Like a million other young gay men, Bryan keeps his sexuality hidden because it’s safer that way. Yet other guys know he’s different -- they sense it, and make Bryan’s life pure hell. At home, things aren’t much better. He barely acknowledges his alcoholic father, and his mother has little time to spend with her family. So Bryan is alone, with no support, no shoulder to cry on.<br><br>Years of torture and torment, of name calling and humiliation, have taken their toll. Bryan does what he can to make new friends, but in trying to be something he’s not, he makes a huge mistake. Unable to cope with the repercussions, Bryan spends more and more time in a fantasy world he has created for himself. In this private world he is handsome, an object of desire. He is loved.<br><br>Is the hiding place as perfect as it seems? Or will Bryan go too deep and not be able to come out again?

The Hiding Place

I am taken to a glade where there are no trees, but everything remains white. I am moved by some force to a narrow waterfall that spills over me from a hole in the rock face. The water is warm and I close my eyes to enjoy its warm caress. When I open my eyes again there are hands on my body, washing me. I can smell the perfume of the soap and it is pleasing to me.


Suddenly the waterfall stops. I have no idea how that can happen but I am soon covered by something soft and fluffy that dries me. It feels like a towel, but there are no towels in the forest. I am then dressed and taken through the forest to a small room. Everything is white, though there is a small window through which I can see the darkness. There are bars across the window but still the darkness on the other side unsettles me. I sit down on my bed and face away from the window. If I can’t see the darkness then I might soon forget that it is there. I lay down.


Chapter 31