“Toys, why do I need toys?”

“Because Justin, you won’t always want to just use your fingers or be married to your right hand. Jerking off can be fun but it gets old very quickly. There are ways to spice up the sex even alone. Even more ways to spice things up when you have a partner, you haven’t, have you?”

Justin looked away. “I thought not. Let’s see. You should have condoms and lube as well. A dildo, butt plug, and let’s see oh yeah, some beads.

You need condoms even for your new toys. Safe sex. You can clean them well but using a condom you are sure that nothing will remain. You need lube especially, water or silicon based. Oil base will nullify the use of a condom. It disintegrates the condom. You wouldn’t want that.”

Justin was mystified at all the selection so Brian suggested certain ones. Justin accepted the suggestions. It would be a start. Somehow he knew he would be back here. The place held so much. Maybe another time, he could look at everything. Justin questioned many things. He even guided him toward some porn flicks. Justin tried to turn away.

“Justin, queers do porn because it arouses them. It makes them hard and they feel that they aren’t alone. Men get aroused a helluva lot quicker than women. Thank god, we are men. Now, have you ever seen a porn flick?” Justin shook his head. “Of course not, stupid of me to ask. Let’s get this one. It is tame but I am sure you will like it.” Brian rented it and one more that was much wilder. He was going to open Justin’s eyes to the world of pleasure.

After their purchases the two continued to walk the avenue. Brian answering questions as they came up and explaining places that were good and bad. They even walked by the baths.

“Ah! What is this place Brian?”

“You don’t need to know about this place right now.”

“Brian, you said you would answer anything.”

“Okay, let’s sit on a chair while I explain. You want an ice cream or a soda?”

“Sounds good.” They sat by an outside café or more appropriately a café that had a couple of tables and chairs outside for the tourists etc.

“Justin, those were The Baths. They are a place where many go to get laid or to have an orgy or to just experience the low life. It is anonymous sex. No names, no expectations and anything goes. ”

“Do you go there?”

“I have. When I can’t find anyone I want or I get a certain itch that needs scratching and I know that what goes on there will stay there, like the slogan for Las Vegas. It is where you can forget your reputation and just indulge without repercussions.”

“Could I see it sometime?”

“Let me think about it. You are an innocent and The Baths have vultures.” They finished sipping their sodas. Justin was smiling and having a great time. He was excited to be out and about. Justin pulled out his supplies and started to draw the people passing by. So many people walked the avenue. Justin picked a few that caught his eye. Brian smiled. The boy was happy.

“Justin, why don’t we take those home and I can explain how to use some of them. Do you have a place of your own that the parents will not look into?”

“What do you mean?

“Oh, like a hiding place for your new toys.”

“Oh, no. I don’t think so.”

“Well, if you don’t know than you don’t. Let’s look for something that you can use. You wouldn’t want Jennifer or your father to find these now would you?” Justin blushed at Brian’s words.

“I thought not! Let’s go and find something.”

Brian was thinking about Justin’s room and what was there. He figured out where would be the best place to hide the treasures. Now he knew what size it should be and where to find it.

“Justin, do you like wood or do you like stainless steel like a safe?”

“No stainless steel.”

“Okay, I know where you should put it in your room and the size it should be. Let’s go and see if what I am thinking of is still there.”

Brian headed to a store that specializes in exotic furniture and knick knacks. He loved to go to the store and browse. It held many wonders and beautiful things. He had seen the perfect thing for Justin. It was expensive but they could just eat more cheaply. When they got there, Brian found a larger variety of the item. Justin was in awe of all the stuff there was in this store. His artistic eye zoomed in on two in particular. They were from Bangkok, Thailand and from India. He picked them up, caressing them, turning them over and marveling at the intricacies of the design. He couldn’t choose so he went to the owner.

“Sir, these two boxes are beautiful. Do you by any chance know if the designs have a meaning.” Justin blushed as he said, “They seem to be speaking to me.”

“Son, what are they saying to you?”

Brian stood by and listened. He was also curious.

“Well, this one gives me a warm feeling and I sense love.” He blushed again. The owner thought it charming. “This other one gives me a sense of contentment.”

“You are the only customer I have had that feels what the boxes convey. Most think it is just pretty. Take the boxes and both of you come back to my office. I will show you what they mean. I will tell you a story.” Brian smirked thinking he is a salesman. He will weave a story around what Justin said. This is going to be interesting. After all, he was an ad man to be and he already was wise about the workings of the salesman’s mind. For an adman is a salesman. Brian was carrying one of the boxes because they were heavier than you would think.

