The Island, Chapter 14 - Sex Stories

The Island, Chapter 14

... killed a bunch of people, but it almost seemed impersonal, or somehow removed from me. “I don’t think I’ve been myself since the accident. I don’t seem to have the same level of concern that others have. I’m pretty convinced everything will work out all right. In fact, I seem to be more concerned with other things. Um, sexual cravings, actually.” I blushed, looking down. “I had another, uh, event yesterday that disturbed me, and it’s been preying on my mind. This morning, I woke up still sort of confused, and then the woman attacked Joelle and hurt her. I knew I had to stop her. I didn’t have a plan--I just knew she needed to be caught, and we had to figure out what to do with her once and for all. When I caught up with her, we had words. She was just plain evil. Something in me changed. I wanted to hurt her, to punish her. More importantly I wanted her to punish herself. I wanted her to see herself as others saw her—a terrible person who had done terrible things. “We fought, and the fight turned ugly. I ended up forcing myself on her. I … raped her. I wanted to break her spirit, and I did. She realized at last the horror of her actions, and it was too much for her. She jumped off a cliff.” “Mr. Connor, did you know there is one particular way that all of the world’s major religions, in their pure form, whether they be Eastern or Western, are alike?” “No,” I admitted. “They all consider it important for one to realize the consequences of one’s actions. Whether you call it ...

... karma or divine judgement or any other term, those who care about such things recognize that the individual follows a path, and the turns that are taken on that path are the choices we make in life. Where we end up depends on those choices. Animals may blindly follow a path, or choose their course based upon immediate needs for food, shelter, or sex. Humans, being more advanced, may consider possible futures and choose their paths accordingly. But the enlightened individual is cognizant that these choices bring inevitable consequences, and that we must accept responsibility for those choices. If we do not like the path we are on, we may make new choices, and reverse course. Even an undesirable turn has a purpose, however. We may achieve an outcome that is ultimately beneficial even when it seems as if we have erred. This is the wheel of destiny, or karma, or the hand of God. There is a force beyond us that guides us even as we make our own choices. The universe has its own path, and all of our small existences cannot change the course of destiny. Thus some of our actions may serve to hurt us in the short term, but as we learn from them and overcome adversity, we may see that the universe has achieved a greater balance for our stumbling.” “I’m not sure I can see much balance in what happened,” I told her. “Let me ask you: what do you think would have happened if the woman had not run off?” “We would have had a trial, and we would have probably decided that she would have to be ...