Southern Nights, Chapter 16: Epilogue
Warning: the following story contains graphic descriptions of sex between consenting adult males. If you are underage or do not wish to read such materials, or if reading this sort of material is illegal in your jurisdiction, then read no further. If you have any comments for the author, or if you would like links to my other stories, feel free to drop me a line at niftystoryteller@yahoo.com.
Not a soul was in sight on that lazy summer afternoon, except for the figure curled up on the blanket under the sheltering canopy of the old oak tree. He looked to be deep in sleep, with only the occasional shadow of an expression crossing his smooth cheeks. Couldn't have been more than twenty or so. Despite the heat, he was clad in a formal black suit, the sort of thing a man might wear to court. Or to a funeral.
Time passed until the sun was midway on its course from noon to dusk. Right at that moment, another young man appeared in the distance, strolling down the dusty road. Casually dressed in blue jeans and a plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up, he was in no particular hurry. All in good time, all in good time. That was the most important lesson to learn.
Eventually, though, he reached the sleeping figure. Kneeling down, he studied the young man in black for a moment. Exactly as he remembered. The thick chestnut hair. The full mouth. The faint shadow of whiskers on a smooth cheek. Leaning in close, the visitor felt the shallow breath of renewed life from the parted lips, which he had the impulse to kiss.
At the first point of contact, the closed eyes fluttered open and tried to focus, just like a newborn's.
"Hmmm. Mmmmm. Uhhhh."
"Shhhh. Everything's OK. You've been asleep for awhile."
The young man's eyes closed again for a few minutes. When he opened them again, he saw a familiar figure sitting on the blanket. A friend. No, more than a friend. A guide on a journey. The center of his world. He felt tears begin to well up.
"I've done something bad."
"Shhhh, it's okay."
"No, I've really done something bad. I've hurt people."
"It was part of your journey. Part of their journey."
The tears began to flow, and the two men held each other.
"Is it really you?"
"Yes, it is."
"But you're dead."
"Only in a way. The same way you are."
"But I'm old. You look the same as you ever did."
My uncle laughed. "If I had a mirror, you might be surprised to see yourself. Look at your hands."
Forrest looked down at his hands, expecting to see the dark spots and thin, papery skin of a man at the end of his life.
"What does it mean?" he asked, as my uncle grasped the strong hands, the hands of a young man.
"It means you're in heaven."
"But I killed a man. If you knew, you'd hate me."
"No, you didn't. Everyone is fine. And I love you the same as ever."
They embraced for a moment before my uncle pulled his lover unsteadily to his feet. The warm breeze enveloped them in a soft caress.
"It's too hot for you to be wearing this suit," my uncle murmured as he began to remove Forrest's clothing, and his own.
Soon both were standing naked on the blanket, once again exploring the geography of their bodies with the tools at their disposal. Lips, tongues, fingers, cocks. Sensing that Forrest needed time to adjust to what he was feeling, my uncle pulled him down onto the blanket, pushed him back, and began to suck his thick cock. The reborn man's eyes rolled back as he cast his gaze up into the canopy of green leaves, which whispered in the warm breeze. They were telling him that he was alive. He felt like every hair on his body was standing straight up. He had never thought that he would feel this way again.
Straddling his lover's hips, my uncle leaned forward and pressed their mouths together as their hearts beat in unison. Forrest understood what my uncle wanted, and he searched with his cock for the opening that would enable them truly to join into one being. At the moment of union, my uncle cried out in joy as he impaled himself.
If you had been a bystander in that place, at that time, you would have seen two young men give in to all of the ecstasy that it is possible for two spirits to create. You would have seen every ounce of physical strength used in the expression of passion and love. You would have seen sweat, and tears, and cum flow and combine into a communion wine of healing and redemption. You would have seen young love rekindled, and old scars fade away. But that time of transition is only for a man and his guide to the next world, so there is never a witness.
Still, if you are lucky, you might get a glimpse of what it will be like for you someday. If you are lucky, you just might join together in life with the one who will be there with you in death.