Earnest Ben cont.

Ben was afraid. Lucy stood up from her chair and crossed to the door without saying a word. She turned a key in the special lock. Ben knew what happened when They locked that lock. But she was Lucy, she wasn't one of Them. She couldn't be.

Lucy walked back to the bed, knelt beside it. She told Ben that he was right, she had been hiding her artwork. That was about to change. Lucy stepped into the middle of the room and took her clothes off. She was beautiful, Ben told her. Lucy blushed.

All of the ink and all of the metal captivated Ben. When he found his voice, he asked why she had gotten art like this instead of regular paintings. Lucy giggled a little and it made Ben feel something different. She told Ben that she had this art done because it had hurt to do it.

Ben was concerned, then, but Lucy assured him that it didn't hurt anymore. She was glad she had shared with him, she said while getting dressed. She blushed again and said she might share something else with Ben another time. It made Ben's heart beat faster when she said that. He was sorry to see her go.

Long after the door had closed, Ben sat and looked at it. He wondered how sad someone would have to be to hurt themself. He wondered at it all. Somewhere, he could hear the sound of peanut butter being spread.