Whenever darkness crept into his mind, temptation filled the shadows. The walls that surrounded his mind suffocated common sense. The world, he perceived, had turned against him. Not far from his consciousness, the seductress stood waiting, biding her time, waiting for the right moment to unleash her allure and lead him astray. It wouldn’t take much.

The small taste she offered was the necessary distraction. A temporary escape from the persistence of voices that offered discouragement and always created more problems than they solved. He yearned for a suitable resolution. Control relinquished, he closed his eyes and hoped for the best. Desirous to experience all the promises she offered, he unplugged from the dismay and entered a new realm.

“Just once,” he thought.

It was the first time and last time for everything. Nothing would be the same, a concession he accepted without hesitation. Anything that muted the negativity within was a trip worthy of pursuit. The blanket of warmth she provided reduced the world to a soft hum. The feeling of disconnectedness was too powerful to ignore; too addictive to control. An experience, he hoped, that would be duplicated the next time they spent an afternoon together.

She complied, of course. Whetting his appetite was the first of several strategic moves she planned. Each shared moment she’d offer him more, to engage his interest until he thought of nothing but her. By then it would be too late for him to escape. He’d be ensnared by a seductiveness that few ever walked away from unscathed.

He was no different from all the others and she knew it. His voracious desires buried within would be fed until his last gasp of air. She’d then move on to the next, and another beyond, until everyone succumbed to the prowess she possessed.