The owner of the store, Deepa Savitri, began to spin a tale of the box from India which was the one that spoke of love. She was from there and knew the tale from childhood but as she spoke, she saw the skepticism of the other man. She reached behind her and grabbed a book from the shelves behind her desk.

Handing the book to Brian she said, “Turn to page 147 and follow me. There is a picture there and the story. I am not making it up. As a child I was brought up with these tales.” Brian turned to the page and looked at the picture which was the same as the woodcut. A story was indeed below it.

The Thief and the Maiden

In the magnificent city of Ayodhya, the capital of the kingdom of the great King Rama, there lived a rich merchant who had a daughter named Lilavati...

by N.K. Aggarwala

PRINT FOLKTALES > MAIDEN . . .

________________________________________

“Said the vampire:

O King! In the magnificent city of Ayodhya, the capital of the kingdom of the great King Rama, there lived a rich merchant who had a daughter named Lilavati.

She was very beautiful, gentle and wise. Offers to marry her came from well-known warriors, and rich courtiers, merchants and princes. But she refused to marry any one of them because she had made up her mind to marry none with whom she did not first fall in love. So she waited and waited for such a suitor.

Now, the city of Ayodhya was terrorized by a thief. Although the king's guards kept watch over the city by night, still the robberies continued to take place.

All the merchants went in a body to King Rama, and said, "Your Majesty! None of us is safe. Thefts occur daily. In spite of their best efforts, your watchmen have not been able to catch the notorious thief. Something must be done immediately."

The king replied, "You take your leave now. From tonight I will myself go forth to keep watch over the city."

So when night came, the king, armed with a sword and disguised like a robber, slipped out of his palace and stationed himself in a dark corner of the Bazaar.

At midnight he noticed a shadow figure slinking past a jeweler's shop.

On seeing him, the king called out, "Who are you?"

He replied, "I also am a thief; who are you?"

The king replied, "I also am a thief."

"A thief to others, but a friend to me," said the figure. "Follow me. Be my guest," said he and led the king to a cave-like opening inside a ruined building situated outside the city walls.

What did the king see there? A huge treasure of precious jewelry, gold goblets of exquisite shapes and designs, and a hundred other articles of rare beauty and value.

"Sit here," said the figure, with his face masked, and disappeared inside another side-room.

The disguised king was going to sit on the gold-and-purple seat when a servant-maid rushed in from the back and whispered quickly in his ear, "Go away, you innocent stranger! He will kill you. He is the dangerous thief! This is a trap."

The king thanked her, slipped out, and returned within a few minutes with a body of armed palace guards. They surrounded the cave.

"Come out, you thief!" shouted the king. "We have surrounded you! You can't escape! We know who you are!"

The thief dashed out with a naked sword, and fought like a demon for his life, killing a dozen of the palace guards as they grappled with him. But as he lifted his sword to kill another, the king struck his wrist with his sword. The sword dropped from his wounded hand; he cried in pain, and the guards overpowered him and took him prisoner.

Next day, the king ordered the thief to be taken round the city, accompanied by two burly guards, before being taken to the place of execution by impalement.

Bound and Bleeding, but his head erect with pride, the thief walked very much like a king, with majestic steps, between the guards, without the least fear of death.

As he passed by the house of the rich merchant, Lilavati rushed to the balcony to see the spectacle. No sooner did she behold the thief's manly form than she fell in love with him. She rushed inside and said to her father, "That is the man I want to marry!"

"Are you mad?" said her father. "Marry a condemned thief! Have you lost your head?"

"I will marry him or I die with him," she said.

"Think of me!" her father pleaded. "What will I do?"

"Father, if you love me, go to His Majesty, and ask pardon for the thief."

Puzzled and unwilling, the merchant hurried to the palace of King Rama.

"Sire", he began, "I have never before asked a favor of you. I have only one request now, though, I grant, it is a strange one. May it please Your Majesty to grant it? Pardon the thief, Sire, and free him, for my daughter has fallen in love with him and will marry no one else."

"It does not please us to grant your request," said the king family. "You may go."

He returned home in despair, and said to his daughter, "I said all that was possible to say, but the king did not consent to the request."

In the meantime, taking the thief round the city, the guards brought him to the impaling stake. The merchant's daughter also reached there accompanied by her weeping father and her other relatives.

