Lullaby | Brahms Heelshire |

Chapter 25

And our paradise be blessed.

My body was slowly going numb. My face felt tight from the tears that dried on my skin. I had no idea how long I had been laying outside, but the moon had made significant movement across the sky. A gust of freezing cold air blew past me, causing the trees full of brittle orange leaves to sway. I couldn't believe it was already fall.

I took a deep breath and wondered when my life would go back to normal, if my life really ever was normal in the first place. I shivered from the chill in the air, but I wasn't quite ready to go back inside the house. I needed to get away from it all. I slowly stood up, causing pins and needles to break out all over my legs, and decided to take an icy cold walk around the garden. Taking walks always seemed to take things off my mind. I crossed my arms over my body to see if I could save some warmth while I walked.

The night was very quiet. The only sound was the occasional clattering of leaves from the wind. I had only been in the garden a few times since I moved in, and thought it would be nice if I could become more familiar with it. Brahms rarely let me go outside when I was with him. I guess he was afraid of being caught, even though we were in one of the most remote areas of the town. My toes tingled as I stepped into the cool long grass that I never got around to mow. The yard was beginning to be unkempt since I rarely had time to care for it. But in a way, it was more beautiful when it looked wiled. Especially since it was next to the forest. It almost looked like a hidden fantasy world in my own back yard.

The moon was very high up in the sky now, casting a brilliant silver glow all around me. I glanced at the statues in the yard, almost afraid that one was going to jump out at me. But they all looked elsewhere with their faded eyes. I wondered how long they would be able to weather the test of time. Would they still stand proud when all the rest of us were dead?

Before I was about to pass all of the stone figures by, I noticed a strange form hidden in the back of all the rest, near the forest. I squinted so I could see more clearly. It looked like it was a statue covered in a blanket of leaves and sticks. I had never taken notice of it before. I slowly approached it so I could get a better look. As I got closer, I realized that it was in fact a statue that someone had tried to hide beneath a cloak of leaves. Curiosity nagged at my brain. Somebody wanted this hidden. But why, I wasn't sure. I gently took hold of the intricately woven cover and pulled It off of the stone beneath. The statue revealed itself as the gesture of young lovers embracing. The moon's pale light provided just enough for me to see the details.

Both of the statues faces were a different color from the rest of the stone, almost as if they had been recently chiseled down. I studied the faces closer and gasped when I recognized them. The woman's soft features were that of my own. I quickly looked to the man statue and was able to recognize the features of the brahms doll. It looked just like Brahm's mask. I glanced at the rest of the sculpture. The man and the woman were both naked.

I shivered and suddenly felt as if my own body was exposed. When did this happen? A sour feeling was forming in the pit of my stomach. I looked down to the base of the statue and saw that some words had been scratched into the surface. I bent over so I could read them clearly. 'Danny and Brahms, There love shall not die, but have eternal life.'

It took my brain a moment to process all that laid before me. Obviously Brahms had been the one to change the likeness of the statues to match our features. But when did he do it? And the most important thing I wanted to know was why the Heelshires had an erotic statue in the first place. I didn't think it was a suitable thing to have near a young child. The content seemed too mature. I stood still for a while, wondering if Brahms had seen this statue his whole life.

I lifted my hand to the statue and began to feel the features of the woman's face. The stone was smooth and cool to the touch. Every feature was correct. I couldn't believe how exact Brahms had captured everything. It was like I was looking in a black and white mirror. I felt l a little touched by his work. He loved me so much that he would sculpt our faces onto statues.

But after looking at the theme of the statue a few times over, I couldn't help but think that love wasn't the only thing that drove his inspiration. It was strange to even imagine that Brahms would create something so erotic. I guess he wasn't a child anymore, even though his mind never grew up. I wondered if the Heelshires ever taught him about reproduction. Surely they must have in all that time they spent giving lessons to the doll. Brahms probably almost had the same amount of knowledge as a student with a degree. The Heelshires had to have covered that subject with him. Maybe even multiple times. But looking back, I couldn't recall even finding a single anatomy or health book.

Looking at the statue made me feel a little sick to my stomach, but at the same time it began to stir something inside me. I trembled as I imagined Brahms touching my bare skin the same way that the statue was. I shuddered and shook myself back into reality. I couldn't be having these feelings for Brahms. Not now anyway, I needed time to get over my shock.

I didn't realize how intently I had been staring at the statue until a noise pulled me away. My eyes shot toward the direction of the sound. Embarrassment flooded into my cheeks because I was caught looking at the statue. If felt as if my mother caught me with my hand in the cookie jar. A tall figure hid behind another statue in darkness and I secretly jumped, thinking for some reason that it would be Andy. The figure took a few step back, and I couldn't tell if they knew that I saw them. "Brahms?" I called out with a spark of hope that I would be able to praise him about the statue. The figure sank in defeat and took a step foreword out of the shadows. The moonlight illuminated the face and I found that it was indeed Brahms. My heart suddenly stopped and my muscles turned to lead. I couldn't believe that I was still afraid of Brahms. But for some reason the stirring inside me grew a little warmer.

I smiled trying to hide all that I was feeling. "Brahms, this statue is amazing!" was all I managed to say. Brahms gave no response, almost as if I never said anything at all. He looked hastily between me and the statue concerned about what to do next. I froze, half expecting him to drag me away and punish me for seeing something I shouldn't have. A chill settled in the air causing this standstill to become more stressful. I decided to break the awkward silence. I needed to play it cool in case he was on the edge. I reached for the ground and picked up the blanket of leaves, and continued to cover up his masterpiece.

"I had no idea that you felt that way for me." I said with a tone that was more sensuous than I intended. I adjusted the leaves so that the statue was completely hidden. "It is such a beautiful piece. And I just want you to know, that I feel the same way." I said, slowly walking towards him. Brahm's eyes were glued to me. "You do?" He asked softly. "Mmmmhmmm." I smiled and watched as he licked his lips. When I finally reached him, I wrapped my arms across his neck and ran a hand through his thick black curls. "Don't worry about the statue. It will be our little secret." I whispered with a wink. His wide and alluring eyes began to trace my outline, taking in every detail. My heart fluttered with excitement, which was strange considering the events that had taken place a few hours ago. Brahms leaned his head close and placed his hand on my neck. His face hovered just above my skin. He deeply inhaled and began to trace his fingers down my arm. His face moved to my jaw as he continued to take me in. I remained perfectly still, feeling mixed about what to do. Part of me wanted to grab him and kiss him viscously, but the other part of me wanted to curl up into a ball and hide. Brahm's hand stopped at my hips and slowly he crept his thumb under the hem of my shirt.

"I want you Danny." He said between heavy breaths. I shuddered with excitement and fear. "I want you too Brahms. But I am not ready." I quietly choked out. Brahms brought his face even with my own and looked deeply into my eyes. Something had taken control of him and he was no longer able to resist. "I am." He said with control dripping from his voice. And with that, he pulled me to him.