sustain myself. If you want to stay alive, you’re going to feed me all of your energy in the process,” the Enchantress foretold. Doom sunk into Kevin’s heart. His mind constantly thinking about all the times she would drain him, and revive him, only to be used as supply. “Drink,” the Enchantress instructed. Kevin placed his lips, and started gulping his captors brew. His body started shivering at the boost of energy and strength that flowed through him. As he started gasping as his strength was restored. She grinned at him wickedly. “Thank you, so very much indeed,” the Enchantress stated cunningly.

As she strutted slowly and swayed away, Kevin’s mind raced with anxiety. The uncertainty of what could be, an assault upon his very mind. “I, need to get out of here!” Kevin thought to himself. Kevin considered what he could do to persuade her to release him. “Have you no heart?” Kevin asked as she strutted slowly. She paused, almost trying to gather her composure. “Do you think appealing to my humanity will do you anything? Don’t be foolish. I have a heart, just as much as you. And desires come from the heart itself. My desire is to live, and not die. You men are only after what you can get. Why shouldn’t I think like you?” the Enchantress noted. Kevin took note of her words. “She’s been hurt by someone else. And based on her words, she’s motivated to get revenge on men. I feel sorry for her, but I need to be strong. Be empathetic, but stand firm in my convictions,” Kevin considered. Kevin swallowed his pride, and started to play the game.

“What have I done wrong to offend you?” Kevin asked. “You’re existence! You men take what you want and leave me and others like me heartbroken! You have no concern for those who put their trust in you, their faith in you! Those who love you and trust you! You take what you can get and leave those you’ve betrayed behind!” the Enchantress scolded. “But what have I done specifically to you?” Kevin asked. “Nothing yet! But you may very well! Just you being you is a danger to others! Me keeping you here is protecting other people!” the Enchantress said. Kevin noted her bewildered state. “Speaking rationally isn’t doing much good, and if I continue going down this path it could become a problem if she loses control. What can I do at this point? How can I get out of here?” Kevin thought to himself. Kevin noticed Arinya in the background, attempting to sneak up on the Enchantress. Kevin came up with an idea. “You’re right! I’m only a terrible, lowlife! All men like me are totally horrible! I’m a vicious, carnal, ravenous dog like all other men!” Kevin over exaggerated. “That’s right! You’re all vicious dogs! Incapable of considering anyone else but yourselves!” the Enchantress boasted. Arinya was approaching right behind her. Kevin kept her eyes on the Enchantress.

“You assume that I merely am after what I can get, even if it means leaving casualties in my wake? I pity you,” Kevin stated. A nerve was struck, and the Enchantress started twitching. “How can you tell me you pity me when I have you cornered and am using you for my own personal benefit? You should be wanting to kill me!” the Enchantress shouted furiously.

“No, I pity that your bitterness from your past pains, blinds you from seeing that you’ve become the very same thing that hurt you. You mistake me for your abusers, and it saddens me. Nonetheless, I don’t have to be angry to kill you. Arinya will do that for me,” Kevin stated. The Enchantress looked at him curiously. “Who is-,” but the Enchantresses lips splattered blood as her heart was laid bare and exposed.

“That’s what you get for touching what belongs to me! No one touches or harms my man! He’s mine!” Arinya screamed furiously as she removed the dagger from the Enchantresses back as the Enchantress fell to the floor lifeless. Kevin sighed at Arinya with a bit of a smile. “Never come between the man that a woman loves deeply and jealously, I guess is the lesson learned today,” Kevin noted. Arinya scolded him. “Shut up, Kevin. You shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Next time, be more self-controlled,” Arinya ordered. Kevin sighed. He couldn’t argue with her there.

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