She ran up to the thief, fell at his feet, and said, "I love you. I will marry you and none other. If you die, I will die with you. I will be your wife even in death."

The thief looked at her. Large tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he laughed aloud. The people in the meanwhile lifted him up and threw him on the sharp stake which pierced his chest and he died.

The merchant's daughter lifted his body gently and placed it on the funeral pyre. She then quietly climbed the pyre to burn herself with him. She was just going to light the pyre, when Devi instantly came out of her temple, and said:

"Daughter! I am pleased with your courage; ask a boon."

She said, "Mother! If you are pleased with me, restore this thief to life."

The goddess said, "So shall it be."

Having said this, she sprinkled a few drops of water over the dead body and restored it to life.

Having told so much of the story, the vampire paused.

"But tell me, O King! Why the thief first wept, and why he laughed afterwards. Answer rightly, or I'll suck your blood till you die."

"That's so simple," replied Vikramaditya. "He wept because he thought within himself: How unworthy I am of the great love which the rich merchant's daughter has for me! Now that she is giving up all that she is giving up all that she possesses for my sake, what return can I make? And he laughed when he heard Lilavati confess her love for him when he was about to die, for he thought, 'Women are strange, are they not? Here is one who gives up life with a rich lord and prefers to love and die with a condemned thief!

"Good!" exclaimed the vampire. "It is clear that you are a wise king. So I will not suck your blood."

Finished with the first story which he had memorized from the book. Ms. Savitri leaned back and took out another book and handed it to Brian. “Page 27.” She began to weave this tale as well. It was a story of two people also and how they were content to be friends and not lovers. It was a story about two men. “See young man, you have been the only person to see the truth in these pictures. How much can you afford?”

Justin blushed. I do not have much. I can only afford one and that is pushing it.” Justin had had tears in his eyes when the first story had been told. The second made him smile. I would love to have both but it can’t be.”

“Then which would you choose?”

“The love story. It is not a normal picture of love yet it spoke to me before I knew of its existence or should I say knew of its tale. The other speaks of me and what I want to be and feel with a partner of my own. For you see I am gay. Yes, I think I will go with the Thief and the maiden.”

“You sure?” Brian asked.

“No, I need to have both but it is going to cut into our food money as it is. I don’t want to tell mom I was frivolous with her cash and need more.”

“Are the two of you together? Asked Deepa.

“No. Just friends or learning to be.” Deepa smiled. She had seen the dark haired one watching the blond intently. She saw protection in those eyes.

“Can I ask your names?”

“Sure, I am Justin.”

“I’m Brian.”

I sense that there is more to your relationship than just a budding friendship. I sense protection on your part Brian. Why? May I ask?”

Brian looked at Justin for permission. Justin nodded. “I am his paid companion and caretaker. Justin’s parents wouldn’t take him with them to Greece because he has seizures and wouldn’t allow him to stay alone. They treat him as damaged goods.” Justin blushed from embarrassment.

“Does he do that often?”

“It seems so. Justin has had a good day. No spells yet. I have a feeling that the parents have given him the stress that causes it. He seems to be doing fine without them.”

“You know, many cultures have held epileptics in high esteem. Your culture is afraid of it and a lot of other things.” She smiled at Justin. “Both boxes have chosen you. Give me what you can and the other is free. They belong with you. They will be special in your eyes, not just a box or a gift to someone. They will be much more. Listen to them.” She got up and carried the intricate boxes to the front for checkout. She had never had a customer that was so in tune with anything in her store. Yes, they did belong together. She could not deny him the other.

Brian had been amazed that both had actually folktales to them. He really had thought that the owner would just weave a tale to get them to buy and now she was giving one away free. He knew these boxes were expensive and well worth the cost but to get one free. That would break her if she did it often.

As they left thanking her, Brian marveled at how into the boxes Justin was. They were big in length but not high. They were like Toy chests that were sturdy and could be used as benches. One would fit perfectly under the large window. Brian had never seen Justin so happy.

“Let’s go get something to eat and cook it when we get home.” They stopped by a Grocery and bought a Digorno pizza or two. “You know Justin, you have not had a seizure all day. You don’t do this often, do you?”

“I don’t think I have ever had a seizure free day except maybe when the pills actually were working for a short time. I felt so alive today. I felt free.”

“You looked happy too.”

“I was. I am. This has been one of the best days of my life. Thanks. They settled down in front of the TV and put in the porn tape.