Dale is a 23-year-old university student working on his thesis. Fortunately, rather than having to endure the interruptions and distractions at university, his “Uncle” Tom has invited Dale to stay with him at Walton Manor. In the countryside he has plenty of space, almost continual silence, and a butler to cater to his every whim. Dale and Tom have always had a mutual admiration for each other, and now they have the chance to explore this attraction. Yet Dale doesn’t count on falling in love with Dominic, the muscular Italian employed as Tom’s gardener. Despite his feelings for Tom, Dale can’t help the fact that the more he sees Dominic, the more attracted he is. Unfortunately, Tom is a jealous man. Even worse, he reveals a hitherto unseen sadistic side, which frightens Dale. One night Tom’s jealousy boils over, and Dale finds himself punished for his feelings for Dominic. From then on, Dale’s tranquil existence at Walton Manor is permanently shattered. Once things are set in motion, they are impossible to stop. After a final confrontation between Dominic and Tom, Dale discovers the most shocking truth of all.

The Human Cage

It was unfortunate he couldn’t go and explore the grounds. There were more pressing tasks he had to take care of before that could happen. After fishing his notes and a couple of necessary reference books out of his satchel, he began typing. Deleting and typing some more. The first line was always a hurdle. Last night he’d thought of the perfect combination of words to introduce his tome and now all but the idea had left him. He played with a few sentences, rewording them, rearranging them, before promptly deleting them. Sentence after sentence appeared on the screen then disappeared until finally something inside him clicked and the words began rolling out. The dam had burst. All his reading, all the information he’d been accumulating, had magically pieced itself together and all Dale had to do was get it down on paper.


Chapter 6